What does Warren East need to do to improve in 2008? What do they need to keep doing to be successful? Remember, please be constructive.

All this must be taken with a grain of salt as that the Winter Program has just begun and it’s anyone’s guess as to how the cards will play out by August. But here goes for the sake of having something interesting to talk about:

 

The 2008 Warren East team will return a lot and lose a lot from its 2007 4A Regional Championship team that finished 11-3 and was knocked out of a State Championship appearance by a last-second Lone Oak field goal.

 

Gone are All-State QB Jordan Ellis and his three favorite targets, Jon Yates, Demetric Ray and Deangelo Kirk. Those four leave the biggest void for the team. The secondary also loses its top three CB’s, leaving another hole.

 

On the other hand, the cupboard is hardly bare. The defensive front seven returns basically everyone (minus LB Jordan Bryant), The front three have the possibility to be a dominating, large, fast group that features an All State caliber NG in Nick Pearson. He will be possibly flanked by several kids, all of whom can run. The inside backers all played last year, and they have the potential to be a very solid group, should a certain sophomore come out of Spring having lived up to his expectations.

 

The secondary will be lead by FS Immanuel Robinson, a 6-3 190lb. Jr. who started and played well as a sophomore. The CB spots are probably the team’s biggest question marks, and several kids will have to prove they’re ready to play at the varsity level. There are athletes there to fill the spots, but they are unproven at this point.

 

One place where the Raiders will be stout is at OLB, where All-Stater 6’0, 205lb. Sr. Shenard Holton returns. Holton without a doubt one of the best players in the state and will likely garner much more state-wide attention as the recruiting talk turns to the 2008 class.

 

On offense, it is much of the same. The Raiders return what could be a massive and experienced Offensive Line with no less than five of the eight competing for a job having extensive varsity experience. Three sophomores posses the potential, size and mobility to steal away starting jobs and the competition to play will only make this group that much better.

 

WR will call for a new group to prove they can play. Gone are deep threats Kirk and Ray, as well as the sure handed Yates. Several kids will vie for time and there is the possibility of this group being just as fast, and taller than last year, but a lot depends on several players showing that they have the desire and wherewithal to survive the off-season. The playmaking ability this position had in 2007 will be difficult to match, though should certain things work out, it’s not out of the question.

 

The backfield returns 3 of the top 4 backs. Holton is the stud, though 5’10 215lb. Antonious Owens may be the best back that nobody noticed in 2007. Owens has waited his turn behind Holton and departed Sr. Terrence Dunn, and has quietly accumulated 691 yards and 11 TD’s on just 96 carries for a 7.2 yard per carry avg. Owens was stout enough to start DE last year. Brandon Flynn returns at FB, and will have to prove he can consistently perform at the level he did early in the 2007 campaign.

 

The QB position will likely fall into the hands of 5’10 180lb Jr. Andrew Alvey. Alvey posses a very strong right arm and great mechanics, as well as good overall athleticism and speed, but must prove he can handle the intricacies of the Raider’s complex offense. There is no question that Ellis’s innovative nature can’t be replaced, but Alvey brings some excellent tools to the table.

 

The schedule is again brutal. Non-district wise it’s includes Greenwood, Ft. Campbell, Bardstown, Owensboro Catholic, Bowling Green, and Larue Co. The district will feature historically stout Franklin Simpson, as well as Allen Co. and Logan Co. who have both beaten the Raiders in past years. Russell Co. features a team that led East 7-0 for the first half of a game before falling 41-21.

 

East should challenge for the District and Region again in 2008 and has the potential to vie again for a shot to represent the West in 4A. Of course, everyone probably feels this same way at this time of year. I’d be more than interested to hear from those fans of East’s 2008 opponents and how thy see the 2008 game matching up.

 

Hope it was at least an interesting read.

I agree that Warren East loses a lot, but the cupboard will be far from empty. The Holton kid is a great football player.They will have an inexperienced QB but he has talent. They might not be the score quick team that they was this year but still will be very dangerous. I also believe that in the long run there defense will be better overall then this years team with the return of their DL and LB's. If I was a to predict this early, I would say that Bruni and Company will have a chance to throw several more trophies in 2008.

I would say that Bruni and Company will have a chance to throw several more trophies in 2008.

 

Will the new QB have the ability to get the loft on the trophie like Ellis did with the Regional-wood? There are serious questions that will have to be answered.

From what I saw of him in the JV. he has a strong enough arm to give that trophy a good run. I also think he does some punting so he might be able to kick it pretty well too. Overall though I feel East will be the team to beat again in the district. Franklin is going to have the talent to give them a run but they still have to beat them, and they have yet to do that in the last 4 meetings.

Shenard Holton should make the Preseason Tremendous 26 in 2008, and a prime candidate for All-State honors. Coach Bruni has a very nice nucleus of players coming back, and he should start to be recognized for the job he does at this primarily basketball school...he is a great coach!

 

I expect that Warren East should be one of the top teams in the west on the 4A level once again, if not the best. Coach Bruni has lofty goals each season, having played and coached at BGHS. He was a starter on their 1995 3A Champion team, and learned his trade under Dan Haley and Kevin Wallace. The East fans are really responding well to all of this. The Raider program has been taken to new heights and are hungry for more!:thumb:

The Raiders will have to contend with a Franklin Simpson team that return everyone. Will this be the year Franklin gets it back together?

Franklin seems to have the talent the last two years to play with East but haven't so far. Who knows though, maybe this is the year that Franklin finally lives up to all the promises we so often hear about on here. But I would still pick East to win.

I think Franklin may fall to Third in the district this year. Word out of Allen Co. is that there are some good things happening. I look for Coach Hood and the Pats to push some people out of their way this year. East, Allen, Russell, Franklin and Logan will all duke it out to see who comes out of this district.

I feel Allen still has a way to go to be up there with Franklin. They should make some strides but it will be a long road in front of them. I look for Russell to be tough and Logan is returning a QB that can flat fly. They will be very dangerous this year.

It might be a real horse race for this district next season, but I still feel like it's East's title to lose. If anybody can unseat them, it's Big Blue. They've dropped four in a row to the Raiders in the last two seasons, and you can bet that this is mighty powerful motivation for Big Blue!