Clarendon Hall looking to spread the ball on offense
Saints RB Darius Aiken still has 304 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns in 2-0 start
Summerton – Prior to his first season as the football head coach at Clarendon Hall, Todd Larrimer said he and his coaching staff wanted to spread the football around more on offense than it did last year. In other words, not put it in the hands of senior running back Darius Aiken as often.
“We're going to stick with a little bit of what we did last year,” Larrimer said. “The main focus is we're going to try and spread the ball around a little bit just so it's not Darius Aiken every single play. We want to utilize some other assets we have on the team and maybe give Darius a little break.”
Just two games in for the Saints, that will likely come to fruition. However, it’s hard not to ride that horse.
Clarendon Hall got off to a 2-0 start, and Aiken has led the way with 304 yards rushing and five touchdowns.
To the defense of Larrimer and offensive coordinator Matt Baxley, Aiken has done that on just 28 carries. He ran for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in a 16-0 victory over Thomas Sumter Academy in the season opener on August 18. He exploded for 207 yards and three scores on just 11 carries in a 54-14 triumph over The King’s Academy on August 25.
Some of the other players Larrimer hopes to get the ball to are senior Wilder Robinson and junior Griffin McIntosh at running back and in the slot, senior wide receiver Kole Elliott and sophomore running back Peyton McGee.
Of course, the person who will distribute the ball is senior quarterback Brock Mathis. He has carried the ball 17 times for 134 yards and a TD. Mathis has only thrown the ball 10 times, completing three of them for 113 yards and another score.
Larrimer believes Mathis has matured as a quarterback.
“He's used to the position now, he knows what to expect,” Larrimer said. “It's his senior year, and he knows he's the quarterback. I think him knowing he is quarterback, it will free him up a little bit and he'll feel a little less pressure.”
Elliott has three catches for 26 yards, while McIntosh has one catch, a 90-yard TD pass.
Robinson has run the ball four time for 59 yards, and McGee has 21 yards on nine carries.
Clarendon Hall has an experienced offensive line. It is led by senior center Karson Fields. Lining up on the left side are senior 3-year starter Michael Clark at tackle and junior Evan Reynolds at guard. Junior Charles Roberson and freshman Grant Gray are the guard and tackle, respectively, on the right side.
“We're pretty well seasoned up front,” Larrimer said. “Karson Fields is going to lead the charge for us on the offensive line at center. He's a great senior leader and makes sure everybody know what they're supposed to be doing up front.”
On defense, the secondary will be experienced with Aiken, Robinson and Elliott. Mathis, McGee and junior Thelien Naas are the linebackers, while Fields and Tommy Lei Atkinson will lead the way up front.
The defense is under the guidance of longtime coordinator Stewart Price.
“Of course, Coach Price on defense, he's been around the program so long they just trust him naturally,” Larrimer said. “We’re going to run a traditional 4-3. It will be similar to last year, not a whole lot of changes on defense.”
Robinson, a lifelong Clarendon Hall student, believes he and his team have completely made the transition to 11-man football. Last season’s 6-5 team was the Saints’ first in 11-man after several years competing as an 8-man program.
“There was definitely an adjustment we had to make,” said Robinson, who will be the punter. “I feel like we are doing very well with that adjustment, and this year it should be a little bit easier than last year.”
Robinson has two interceptions to lead the defense. Griffin McIntosh leads in tackles with 14 and has an interception, Aiken has 10 tackles, a quarterback sack and an interception, Mathis has 10 tackles and Walker McIntosh has a pick.
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