2021 Season Preview: Woodruff Wolverines

Jed Blackwell July 21, 2021 @ 11:00 AM

A second-place finish in Region III-3A, and a berth in the Upper State semifinals marked a successful 2020 for the Woodruff Wolverines. This year, though, Woodruff will welcome a bunch of new faces. The Wolverines return four offensive starters and three starters on the defensive side from last year’s playoff team, and Woodruff head coach Bradley Adams knows they’ll get a trial by fire in a rugged region. “We’re young, and we’ll have to learn what it takes to compete at a high level,” Adams said. One place the Wolverines will have experience, though, is at quarterback. Carson Tucker returns under center after passing for 1,580 yards and 19 touchdowns on a 65.1 percent completion rate a year ago in Woodruff’s Spread/Multiple offense. He’ll also have some returning protection up front. Cody Vaughn, Cooper Lee, and Brad Scharmer all return for the Wolverines. Tucker’s top two targets from last year are gone, with Mathias Dial and Anthony Graybill expected to step in. Damarian Elmore will be a new face at running back for Woodruff. Defensively, Woodruff’s strength is in the secondary, particularly at corner in returner [player_tooltip player_id="89306" first="Jailen" last="Tribble"]. Tribble is ranked as the 59th best player and eighth-best defensive back for the 2022 class in Prep Redzone’s rankings. Fellow defensive back Tae Goggins returns at safety, with Rashad Reid at defensive line as the other returning defensive starter for the Wolverines. Capone Jackson also returns, but will move from his spot on the defensive line to linebacker. While youth might be a concern for Adams, he thinks the Wolverines will have some advantages. “We’re a unified team that has some speed,” he said. “We want to get better every day and compete in every football game we play.” They’ll be tested early, as the schedule includes home games against in-county rival Chesnee, 1A power Southside Christian, and perennial 4A contender Greer, along with trips to 5A Hillcrest and Chester, a team expected to contend for the 3A title, all before the region schedule begins.