2021 Season Preview: Woodruff Wolverines

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A second-place finish in Region III-3A, and a berth in the Upper State semifinals marked a successful 2020 for the Woodruff Wolverines.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">This year, though, Woodruff will welcome a bunch of new faces.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’re young, and we’ll have to learn what it takes to compete at a high level,” Adams said.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">One place the Wolverines will have experience, though, is at quarterback. <strong>Carson Tucker</strong> 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.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">He’ll also have some returning protection up front. <strong>Cody Vaughn</strong>, <strong>Cooper Lee</strong>, and <strong>Brad Scharmer</strong> all return for the Wolverines. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Tucker’s top two targets from last year are gone, with <strong>Mathias Dial</strong> and <strong>Anthony Graybill</strong> expected to step in. <strong>Damarian Elmore</strong> will be a new face at running back for Woodruff. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">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 <strong>Tae Goggins</strong> returns at safety, with <strong>Rashad Reid</strong> at defensive line as the other returning defensive starter for the Wolverines. <strong>Capone Jackson</strong> also returns, but will move from his spot on the defensive line to linebacker.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">While youth might be a concern for Adams, he thinks the Wolverines will have some advantages.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">“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.”</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span>