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<p>Two years ago when Mauldin head coach Andre Cook took over, he inherited a team that was majority sophomores. </p>
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<p>Those sophomores have grown up together, and have gone through some growing pains over the last few years, including last season with close losses to Fountain Inn and Woodmont, as they finished with a 2-8 record and a first round playoff loss to River Bluff. </p>
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<p>Now as the 2025 season opens on August 22 at Riverside, the Mavericks are focusing on coming together as a team and building that cohesiveness for it to translate to wins.</p>
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<p>“This is the best summer we've had since I've been here. We've gone and we've competed against a lot of different schools. There's nobody that we've competed against where I didn't feel like we belong. And now it's just about being able to put it together, when the pads get on, and making the plays, when they need to be made to win the game,” Cook told us at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Hillcrest on June 27.</p>
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<p>The offensive line is back for another year with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1811122' first='Jacob' last='Whitehead'] </strong>and <strong>Justin Angnahe </strong>anchoring things. <strong>Tristan Nash</strong> will be a leader at the wide receiver position. <strong>Austin Cummings </strong>is a three-year starter back on the defensive line along with <strong>Devon Wilson </strong>in the secondary at cornerback.</p>
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<p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1567236' first='Evan' last='Hruska']</strong> LB, 2026 – The Mavericks' leading tackler (79 total tackles) is back for his senior season. Hruska (pictured above) is all over the football and can come up in run support and defeat blocks to limit the gain. There were even sometimes when we watched his film where he covered out in space and affected the receiver's route.</p>
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<p><em>Improvements heading into 2025: “Just our cohesiveness as a team (and) team bonding because last year, I feel like we definitely had a disconnect between each of us. I'd like to get together more.”</em></p>
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<p><em>Expectations as a defense heading into 2025: “Just doing our job and not busting coverages and really doing what the coaches ask. I think they have a good game plan for us and if we just follow what they do, then we'll be alright for the season.”</em></p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1303951' first='Tamari' last='Shepherd']</strong> WR, 2026 – Shepherd had 36 receptions for 491 yards and two receiving touchdowns. The Mavericks lined him up in a variety of places in 2024 at receiver, whether it be in the slot or as an h-back. He made his impact felt in being able to make the competitive plays and win the one-on-one battles. He knows what to do with the ball in his hands. He has offers from Erskine College, Concord University and Brevard College.</p>
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<p><em>Improvements heading into 2025: “Better energy on the team and not looking at the negative side of our team and just uplifting each other and just keep working hard in the offseason.”</em></p>
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<p><em>Expectations as an offense heading into 2025: “Just getting to our spot as receivers and coming fast off our routes and getting to the spot where the ball is thrown. And making big plays when the time is there.”</em></p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592598' first='Cade' last='Spencer']</strong> OL, 2026 – Spencer will lead things up front on the offensive line at the guard spot. He did a good job last year of opening up holes in the run game and identifying what the opposing linemen wanted to do so he can help keep the offense on schedule. </p>
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<p><em>Improvements heading into 2025: “I want to work on my lateral movement. I'm just ready to play football again. As a lineman, (I) want to put whoever's in front of me on the floor every play.”</em></p>
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<p><strong>Taurus Thomason</strong> RB, 2026 – Thomason is the leading returning rusher (393 yards) and two touchdowns last year, We expect his workload to increase heading into 2025. He has a great burst of speed once he gets out into the open field. He has good vision and knows where to find the green grass.</p>
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<p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p>
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<p><strong>Reddick Langston</strong> QB, 2026 – Last year was Langston's first season on varsity, and while it was a mixed bag of sorts, he made plays. He has a nice velocity on his throws and can launch it deep to his receivers and make plays on the rollout. He also showed an ability to make plays with his feet as he can outrun defenders. Cook has been pleased with what he's done this summer and he should benefit greatly now that he's been in the same offense for two years.</p>
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<p><strong>KEY LOSSES</strong></p>
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<p><strong>AJ Norfus</strong> DL – Norfus was one of the leaders on the defensive line in 2024, finishing with 62 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss. He is now at Concord University.</p>
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<p><strong>Nehemiah Floyd </strong>RB – Floyd ran for 1033 yards and 7 touchdowns in his final year at Mauldin. He is now at Brevard College.</p>
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<p><strong>UP AND COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1648324' first='Landon' last='Cash'] </strong>TE, 2028 – Cash saw time on the freshman squad in 2024, and he made the most of his opportunity in 2025. He is listed as a tight end but he plays more like a wide receiver in that he can flex out and run routes to the outside and go up and make catches. Cook has been pleased with his offseason work in the weight room.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1709902' first='Nehemiah' last='Jackson']</strong> OL, 2027 – Jackson is around 6-foot-3, 260 pounds that Cook is hopeful will be able to contribute some this year. The staff is working to figure out where he may fit on the offensive line.</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">It's easy to see why Evans saw time on the field as a freshman. His hand usage in being able to defeat opposing offensive lineman is impressive. He can rush and get to the quarterback quickly and understands what works best for him within the defensive scheme to get there. </p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">He'll line up mostly as a defensive end and he showed an ability to stop the run, many times before the back could get going. He's going to be fun to watch over the next several years.</p>
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<p></p>
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Two years ago when Mauldin head coach Andre Cook took over, he inherited a team that was majority sophomores.
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