American Leadership Academy Patriots 2025 Season Preview

We're closing in on the beginning of the season and while we're in the midst of both a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/08/august-rankings-update-behind-the-scenes-of-the-2026-class/">rankings update</a> and <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/08/prep-redzone-2a-preseason-all-state-team/">All-State teams</a>, we're also previewing some teams along the way.   The American Leadership Academy Patriots in Johnston are still a new program. In fact, this is their first true senior class. They had some growing pains last year, but this is a team that returns almost 20 starters and has some real experience -- and talent. What can we expect from the Patriots this season? Buckle up for our American Leadership Academy Patriots 2025 season preview.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">American Leadership Academy Patriots Season Preview</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Key Info</h3>   Head Coach: Nate Blackburn   2024 Record: 7-3   2025 Conference: Quad City 2A/3A/4A   Key Games: vs. Roanoke Rapids (10/24), vs. Wake Prep (9/12), @ East Carteret (9/19)   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Key Storyline</h3>   What's the ceiling for a team that has practiced together for multiple seasons, and had a solid year last season despite multiple critical injuries? It's difficult to project the growth potential of newer schools, but Blackburn seems to have his players ready to go and the schedule is gettable.   There's not a ton of proven depth on this team (par for the course at the 2A level) but on the surface, ALA looks like a team that could make some noise in the playoffs now that they'll eligible. That's my question. They're both experienced and inexperienced at the same time. There are a bunch of returning starters, but none of them have played in overtly high-stakes games. Again, what's the ceiling?   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top American Leadership Academy Players</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Offense</h3>   I've had the privilege of seeing a lot of these guys both in a camp and a practice setting, giving me some unique insight into their abilities. Most of the starters are proven at the varsity level, and after going 7-3 in what was supposed to be a "learnig year" the ALA coaching staff is quietly confident in this team.   It looks like junior [player_tooltip player_id='1650566' first='Ian' last='Wands'] is going to be the quarterback again this year, a guy who has the willingness to push the ball down the field. ALA likes to spread out the defense, but it's all built on the running game, which in turn, opens up opportunities behind the safeties.   [player_tooltip player_id='1649868' first='Michael' last='Beasley'] and Cash Tolley are the primary receivers, each with the size and speed to stretch the defense. They combined for nearly half of ALA's 86 receptions and 11 of 19 receiving touchdowns, several of them going for huge gains. Tolley averaged 23 yards a catch while Beasley's 17 a catch was nearly as impressive. In an offense predicated on running the ball out of the spread and hitting the defense with play-action, their skill sets are perfect.   Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1194708' first='Kegian' last='Blanchard'] and senior Payton MacMahon add a different look. Blanchard operates primarily out of the slot and has the speed to get down the field.   The running back situation wasn't exactly what the coaching staff planned last season, but it really worked out. The Patriots averaged nearly 350 yards a game on the ground, with multiple guys going over 1,000 yards on fewer than 120 carries.   I'm interested to see how much [player_tooltip player_id='1650614' first='Symir' last='Ray'] plays at the running back position. Pressed into action due to injuries last season, he actually led the Patriots with 1,033 yards on just 89 carries. But, he's a game-wrecker on defense and I wonder if the coaching staff will lean on the other talented running backs to keep Ray fresher on the other side of the ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='1650579' first='Anthony' last='Jimenez'] had seven-straight 100-yard games in the middle of his season, despite being a bit banged up. Expect Arturo Morales to factor in as a change-of-pace back, while last year's second-leading tackler [player_tooltip player_id='1650088' first='Demarr' last='Williams'] could help out in a pinch.   The offensive line doesn't usually get the credit, but this group is nasty. [player_tooltip player_id='1649816' first='Joshua' last='Crenshaw'] is a guy we see as a true FCS prospect on the defensive line, but he's a powerful guard as well. He can also snap and play center if needed, just adding to his versatile profile. He's really slimmed down and gotten quicker this offseason, something that should help him even more.   He's joined on the interior by juniors Josh Avery and [player_tooltip player_id='1650544' first='Grant' last='Bazemore']. Fellow senior Judah Shouf can play multiple positions as well.   The tackles are huge for the 2A level. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1650574' first='Brayden' last='Tant'] (6'6," 290) and [player_tooltip player_id='1654990' first='Carter' last='Donovan'] (6'5." 260) can each move and blow guys off the line-of-scrimmage in the running game and are capable pass-blockers as well.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Defense</h3>   This defense is multiple and versatile, giving the offense a lot of looks. They can do that because it's an athletic group with the I.Q. to play in multiple alignments.   Ray is one of the stars, a game-wrecking edge rusher who can stand up and play linebacker as well. The defensive line rotates with a lot of depth, and though he wasn't a huge contributor on defense last season, Crenshaw really impressed me as a defensive lineman at our Prep Redzone Combine, beating much smaller offensive linemen with quickness as often as power.   Brian O'Neil is an old-school "set the edge" defensive end, who pushes a lot of outside runs back inside for the linebackers.   That linebacking corps is probably the strength of the defense, anchored by leading tackler [player_tooltip player_id='1652238' first='Helaire' last='Trahan']. Trahan is a bit undersized, but he's a high-academic ball magnet who finds and hits people in the hole. He's also a very talented long-snapper.   Williams and edge rusher/outside linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1647668' first='Elijah' last='Fulton'] each bring varying skillsets to the middle of the defense. Fulton moves around a lot, but he's at his best when he can attack downhill. He's done a ton of work in the weight room this offseason which should show up quickly this fall.   If there's any "weakness" on the team, it may be the defensive backfield. I'm interested to see how a group of really talented athletes become more natural defensive backs. The safeties, led by box safety Zion McDonald, are excellent in run support, but ALA was susceptible to the deep ball in a couple of its losses.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1612399' first='Jahkese' last='Bodrick'] played JV last season, but the undersized corner has some excellent ball skills and coverage abilities, giving ALA a potentially unique DB chess piece to deploy.   I think the pass-rush will be improved this season, and I expect the coverage on the back end to be a bit tighter. If so, it bodes well for the ceiling of this ALA defense.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Verdict</h2>   I tentatively really like this team as a group that could make a deep playoff run. The very top of the 2A classification is daunting, (with both Tarboro and Corvian Community looming as potential repeat state finalists) but the next tier of the class is wide open.   I didn't rank ALA in my initial top 10 for the class, but in hindsight, I think I may have dropped the ball there. The returning talent is too much to ignore and the schedule sets up favorably. If the Patriots can get a break or two, this is a team that could challenge for the Quad City conference title and make some noise in the playoffs.   The offense is unique enough to really throw some teams off, especially with the spread rushing elements, as it's not something teams at this level see often. The key is the pass defense. If the defensive line can produce a bit more pressure with four and the back end can limit explosive pass plays.   I think we'll know a lot about this group by October and if they play well in some key matchups, this could be a special season for ALA.   A special thanks to Enloe head coach Nate Blackburn for sharing his prospect sheet and allowing me to scout his team in practice. Want to send this report to someone who isn't a subscriber? Support our work with promo code Helms30 so they can get 30% off their first billing cycle.

We're closing in on the beginning of the season and while we're in the midst of both a rankings update and All-State teams, we're also previewing some teams along the way.