High School Team Preview: Lake Cormorant Gators

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering AJ30 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> Coming off of a 7-3 season, the Lake Cormorant Gators were a team that a lot of folks saw making a deep run into the 2020 playoffs. Unfortunately, the team lost in the first round to Ridgeland in a tight ball game. The Gators lost some key contributers, but return a ton of their primary playmakers this upcoming season. With the regions realigning across the state, the Gators are put in great position to be a serious threat in 5A this year. <em><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></em> Although this team had a good senior group, the junior and sophomore classes were filled with players on both sides of the ball that played some key roles last year. The Gators finished third in the region behind Grenada and West Point, but will look to change the tide of things this upcoming season. On the offensive side of the ball, this is a team that loves to air the ball out, and rightfully so. Senior quarterbacks like [player_tooltip player_id="104549" first="Telvin" last="Amos"] don’t come around very often. Amos, a three year starter, has a great deep ball and can make any throw that is asked of him. He is also a threat to run with his legs. With his gunslinger mentality, it makes the lives of playmakers like [player_tooltip player_id="142996" first="Jordan" last="Martin"] very easy. Martin is one of the fastest players in Mississippi and colleges around the nation have started to notice his talents recently. This is a guy capable of taking a screen pass the distance as he is a complete monster after the catch. There is no shortage of receivers on this team. Senior<strong> Antwan Moore</strong> is a tall wideout with length that plays more of the possession role for the Gators. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="104549" first="Telvin" last="Amos"] is due for another huge year this season throwing to these two guys. Expect the Gators to be a high scoring, fast paced, and explosive offense. As good as the offense looks, this defense is pretty talented as well. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106314" first="Dalton" last="Raines"] </strong>mans the tackle spot for the defensive line here and is a hard player to move around. Raines knows how to use his size and athleticism to his advantage to defeat double teams and stop the run. At the linebacker position, senior<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="122829" first="Anthony" last="Davis"] </strong>is a player that knows how to absolutely fly around the field. Davis plugs gaps well with his speed but is also one of the better tacklers on his team as well. This front seven at Lake Cormorant is a talented unit that has been playing together for a while now. In the secondary, [player_tooltip player_id="142996" first="Jordan" last="Martin"] has taken snaps at corner and rising junior <strong>Tyrese Starks</strong> will look to fill a hole at one of the safety positions. While the offense is what everybody will be talking about, the defense will keep this team in a lot of games in a tough 5A region. All in all, this is a team that should repeat a lot of last years success plus some. Although they only reached the first round of the playoffs this last season, this senior class will have its eyes set on going on a deep run in 2021. <em><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></em> <strong>Kamarion Franklin</strong> | 2024 DL At 6’6" 250, Franklin does not look like your average sophomore in high school. Franklin played last season as a freshman straight out of middle school and flashed borderline elite potential. His play improved this spring in the spring game against Olive Branch. Franklin has a great first step and impressive athleticism off the ball. He plays strong and fast and knows how to get to the quarterback with a variety of pass rush moves. Athletic profiles like his are rare. College level upside here; going to be a hard player to stop every week. Watch for him to dominate the 2021 season. <strong>Hampton Fisher</strong> | 2024 OL Fisher was another big man that played significant snaps last season as a freshman. The 6’4" 295 tackle has great feet in pass protection and good hips to bend and adjust to edge rushers with. He has a strong first punch and can get hands on a defender with ease. Fisher looks explosive coming off of the ball as well. While he played a lot of freshman football as well last season, it will be exciting to watch his development coming into the 2021 season. Look for this guy to fill a hole on the offensive line. <em><strong>MORE NAMES</strong></em> <strong>Kejuan Williams</strong> | 2025 RB Freshman running back who has had is name pop up around here and there. Great build for a young player; hopefully will get to watch him contribute this season. <strong>Hunter Howard</strong> | 2024 OL Played some time at left tackle last season as a freshman. Watching for him to continue growing and developing into the season. <strong>Blade Privett </strong>| 2023 LB Teams second leading tackler last year. Look for him to have a big time year as a junior with more experience. <strong>Xander Smith</strong> | 2023 OL Junior offensive lineman who will be playing all across the line this year. Played well as a sophomore. <em><strong>GAMES TO WATCH</strong></em> <strong>9/17 Southaven (A) </strong>- Southaven looks like one of the best teams in all of 5A on paper. Although this is a non-region game, winning this one will turn a lot of heads in Mississippi. Competitive matchup between a great offense and defense. <strong>10/8 Saltillo (A)</strong> - Region rivalry games are always fun ones. Last year, the Gators won this one 30-6 at home. They will look to continue on that success this year. <strong>10/15 West Point (H) </strong>- Lake Cormorant gets one of Mississippi’s perineal powerhouses at home this season. Important region game that could ultimately decide who wins the entire region this season.