SWJCFC MEDIA DAY | Big goals, high expectations for Trinity Valley

TYLER – Sherard Poteete, the head coach of Trinity Valley Community College’s football program, put the stamp of high expectations on his program, his players, his coaching staff and of course, himself, on Thursday at the annual Southwest Junior College Football Conference Media Day, at Tyler’s Hollytree Country Club.

“A lot of high hopes, and high expectations, at the Valley,” said Poteete, who begins his seventh season in Athens. “I know we all come in with expectations in the summertime. Had the kids on campus for a few weeks now, and just getting them here, running around in the mornings, hitting the weight room, seeing them out there on the field and going to work – I’m really excited about what we have returning and what we’ve got on campus right now.”

Poteete jumped right into talking about his personnel, starting at the top with the quarterbacks. He mentioned that the Cardinals have Diego Tello, a transfer from the University of Texas-San Antonio, back. “Really excited about what he can do with the football, his leadership skills, the things he does with the football in his hands,” Poteete said, of Tello.

Also, there’s Champ Harris, a player who started six games for Army a season ago. “He was a good edition for us in January.”

A third player, Jadyn Collins of Crockett, is in the mix. “He’s a tall, long dude that can go,” Poteete said. “This will be his second season with us, as well. There’s three guys that are really competing on a daily basis with each other.”

Poteete said he feels like his receivers are improved from a year ago – some players, he said, that can really stretch the field.

He named Jaquan Lowman, a transfer from Appalachian State. “He’s really grown in the last year, being a better leader, being a better teammate,” Poteete said. “He’s been really good on the field, and hopefully he can keep that going for the fall.”

Others in the receiver room are Lamar Kerby, an early high school graduate out of Lewisville, who was able to come in and work with the Cardinals in their spring workouts, and former Chapel Hill standout Tyson Berry. “He may hit his head on the doorknob walking out,” Poteete said, to laughs from the crowd, “but the kid can go. He went from Chapel Hill to San Diego State, but we got him back a little closer to home, and he can really stretch the field. …He had a great spring with us, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do this fall.”

Berry, if you’re curious, is listed in the TVCC media guide as being 5-foot-7.

A former player from Malakoff, Chauncey Hogg, is listed as an athlete on the Cardinals’ roster, but has been seeing time at receiver, Poteete noted. Hogg is 5-8.

“Another local guy,” Poteete said, of Hogg, “he’s had a really good July. He’s a guy that Tyson helps make look tall. He’s very quick. It’s hard to get your hands on him in tight areas. He’s got some speed and intangibles to him, as well, another local receiver that we expect big things out of.”

For the Cardinals at running back, a familiar face to Alto fans: Rashawn Mumphrey.

“He’s a tall, long rangy guy, 6-2, 6-2 ½, 215, 220 pounds that carried the ball some for us last year. Glad to have him back. Hopefully he’ll take that next step moving forward into the guy we expect him to be.”

Another Malakoff product, Duce Hart, will see time in the backfield, as well, Poteete said.

“He went to Northwestern (State, Louisiana) out of high school and he’s back,” the coach said. “Had a good spring with us, and excited about him, as well.”

The offensive line has little experience returning but two good players. The center, Daniel Hernandez, comes back, as does Benneth Nnanna.

On the defensive front?

“There’s nobody returning, whether it’s end or tackle,” Poteete said.

He mentioned Marcus Baysden, from Warsaw, N.C. “He played a few snaps for us, and came in as a defensive end out of high school in North Carolina as a tight end / defensive end guy, about 6-4, 240. He was able to return back to campus about 305 (pounds). So he has now moved inside. (He) has a chance to do really well, really good.”

Talking about linebackers fired Poteete up.

“Noah Flemings is returning,” Poteete said. “He was a running back in high school at Northeast High School in Austin and is now at the linebacker position, about a 6-3, 215-pound kid that plays really well. I’m glad we did not lose him in May.”

Also back: Paul Singleton, and some additions: Donovan Malone, a transfer from Texas State University, and Eric Fields III, from Nebraska.

“We had a really good secondary a year ago,” Poteete said, moving on to talk about the back of the defense, “some of those guys that moved on and left – the guys that kind of played with them and around them and right behind them, they’re going to be sophomores this year. We’re sitting really good right now, but we’ve got to stay healthy. If we can do that, I think those guys will do a good job on the back end.”

Trinity Valley opens the season Aug. 24 at home against Independence (Kan.). The Cardinals are open the two following weeks (Aug. 31, Sept. 7) before getting back to football with the start of the conference schedule, as they visit Tyler Junior College on Sept. 14.

Another road trip – a much longer one – follows on Sept. 21, at Cisco, and then it’s a home game, a rare Friday night game, as TVCC hosts Air Force Prep on Friday, Sept. 27.

The Cards open October with a home game against Blinn on Oct. 5, then visit rival Navarro on Oct. 12. They will host defending conference champion Kilgore College in what looks to be a monster game on Oct. 19, and then are home again Oct. 26 to host New Mexico Military, with a new head coach but two years removed from winning the NJCAA national championship.

Trinity Valley visits Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (NEO) on Nov. 2, and then finishes the regular season with an open date the weekend of Nov. 9. The conference playoffs (for the top four teams with the best records in the conference) start the following Saturday, Nov. 16.

TVCC went 7-3 a year ago, 5-2 in the conference, falling to Navarro in the conference semifinals (Navarro went on to lose to KC in the conference title game).

On his coaching staff, Poteete has Blake Bryan as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; Tyler Uselton, as offensive line coach; Leonard Hunt as running backs and tight ends coach; Josh Johnson as wide receivers coach; Darius White as defensive backs coach; and Tyrell Thompson as defensive line coach.

“Our July is gone,” Poteete said. “If we all show up and play this fall like we expect… we’ll have a bunch of really good teams. That’s how it always is. It’s gonna be a dogfight in this league like it is every year. There’s no – the window is so small from the first-place team to the last-place team every year, and I would expect nothing less than that this upcoming season. Next week is August 1 – summer is over. Here we go.”