St. John XXIII look to restore the roar in 2022
“We’re going to be competitive,” Richardson said. “We’ve got a great group of kids. They’ve got good character. We’ll see how they pan out as football players.”
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St. John XXIII look to restore the roar in 2022
St. John XXIII coach Clay Richardson is the first to admit things didn’t go well last season as the Lions struggled to a 2-9 record.
“Last year we had a small roster and some tough breaks,” Richardson said. “We had to play iron-man football against teams with two platoons. We had some tough losses last year. The scores don’t indicate it, but we were in a lot of those games. I’m hoping we can turn that around this year.”
Richardson, who has a 25-32 record at St. John XXIII, feels good about this year’s team. The Lions play in TAPPS Division II District 4.
“We’re going to be competitive,” Richardson said. “We’ve got a great group of kids. They’ve got good character. We’ll see how they pan out as football players.”
The Lions expect to return to the flexbone offensive scheme this year after using the spread in previous seasons. While the Lions return five offensive starters, the skill positions must be decided. Richardson said he expects competition at running back following the graduation of last season’s most valuable player, Jackson McGaha.
Richard expects sophomore wide receiver Parker Koons to make a difference this year.
“He had a great offseason,” Richardson said. “We’re kind of fired up to see what he can do.”
On defense, the Lions return seven starters.
“We should be in pretty good shape on defense,” Richardson said. “We still have our defensive coordinator, Scot Mills. He’s been doing this for a few years, so the kids know it. We run an odd-man front. It’s basically a four-man front with three linemen, and a linebacker just off the line.”
Junior Raymond Walsh leads the defensive line. “He squats over 500 lbs.,” Richardson said. “He’s just a weight room guy. He’s probably our best player right now.”
Junior Charlie Sero will lead the linebackers. “He’ll hit you pretty good,” Richardson said.
Sophomore Sammy Khoury will lead the secondary. “He’s just a baller,” Richardson said. “He does everything right. He’s a little bitty guy, but boy, he plays big.”
The Lions open their season Aug. 26 against Concordia Lutheran.
Keywords
TAPPS, Katy, St. John XXIII, football, high school
