Stags looking strong in summer workouts | Sports | Berkeley Independent

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Stags looking strong in summer workouts

Published Tuesday, June 30, 2009 10:57 AM

By Dan Brown
Berkeley Independent

Dan Brown/Independent

Rising freshman Jewuan Jefferson takes part in the Berkeley summer weightlifting program.

If you were to ask Stags football coach Jerry Brown what the toughest part about summer break is, he’d break into a grin and say, it’s not August yet.

Coming off an 8-5 season that ended in a second round loss in the Class AAAA playoffs, the Stags are approaching summer workouts with a hunger that has Brown wondering if Christmas won’t come in August this year.

“We’re looking good in our workouts and passing league,” said Brown who is set to start his 29th season on the Berkeley sidelines. “We definitely won’t be a one man team this year, will we?”

The Stags return key components from last year that accounted for 3,362 total all purpose yards.

Back and recovered from a broken foot suffered against Wando last October, running back Dante Richardson will join Bruce Ellington and Pernell Irving, giving BHS a lethal threesome capable of breaking the big play.

“Dante was the heart of our football club last year,” Brown said. “When he went down we lost a big attack weapon and after that everyone keyed on Bruce.”

Richardson had amassed 576 yards on the ground in 85 carries, a 6.8-yard average and scored five touchdowns at the time of the injury, and shows no lingering effects of the broken foot.

“Dante has looked really strong in workouts this summer,” Brown said. “There is no evidence of the injury at all.”

With Richardson back and healthy, and poised to punch it up the gut, Ellington is now freed up to do his cut and dash in the open field.

“We’ll split Bruce and Pernell at quarterback and tailback,” Brown said. “They can interchange freely which will give our offense more opportunities.”

In 2008, Ellington rushed for 786 yards on 72 carries, a whopping 10.9-yard average with four touchdowns, and also amassed 1754 all-purpose yards with 10 TDs, that included a 98-yard kickoff return. This fall, Ellington will find himself in the spotlight, both on the gridiron and hardwood as college scouts descend on Moncks Corner. He will have to decide which sport to pursue on the collegiate level, football, basketball or both.

“Bruce can be all that he can be,” Brown state prophetically prior to the start of the 2008 season.

On the ground, Irving carried the ball 135 times mostly from under center for 663 yards, a 4.9-yard average and nine TDs. Through the air, Irving completed 49 passes out of 89 attempts (59.5-percent), for 714 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions.

Whether it’s Ellington or Irving under center, one of their primary targets will be R.J. Robinson who did a little bit of everything on the ground and through the air. Robinson, who amassed 369 all-purpose yards, had six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 199 yards on 25 carries, an eight-yard average with five TDs.

“R.J. will be a primary target receiving,” Brown said.

Where the Stags will need to step it up is on defense with key spots on the line and in the secondary vacated by graduating seniors Kory Brown, Bobby Gadsden and Mike Willis.

“We have some players ready to step into those spots,” Brown said. “A.J. and Evan McElvey (no relation) have looked sharp in passing league and will shore up our secondary.

A.J. McElvey, Kory Brown’s younger brother, led the Stags in tackles last season.

One additional player who has caught Brown’s eye in passing league is Jacquel Yeadon who has moved from the offensive line to the linebacker position.

“Jacquel has looked strong this summer,” Brown said. “We’ll be young in places but we won’t be a young team.”

Berkeley will get its first look come August in a pair of pres-season jamborees including the Sertoma Classic.

The official start of fall practice and the 2009 season is just a month away.

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