The Skinny
The Savannah Country Day Hornets start their 2018 looking to plug a big hole with the graduation of Adam Byck. Byck was the AP offensive player of the year in Class A-Private as well as an All-State first team selection. So it wasn’t a surprise how Coach Coyle responded when asked about the challenges of 2018.
“Replacing all State RB Adam Byck and 4 starters from the offensive line. Also lost Captain LB Jonathan Palmer and All State Kicker Hawkins Pindar,” he said
But all is not lost for the Hornets. On offense SCD is projected to return their top 3 receivers from a year ago. Winn Johns who led the team in receptions with 34 is back for his senior season. Chris Pendleton is another target in the Hornets passing attack. He had 493 yards and led the team with 6 TDs. Matthew Mims, third on the team in receptions (10) and yards (223) could be poised for a breakout season as well.
Donovan Davelaar looks to be the heir apparent to Byck in the backfield. The sophomore rushed for 145 yards last season, but is almost sure to see more touches in 2018.
Cole Gambino looks to resume his role as starting QB for SCD. Last season he passed for over 1,300 yards with 13 TDs. Upfront Cameron Weaver and Brock Taylor return to lead the offensive line.
The defense returns bookends Clay Dekle (88 tackles) and Andre Miller (103 tackles, 9 sacks). Linebackers CJ Nugara (99 takcles) and Ash Pinckney (69 tackles) look to continue where they left off last season. The defensive front will also look for contributions from linemen Kenneth Reedy and Graham McGinty. Both of whom are juniors and saw meaningful minutes last season.
Matthew Mims returns in the secondary. Last season Mims picked off 4 passes. Logan Ziegler will also be a name to watch in the secondary as well as in the kicking game.
There is certainly plenty of experience coming back for the Hornets. We wouldn’t expect to see a huge drop off as a team. This should be a fun team to watch down in southeast Georgia. Even without Byck, the Hornets should be a team to be reckoned with.
