Twin Springs deeper, more experienced after injury-plagued 2024

Call it tough luck or whatever you will, but Twin Springs couldn't seem to escape the bad breaks in 2024. Yet, the Titans kept fighting to the finish.The youth movement wasn't really a choice. With injuries decimating the roster, it was more a necessity.The good news, it shouldn't get much, if any, tougher than that for Twin Springs' returning players. While the Titans' string of consecutive playoff berths ended at three, head coach Keith Warner admired last season's squad as much as any for their determination."They got plenty of valuable reps on Friday nights last year. I say that lightheartedly but it's the truth," Warner said. "It's something I'd never seen in 15 years. But it was a blessing in disguise … we tried to take a positive from it every week. That's what I want my kids to be accustomed to is overcoming adversity whether it's football or in life. They finished the season with their heads held high. And I told them I was as proud of them as any group I've ever coached."One of the Titans' biggest casualties was quarterback Clay Ross. He ran for 267 yards and four touchdowns in a Week 2 victory over Unaka. But a broken collarbone ended his season there.The 6-3, 205-pound senior is calling signals once again for Twin Springs this fall."He's one of the best kids I've ever coached," Warner said. "Not talking about just athletically. I'm talking on the field, off the field, within the community, these kids at little league, he does the right things. I think that transfers over to the playing field for him. I think he's one of the best athletes in Southwest Virginia in any classification."SKILL PLAYERS STEPPED UPBrennon Weddle, who filled in at quarterback the rest of last season, returns to lead Twin Springs' receiving corps for his senior year. Graham Steffey, a 6-1, 205-pound senior who started last year playing center, will give the Titans' passing game some much-welcome verticality.Speaking of youth, sophomore Bryce Parks returns to the backfield after stepping into the starting role as a freshman. And he didn't waste any time getting acclimated to the sudden change. In fact, Parks' efforts earned him second-team All-District honors as a freshman."Bryce was our workhorse last year, carried 25 or more times a game," Warner recalled. "I wish I could've given him more breaks."Isaiah Kiser, himself a freshman at 5-10 and 180 pounds, is currently slated to complement Parks in the backfield.Naturally, all of these aforementioned players will start on the defensive side too — Parks and Kiser both projected to start at linebacker.Apart from Weddle at cornerback and Ross at safety, two other spots in the secondary are up for grabs. Senior Michael Greear and junior Ethan Lane, along with freshmen Hayden Parks and Isaac Horne are vying for time in the defensive backfield with another freshman Jake Compton potentially coming in at linebacker.VETERAN LINEIn what Warner described as his most experienced offensive line in at least three seasons, the Titans are at least six deep in the trenches entering the 2025 season.Three of them are seniors — Kalub Mullins, Zach Sykes and Peyton Broadwater. Juniors Hunter Kern and Jet Renshaw, along with sophomore Jacob Finch are all projected to either start or see significant time up front."They're back a year older, and they're doing things at the line of scrimmage right now that they couldn't do last year," Warner said. "It's really important for those linemen that we can rotate them out and not miss a beat. I'm really hard on them and Coach (Scott) Burke does a great job with our line play … I put a lot of pressure on them because I'm a believer that you're only as good as you are up front. I tell them we're going to be as good as they make us."Mullins, Steffey and Finch are the frontrunners to start at defensive end with Sykes, Renshaw and Broadwater vying for time at tackle.Mullins is also expected to handle kicking duties, although Gian Reina could potentially contribute at some point.TWIN SPRINGS ROSTERNo. Name Pos. Class1 Ryan Perry WR/DB So.2 Bryce Parks RB/LB So.3 Ethan Lane WR/DB Jr.4 Graham Steffey WR/LB Sr.5 Isaac Horne QB/WR Fr.7 Matthew Parks WR/DB So.8 Seth Pendergrass WR/DB Sr.9 Clay Ross QB/DB Sr.12 Julian Pascual RB/OLB Sr.15 Brennon Weddle WR/DB Sr.20 Isaiah Kiser RB/LB Fr.23 Gian Reina RB/OLB Jr.24 Hayden Parks WR/DB Fr.28 Koda Greear WR/DB Fr.29 Bruno Danree WR/DB/K Fr.32 Brady Quillen WR/LB So.38 Michael Greear WR/DB Sr.44 Jake Compton RB/LB Fr.50 Jacob Finch OL/DL So.53 Luke Kern OL/DL Fr.55 Kalub Mullins OL/DL Sr.56 Clayton Powers OT/DE So.65 Peyton Broadwater OL/DL Sr.66 Zach Sykes OL/DL Sr.67 Jet Renshaw OL/DL Jr.70 Colton Fields OL/DL Fr.72 Landon Statzer OG/DT So.76 Hunter Kern OL/DL Jr.79 Connor Elliott OL/DL Fr.Head coach: Keith Warner.Assistant coaches: Matt Bays, Keener Burke, Charles Quillen, Scott Burke, Eric Ross, Abel Dingus, Andrew Salyer, Tom Jordan, Rob Tiller.