Rye Cove reloaded for another run at state title

CLINCHPORT — Tears nearly come to Gary Collier when he thinks about what Rye Cove lost from last season's state runner-up finish. Yet, the players that remain have given Collier reason to smile. "They have stepped up and that is the way it works," said Collier, whose Eagles lost 12 productive seniors, but have 11 more ready to produce. "I am tickled to death with what I am seeing." Rye Cove, which finished 11-4 last season, falling to Rappahannock in the Class 1 state championship game, returns a pair of all-state performers, including West Virginia commit Ethan Lawson and Cole Barnette, who earned those honors at defensive back and as a return specialist. "We are a little more athletic than we have been in the past. We are not as deep," said Collier, whose Eagles have won 44 games, three Cumberland District crowns, two Region 1D titles and one state championship game appearance over the last four seasons. "Those concerns us sometimes, but the kids are working hard. "We are at that time of the year when we won't get a lot of answers until we start popping some pads. I am excited about what we have got." While two-way standouts like Carter Roach-Hodge, Will Rollins, Cooper Bowen and more have departed, the 6-foot-6, 30-5-pound Lawson is focused on getting the Eagles back to Salem. "All I am focused on is Rye Cove right now," Lawson said. "I am not focused on West Virginia until January." There is plenty of talent back for what Lawson describes as "ground-and-pound" football, but it will include more speed than in past season, with the speedy Barnette joined in the backfield by Cole Williams and Jordan Martin. "We have a little more speed than we have had in the past," Collier said. "We don't have the two thick, Carter Roach-Hodge and Will Rollins, but we have got some kids that can scoot a little bit better than they could. We will miss those kids." Senior Tyler Shupe and sophomore Gage Walden are competing at quarterback, while Will Darnell is a big target for any pass attempts. Lawson will be joined on a big offensive by Ben McElroy, Caden Bishop, Steven Mullins and Cole Deets as the Eagles look to put points on the board. "One (quarterback) is a little better with the mental game because he has been around longer, skill-wise, one throws it a little better than the other one," Collier said. "We won't know until they are out here running the offense. Both of them are capable of running it." With Rollins and Roach-Hodge no longer manning the linebacker positions, the Eagles will turn to McElroy, Williams, Martin and Darnell, while Lawson, Bishop and Mullins will be on the interior line. Barnette leads a much-improved secondary that also includes Connor Stem, Maverick Cress and Aiden Rose. Much has changed at Rye Cove over the last five seasons, including pressure that comes with expectations. "We talk about it a lot from where we have come from to now where we have changed the culture, we have changed expectations, which is a good thing, that is where we want to be," Collier said. "We feel a little bit of pressure now every time we take the field and start a new year." Cress is expected to kick for Rye Cove, which will open its season once again with Class 3 Lord Botetourt on Aug. 22 at Emory & Henry University. Add the Cavaliers to Class 2 Lee High and Southern Gap, the Hogoheegee District duo of Chilhowie and Honaker, and Eastside and the rest of the Cumberland District, and Collier thinks the Eagles will be ready in the postseason. It worked last season when the Eagles' went on a "revenge tour" in the playoffs and wound up in Salem. "We are going to be challenged every week," Collier said. "Everybody talked about playing Botetourt the first game last year. I think it helped us in the long run and put us in a situation where we that state run so playing them really helped us. We have got good competition."