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The afterglow of tying for first placein the Southwestern 4A conference lastseason was dampened in July whenEast Mecklenburg learned it had toforfeit the campaign and suspend headcoach Greg Hill because of a recruitingscandal.That, though, hasn’t kept the playersfrom maintaining their focus on thefield and in the weight room.“The kids’ work ethic is showingthrough,” said assistant head coachJason Fowler, who is filling in for Hillduring the five-week suspension.“The kids have wrapped their armsaround everything we’re doing andembraced it. They’ve really workedhard, and we’re proud of them.”Quarterback Olen Little came onstrong last season after missing the firstmonth with a broken foot. He appearsprimed to pick up right where he leftoff in 2007. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounderhas a strong arm. And because of hisintelligence, Fowler said, Little has thefreedom to change any play sent fromthe sidelines.Fortunately, he has one of the strongestand deepest receiving corps inthe city, led by two-time All-Conferencechoice NickBratton. Therealso is senior TheoJones, juniorsBrandon Andersonand Anthony Goreand sophomoreQuan McCleary,who Fowler calls“a very specialplayer” and “aburner.”Although theteam lost 1,000-yard rusher MikeMayhew to graduation,it gainedtalented sophomoreRonald Howard, a transfer fromDade County, Fla. Despite being just5-5 and weighing 150 pounds, Howardbench presses 260 pounds.“And he brought some of that southFlorida speed with him, too,” Fowlersaid.The offensive line has one returningstarter in junior tackle Devin Moore,who is switching from guard.This most likely will be the strengthof the team, and it will be carried byfootball night in charlotteEast Mecklenburg EaglesOFFENSEEast Mecklenburg’s Olen Little could emerge as one of thecity’s top quarterbacks this season. Wade Nash/CW photoDEFENSEthe secondary,which returnsfour startersin seniors TimSanders, TreySanders, SterlingSmith andJamario Sinclair.Trey Sanders wasan All-Conferencechoice at safetylast year, whilethe other safety,Sinclair, led theleague with seveninterceptions.Junior RockStone, an All-Conference nose guard in 2007, movesto linebacker this season, and he’ll bejoined by Mike Grannum.The defensive line returns twostarters, senior tackle Kyell Collins andjunior end Jay Mozee. Senior DonnieAiken will man the other end.SPECIAL TEAMSTim Sanders fuels the return game.He’s so good at it that colleges havebeen eyeing him as a return specialist.Soccer player David Costello will stepin to replace graduated All-Conferenceselection Mike Davis as the kicker.— C. Jemal HortonFAST FACTSHead coach: Greg Hill,fifth season (29-20)Returning starters:Offense, 5; defense, 7Conference: Southwestern 4A2007 record: 0-13, 0-72008 SCHEDULEAug. 22..............................WaddellAug. 29..................... West CharlotteSept. 5................. West MecklenburgSept. 12.........................at GaringerSept. 26...............South MecklenburgOct. 3.............................Ardrey KellOct. 10.........................WeddingtonOct. 17........................... .....at ButlerOct. 24........................... Myers ParkOct. 31................... at IndependenceNov. 7........................ at ProvidenceGaringer WildcatsThe slogan on the back of Garingerhead coach Chris Carter’s T- shirt saysit all: “Building a New Nation.”“We’re starting from the ground up,”said Carter, who believes his team’swinless streak is still alive and strong,despite the fact that the Wildcats weregiven three wins by forfeit last yearbecause of eligibility issues.“We’re building new ideas, conceptsand ways of thinking here,” saidCarter.By the way: The on-the-field winlessstreak is up to 57 games.OFFENSECarter will run a lot of “I” formationthis year, but he might show somelooks in the Spread Offense as well. Afour-year starter at several positions,Marquez Stanley has emerged as athreat at quarterback and should leadthe offense this year.On the ground, Carter is still lookingfor someone to step into the featuredrunning back role. Junior MauriceBetha is among the frontrunners andwill be pushed by Malik Keyes, a sophomore.The Wildcats just might have thebest line they’ve assembled in years,starting with juniors Chris Moore, atackle, and Enis Siloguvich, a center.Alex Brown holds down one of theguard spots, while Quinn Holloway,Garinger hopes to end a 57-game winless streak.Wade Nash/CW photoSergio Luvetea and Cullen McNeil willcompete for the last two openings.The wide receiving corps will be ledby four seniors: Chris Anderson, NigelSelossa, Emmanuel Munn and TravisWalker. DeShaun Grier has moved fromdefensive back to flanker. Look forfirst-year tight end Thomas Gooden tomake an immediate impact. Andersonand Selossa both are taller than 6 foot3, while Walker offers blazing speed.DEFENSEOffensive production will berendered moot if the defense allowsalmost 400 points, as it did last year.Carter’s 4-4 and 4-3 defensiveschemes will be led by a young line.West Charlotte transfer DemetriusHaskins will start at end, while seniorLarry Williams will man the interior.The city’s best name goes to sophomoreMaceo Tanks, who will line up atthe other tackle spot, flanked by seniorendS Quante DeQuorium and AmarioJackson. Willams and Tanks are theonly returning players on the line.The linebacking corps will consistentirely of new faces in 2008. EastMecklenburg senior transfer AveryBarksdale will join juniors KareemGoodman and Joseph Taylor there.Carter still is piecing together themost effective combination of playersin the secondary. Walker, CarltonRussell and Keyes certainly will be inthe mix, although it’s unclear whichposition each will play.SPECIAL TEAMSSiloguvich, the Wildcats’ startingcenter, returns to handle kicking dutiesin 2008. Siloguvich has nice rangeon punts, averaging between 35 and40 yards per try. Carter also believesSiloguvich’s range on field goals canstretch to 40 yards, which shouldhelp notch much-needed points as theseason goes on.Carter also is blessed with a surplusof athletes willing – and able – toreturn kicks, although it remains to beseen who will be the most effective inthis capacity.— Aaron GarciaFAST FACTSHead coach: Chris Carter,second season, (3-8)Returning starters:Offense, 3; defense, 3Conference: Queen City 3A/4A2007 Record: 3-8, 0-62008 SCHEDULEAug. 22....................... at Myers ParkAug. 29................................. VanceSept. 12.................East MecklenburgSept. 19...........at North MecklenburgSept. 26............... West MecklenburgOct. 3........................... at HopewellOct. 10.................................at BerryOct. 17..............at Charlotte CatholicOct. 24.............................. OlympicOct. 31........................... at HardingNov. 7...............................Waddellwww.thecharlotteweekly.comFall 2008 • Charlotte Weekly15