Terriers upbeat despite losing 17 starters

Posted Aug 9, 2010 by Bill Ward

Updated Aug 9, 2010 at 09:48 PM

Entering his 18th season at Hillsborough, head coach Earl Garcia might be facing his biggest challenge yet. The Terriers lost a total of 17 starters from last year’s squad and among them were defensive anchor Terrence Mitchell, a safety, and quarterback Tarean Austin, a three-year starter who set a career record for passing yards at the school.

Still, Garcia seemed upbeat at the opening day of training Monday, saying all the youth on this year’s squad has made coaching “fun,” not just challenging.

“This will be the youngest team we’ve ever put on the field at Hillsborough and it’s one of the most fun group of kids we’ve had, too,” said Garcia, who has never experienced a losing season in his tenure at Hillsborough. “We’ve got some talent to build around and if we can fly under the radar a little bit early on, I think we can develop something special this season.”

Durant transfer Jeremy Agrinzonis currently owns the No. 1 spot at quarterback for the Terriers but Garcia said Apoleon Moore is pushing for time there. With star receiver Charles Lovett accustomed to the service of Austin the previous three years, developing consistency at quarterback will be key for Hillsborough to continue to receive big plays from Lovett. This year, watch for Lovett to also line up at defensive back.

Some good news at camp Monday was the return of defensive end Reggie Johnson, who missed much of last season to injury, and offensive lineman Andre Gunn, who had knee surgery for a torn ligament suffered earlier this year.

At Mitchell’s safety spot, Garcia said Evan Jennings is looking solid, as are defensive backs Aydric Brown and Carlos Flores.

Anchoring the defensive is standout linebacker Rodney Williams, who switched to the Terriers for his senior year after playing the last two seasons at Spoto. Williams will also see duty at fullback.