How do you replace a lightning quick quarterback who passed for 1,128 yards with 10 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 500 yards and who later signed with Appalachian State? How does one go about filling the shoes of a 5-foot-11, 215 pound running back who rushed for 1,128 yards and 16 touchdowns and signed with Florida State?

Middleton coach Harry Hubbard is hoping to find an answer within the next few weeks before his Tigers take the field for the 2008 season.

Middleton lost two key players in quarterback DeAndre Presley and running back Carlton “Ty” Jones, but Hubbard has young replacements who are anxious to learn.

Freshman Greg Windham and sophomore Dorian Ferrell will split time at quarterback, Hubbard said, and hopes to find a way to utilize both their strengths into the offense. While some may see their youth as a problem, Hubbard is thinking long-term.

“By the time they’re seniors, they’ll know the system,” he said.

Junior Rodney Johnson, who transferred from Hillsborough, will get the nod at starting running back. Johnson played behind Lindsey Lamar and Iziah Wyche with the Terriers last year and as a freshman, played behind Drew Zink at Tampa Catholic.