Baxter Blitz: A look at 5 area high school football powers

HERE’S A LOOK at five more Midlands teams I think will make some noise in 2015.

Airport The Eagles have suffered through a couple down seasons but return a core of talent that should put them in contention in Region 5-3A. Junior quarterback Brett Burnett will return to take the reigns of a team that is loaded with skills players, including Jonathon Earl at running back and Josh Tucker at wide receiver. Alec Spooner returns on both sides of the ball, and the defense will be anchored by linebacker Zach Feaster.

Dreher The Blue Devils lost talent at running back and leadership in the trenches, but they return quarterback Avery Armstrong – one of the more underrated players in the Midlands – to lead their offense. Look for senior Lamar Sims to be an impact player for the Blue Devils’ defense in 2015, as they challenge for a playoff spot from the Region 4-3A.

Keenan The Raiders are coming off of a state title appearance in 2014, and while they lost some key players to graduation, they return some solid talent. It begins with quarterback D’Marco Zeigler, who led the Raiders last year on offense, and he will have senior Jalon Wilson catching passes. Anchoring the offensive line will be Ronald Corley. Defensively, they return a solid group of linebackers, and the secondary will see the return of Thurman Trapp.

Lexington The Wildcats clawed their way through injuries in 2014 and will have to claw their way through attrition in 2015. The quarterback spot looks to be a two-way battle heading between senior Donny Baker and junior Brandon Blake. The life-blood of the offense is running back Slade Carroll and standout wide receivers Jayson Hopper and Tyler Schadewald. The line will be anchored by junior Hunter Blackmon. Defensively, the ’Cats will have potential all-stars Trey Mitchell at linebacker and Nick Graves at cornerback.

Spring Valley The Vikings will see former offensive coordinator Robin Bacon take the reigns as the coach in 2015. He has six returning starters on offense, including quarterback Ryan Lee, wide receiver R.J. Bacon and running back Ty’Juan Fulton. Defensively, they return seven starters, including safeties Cameron Brown and Shawn Moore.

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Baxter Blitz: A look at 5 area high school football powers."