It’s not that easy to beat Crosby, no matter who you are. It took overtime for Porter to beat them, and good teams like Manvel and Fort Bend Marshall had to actually expend effort to beat them in 2016.
Crosby is talented, but that’s how they’ve always been. With massive names like Mannie Netherly and Craig “Sqwirl” Williams, they routinely put up tons of points with superior athleticism. Their defense is great as well, in the 2016 regular season they held four opponents to single digit scores, not an easy feat in the modern age of football where most schools use wide-open spread offenses.
Crosby’s 2017 chances will depend on the quick maturation of some new faces, but they have the framework to be very successful.
Key Losses
QB/WR Mannie Netherly, CB Tay’lor Perry, RB Carlos Grace, OLB Alex Lewis
Losing Mannie Netherly is going to hurt, there’s no way around that. The LSU recruit could do it all, and he’ll be doing a lot for Ed Orgeron and the Tigers in the near future. Carlos Grace was a tough runner, and the skillful combination of Tay’lor Perry and Alex Lewis were great defenders.
Key Returners
RB Craig “Sqwirl” Williams, WR Cedric Patterson, WR Roony Woodard, CB Austin Palmer, QB Jaiden Howard
The successor to Mannie Netherly is Jaiden Howard, the 21-5A Newcomer of the Year. His progression will be key, as he’ll be taking the reins of a loaded offense. Headlining the returners is Craig “Sqwirl” Williams, a running back considered elite by his coaches. Williams and Howard will get Cedric Patterson and Roony Woodard back as well, in addition to 4/5 members of their offensive line. The Crosby defense will need to be retooled, especially a talented secondary, but with Austin Palmer returning for his third year starting, they’ll be in good hands on one edge of the field.
The Verdict
Crosby loses key individuals, but returns great units. Having that continuity across an already great offensive line will surely pay dividends next season. Having Craig Williams back will be great if he’s even half of what he’s billed as.
However, you can’t exactly replace a guy like Mannie Netherly. The Cougars retain a lot in terms of quantity, but the quality they lost was significant.
I don’t think that’ll hurt as much as everyone thinks, though. Crosby is more than just a favorite to win the district title next year, an accurate reading of what they have returning should place them in dark horse title range. There are holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, but the firepower that the Cougars have on offense should go a long way into easing them into varsity competition. Make no mistake – this team is dangerous, possibly more so than in recent years.
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