2024 Cedar Shoals in-season football preview
As the final whistle blew on Oct. 26 last season, the Cedar Shoals Jaguar football team left the field after losing 24-15 at home against North Hall. With a losing record of 4-6, 3-4 in the region, the Jags narrowly missed out on a playoff spot behind Madison County High School.
Starting off the 2024 season, the Jags are 0-3. In the Classic City Championship at Clarke Central, Cedar Shoals lost 42-3 as senior kicker Damon Davis scored the Jags’ only points, a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter. Ultimately, the Jags running game failed to create opportunities as they had -19 yards rushing on the night, compared to Clarke Central’s 172 yards on the ground.
“It was a good game. It was a learning experience, something that after that game, we learned. We learned a lot for our upcoming season, and what we have to do to be a better team,” freshman quarterback Keelin McLendon said.
Next, the Jags’ drove up highway 78 to face the Monroe Area Hurricanes on Aug. 23. The Jags fell behind early in the game, losing 38-0. The offensive line continued to struggle, failing to open up holes to generate any rushing yards. The Jags once again finished in the negative with -6 rushing yards. Mclendon continued to show promise by passing for 112 yards and one interception after the 126 yards he got against Clarke Central.
Cedar finally opened their home schedule by hosting the Stephens County Indians on Aug. 30. The Jags were mauled 52-3.
Cedar has two more non-region games against Morgan County on Sept. 13 and Walnut Grove on Sept. 20 before opening their region schedule against North Oconee on Sept. 27. For the Jags to be successful, they must show improvement up front on the offensive and defensive lines. Mclendon will be crucial to the team’s ability to be successful and the ability to score will be necessary down the stretch as Cedar is only averaging two points per game.
An important challenge for Head Coach Leroy Ryals is the impact of roster changes. Out of the 65 man roster, 42 are freshman and sophomores. Ryals is frustrated that many of his former players did not return.
“The disappointing thing is, we lost some to graduation, but we lost some that didn’t come back and play, especially on the o-line,” Ryals said.
Despite Cedar’s three losses, they still have a chance to make the playoffs as all three of their losses are non-region.
Regardless of the rough start, senior Marcus Lawrence remains optimistic about the rest of the season ahead.
“You do it right, you do it light, you do it wrong, you do it long,” Lawrence said. “Keep working, even when coaches aren’t on you about it. Keep working when you are at home. Don’t just lay down. Get up, keep working.”
