Panthers to be road-tested in '25

McCOMB – McComb coach Kris Alge knows his Panthers will have to be road warriors this season.Sometimes, there's just no other alternative."It is what it is," Alge said."I just know I wouldn't want to be an AD (athletic director) trying to put together a schedule these days."Due to some alterations in the schedule, especially right from the start, McComb opens the 2025 season with four straight road games. The Panthers first home game is a Sept. 19 matchup with Ada, then it's back on the road Week 6 at Van Buren. An Oct. 17 game at Riverdale means the Panthers will play six of their 10 regular season games on the road."It's too bad for the seniors. You'd like them to have five home games" Alge said."The key is winning that first game, though. We need to focus on Monroeville, take it one game at a time and work on getting better every time out."Focusing on the next team on the schedule and taking things one game at a time has worked well for McComb overall and Alge in particular, who enters his 28th year as head coach as the winningest coach in BVC history (249-77) and just one win shy of a milestone 250th career victory.McComb has averaged over nine wins a season under Alge and 8.5 a season since Bill Banning, Alge's predecessor, took over in 1976. With experience back at quarterback and along the offensive line, Alge sees no reason why that kind of success can't continue into 2025.Grady Schroeder, a 175-pound senior, returns under center for the Panthers. A dual threat, Schroeder threw for over 1,000 yards, had another 1,015 yards rushing, and accounted for 20 total touchdowns."He ran the offense, he knows the offense …. It really nice having a quarterback back with experience," Alge said."And to have enough back from last year around him really helps."Much of that other returning experience is on the line where three starters return: senior Caleb Robinette (5-11, 180), a third-team all-BVC pick who will be moving from center to right guard, senior Griffin Amador (6-1, 235), and junior Gabe Williams (6-1, 250). Also back is Kaydin Hedges-Sawinski, a 265-pound junior.McComb lost two two-way all-BVC linemen in Elijah Gibbs and Madden Amador. Graduation also cost the Panthers all-league running back Brayden Shoop (1,010 yards 11 TDs) and their top two receivers, Octavian Gonzalez (17 recps., 446 yards, 5 TDs) and Hayden Ebright (13, 233, 2 TDs).Senior Brayden Heller (5-9, 170) will join Schroeder in the backfield, with junior Kahle Drown (5-11, 155) in the mix as well. Cameron Smith (5-8, 140, sr.) and Carter Like (6-1, 190, soph.) will be the wide outs, with Like also seeing time at tight end, along with Brody Tucker (5-10, 185, soph.).Alge also has plans to get the athletic talents of Luke Kern, a 6-1, 180-pound sophomore, and Gracin Romero (5-8, 160, sr.) on the field somewhere."Luke Kern's a good athlete. He started for us at safety last year and will be playing on offense this season," Alge said."Gracin Romero is that Swiss Army Knife kind of player. Last year he played running back, H-back, receiver and started on defense. He's just a great kid we can put anywhere on the field."Amador and sophomore Jaxen Durain (6-0, 170) will the ends on McComb's defensive front, with Williams, Hedges-Sawinski and Chandler Hargrove (5-10, 230, sr.) manning the interior spots.Robinette will drop from an end position to middle linebacker, along with Like. Romero (48 tackles in 2024) returns at one outside spot, with junior Brody Gallagher, a returning letterman, likely at the other.McComb's secondary should be solid with Kern and Schroeder the safeties and Heller, Smith and Carter Frater (6-1, 170, jr.) the corners.Last season, McComb opened with nonleague games against Columbus KIPP and Convoy Crestview. This year, the Panthers face Monroeville and Toledo Christian before kicking off BVC play with a road game at defending league champion Liberty-Benton."Monroeville was 10-2 last year and is a perennial powerhouse. They're a good program. They're always up there," Alge said."With Toledo Christian, you don't know. They played eight-man (football) the past few years, but they won the state championship two years in a row, they have 35 kids on the team and they score a lot of points."Then we come back and face Liberty-Benton, and Liberty is Liberty. They're the defending league champs."It's going to be tough, we know that. But if we can stay healthy, I think we have a shot at being a really good football team."