[Dumpster Diving]

Somerset lost a great group of guys this year but returns a really strong incoming junior class next season. Keeping alot of starters on both sides...big question is who will QB be? Another tough schedule for the Jumpers...at least those long drives are home for them this year (and for the fans, haha).

Thoughts?

[RoShamBo]

Somerset lost a great group of guys this year but returns a really strong incoming junior class next season. Keeping alot of starters on both sides...big question is who will QB be? Another tough schedule for the Jumpers...at least those long drives are home for them this year (and for the fans, haha).

Thoughts?

I actually like the way our QB situation is looking right now. We bring back Gadberry who got a ton of experience last season as a Sophomore, and then we have Castle Hatcher coming in who is a bit undersized but was still probably the best all around quarterback in 8th grade Kentucky football this past season leading our 8th graders to a state championship and our all staters to a 3rd place finish nationally. Defense should be very tough again this season with a lot of experience coming back. While we did lose a great group of seniors this season, Storm Wilson was the only really irreplaceable piece to the puzzle. Hopefully Cole Smith decides to play football instead of futbol and fills the receiver void left by Storm. Tevin Slaughter, Tyler Megargel, Will Hinton, McWilliams, and Will Lange return to really anchor the defense. Add to that an extremely talented 8th grade group coming up and I definitely think the Jumpers should be hosting the state semifinals this year. Hopefully we take care of business against all of our rematches and the other region champions across town in the regular season as well. Discipline has been a key factor in our previous two playoff exits, hopefully that is cleaned up this season. Should be an exciting season!

[Jumper Dad]

Jumpers will be pretty good either way the QB situation turns out. If one of them excelsat the position then the Jumpers could make a nice playoff run again this season.

[breathitt]

wonder if coach will make a contract with them agian .... breathitt beat them 20-0

[Norm Peterson]

wonder if coach will make a contract with them agian .... breathitt beat them 20-0

Breathitt is scheduled to come to Somerset this season.

[GetChili]

Hope the Jumpers have a good 2012 season. Somerset does lose a lot of seniors from last year's team.

[RoShamBo]

wonder if coach will make a contract with them agian .... breathitt beat them 20-0

Contract is already made, it was made before last season. Thanks for the history lesson.

[West 80]

Somerset is going to be pretty good for the next few years.

[Grey Goose]

Mr. Breathitt acts like Somerset would be scared to play Breathitt or something after that 20 to 0 shellacking. I was in fact at that game and it was very much closer than that score. If you remember a Somerset fumble on the 1 and switching of QB when they were still testing waters. I guess you forgot Somerset knocking Breathitt out of the playoffs the year before at Breathitt or the beatdown the Jumpers laid on Fugate and Breathitt the year before that. The last 3 years have been one final and two semi's for the Jumpers. How does Breathitt compare to that. We will see how you do with the Jumpers next fall... you may be the one not wanting to sign a contract with Somerset!

[Norm Peterson]

Somerset should be very strong again next season. They lost a very good group of seniors but return some very talented players and their rising junior class is excellent.

On the defensive front 4 year starter Trey Slaughter is the lone loss. He will be impossible to replace but the Jumpers have a good young one in Jacobi Gilmore who should be able to man the position--particularly with Bridge Smith and Tevin Slaughter getting most of the attention from opposing offenses.

At linebacker Somerset will have to replace Andy Manning, who had an excellent senior season. I would expect sophomore Brycen McWilliams to step into that spot. Alex Lange got a lot of time at linebacker as well. Charlie Dishman will probably fill his spot. Will Hinton and Bryson Jones coming back will make this a very solid unit.

In the secondary Storm Wilson is the main loss. He only started back there one season but was great back there for the Briar Jumpers last season. Luckily for Somerset Tyler Megargel returns after picking off 5 passes last season. Will Lange, Brayden McWilliams and Cam Cheuvront return as well to make this another point of strength for Somerset.

On the offensive line the Briar Jumpers return 4 starters in RT Kagen Skidmore, RG Tyler Wilson, LG Josh Stambaugh along with TE Will Hinton. All 4 were solid last season and I would expect Skidmore will move over to left tackle next season. This is one area that concerns me for the Jumpers next season. There was not a lot of depth on the line last season and with so many close games the younger guys did not get a lot of reps. Price was a 2 year starter at center and will probably be replaced by Hayden Fox. The tackle position might be harder to fill. Taylor Speaks made about 30 starts on the offensive line the last 3 seasons and made all the blocking calls the last two season. I think Skidmore can fill his spot at left tackle but I don't know who will fill the right tackle spot. Maybe Bridge Smith?

At receiver losing Storm Wilson is a huge blow. He leaves Somerset 2nd in almost all receiving catagories to the great John Cole. Last season he had almost half of Somerset's receiving yards and 12 of their 16 receiving touchdowns. No one person can replace his presence but Cheuvront, McWilliams, Lange and others are capable receivers. I think for this group to succeed they will need someone like Patrick Williams or Jalen Jones to strp up or for Hinton or Jacobi Gilmore to be more of a factor in the passing game from the tight end position.

In the backfield leading rusher Alex Lange is gone but Somerset should be very deep here. Will Lange, Bryson Jones and Tevin Slaughter all were very good out of the backfield last season and Devin Griffith will be a factor here as well.

The quarterback spot will again be an area of concern. Both Gadberry and Hatcher have ability but are not proven. I think the Briar Jumpers will be very run heavy with some short passing mixed in early to give their quarterbacks time to find their way.

Overall, I expect Somerset to be the top team in the region again next season if everyone continues to work hard and there are no major injuries.

[RoShamBo]

Losing Speaks and Price really hurts on the O line but on the defensive front we should have more talent than we know what to do with with everyone returning except Trey and then George Gilmore coming up from 8th grade. Hatcher is a sure fire stud IMO it is just a matter of how long it takes him to adjust to the high school level. He is the best middle school QB I have seen in the last 15 years or so. I expect Gadberry to start at least at the beginning but Hatcher has a bright future ahead of him, especially if he can grow a few inches. With the classes coming up I don't think there is a down year in store for the Jumpers in the foreseeable future.

[JumperPride1]

Somerset should be very strong again next season. They lost a very good group of seniors but return some very talented players and their rising junior class is excellent.

On the defensive front 4 year starter Trey Slaughter is the lone loss. He will be impossible to replace but the Jumpers have a good young one in Jacobi Gilmore who should be able to man the position--particularly with Bridge Smith and Tevin Slaughter getting most of the attention from opposing offenses.

At linebacker Somerset will have to replace Andy Manning, who had an excellent senior season. I would expect sophomore Brycen McWilliams to step into that spot. Alex Lange got a lot of time at linebacker as well. Charlie Dishman will probably fill his spot. Will Hinton and Bryson Jones coming back will make this a very solid unit.

In the secondary Storm Wilson is the main loss. He only started back there one season but was great back there for the Briar Jumpers last season. Luckily for Somerset Tyler Megargel returns after picking off 5 passes last season. Will Lange, Brayden McWilliams and Cam Cheuvront return as well to make this another point of strength for Somerset.

On the offensive line the Briar Jumpers return 4 starters in RT Kagen Skidmore, RG Tyler Wilson, LG Josh Stambaugh along with TE Will Hinton. All 4 were solid last season and I would expect Skidmore will move over to left tackle next season. This is one area that concerns me for the Jumpers next season. There was not a lot of depth on the line last season and with so many close games the younger guys did not get a lot of reps. Price was a 2 year starter at center and will probably be replaced by Hayden Fox. The tackle position might be harder to fill. Taylor Speaks made about 30 starts on the offensive line the last 3 seasons and made all the blocking calls the last two season. I think Skidmore can fill his spot at left tackle but I don't know who will fill the right tackle spot. Maybe Bridge Smith?

At receiver losing Storm Wilson is a huge blow. He leaves Somerset 2nd in almost all receiving catagories to the great John Cole. Last season he had almost half of Somerset's receiving yards and 12 of their 16 receiving touchdowns. No one person can replace his presence but Cheuvront, McWilliams, Lange and others are capable receivers. I think for this group to succeed they will need someone like Patrick Williams or Jalen Jones to strp up or for Hinton or Jacobi Gilmore to be more of a factor in the passing game from the tight end position.

In the backfield leading rusher Alex Lange is gone but Somerset should be very deep here. Will Lange, Bryson Jones and Tevin Slaughter all were very good out of the backfield last season and Devin Griffith will be a factor here as well.

The quarterback spot will again be an area of concern. Both Gadberry and Hatcher have ability but are not proven. I think the Briar Jumpers will be very run heavy with some short passing mixed in early to give their quarterbacks time to find their way.

Overall, I expect Somerset to be the top team in the region again next season if everyone continues to work hard and there are no major injuries.

Always enjoy Norms comments. I will personally miss Speaks greatly, out of all the guys named he is by far the most underrated and will be hard to replace on an o-line that he anchored not only from a technical standpoint but from a mental aspect as well; Taylor was integral to the success of our run game this year. Kids are working hard, buying into the weight room, and new speed equipment (vertimax). Five regional titles in the past seven years is a great accomplishment, I believe the foundations are there but the Jumpers have to get over the Northern Kentucky hump. Lots of returning talent here, no need to add anything to Norms post, hope the guys continue to work hard this off season and do not become complacent with the accomplishments of their predecessors.

[RoShamBo]

^ They are definitely going to work in the weight room. When I played we had maybe two or three guys maxing out on bench at 300. Now we have several guys doing 300 for reps. The vertimax machine is awesome and hopefully it cuts down significantly on 40 times.

[Briar jumper bd]

Somerset is looking good in the weight room this off season! Most of the boys seem to understand what it is going to take to get over the hump. The QB situation will be very interesting to watch as it unfolds next season. The freshman class will be a very good one with lots of lineman, but don't expect any starters on the line for next season. In saying that, I do think some will contribute by seasons end. Storm Wilson will be irreplaceable as there is no one at this point with his ability at receiver/returner! Hopefully Cheuvront and Williams will work hard and fill that void. Next season will be very interesting and will have it's challenges but by seasons end we will be very competitive! The future at Somerset is very bright with loads of young talented athletes!

[Briar jumper bd]

Spring ball is getting close and the kids are working very hard! Here are some Briar Jumpers to keep an eye on as I expect they will have break out seasons!

Will Hinton- Will played outside linebacker and tight end last season. He has so far put on 20 pounds of muscle and dropped almost 2 tenths off his forty time. So far he has been the most dedicated jumper in the off season training and if he stays dedicated, he will definitely be a force on the field!

Cam Cheuvront- Cam is going to be the fastest kid we put on the field. I don't know what his forty time was last year but it is in the high 4.4's this off season and he hasn't even been in the weight room yet! He has an unbelievable vertical and is very competitive! Cam needs to gain 10 - 20 pounds between now and beginning of the season and if that happens, watch out! People will start the comparisons (Wilson/Cole).

Tanner Gadberry- I believe Tanner will be the starter for the jumpers next season. He has already put in twice the work of last off season and has improved tremendously! He has also added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame and has showed no signs of slowing down! I believe a lot of people already assume that Hatcher ( in coming freshman) has got the job. Not true at all and Gadberry is doing all the right things to give himself a chance to be successful next season!

This is just the 3 that come to mind right off but believe me when I say they are many more working very hard. For example; Tevin Slaughter breaks his brothers ( Trey Slaughter) squat record of 685, it's now 690 and I expect 700 before end of school year. Bridge Smith benched 405. That's the most on bench that I know of for the Jumpers. The kids are working very hard and taking this off season seriously. I'm very proud of all the kids and very excited to see this hard work transfer to the field!

[Norm Peterson]

Spring ball is getting close and the kids are working very hard! Here are some Briar Jumpers to keep an eye on as I expect they will have break out seasons!

Will Hinton- Will played outside linebacker and tight end last season. He has so far put on 20 pounds of muscle and dropped almost 2 tenths off his forty time. So far he has been the most dedicated jumper in the off season training and if he stays dedicated, he will definitely be a force on the field!

Cam Cheuvront- Cam is going to be the fastest kid we put on the field. I don't know what his forty time was last year but it is in the high 4.4's this off season and he hasn't even been in the weight room yet! He has an unbelievable vertical and is very competitive! Cam needs to gain 10 - 20 pounds between now and beginning of the season and if that happens, watch out! People will start the comparisons (Wilson/Cole).

Tanner Gadberry- I believe Tanner will be the starter for the jumpers next season. He has already put in twice the work of last off season and has improved tremendously! He has also added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame and has showed no signs of slowing down! I believe a lot of people already assume that Hatcher ( in coming freshman) has got the job. Not true at all and Gadberry is doing all the right things to give himself a chance to be successful next season!

This is just the 3 that come to mind right off but believe me when I say they are many more working very hard. For example; Tevin Slaughter breaks his brothers ( Trey Slaughter) squat record of 685, it's now 690 and I expect 700 before end of school year. Bridge Smith benched 405. That's the most on bench that I know of for the Jumpers. The kids are working very hard and taking this off season seriously. I'm very proud of all the kids and very excited to see this hard work transfer to the field!

Cam is quick, and one of my favorite kids but he does not run a 4.4 forty. Storm didn't even run a 4.4 and Cam is not as fast as Storm. They might run a 4.4 hand timed but not laser timed. Glad to hear that the team is working hard, they should not drop off at all next season.

[RoShamBo]

^ They were hand timed, just about a week ago. Cam's was a 4.4, Hinton's was a 4.5, Will Lange ran a 4.6, that's about all I remember. The biggest strides have been in the weight room. They have about four or five that are in the 1000 lb club by about 100 lb or more. Slaughter squatted 690 yesterday and made it look easy. Hinton is benching over 300 and has his squat up to about 600. We may not be as fast this year as in years past, but we will be fast and very strong.

[Briar jumper bd]

Somerset has three people clocking and does an average which is the most accurate way to hand time. Cam's time was shocking to everyone..... This will be a fast team. Not laser timed but those are honest hand times.

[RoShamBo]

^I too expect Gadberry to start. Hatcher will be a stud on both sides of the ball eventually, but I think it's Gadberry's job this season.

[Norm Peterson]

^ They were hand timed, just about a week ago. Cam's was a 4.4, Hinton's was a 4.5, Will Lange ran a 4.6, that's about all I remember. The biggest strides have been in the weight room. They have about four or five that are in the 1000 lb club by about 100 lb or more. Slaughter squatted 690 yesterday and made it look easy. Hinton is benching over 300 and has his squat up to about 600. We may not be as fast this year as in years past, but we will be fast and very strong.

Somerset has three people clocking and does an average which is the most accurate way to hand time. Cam's time was shocking to everyone..... This will be a fast team. Not laser timed but those are honest hand times.

Add .2 seconds on to any hand timed speed. There were only 10 players that ran a 4.4 at the NFL combine this year. Cam is quick, but not that quick. Wil is fast too, but not as fast as Storm or John Cole and neither were faster than a true 4.5.

[RoShamBo]

^John did run a laser timed 4.4 actually.

[LeeCoUKFan]

Glad to hear good things coming from the Somerset weight room!! Can't wait for football to start back!!

[GetChili]

With the addition of Tyson Williams, the Jumpers should be much improved

[Norm Peterson]

With the addition of Tyson Williams, the Jumpers should be much improved

They can't improve a whole lot. They won a regional championship and made the state final four last season.

[Cellking]

They can't improve a whole lot. They won a regional championship and made the state final four last season.

Let's just win it all. Williams will help. Anytime you get a player of his talent it can only help a Team. He is a good Kid also.

[playtowin]

I believe we had the same exact hand timing arguement last fall... Bottom line cole and Wilson were fast. In present time, cam, will, and will are fast. I understand the point being made in the comparisons but between the wills and cam aren't their times about the same give or take turns of who is the quickest each time? I know that from a track standpoint I always saw in the paper that one was always beating the other. Good motivation to improve!

[Hatz]

Here's a question that is important for next season. Have Jumpers improved enough to "compete" with Holy Cross or whomever stands in their way at the highest levels?

NCC and Holy Cross have been on different levels than most of the rest of AA recently. Can what the Jumpers return be enough to overcome them?

[RunItUpTheGut]

^
I think Somerset is catching back up.
It seems every year the jumpers are only one or two wins away from the state championship and just falling short to those teams.
To be honest, it would not surprise me at all to see Somerset in the State final once or twice within the next five years. If everything falls into place, they could get there this year.

[Hatz]

^
I think Somerset is catching back up.
It seems every year the jumpers are only one or two wins away from the state championship and just falling short to those teams.
To be honest, it would not surprise me at all to see Somerset in the State final once or twice within the next five years. If everything falls into place, they could get there this year.

But last year wasn't "just short." 48-14 isn't a close one. 2010 was a close loss to Belfry but that was 3A. Northern KY has owned 2A for a couple of years and Ft Campbell just prior to that.

I have great respect for the Somerset program and it's accomplishments. I still haven't figured out how they've not won a title yet with the great teams and talents they always have. But the key is how do they stack up vs. the 2A top dogs and have they improved beyond last year's loss?

[GetChili]

I think this team may make it to the carpet, but I'm not for sure if they will come away with a state title.