Woolbright Era Set to Begin at NMB
By: Wayne White

Football season has arrived and for North Myrtle Beach that also means the beginning of a new era. Perry Woolbright will coach his first-ever game as a head coach when the Chiefs take the field on the road at Conway this Friday night. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and you can catch all of the action on the Charlie Stuart State Farm NMB Chiefs Radio Network on WRNN 99.5-FM and on-line at NMBChiefs.com.

"I am no more nervous for this game than I am before any other game," said the 28-year-old Woolbright of coaching his first game as the top Chiefs. "We had a good Spring, Summer workouts went very well, and the guys worked hard in camp. It is exciting for everyone to step on the field and get to the season."

Along with the changes in the coaching staff have come changes in the team's offensive and defensive schemes. Offensively, the Spread formation replaces the Wing T. On the defensive side of the ball, the Chiefs will switch to a 3-4 with three down linemen and four linebackers.

"Offensively, our spread formation will not mean that we are going to throw the ball on every down and also does not mean that we will be going 99 miles per hour," said Coach Woolbright. "We will be aggressive but will try and take what the other team's defense is giving us. If that is run, then we will run and mix in the passing game. Defensively, we are going to be aggressive. We can not just stand back and play defense. We will have linebackers and corners blitzing and shooting the gaps. Tough, aggressive and with intensity is how we will play."

There are also quite a few changes in personnel on the field as NMB opens the 2010 campaign. Gone are the running back duo of "Thunder and Lightening" in Kelton "Thunder" Chestnut and Timmane "Lightening" Bellamy. This tandem rushed for over 900 yards each and accounted for much of the Chiefs' offensive punch in 2009.

Here is a position-by-position look at Coach Woolbright's 2010 NMB Chiefs.

QUARTERBACK

Starting at QB for the Chiefs will be athletic senior Timmy Bellamy. Bellamy has been touted as having the athleticism to make things happen when plays break down. Backing him up will be 2009's starter Clint Cole, a junior with an accurate arm and good fundamentals.

"While Timmy will be the starter Friday night, I expect both to play," Coach Woolbright said. "Clint probably knows the system a little better right now but Timmy has excelled at the playmaking and gives us a better chance right now. They will both see playing time in games early on and maybe throughout the season. Clint will be ready to go to give Timmy a break and let him calm down if he gets flustered. Sometime you need a spark plug to get you jump started and Clint can do that. I have never been the kind of coach that says I have to have that one guy at quarterback."

RUNNING BACK

Looking to fill the void left by the graduation of Kelton Chestnut and Timmane Bellamy will be a trio of runners led by senior Brandon Johnson. If there was a third wheel last year at the running back position for the Chiefs, it was Johnson. The 6-1, 220-pound bruiser has been slowed much of the preseason with an ankle injury but will be ready to suit up at 100 percent by Friday's opener at Conway. Joining Johnson at running back will be junior Trey Cox and freshman Delonzo Williams.

"I look for Brandon and Trey to get about the same amount of time in the backfield," said Woolbright. "Brandon is a big power running back that can explode through people and Trey is a touchdown waiting to happen. Delonzo will play quite a bit as the other two play both ways and will need to get some rest during the games. He is a young guy that has a lot of smarts and understands the game of football. Delonzo has great vision and I really think that there is not that much of a drop off from any of these three guys.

WIDE RECEIVER

The Chiefs will put four wide receivers on the field in its spread offensive attack and Coach Woolbright has seven key players to fill these positions. Senior Temarrick Hemingway is the cream of the crop and may be the most important player on the field for the Chiefs. At 6-5 and 210-pounds, Hemmingway is an opposing figure lined up as a wide receiver, tight end, or defensive end.

"Temarrick causes a lot of problems for teams offensively as he will give them matchup problems," said Coach Woolbright. "When he lines up as a wideout, he is a mismatch for the corners with him being 6-5, and then he is a mismatch for most linebackers with his speed when he comes in at tightend. Teams are going to key on him so it is going to be real important for the other players to step up and take some of the attention away from Temarrick."

The players joining Hemingway at the wide receiver positions are fellow starters Chris Lindsay, John Graves, and A.J. Wilson. Daquan Lafeyette is expected to see as much playing time as the starters. Marcio Almeda and Jahlen Grissett will also see some time to spell the starters as the Chiefs' depth issues force players to play both ways.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The Chiefs offensive line is a young crew and Coach Woolbright likes that for the future as he looks to build his program Starting at left tackle is Taylor Smith, John Schaffer gets the nod at left guard, Terrance Lewis is the center, and Garodie Graham and Jeffery Edge will hold down the right guard and tackle positions, respectively. Wesley Sambleson and Caleb Jernigan will also see quite a bit of time backing up along the line.

"This group has really worked hard and come a long way since we started back in the Spring," said Coach Woolbright. "Five of these seven guys will be back next year so we are building a great foundation. We also have several younger guys that will see some time and help add to the depth as the season goes along."

DEFENSIVE LINE

Hemingway will start at one end position while Javonte Kinney will man the opposite side of the line. Starting at nose guard will be B.J. Bellamy, who missed much of the 2009 season with an injury. Lawrence Laney will come in to give both ends a break and Sambleson will split time with Bellamy over the center.

"B.J. has a chance to really help us out on the line," said Coach Woolbright. "His commitment level has really gotten a lot better. It is not quite where we want it but he has worked hard to get more fit. He can create problems for the offensive line with his size and quickness in the middle. B.J. also brings emotion to the team as he plays and talks with intensity."

"The importance of Temarrick can be seen in out scrimmages and the CNB Kickoff Classic at Conway last week. I talked about how he creates matchup problems on the offensive side of the ball. He also creates problems for the opposition on the defensive side as well. His height, quickness, and just overall size is a big advantage that he uses well. We have seen it every time we have scrimmaged where he is blowing an offensive lineman off the ball and clogging up the backfield."

LINEBACKERS

Starting at the outside linebacker positions will be Brandon Adderton and Stephan Keel, while Brandon Johnson and Jeffery Stevenson will start inside. Jared Michael will come in and play quite a bit on the outside. The Chiefs will look for freshman Laquinn Bellamy to come in and play either of the inside linebacker spots.

"We are not real deep at the linebacker spot and I expect all of the outside guys to play about the same amount of time," said Coach Woolbright. "Laquinn is a young guy that has come in and proven himself ready to play varsity football. He may not get quite as much time because he is just a freshman, but he has worked hard to earn the spot."

CORNER BACK

Starting in the defensive backfield at the corner positions will be A.J. Wilson and Trey Wilson. Gary Black and Delonzo Williams will see time in a reserve role.

"The secondary, depth wise, is not as solid as other positions on our team right now," Woolbright said. "With so many players at our skill positions playing both ways, a lot of guys will see playing time in order to get some guys a break and try to keep them fresh."

SAFETY

NMB's starting safeties will be Travis Evans and Chris Lindsey. Marcio Amaceda and John Graves will back them up.

"Both Travis and Chris are about 6-3 and 190 pounds and look and play the part of athletic defensive players," said Coach Woolbright. "Like everybody else, they are learning our system. The more that they learn and the more comfortable they get, then the better they will perform. The worst thing that we can do for any of our guys is to make them think during the game. We want them to know the system so well that they do not have to think. They need to get to the point where they are just reacting and that is the way that we are getting now."

SPECIAL TEAMS

The kicking game is the one position on the field that does not come with a question mark. Senior Zack Crowl holds down all kicking duties and is one of the top kickers in Region VII-AAA.

"Zack is great at his position," said Coach Woolbright. "I have said before that it is nice not to have to worry about that aspect of our game. My only worry is that there is nobody backing him up so if he goes down with any little injury, we are in trouble."

Getting the ball to Crowl as the starting long snapper will be Taylor Smith. Reserves at this position are Terrance Lewis and Brooks Davis.