The Academic Magnet Football team is surrounded with excitement and optimism leading into this 2022-23 season. With last year’s difficult 2-7 record still lingering in mind, both the coaching staff and players alike are ready and able to have a defining year for the football program. While several impactful seniors were lost following last year, the combination of an improved coaching staff, change of division, and infusion of first-year players to reach a record 40-man squad are giving hope for the football team to improve greatly on its past woes. 

Coaching Staff:

The departure of long-time head coach Steven Kamp left players and fans unsure of the future of the football team. Luckily, vacancies were filled by both old and new coaches. Former assistant coach Ernest White has stepped up to fill the head coaching position, along with the return of assistant coach Andrew Price. The new additions to the staff include coaches Stuart Walters and Austin Miller. Coach Walters has returned following his years as an Academic Magnet Football player himself, offering the insight of a former star at the high school and college level (highlights here). Coach Miller has sparked the rejuvenation of the program after leaving Porter-Gaud, inspiring attention to detail and team spirit through his revamped warm-up sequence and infamous “Darkside Defense”.

Team Introductions:

Seniors

The seniors are led by four-year players Sammy Cooper and Andrew Moise. Sammy’s presence has been felt on the defense throughout his time at Magnet, spearheading the linebacker (LB) core, along with Andrew’s consistent performance on the offensive and defensive lines (OL/DL). 

Other returning seniors include Cooper Mitchell, Will McCullough, McRae Wallace, Tate Brown, and Ransome Hudson. Cooper has established himself as a central part of the Darkside Defense as a powerful defensive end (DE), along with a spot on the offense as a wide receiver/tight end (WR/TE), departing from his former participation on the OL. Will McCullough returns after a two-year absence to aid the team at LB on defense, and may see some time at running back (RB) on offense. McRae hopes to make an impact at WR and free safety (FS) when he recovers from an injury in a few weeks. Ransome returns hopeful to play his first full season of football since suffering a major injury his sophomore year, playing at WR and cornerback (CB). Finally, Tate aims to fill the shoes of former starting quarterback (QB) William Hyatt, using his field vision and strong arm to lead the offense.

Lastly, four new seniors have joined the team to contribute to a great season. RJ Jenkins, the only senior from SOA, is a force on the OL and DL, as well as reliable comic relief. Grayson Gregg is a beast at free and strong safety, consistently making difficult tackles look easy, and Carter Griffin is a Christian McCaffrey lookalike at RB and slot WR. Finally, Chase Roberts takes the other DE spot as a crucial part of the Darkside Defense’s pass rush and run stopping game. 

Juniors

The returning juniors, while somewhat small in number, span all sides of the ball and are crucial to the team’s success. Connor Sawall’s magnificent football IQ translates to success on the offensive and defensive lines. Armando Reyes and Tucker Engelke return looking to make a major impact on the DL, along with James King who has taken on the vacancy at center, leading the OL. Kicker Harrison Crites seeks to aid the team after putting in consistent work during the off-season. Finally, Jackson Ethredge’s physicality at LB sets a major example for the rest of the team.

The junior class has a few first-year players as well, helping to even out the lack of junior representation on the team. Beatty Cummings joins as a RB/LB, showing off skill and speed on the offense and defense alike. Additionally, brothers Ford and Thomas Martin bring much needed size and strength to the squad, succeeding on the OL/DL and RB/LB spots respectively. These three newcomers seek to make a game-changing difference, helping greatly to lead the Raptors to more wins.

Sophomores

Despite losing a few players due to various factors, the sophomore class boasts the highest representation on the team, made up of returners and newcomers alike. Dean McCullough, Ian Smith, and Noah Orza return again to add skill and depth at the WR position, along with pass coverage on defense as cornerbacks and safeties. Henson Norvell returns, too, playing on the offensive and defensive lines. Unfortunately Keveon Ford, the star running back as a freshman last year, suffered a tragic, season-ending ankle injury during the CCSD Jamboree on August 12th. Keaton Murray seeks to fill his large shoes at RB, demonstrating great hands and speed. 

The sophomores display both the highest participation and the most first-year players outside of the freshman class, with 6 combined between both AMHS and SOA. Milo Throop, Dylan Sweeney, and Max Peters all show potential on the offensive and defensive lines. Ayden Caffarel is a solid addition to the linebacker core, using speed to fly around the field and make tackles. John Silveston joins to add depth to the WR position, and Logan Burns shows potential on both sides of the ball at running back and linebacker.

Freshmen

The freshmen have made an excellent showing this year, with several new players from both Academic Magnet and SOA. Eli Bogstad displays great hands at the WR position, and Cam Leach has made an immediate impact at LB. Finlay Dooley and Teddy Lorusso show potential at WR and CB, along with Tyler Perez who may also seek to take over the kicker position in a few years. Carson Clark utilizes size and skill to round out the offensive line, and the lefty Campbell Stoklosa shows potential as a future quarterback and demonstrates prowess as a current WR. Last but not least, Aayush Bansod rounds out the team, skillful at WR but with potential for improvement in future years. He sends streaks.

Roster: