ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — The East E-RABs don’t have a lot of depth on their football team this season, but they’re high on the guys who will suit up every weekend.
The emphasis has always been on hard work at East under head coach Garry Griffin. That’s the case now more than ever.
“We’re going to work,” said head coach Gary Griffin at a recent practice. We definitely don’t have the numbers that we traditionally had. That’s because our school is shrinking. Our school zone is shrinking. It’s made it a little bit difficult, but we’re going to work. Our guys are very, very blue collar. Punch-in and go to work.”
Griffin and the E-Rabs, as usual, have some strong linemen to lean on. Braedyn Sisson is back on the O-line along with Josh Sproat, Etungo Kakozi and Brayden Starling.
“I’m very high on those guys,” said Griffin. “As long as we stay healthy and we keep getting better, they’re going to be really good.”
“I feel really good about our team. I’m not going to lie,” said Starling. “We’ve got a lot of upcoming seniors, and we’ve all been putting in the work.”
Running a lot behind that line will be the E-Rab’s returning sledgehammer at running back junior Jarrid Quist, possibly the most physical runners in the NIC-10.
“He’s a beast man,” said Sproat. “He’s done everything a guard can ask for. He’ll go out and follow the block. He’s an amazing back! I can’t wait to block for him this year too.”
“He’s a load with the speed that he has and the body he has,” said Griffin. “He’s a problem.”
Delanio Dickens-Benford Jr. will also carry the football. The leading candidate to quarterback the E-RABs is sophomore Mason Burgan.
“We’ve got a young sophomore who’s leading the pack right now, so we’ll see what happens,” said Griffin.
On defense, Willie Fair and Terrion Young will hold down things at linebacker. Belvidere North transfer Julius-Pearson Ford fills in at one defensive back spot. Dickens-Benford will start at another. Edson Prunty will be another key player at defensive back.
“I came out here hoping to be better and praying that I’m way better this year,” said Prunty who tells us he often got up a 5 a.m. to workout this summer.
Another key player for the E-RABs will be punter Xavier Banks, a transfer from Guilford. He booms it. He averaged 48 yards per punt last year.
“I think I’ll be a big factor for the team,” said Banks. “I’ll flip the field, get them inside the five for kickoffs, field goals and extra points and get it done.”
The E-RABs will open their season Saturday at noon against Freeport, so they can play on their turf practice field behind East High School. They played one game there last year.
“It was awesome,” said Griffin of the ‘home’ game. “It’s nice to get the community to come out and have everybody here.”