By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer | garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
What a difference a year makes.
During the 2023 season, Woodruff football’s defense struggled, giving up an average of 39 points per game as the Wolverines finished 4-7 and bowed out in the first round of the 3A playoffs.
While last year’s defense was one that gave up a lot of points, what they also were was young. And as young players and young teams grow older, gain more experience, and get stronger and faster, naturally, they get better. Now, as the 9-1 and 3A #4 ranked Wolverines begin their quest for an elusive 11th state championship, it is the defense that has made a name for itself down the home stretch of the season.
“Definitely in year two with Coach (Brett) Sloan and with Coach (Taylor) Anderson, just learning the offense and defense, everybody knows it better, and it’s run better and more efficiently this year,” said senior safety Hunter West.
West anchors the Woodruff secondary, but it is the Wolverines’ linebackers who strike fear into the hearts of opponents. Woodruff ended the regular season with four players among the top nine in class 3A in tackles. West, and the linebacking trio of juniors Shaun Graybill and Jordan Hood, and senior Tre Rodgers.
Hood stated that the defense has worked incredibly hard to reinvent itself this season and silence the doubters who pointed out their weaknesses a year ago. The turnaround has been a collective effort.
“We just try to keep the standard, you know,” said Hood. “We always talk about just doing your job and really, just keeping each other accountable. There are times we’re going to mess up, but you can only worry about the next play. All the guys, we know how to play as one, and if we do that we will succeed every time.”
The undisputed leader of the defense, though, is Graybill. In his first season as a full-time starter, Shaun has become one of the most vocal leaders on the team and is atop the defensive statistical leaderboard. Graybill finished the regular season, leading all 3A players with 118 tackles and 21 tackles for loss. In the first round of the playoffs against Pendleton, he forced a fumble on a ferocious sack of the quarterback that led to the Wolverines’ second score and an early 14-0 lead. It is a monster season that he hopes is far from over.
But forever a humble leader, Shaun first gives credit to his teammates for that success, especially the defensive line.
“It’s not really just me,” says Graybill. “It’s definitely the defensive line, too. I feel like they should get a lot more recognition for what they do, holding gaps, because everything we do, we work hard. We all have the ability to make a tackle, but a lot of credit goes to the defensive line and Travon (Lee) and Tre staying outside. I’m just fortunate to be in a spot to make tackles and make plays.”
All told, Graybill, Hood, Rodgers, and West have combined for 376 tackles, 42.5 tackles for loss, and ten sacks. Rodgers says it is the goal of the defense to strike fear into the hearts of opponents every Friday night. Tre Rodgers says the defense has even given themselves a nickname.
“We call ourselves the “Rude Boyz” when we go on the field,” explains Rodgers. “We want it all. We want to get stops for our offense at all times. That’s just being a Wolverine. Just walking into the game, how we enter the game with the run-out, it just gives you all the momentum you need, and it’s great being out there as a team.”
However, what makes the Wolverines’ defense so good is the unit’s completeness. A defensive line featuring senior Nathan Gentry, juniors Gunner Atkinson, Travon Lee, and Grayson Patterson, as well as sophomores Paul Davis and Jayden Hunter, have complemented the second and third levels. Especially against the run, Woodruff has often been a stone wall upon which opposing offenses grind to a halt.
During the final three regular-season games against Chapman, Union County, and Broome, the Wolverines have given up just 10, 15, and 14 points, respectively. The complimentary nature of the defense, the players say, is what makes it so good. Speaking for himself and his fellow linebackers, Hood loves that his unit is a big part of that symbiotic relationship on the field.
“We’ve been playing together since youth league, so it’s pretty natural to us,” stated Hood. “We’ve got Shaun, who can get to the ball every time. I’m usually trying to keep everyone up, and Tre is just a sack machine. Hunter does his thing and just flies around. Everybody has their thing, and it’s a combination. We just go out there and put it all together.”
Added Graybill, “When we all do our job, we can’t be stopped. The “Rude Boyz” defines who our defense is.”
As Woodruff turns its attention to the second round of the playoffs against a good Powdersville team, the road to a championship is not going to be an easy one. The Wolverines’ first-round opponent, Pendleton, opened the season ranked in the top 10 of 3A and took Woodruff to the wire in a 28-21 Wolverines victory. Should Woodruff advance to round three, a likely match-up with explosive Belton-Honea Path awaits. Beyond that, a potential rematch with Mountain View Prep awaits should Woodruff advance that far.
But West believes this year’s Wolverines have a chance to run the gauntlet and finally put another year on the Varner Stadium fieldhouse wall.
“We definitely have a chip on our shoulder coming into these playoffs,” he said. “With MVP beating us, you know, we’re really looking forward to hopefully seeing them at upper-state. And (Belton-Honea Path) who obviously, we played them last year, and it didn’t go well, we’re definitely hoping to see them again and handle business. We’re just trying to make a run.”
If the Woodruff defense has anything to say about it, the Wolverines want to ensure the rest of 3A is in for a “rude” awakening the next five weeks.
Author: Tracy Sanders
