By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

CHINA GROVE — Carson was a better football team in 2022 than most people realized.

While a 5-6 bottom line won’t cause any parades, there was plenty to feel good about in Jonathan Lowe’s first year as head coach.

The five wins were the most for the program since 2015.

The Cougars dug deep for an overtime victory against Central Cabarrus. They beat Concord for the first time ever. They finished third in the South Piedmont Conference and came awfully close to beating second-place West Rowan. They handled rivals East Rowan and South Rowan to make the 3A playoffs and didn’t embarrass themselves once they got there, racking up 382 yards of offense in a 41-27 setback to (Asheville) Erwin in the first round.

Carson got smacked around in the Statesville, Robinson and Northwest Cabarrus games, but the Cougars, who averaged 24 points per game while allowing 27, were more than competitive on most Friday nights.

“It was a good season, the best Carson has had in quite a while, and there’s a lot there to build on,” Lowe said.

That building took a step back in late July with the tragic death of Dalton Gay. Gay was one of the driving forces for the Cougars, a leader on the field, a leader in off season workouts, a leader in the weight room and a leader as far as the team’s firm bond with the community.

There’s nothing in the coaching manual providing instructions for a situation like this. It’s been an emotional time for Lowe and the Cougars as they attempt to regroup and move forward without Gay.

” I do believe losing Dalton has brought a close team even closer together,” Lowe said. “We plan to honor Dalton all season, and we’re going to honor him well. I can tell you no one will wear the 43 jersey again as long as I’m at Carson.”

You’ll see “DG 43” stickers on the helmets of not only the Carson varsity and jayvee teams, but also on the helmets of other varsity teams in Rowan County and in the South Piedmont Conference.

Gay’s leadership qualities will have to be replaced by committee.

On the field, Carson will try to replace him with three people. He was a factor on offense, defense and special teams.

Carson was changing offensive schemes and had eliminated Gay’s fullback position for 2023 but he had taken that change in stride. He’d added more muscle and was going to be the starting center on offense, as well as the long snapper and an inside linebacker on defense.

Looking at the Carson offense, the Cougars graduated their top running back and three quality receivers, so most of the skill people will be new faces. One of those graduated receivers was Emory Taylor, who also gave the team a spark at quarterback in several games.

Michael Guiton returns as the starting quarterback. He produced enough big games to throw for 1,414 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022.

“He’s an athlete who played a lot of receiver and defensive back growing up, but now he’s embraced the role of being our quarterback,” Lowe said. “He made some strides last season and now he’s taken ownership of the position.”

Griffin Barber will direct the Carson jayvees and will serve as the backup quarterback.

Carson plans to use two running backs in its base offense because it has three good ones ready to roll.

Jay McGruder proved himself as a dependable No. 2 ballcarrier last year, with 104 carries for 411 yards, and could be a workhorse this year. Makani Guida got significant varsity action in 2022 in a reserve role. Tristin Clawson enjoyed a monster season for the jayvees and is ready to make an impact.

“Tristin had at least 1,500 rushing yards for the jayvees and it might have been closer to 2,000,” Lowe said. “He was a wrecking ball with 20-some touchdowns.”

Cooper Hinson got some experience last season, is a smart route-runner and could blossom into the go-to receiver.

Colin Ball, who is an exceptional basketball player, didn’t play football last season, but he played tight end for Lowe in middle school and is making a comeback with the Cougars in need of receivers.

Trevor Vaughn, Carson Aman, Foday Dyer and Nehemiah Baldwin will be critical starters on defense, but their speed will also make them dangerous receivers when they move over to help out the offense. Jacob Rockwell’s main task will be punting, but he’s also in the receiver mix.

Carson’s offensive line will be anchored by two large, tall guards. Tristen McBride (6-foot-3, 280 pounds) and Bryson Bare (6-4, 270) have experience and college-prospect size.

“Tristen will be one of our best players and Bryson can be as well,” Lowe said. “We’re trying to get him to play meaner.”

Caleb Casper is another lineman with good size. He’ll man the center position where Gay would have been stationed.

Alex Guerrero, who is back from a knee injury, and Ricky Galarza are likely starters at tackle, and Lowe is excited about the potential of Simeon Parker, a fast, strong sophomore.

Parker could be a force on Carson’s defensive line. Also counted on up front will be McBride, Bare, Jackson Earnhardt and Elijah Morgan.

Carson has been known for years for its steady inside linebackers, but the Cougars lost some sure tacklers. Galarza and Donnie “DJ” Williams lead that group. There won’t be much depth unless injured players are able to make it back. Williams also will serve as the long snapper.

Vaughn has three years of varsity experience and is expected to be one of the county’s top outside linebackers. Baldwin was an exceptional varsity sophomore and should continue to make strides this season.

In the secondary, Carson will be counting on  Dyer, Aman and Christian Clowney to lead the way. Aman is one of the county’s best athletes and turned in a sensational spring track season for Carson’s county champions as a sprinter and jumper.

“Hopefully, Aman will be able to cover a lot of ground and pick off some passes,” Lowe said. “We should be very strong at outside linebacker and defensive back.”

Soccer player Julio Moctezuma is the most likely candidate for kicking duties.

More names to know are Trip Marcum, Londyn Johnson, Damir Miller, Jonah Kirks, Ethan Sengkhamphong, Jay Holstad and Drake Furr. They could make important contributions as this season plays out.

Lowe will have an interesting mix of assistant coaches. Former Carson head coach and AD Mark Woody has been helping out when he can, and former West Davidson head coach Barry Mitchem, who has been with the Cougars for many seasons, is still on board. Jason Stanley is back as the defensive coordinator.

“There a lot of football wisdom in the coaching room,” Lowe said.

Hunter Burris, Carson’s starting QB not long ago, is the newest and youngest assistant. He’s a student at Appalachian State, but has arranged his schedule so that he can be with the Cougars on Thursday and Friday nights. He works with the DBs.

Together, they’ll all move on, with a season dedicated to the memory of a 17-year-old who made an impact on all of their lives.

“Dalton and his family were the ultimate Carson family,” Lowe said. “Dalton was a ball boy, he was a bat boy, he was at every youth camp. He was 100 percent Carson.”