Despite sending a steady stream of players to the next level in recent years, Whale Branch football keeps reloading, and the Warriors hope to do the same this season. 

A year after losing 19 seniors — including five who will play on Saturdays this fall — Whale Branch is nonetheless confident it will be a factor in a loaded Region 5-2A. 

“We may be short on seniors this year, but the seniors we have are really confident in what we’re doing,” senior De’Arius Hazel said. “We’ve really got great chemistry, and great chemistry within a team can take you a long way.” 

The Warriors hope that chemistry and the seniors’ leadership will help them mask a lack of depth, especially in the trenches, where players will be asked to contribute on both sides of the ball. Whale Branch also has to replace star running back Irvin Mulligan and its entire starting secondary. 

“We’re light on depth, but I’m pretty confident our first-line players can get the job done,” coach Jerry Hatcher said. 

One area where the Warriors aren’t hurting for depth, though, is at quarterback, where Henry Tome and Jaylen Reeves have been battling for the starting job. Hatcher said both the speedster Reeves and the more polished passer Tome will see time at the position.

WHALE BRANCH WARRIORS FOOTBALL (click for team page)

Coach: Jerry HatcherRecord at WBECHS: 44-34 (8th season)2018 record: 7-5 overall, 2-3 region (reached second round of Class 2A playoffs)Returning starters: 4 offense, 4 defenseOffensive scheme: Split BackDefensive scheme: 4-2-5Top returners: RB/LB De’Arius Hazel, RB/LB Jaquez Frazier, OL/DL Jahiem Fripp, K Henry TomeNotable losses: RB/LB Irvin Mulligan, DB Jaheem Hazel, DB Ky’Shon Hipp, DB Marion Smalls, OL/DL Daquan Griswold, QB/DB CJ Brown, OL Jamari Evans, DB Taqui Polite

PLAYER TO WATCH

De’Arius Hazel, RB/LB: Hazel was a secondary option in the offense last season, garnering only 29 carries, but he averaged 6.8 yards per attempt and has shown an ability to break long runs in the preseason. He will need to be a bigger factor on both sides of the ball for the Warriors to have success this season.

BURNING QUESTION

Can the Warriors stop the pass? 

The entire starting secondary was lost to graduation, and three of the four are playing college football. Fortunately for the Warriors, most of their region opponents feature run-heavy offenses, but they will face a couple of teams that like to air it out. The inexperienced secondary will need to get up to speed quickly and limit big plays through the air to keep the Warriors in games.

REGION AND BEYOND

Whale Branch plays in one of the toughest regions in the state in any classification, as frontrunners Barnwell and Bamberg-Ehrhardt both return plenty of firepower from last year’s strong teams and Woodland features an NCAA Division I commit on each side of the ball. The goal for the Warriors will be to weather the storm of region play, get into the playoffs, and see how far they can go.

SCHEDULE

8/23 — at Battery Creek8/30 — vs. Cross9/6 — vs. May River9/13 — at Ridgeland-Hardeeville9/20 — Open9/27 — vs. Philip Simmons10/4 — at Woodland*10/11 — vs. Barnwell*10/18 — vs. Allendale-Fairfax*10/25 — at Bamberg-Ehrhardt*11/1 — vs. Battery Creek

*region op