Caleb Lavallee and Whitefield Academy will try to challenge ELCA for the Region 2A Private championship this season.
152 KICKOFF 2021
REGION 2A PRIVATE
Special - Hal Simpson
Whitefield Academy’s goal, compete for region title
By Michael Doti
MDJ Sports Writer
Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy won
the first title in the new Region 2A Private
last year with a 7-3 regular season.
It was its 11th region title in the last 12
years, but while it was the region champion,
the string of five straight state championships
came to an end at the hands of the eventual
state champion Prince Avenue Christian.
While the Chargers lost three out of their
top five players in terms of all-purpose
yards, and 10 first team all-region players,
Whitefield Academy lost only three
seniors on their team.
Whitefield coach Coleman Joiner said it
would be exciting for this group of players
to get a chance to be region champions.
“It’s something that’s just one of our goals
every year is to be in that conversation to
compete for region championships, and it’s
been over 10 years since, a Whitfield football
team has been able to hang that banner
up in the gym, and so it would mean a lot,”
Joiner said. “It would be exciting for those
guys, it would be exciting for our coaches,
and we’ve got a lot of alumni on our staff
and a lot of alumni that stay around our
program, and so we know there would be a
lot of pride gained just from being able to
accomplish that and to be seen as one of the
best teams in the state.”
Whitefield lost its two top players in
terms of all-purpose yards from last year
in Myles Redding and Eric Little. Joiner
said he hopes guys like Caleb Lavallee and
Cooper Craig can provide stability in those
positions. The Wolfpack return a nearly
identical defense this year.
Despite more losses on ELCA’s side,
Joiner said that challenging the “giant
gorillas in the room” will still be an uphill
battle.
“They’d been the perennial favorites in
every region they’ve been in for the last several
years, obviously winning five straight
state championships until last season,”
Joiner said. “They’re the standard, and I
have a lot of respect for coach (Jonathan)
Gess, a good friend of mine, and they do a
phenomenal job, so I think first and foremost
as you’re chasing that bear, what that
takes is great execution, great focus, great
preparation, and owning the opportunities
we have during the week.”
The offense should be led by running
back Brandon Hood, who recorded 732
total yards and 10 touchdowns, and was a
second team all-region player as a freshman.
Michael Clark and R.J. Johnson are
both first team all-region players on defense
that are returning.
With only three football playing teams
in the region, all of them are guaranteed
a playoff spot, which means it’s possible
Landmark Christian can make a run. Since
its 10-2 2016 season, it has gone 5-36, but
Joiner said they should be a different team
under new head coach Tommy Lewis.
Quarterback Tyler Foley is returning after
throwing over 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns
last season. Cody Lee and Henry
Jones, both first team all-region receivers,
will also return on offense. Defensively, Tre
Robinson, Caleb Nichols and Isaac Cruver
are all returning all-region players.
With only two region games, all three
teams will play more non-region opponents,
and any one of them can be potential
opponents in the playoffs. Joiner said it’s
better with a harder out-of-region schedule
because it prepares the team for a playoff
run. Those two region games should be
treated like playoff games.
Prediction
1. ELCA
2. Whitefield Academy
3. Landmark Christian