2021 PREVIEW
OFFENSE
Pepperell will have a young team in 2021. “We have a lot of youth,” says Hurst. “In saying youth, I mean we have a lot of sophomores that will be playing in various positions. But we also have juniors and seniors that have never played in a meaningful situation on a Friday night. So, even though they are upperclassmen, they are young as far as experience goes.”
Even though he was thrown into the fire unexpectedly, junior Matthew Waddell manned the quarterback position very well. Going through the offseason receiving the bulk of the reps allows Waddell to continue to grow and improve on his 2020 play.
In the backfield, the Dragons have one of the best running backs in the state of Georgia, junior DJ Rogers. Rogers carried his team to the tune of 157 rushing yards per game and 18 rushing touchdowns, even while every team knew he was getting the ball. Look for Rogers to do more of the same as the Dragons offensive tradition is smashmouth football and Rogers is just the back for that.
Pepperell has depth at receiver as senior Jon Shields and junior Gage Owens have the upper hand to emerge as starters for the season.
On the offensive line, the Dragons are working to establish an identity as they are not very big but are tough and will be ready for the regular season. Senior center Lem Azlin, a starter since his sophomore year, is expected to have a great season.