In this feature, PalmettoPreps.com speaks with Goose Creek head football coach Jason Winstead and poses three questions about his squad.
PALMETTOPREPS: Where do you feel like you are heading into this season as far as your offseason objectives? How is the region shaping up?
WINSTEAD: We've got a lot of returners coming back, so of course we want to get better at just the technique and skills that we need. One of the big things was just to build some depth with some young kids. In our scrimmages and even in our jamboree, we played a lot of kids just to give them game experience and see what they would do in front of a crowd against good opponents.
Everybody we play is a 5A opponent. That's tough. Especially when you're non-region is Fort Dorchester and Summerville, those are great programs. In the region, Berkeley is the team to beat. They lost a lot of kids, but they replace, they don't really rebuild. They're going to be tough. Wando's in the same position we are, they have a lot coming back. Cane Bay's a solid program. Stratford's a lot like us, Dennie (McDaniel) is trying to build. I think it's going to be a competitive region this year.
PALMETTOPREPS: Are there a handful of guys you're counting on as your team leaders this season?
WINSTEAD: Oh yeah, definitely. I expect a lot out of our linebacking group. Our quarterback's back, that's always a good thing. Our o-line is still young, but there's a lot of experience. We played a lot of them as ninth and tenth graders last year.
PALMETTOPREPS: From a prospect standpoint there, you have a couple guys picking up traction in Melvin Ravenel and Jayden Johnson.
WINSTEAD: Both of them are really talented individuals.Ravenel didn't miss a single workout all summer. He's big, tall, lanky, playing corner. He has pretty good instincts and is getting better with his technique. He's a protypical big body at corner. He's not quite 6-foot-3. He still has a ways to go, but he's working and getting better for us.
Jayden's just a monster. He's a big, young kid. He has hair that makes him look about 6-foot-5. He's just a sophomore, you kind of sometimes get swept away with his size. He's going to get stronger as he goes, but he's a good looking young man. He's a tall and slim young man, if you can be that way at 300 pounds. He has a bright future and a little nastiness as an o-lineman.
*** 2019 Goose Creek Football Schedule ***
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