Ladue Rams Preview

Coming off of an impressive 10-2 season the 2014 Ladue Rams are eyeing another winning season. This team had a great run, but ended it on a sour note by losing to Westminster 28-20 in the district finals. It was a tough one for the players because most of them thought they could and should've won it. Wanted it so much that a fight even broke out when Westminster was in their victory formation. Positive or negatively it shows that this corps of players are determined to get back where they left off 9 months ago.

Mike Tarpey is in his 8th season as the Rams head coach. His only losing season was his first in 2007 when the team went 2-8. Ever since he has produced a winning team. In 2009 and 2010 the Rams' advanced to the MSHSAA Class 4 quarterfinals, but lost both times. Ever since he has been working to get back and go beyond. In 2011 the Rams' were a game away, but lost to the eventual runner-up MICDS Rams' by 10 and were a potential 4th down stop away from possibly snatching it away. 2012 was a rebuilding year, but still Ladue went 6-3 in the regular season. They fell at the first hurdle though as the Rams' lost 28-0 to Westminster in the first round of the playoffs. Adding on from a 10-2 season, coach Tarpey has now compiled a solid 54-28 record in 7 years at Ladue.

Despite losing 21 players to graduation, Ladue have a good chunk of their key contributors coming back. All but one of the running backs will be back. Daylen Edwards, James Scott, James Bell, and Malcolm Davis all return. Davis led the team with 10 rushing touchdowns, as he was more of a goal-line back. James Scott produced good performances throughout the season. The 5'4" halfback ran for 417 yards with 7 touchdowns. He averaged 5.9 yards a carry.

Daylen Edwards didn't see any action until Week 8 against Fort Zumwalt North because of a long term injury, but immediately made a great impression. He took over the starting duties at halfback in week 9 and has been a main stay. In 5 games he rushed 488 yards and averaged a walloping 9 yards per carry. Just Junior, Edwards is poised to make a huge splash this up coming season. He has speed, moves, and can shake off tackles. He can shake off tackles from a broken play and make something out of nothing.

He is arguably the best running back since his older brother Deavin, had arguably the best year a running back has ever had Ladue when he was 2nd team all state for Class 4 in 2011. This has been expected from Edwards because he was a very impressive back for the Jr. Rams before his high school days.

Edwards is part of the 2016 class, who are juniors this year, that has a talented pool of players. Last year their were a handful of starters in the 2016 class. Edwards being one of them along with a defensive line that saw Michael Dothard and big Justin Moore. Listed at 6'6", 340 Ibs. Another key part of that defensive line is 6'5" defensive end Nathaniel Howard.

Howard perhaps has had the most intriguing summer out of anybody, not only on the team, but the city of St. Louis. At the moment he has committed to play defensive end at the University of Wisconsin. Yes, the Badgers. Apparently he has been a big time sleeper. Teams are in pursuit of his specific skill set that involves his height to go along with his speed. There were so many times last year when he effortlessly ran around a right guard and tackle a running back or quarterback for negative yards before the opposition had a chance to put their play in motion.

His stock continues to rise with several other teams, mainly Big Ten teams, recruiting him. Sadly he will miss the first 2 games of the season for he is suspended because of his involvement in the end of game scuffle against Westminster last season. When he returns the Rams' will sport one of the nastiest defensive lines in the area.

For the rest of the defense Ladue gains a good chunk of their unit back. Mario Whitley and Malcolm Davis return as linebackers. Whitley has speed and could play as a defensive back. He was tied for 2nd, with Howard, in total tackles with 69. Whitley had 19 tackles, but will probably have an expanded role. Ivan Hurse and Jack May were both starting cornerbacks last year and have a year of experience under their belt.

Now back to the offense.

I talked about the running game earlier and I believe the Rams' are firmly set for that area and the offensive line seems alright. The roster has plenty of big enough player and the coaching staff are one of the best at developing lineman.

 The wide receiver position is the biggest question mark. Ladue graduated 3 starters in that position and will have big gaps to fill. There is Paul Flynn, who got plenty of playing time last year. He showed that he can catch well in traffic and knows what to do. He seemed comfortable. Another candidate is Jordan Perry, who is another junior. He saw limited action last season and caught only 1 pass, but it was for a 14 yard gain. In his cameo appearance he appears to be an athletic young man, who could out run a defense if he has the space. So those are the 2 leading candidates for now.

I think Ladue can convert either Scott or Bell into a wide receiver if they are having difficulty adjusting. Both of them have speed and running back conversions to wide receivers are not uncommon.

I saved the best for last at the quarterback position. Jack Fox got plenty of reps last year thanks to all of the blowouts. He had 1 passing touchdown and was 6 for 9 passing. He saw action in the majority of the games. He has good size being 6'2"and a good arm. He has a little of bit mobility in him, but he is mostly a pocket passer. He already looked alright last season in the action he saw and with a long summer to prep for the season he should be ready to lead the Rams' offense.

Look for Ladue to have another winning record this season judging by their schedule. When it comes out officially then I will do a rundown of the teams and see how they match up against the Rams'.