PM Aims To Get Better And Have Fun

PM Aims To Get Better And Have Fun Blues ‘Weren’t Satisfied’ with 6-5 Season, Playoff Berth Last Fall

With a rookie head coach and a roster filled with varsity newcomers, the Parry McCluer High School football team still managed to finish above .500 in 2023.

But the Fighting Blues weren’t content with their accomplishments – which included a 6-5 overall record and a Region 1C quarterfinal appearance – and they plan to use that sentiment as a major motivator this fall.

“Ultimately, our goal was to win more than six games last year,” said PM head coach Jeremiah Brockenbrough, who begins his second season at the helm after a lengthy stint as an assistant with the program. “Finishing 6-5 and making the playoffs, we weren’t satisfied with that.”

Despite graduating nine players from last year’s team, the Blues have plenty of talent returning. Leading the charge on the gridiron in 2024 will be five returning All-Pioneer District selections, including first team honorees Jackson Brockenbrough, Nathan Glass and Jacob Shafer. Braden Conley earned a second team nod last fall, while Tyler Chittum was an honorable mention all-district pick.

And while the Blues have a healthy contingent of veterans on the roster this season, they’ll get another boost of youthful energy from the 18 underclassmen – nine sophomores and an equal number of freshmen – on their 32-man varsity squad. On the stop side of the ball, PM anticipates having just two seniors in the starting lineup.

“We’ve got a bunch of new kids again this year,” Coach Brockenbrough said. “We don’t have a lot of depth, but we do have a really young core group of sophomores who are really playing hard, working hard in practice.”

With some inexperience at certain spots, the Blues hope to lean on two key returning starters in the offensive backfield in Glass and Jackson Brockenbrough.

Glass, a 6-foot-2, 160-pound junior, garnered first team alldistrict laurels as an all-purpose player in 2023, and he continues to progress at the quarterback spot – to the point where he’ll be able to call his own plays this fall.

“The quarterback has to be the boss,” Coach Brockenbrough said. “I really think Nathan’s going to have an outstanding year. … He’s just reading the field really well.”

Jackson Brockenbrough will start at tailback, where he secured first-team all-district honors last year. His coach praised the 5-foot-10, 155-pound senior as “hard-nosed,” adding that “downhill between the tackles, [he’s] hard to stop.”

Joining Glass and Brockenbrough in the Blues’ T-formation backfield will be junior Jacob Shafer (5-foot-8, 135 pounds), who earned spot duty as a running back last fall but still collected first-team all-district honors as an all-purpose player; and senior Jase Barger (6-0, 210), who’s returning from injury and can shift between tailback and fullback depending on the down and distance.

Sophomore Kyle Smals (5-11, 150) will back up Glass at the quarterback spot, while junior Samuel Griffin (6-2, 140) and sophomore Parker Snider (5-10, 140) look for time at running back. And the Blues’ backfield depth chart also includes eight of their nine freshmen: Colby Camden (5-8, 140), Peyton Coffey (5-7, 115), Brody Coleman (5-8, 150), Michael Fleming (5-10, 145), Brody Julian (5-6, 130), Ashton Lotts (5-6, 130), Tyler Shafer (5-9, 140) and Phoenix Worth (5-6, 120).

Junior brothers Zavion Dunn (5-8, 125) and Jonovan Dunn (5-8, 140) are PM’s top choices at wideout. The tight end talent pool includes senior Peyton Montgomery (6-1, 200) and sophomores Jordan Brockenbrough (5-11, 145), Thomas Conner (5-11, 180) and Kyler Ramsey (5-9, 155), while Barger, Coffey and Snider could also see time there.

PM brings back two alldistrict performers up front: Conley, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior, returns at guard, while Chittum (5-10, 180), a sophomore, moves over to the other guard position after spending his freshman season at center.

Sophomore Bobby Crowe (5-10, 190) will take over Chittum’s old spot in the middle of the offensive line, and junior Landon Orren (6-1, 250) could also see the field at center. The options at the tackle spots include juniors Lincoln Garrett (6-0, 220), Brendan Holdren (5-11, 240) and Timothy Lesher (6-1, 235), sophomores Kaedin Conner (5-10, 170) and Brad Spinner (5-10, 260) and freshman Timber Thomas (6-2, 295).

The Blues boast several playmakers on the defensive side of the equation. Jackson Brockenbrough received a second-team all-district citation at linebacker last fall but should see more time at defensive end this season. Meanwhile, Conley, whom coach Brockenbrough describes as “an absolute hammer,” can play multiple positions on the interior of the defensive line.

Barger, Snider and Jacob Shafer are the likely starters at linebacker. The Dunn brothers will man the cornerback slots, with Glass back at one of the safety posts.

PM’s defensive line cadre also features Kaedin Conner, Thomas Conner, Chittum, Crowe, Garrett, Holdren, Lesher, Montgomery, Orren, Ramsey, Spinner and Thomas. Other possibilities at linebacker include Camden, Coleman, Fleming and Lotts, while Coffey, Griffin, Julian, Smals, Worth, Jordan Brockenbrough and Tyler Shafer aim to crack the rotation in the secondary.

Senior Sean O’Connor (6-0, 160) will be the Blues’ placekicker, while Barger is expected to handle punting duties. PM will call upon the Dunn siblings to return both kickoffs and punts.

The Blues will have some quality experience alongside Brockenbrough on the sidelines. Elgin Davis and Zack Fowler are back in the fold after sharing defensive coordinator responsibilities a season ago, and Chad Dorey, David Foshay and Eric Wheeler also return to the staff, with Wheeler continuing to serve as the strength and conditioning coach. Joining the PM crew this fall are Aaron Higginbotham, David Truslow and former local standout Triniti Stores, a 2018 Rockbridge County High School graduate.

The Blues, who went 2-2 in district competition in 2023, also look forward to battling against Narrows and Bath County for Pioneer supremacy. “Those are the two mountains we’ve got to climb,” Coach Brockenbrough said.

There has already been a schedule change for next Friday, Sept. 6, after Cumberland County canceled its varsity season, but the Blues have replaced that game with a contest at Prince Edward County.

PM enters the season looking to improve upon last year’s results, which were capped off by a 45-20 road loss to George Wythe in the Region 1C quarterfinals. But the Blues also want to balance their hard work and dedication with a threeletter word – fun – that often seems to be missing from lists of sports teams’ objectives.

“The team goal is to get better each week – be competitive, play the game at a high level,” coach Brockenbrough said. “Most importantly, they need to be able to play the game and have fun together.”