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Larkin will have speed to burn

Sleep on Larkin and the Royals are bound to pass you by.

At high speed.

With a healthy varsity roster of 45 players nearing 50 as preseason practice continues, the Royals possess the kind of speed in the offensive and defensive backfields and at wide receiver that makes opponents wary.

Such overall team speed, which prompted fourth-year coach Mike Scianna to adjust the offense to a more conducive scheme, begins with tailback Damion “Bubba” Clemons, a 5-foot-6, 150-pound ball of energy. Trying to tackle the elusive Clemons, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, is like trying to catch a goldfish by hand. Last season he rushed for 559 yards and 4 touchdowns on 66 carries (9.1-yard avg.) before his season was cut short by injury.

“If they’ve watched any film at all, then they know Bubba,” coach Mike Scianna said. “He’s the real deal at the high school level. He’s a smaller kid, but, man, is he tough.”

The Royals also have senior running back Mario Randazzo in reserve. He filled in for Clemons last season and rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown on 46 attempts.

Returning at the quarterback position is senior Kemmerin Blalark (6-0, 190), who led the Royals to a 2-1 record — including a Town Jug victory over rival Elgin — before he, too, was injured and missed a large chunk of the season. In limited action Blalark completed 26 of 69 attempts for 380 yards and 4 touchdowns. Another summer of repetitions under center should help him reduce an interception total of 11. Blalark’s speed and agility give Larkin another option if a passing play breaks down.

More speed lurks on the perimeter in the form of senior wide receivers Dante Bonds (6-0, 195) and Jarelle Shipp (5-8, 160). Bonds caught 7 passes last season for 184 yards and a touchdown, an average of 24.1 yards per catch. Shipp made 4 receptions for 42 yards.

The question surrounding the offense is how well the line jells in the wake of key graduation losses.

“We have young guys on the line,” Scianna said. “We’re going to go as far as our line takes us. They have to rise to the occasion. They have to believe in themselves and the guys around them, not get down on each other. They have to pick each other up and keep going. We’ll be a lot healthier team that way.”

The defense is keyed by returning starter Quentyn Jackson at tackle. A 6-foot-2, 300 pound senior, Jackson, like all the Royals, will only play on one side of the ball in a best-case scenario.

However, his coach doesn’t rule out the possibility Jackson could see some time on the offensive line at some point.

The linebackers are keyed by Randazzo (5-8, 185), who returns on the outside.

The defensive secondary should be a team strength, led by returning all-conference free safety Alejandro Duran (5-7, 150), who finished tied for the area lead last season with 4 interceptions. Duran plays rugby year round and is said to be “champing at the bit to hit somebody,” his coach said. A battle for the cornerback spots has raged all summer long, according to Scianna.

Staying healthy was Larkin’s biggest issue in 2012, when the Royals fielded 15 fewer varsity players than they begin with this fall. If Blalark and Clemons enjoy healthy seasons, new offensive coordinator Matt Freesman may have enough firepower at his disposal to give opponents headaches in the Upstate Eight Conference’s River Division, where Batavia is the heavy favorite.

“We have to protect our quarterback this year,” Scianna said. “With a young offensive line, that’s going to be rough. We’ve had conversations with them about this already. We lost our quarterback last year and we didn’t win another game. Anybody’s going to have fall off when you lose a player at that position, but for us that was a major fall off.”

This year holds more promise, however.

“Our expectations are just like everyone else’s: We want to compete for the conference,” Scianna added. “I think we’re pointed in the right direction as a program. The numbers are starting to come up, I feel the coaching staff is finally getting set the way I want it to be, we have more parent involvement, the booster club has changed and has gotten stronger and we have a new athletic director who has been very helpful so far. It’s got a good feeling to it all the way around.”

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