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Revamped Skyhawks open 2021 season Saturday at home against New Mexico Highlands

By: David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications
2021 FLC Football Team Photo

Football | 8/30/2021 11:30:00 AM

DURANGO, Colo. — The world has changed a lot since Nov. 16, 2019; the last time the Fort Lewis College football team lined up across from someone inside the friendly confines of Ray Dennison Memorial Field.

It's been a challenging 658 days between home games for the boys in blue and gold, as well as for football programs across the country. But as second-year head coach Darrius G. Smith has stressed since he took the reins in February of 2020, the Skyhawks are not a team that backs down from challenges.

Saturday's season opener against New Mexico Highlands University, scheduled to kick-off at 12 p.m. in Durango, is the payoff for maneuvering through 18 months of cancellations, quarantines and uncertainty. It's an opportunity the student-athletes and coaching staff have patiently waited for.

"Rewarding. It's going to be rewarding," said Smith when asked what Saturday's home opener will mean to the program. "Our goal is to take that reward of all the fans, and the appreciation they can give us on game day, and try to give them the best show that we can. If fans can see that, 'Oh boy, this is a different Fort Lewis team than we've seen before,' I'd be satisfied with that. But I want to win and these guys want to win."

The 2021 team is a new-look Skyhawks squad, with 59 new players from across the country and three coaching staff additions in Jermaine Smith (Defensive Coordinator), Emmanuel Jordan Bible (Defensive Line) and Marcellus Justin (Defensive Backs).

"My new coaching staff members and our returning coaches did a bang up job in recruiting this past year. We went after guys, a couple of them had never heard of Fort Lewis in their lives, but they were great talents, great kids and were receiving interest from FCS institutions. We put ourselves in the recruiting race and we won. I thought the staff did a great job setting the foundation we want to set and a lot that was behind Recruiting Coordinator, Jeff Nady."

An area the Skyhawks targeted heavily on the recruiting trail was across the offensive line, bringing in transfers Migel Garcia (Sam Houston State) and Edward Alvarez Jr. (Nassau Community College).

That duo bolsters a position unit featuring returners Devon Taylor (6'4, 340), Ethan Vlchek (6'3, 280), Ryan Barkley (6'5, 290), Jason Sitala (6'1, 320) and Chase LeBlanc (6'6, 330), as well as intriguing freshmen prospects in Caleb Varzeas, Jayden Ahboah and Parker Webb.

"The offensive line should be a strength for us. Everything starts up front, whether we are four-wide, three running backs or in wishbone. Football is played up front, in the trenches, and that's the bottom line of it," Smith said. "It's like baseball, you've got to be good up the middle. We need to be good up front for the offense to go anywhere."

With the strong foundation up front established, the Skyhawks are optimistic about their versatility and the possibilities available on offense in 2021 with the depth they feature at the skill positions.

In the backfield alone FLC brings back a trio of experienced tailbacks in redshirt juniors Brayden Lucero, Jeff Hansen and Emmanuel Nwosu; all of whom have seen time as the team's lead back.

Lucero has played in 22 career games for the Skyhawks, operating as the full-time starter in 2018, while racking up 901 career yards, four touchdowns and a 4.2 yards per carry average.

Hansen, the full-time starter in 2019, rushed for 670 yards and two touchdowns and added 19 receptions for 81 yards in his first full season, while Nwosu handled a team-high 32 rushes for 91 yards in two games last spring.

"We're blessed with the depth we have at running back. All three of those guys are capable of game-changing backs for us at the right time or moment," Smith said. "Health is always a concern at that position, so we need to monitor it well. And then we have a young freshman in Luke Padilla, who I think will give us some quality downs when it's his turn."

FLC's depth extends to the outside where it welcomes back pass catchers Isaac Leppke, Markez Boykin, Kieran Fry and Dylan Holt, who shined in his first two games with the Skyhawks last spring with six catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Also in the mix to be game-changers on the outside are the transfer duo of Jordan Cummings (College of Siskiyous) and Keishun Johnson (Northeastern Oklahoma).

"That core is a great one to have and one I think any coaching staff at this level would love to have. Then being able to add to it with Keishun and Jordan; we have depth and we have weapons," Smith said. "If things get rolling the way I want them to get rolling, we won't have enough footballs to go around, which is a good problem to have."

The responsibility of distributing the ball around to the plethora of weapons the Skyhawks possess in 2021 will rest with the FLC quarterback corps, which entered camp with a five-man competition for the starting job.

Junior transfer Armon Hickson and redshirt freshman Connor Apodaca each saw time behind center in the two spring games, while a trio of newcomers in freshmen Jack Hanenburg and Nolan Bynum, as well as junior transfer Brayden Miller, are all vying to be the signal caller.

"We have an open competition between those five guys for the quarterback position. And the quarterback that flourishes in this offense will be the one who, like a kid looking under the Christmas tree, enjoys all of his toys and knows how to use all his toys," Smith said.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Skyhawks are anchored by defensive lineman Lorenzo Tanner, the team's sacks leader in 2019 with five, as well as junior defensive backs, Frankie Ayon, Dakota Helms and Jayden Helms.

Ayon tied for the team lead in tackles (10) with linebacker Shawn Garcia Jr. this past spring, while the Helms twins are set to return for their second full season as impact pieces in the secondary.

"Lorenzo and Frankie are going to be huge for us, with Lorenzo anchoring the defensive line and Frankie controlling things in the back end for us," Smith said. "Clayton Rutz, playing in a bit of a new role, is emerging for us and I don't think there is anyone in this conference that plays with more passion and heart than the Helms twins."

The Skyhawks are also expecting key contributions from junior lineman James Reyes, redshirt freshman linebacker Fred Mady III, redshirt junior Max Hyson, as well as newcomers Thomas Chiazor, Chuck Farmer, Chima Mbaruguru, and Jalani Blade.

Depth is a common theme for the Skyhawks' special teams unit, as well, with four kickers — Max Peets, Matthew Waid, Keegan Hagger and Hunter Villavicencio — locked in battles for the punter and place kicker positions.

"All four kickers in the program will be competing for the two open jobs. Max is returning and a huge weapon for us. Hopefully we won't need to be punting too often, but I think he is a weapon that can flip the field. Matt, Keegan and Hunter are all very capable and vying for the place kicker job, as well."

With the waves of newcomers, creating continuity and togetherness between the offensive, defensive and special teams units has been a focal point for the coaching staff heading into the fall.

"The pressure is not going to be on any side of the ball to outplay one another," Smith said. "The bottom line is we have to play complementary football and we have to find a way or make a way in all three facets of the game to give us opportunities to win."

Fort Lewis was picked No. 10 in the RMAC Coaches' Preseason Poll, released by the conference back on August 4.

It's a starting point, not the desired destination for Smith and the Skyhawks, who say they are ready to put in the work, starting with Saturday's season opener against New Mexico Highlands University, to climb the RMAC ladder.

"We want to be a winning program. We want to do the things that will allow us, come December, to be a winning program," Smith said. "This place has always been the hunter. What we're trying to build is putting us in a situation where we become the hunted and you only do that if you're winning… I'm not a big hunter, but I use that analogy a lot because, if you're being hunted, then you're a prize. You're what other teams want. You're the trophy. It's not fun always being the hunter. We want to turn this program into being the hunted."
 
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Players Mentioned

Frankie Ayon

#12 Frankie Ayon

DB
6' 0"
Junior
Ryan Barkley

#73 Ryan Barkley

OL
6' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
Markez Boykin

#4 Markez Boykin

WR/S
6' 4"
Senior
Kieran Fry

#17 Kieran Fry

WR
5' 6"
Freshman
Shawn Garcia Jr.

#33 Shawn Garcia Jr.

LB
6' 2"
Senior
Keegan Hagger

#93 Keegan Hagger

K
5' 9"
Junior
Jeff Hansen

#16 Jeff Hansen

RB
5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
Dakota Helms

#28 Dakota Helms

DB
5' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
Jayden Helms

#25 Jayden Helms

DB
5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
Armon Hickson

#6 Armon Hickson

QB
6' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Frankie Ayon

#12 Frankie Ayon

6' 0"
Junior
DB
Ryan Barkley

#73 Ryan Barkley

6' 5"
Redshirt Sophomore
OL
Markez Boykin

#4 Markez Boykin

6' 4"
Senior
WR/S
Kieran Fry

#17 Kieran Fry

5' 6"
Freshman
WR
Shawn Garcia Jr.

#33 Shawn Garcia Jr.

6' 2"
Senior
LB
Keegan Hagger

#93 Keegan Hagger

5' 9"
Junior
K
Jeff Hansen

#16 Jeff Hansen

5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
RB
Dakota Helms

#28 Dakota Helms

5' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
DB
Jayden Helms

#25 Jayden Helms

5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
DB
Armon Hickson

#6 Armon Hickson

6' 1"
Junior
QB