D’Arbonne Woods needs underclassmen to step up in 2022

It was a good football season for D’Arbonne Woods in 2021 when the Timberwolves went 6-4, shared a district championship in 1-2A and reached the playoffs in their first year under new head coach Tommy Tharp.

For that momentum to grow, Tharp must find replacements and depth in 2022.

Woods is in his 34th year coaching, his 22nd as a head coach in Louisiana.

At Mangham, Tharp took his team to a trio of state title game three times.

D’Arbonne Woods returns nine starters and five lettermen from last year so others will have to step up.

Senior Carlos Alejo is an outstanding two-way performer and is the top running back. Sophomore Eli Redd and Dorian Sadler will be counted on to contribute.

Junior Jordan Nance and senior Caden Cole are solid players up front on both sides of the ball.

Brody Towns is a good offensive lineman and linebacker as well.

Senior kicker Luis Garcia is a good one.

The offense figures to be very inexperienced, according to Tharp.

The Timberwolves will count on junior Hayden Williams up front.

The most important position is unsettled.

Senior Gave Roberson and sophomore Jamie Fisher, who shows lots of promise.

Also up front on defense, sophomore Colin McCann will man a defensive end spot while senior Chandler Gilbert will start at linebacker.

In the secondary, Redd will be counted on, along with sophomore Riley Matthews and junior John Riviore.

Overall, the 2022 Timberwolves will be quite young in many spots and will not have as much size as a year ago.

The schedule is a challenging one.

The season opens with a road game at Lakeview before D’Arbonne Woods hosts Drew Central, Arkansas. Another home game with Beekman Charter follows before a road trip to Montgomery. Week five has the Timberwolves at home against River Oaks.

District 1-2A play begins in week six on Oct. 7 at home against Lakeside before a road trip to Loyola Prep. Then comes a home contest against powerful Calvary Baptist. The final two games are at Green Oaks and at home against North Caddo.

It may be an upward climb with a younger team, facing a tough schedule but Tharp is a proven winner coming off both a winning season and co-district championship. You have to take the Timberwloves seriously.

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