2024 Portsmouth Trojans

[BuckeyeBlood]

School is out and summer is right around the corner. Portsmouth football has a new page on Facebook that has been updated regularly. Looks like many of the boys have been in the weight room, very positive thing seeing the Facebook page and off-season weights. Looks like several of the boys are on the baseball team that is still playing, a few on the track team as well. This should help them stay conditioned. This Trojan team has the chance to be really good. They return quite a bit from last years playoff squad.

C. Williams, J. Williams, C. Heiland, C. Perry, L. Scurlock, N. Copley, K. Littlefield, F. Poxes, L. Boren, W. Runyon, B. Fletcher, A. McKenzie, L. Malone, T. Brooks, D. Sanderlin, K. Johnson,L. Bradley, J. Carter all return and all started or played meaningful minutes. They’ll have to replace L. Poxes on the offensive and defensive lines, N. Livingston at LB, L. Cobb at FB & DE and Z. Roth at K. Only losing 4 guys and one being your kicker is huge. I expect C. Williams to have developed his passing game a bit more. OL should be solid, Heiland should have a monster year at RB, J. Williams being healthy all season will be big. Need to develop WR’s and really focus on the secondary. Have no idea if the 8th grade was any good last year. Any freshman coming in that might contribute? Anyone move in since last football season?

Really excited for the 2024 Trojans. Fully expecting a good season, including another trip to the playoffs and an another playoff win, this time at home. Anything less will be a major disappointment in my eyes. What are we like 7 weeks out from conditioning getting underway? 7 on 7’s in what 3 weeks? Almost that time boys!

[Tman]

Agreed, this season should go really well. Returning a huge part of the team as you stated, also with Ironton now out of the OVC in football it seems Portsmouth should be a top choice for winning the conference. The addition of the facebook page has been really nice as well, creating excitement for the team. I also think they should do well come post season with a possible two wins in playoffs. 7 on 7 schedule I've heard is Piketon, Chesapeake, Burg, and Waverly.

[Beergogglebluez]

They bring back quite a bit back. They will run thru the ovc and not sure what west and valley have. Greenup county’s stud qb graduated I think. That wheelersburg game last year will never leave my mind it was so ugly. We ran the same 3 plays over and over so hopefully the playbook is opened up.

[PTrojan59]

Good outlook on the upcoming season. OVC will definitely be up for grabs. Coal Grove always plays Portsmouth tough, Gallia has been a hard win for the Trojans, and the series with Fairland is very back and forth. That said, I believe all of those games are winnable. I could see the Trojans going 8-2 or 9-1 even depending on games against West & Valley. They won’t beat Ironton, but hopefully they compete well. Ton of kids returning, but this class is a big one. So it’s win now, because I think maybe about 12 or so kids will be gone after this upcoming season, most starters. If what I’m reading is correct, looks like the Trojans will actually scrimmage Burg, instead of a 7v7. Waverly the other yearly scrimmage, or jamboree whatever they title them as.

[trojandave]

BuckeyeBlood: Thanks for a very good post on the upcoming season. I, too, think the playoffs are a reality and hopefully like you said play at home the 1st week of the postseason. We can win the OVC, but we have to be able to beat Gallia Academy, which has been a nemesis for PHS for a long time. As PTrojan59 said, Fairland and Coal Grove are testy every year. I actually think Portsmouth can give Ironton a competitive game. I'm going 7-3 as the worst they'll do, but I really believe 8-2 is very doable. 8-2 will get us a home playoff game, 7-3 maybe.

Looking forward to the 2024 season!! Go Trojans!!

[REDMEN95]

BuckeyeBlood: Thanks for a very good post on the upcoming season. I, too, think the playoffs are a reality and hopefully like you said play at home the 1st week of the postseason. We can win the OVC, but we have to be able to beat Gallia Academy, which has been a nemesis for PHS for a long time. As PTrojan59 said, Fairland and Coal Grove are testy every year. I actually think Portsmouth can give Ironton a competitive game. I'm going 7-3 as the worst they'll do, but I really believe 8-2 is very doable. 8-2 will get us a home playoff game, 7-3 maybe.

Looking forward to the 2024 season!! Go Trojans!!

Look For RH to be the sleeper in the OVC!

[Ohio1979]

BuckeyeBlood: Thanks for a very good post on the upcoming season. I, too, think the playoffs are a reality and hopefully like you said play at home the 1st week of the postseason. We can win the OVC, but we have to be able to beat Gallia Academy, which has been a nemesis for PHS for a long time. As PTrojan59 said, Fairland and Coal Grove are testy every year. I actually think Portsmouth can give Ironton a competitive game. I'm going 7-3 as the worst they'll do, but I really believe 8-2 is very doable. 8-2 will get us a home playoff game, 7-3 maybe.

Looking forward to the 2024 season!! Go Trojans!!

Look For RH to be the sleeper in the OVC!

Easy there. I’m sure they will be improved with the coaching change but I don’t see them competing with Portsmouth, Fairland or even coal grove this year

[BuckeyeBlood]

Will the Adkins kid who has supposedly moved to Portsmouth from the Burg for the upcoming year be playing football for the Trojans in the fall?

[BuckeyeBlood]

What are the chances the Locklear kid gets a look at QB this season? Looks to me that he throws a really good ball, maybe the best on the roster. He’s fast, much taller at 5’10 than CW who’s like 5’6. I’m just curious if there will be a QB competition or not.

[Jussmypinion]

What are the chances the Locklear kid gets a look at QB this season? Looks to me that he throws a really good ball, maybe the best on the roster. He’s fast, much taller at 5’10 than CW who’s like 5’6. I’m just curious if there will be a QB competition or not.

Without a doubt throws the better ball of any of the qb prospects. Sadly I've been told he's still only working out with the JV. PHS has to do better.
Seen Locklear and Adkins working out about 2 weeks ago and they way they were in sync, you'd think they grew up playing together. If coach breaks up the boy band this year and puts his best 11 on the field, we could see some real nice football from Portsmouth.

[trojandave]

Hoping for a home playoff game, but the Trojans have fared well on the road the past 3 seasons in the 1st round:

2021: PHS 28, at Zane Trace 22
2022: PHS 28, at Belmont Union Local 26
2023: PHS 50, at Fairland 38 (Fairland beat PHS 43-27 at Fairland in the regular season)

[BuckeyeBlood]

What are the chances the Locklear kid gets a look at QB this season? Looks to me that he throws a really good ball, maybe the best on the roster. He’s fast, much taller at 5’10 than CW who’s like 5’6. I’m just curious if there will be a QB competition or not.

Without a doubt throws the better ball of any of the qb prospects. Sadly I've been told he's still only working out with the JV. PHS has to do better.
Seen Locklear and Adkins working out about 2 weeks ago and they way they were in sync, you'd think they grew up playing together. If coach breaks up the boy band this year and puts his best 11 on the field, we could see some real nice football from Portsmouth.

It’s nice to have a few young options at your disposal, but I think you need to go with your BEST option, to me that’s Locklear. This team needed to pass the ball more last year but couldn’t because QB just didn’t have the capability to at times. Don’t get me wrong, at times he did and looked good, but he was run first. Can’t have that when you’re also pounding it with Heiland 25 times per game.

[trojandave]

What I want to see is a better passing game this season whoever the QB is. We do have Chase Heiland back, but we can't just run a one dimensional offense even though Chase is a really good football player. We have to be able to throw the ball vertically and stretch the field, which will make Chase more effective.

If we're going to win the OVC, make the playoffs, and advance in the playoffs, a respectable passing game is a must.

[art_vandelay]

What I want to see is a better passing game this season whoever the QB is. We do have Chase Heiland back, but we can't just run a one dimensional offense even though Chase is a really good football player. We have to be able to throw the ball vertically and stretch the field, which will make Chase more effective.

If we're going to win the OVC, make the playoffs, and advance in the playoffs, a respectable passing game is a must.

Agreed…don’t care how good the running game is, against a real defense, you have to be able to somewhat throw the ball to keep opposing defenses honest.

Trojans lack of passing game is the only glaring weakness I currently see keeping them from competing with Ironton, HP, Burg, etc. in Region 19.*

[Larry Fine]

How much of an impact will the player who came from Wheelersburg have ? Heard he was a good athlete.

[PTrojan59]

How much of an impact will the player who came from Wheelersburg have ? Heard he was a good athlete.

I assume he will play WR for Portsmouth if he plays (haven’t heard if he is or isn’t). Portsmouth doesn’t have a dominant WR, but return some pretty good kids. So he will fit in just fine and probably have a decent impact as he seems to be a good athlete and that position isn’t the deepest.

[PTrojan59]

As many of you have stated the Trojans have to throw the ball more this season. Chase Heiland is a tremendous RB, but leaning on him too much you become one dimensional. So then at times last year they would lean on Cam or JT Williams when teams keyed in on Chase. Passing game will only open up the run. I think Cam throws a good ball, he’s on the shorter side, but keep in mind he was a freshman last year who stepped in around early August as the projected QB JT Williams was out with an arm injury. He didn’t have a ton of time to throw, or a ton of opportunities. I could see any of JT, Cam or Locklear being the QB. Not much experience but all really fast, good athletes. I have no dog in the fight, I just want the kid who throws the best ball and can take command of the offense out there. Big expectations for the men of Troy this fall.