2025 Football Preview: South Point Pointers

SOUTH POINT — Young Guns was a film about Billy the Kid and the Regulators set in the Lincoln War.

Now in the present tense are the South Point Pointers. These Young Guns led their gunslinger quarterback Ethan Hunt and the Regulators led by Tavarian Cabarrus and they’ll fight their battles on the football field hoping that the experience they learned last season as a very young team will help pay dividends for a seasoned but still young squad.

The Pointers’s football roster was filled with young players last season, but with a lot of those players returning and some good senior leadership, head coach Chris Davis is looking for an improved team after going 1-9 last year.

“Last year, most of our team was young. We only had five seniors. So, a lot of young kids got playing time which is good for this year,” said Davis.

“They know what to expect now. They’re a little older, a little more seasoned, so I think they came into this season knowing it’s going to be on their shoulders even though they’re young. They’ve taken the reins and they’re running with it.”

Two main offensive weapons are gone in quarterback Brayden Hanshaw and wide receiver Kamren Miller.

But the year of experience and growth should pay some dividends this season.

“Offensively, we should be better than last year. We were so young last year. We’re hitting in stride this year. Everybody knows what we’re trying to do,” said Davis.

“In our 7-lon-7s we started out kind of slow, but once we got everybody here we looked a lot better. We went to Logan and won the whole thing.”

QUARTERBACK

Starter: junior Ethan Hunt

Backup: freshman K.J. McLain

Davis: “Hunt was the backup last season and should step in and fill the void left by Hanshaw who was an All-District first team selection and honorable mention All-Ohio in Division 5. He’s healthy, he’s older now, mature, he knows what to expect and what we need from him. McLain is a freshman, so he’s going to get better as the season goes along.”

RUNNING BACK

Starters: senior Isaiah Traylor, junior Landon Vance, junior Robert Napier.

Backup: senior Braden Jackson

Senior Isaiah Traylor and juniors Landon Vance and Robert Napier will handle the bulk of the running game with senior Braden Jackson expected to pick up some playing time.

Davis: “Those will be my main three guys. Braden Jackson came out and he’ll fill out my rotation. It’s a good group. It’s a good mix of size and speed.”

TIGHT END

Starter: junior Noah Fahey, senior Jonah Fitzpatrick

Backup: junior Luke Fitzpatrick, freshman Anthony Neal

Davis: “The tight end position will be Noah Fahey and Jonah Fitzpatrick sharing those duties. Another possible candidate is junior Luke Fitzpatrick. When we put a tight end in we’ll have two guys who can play. Luke Fitzpatrick is a wide receiver but we can throw him in there, too.”

WIDE RECEIVER

Starters: veteran senior James Carey, junior Levi Thornsbury, returee junior Davon Lewis

Backups: Sophomore Elyse Patterson, sophomore Caesyn Pope, Fahey, freshman Dom Pegram, freshman Marcus Handshaw, Neal.

Davis: “We’ve got plenty of those guys Carey and Lewis started, Thornsbury played, Patterson played some. Fahey is our Swiss Army knife. He plays everywhere we need him. We have a lot of young guys who could play.”

OFFENSIVE LINE

Center: Sophomore Kayleb Adkins

Backup: Fahey

Guards: sophomore George McDaniels, junior Reece Walters

Backups: freshman Killian Habolt, Fahey

Tackles: Tavarian Cabarrus, Quinn Johnson

Backup: junior Patrick Allen

Davis: “The tackles are experienced. Quinn will switch between tackle and guard to give Allen more playing time. Quinn Johnson came out and he’s going to help us a lot. Allen is a new kid and has good size. We’re looking a lot better this year than last year at the offensive line. Walters also plays soccer so he’s going to do both. Kayleb Adkins should be the center after playing guard last season. He missed most of last season with a cracked vertebrae in his back. He got in the weight room and he’s gotten stronger and gotten better, so he’s doing pretty good so far.”

DEFENSIVE LINE

Ends: Carbarrus, Adkins

Backups: Fahey, Carey, Luke Fitzpatrick

Inside: McDaniels, senior Shyne Green, Johnson, Harbolt

Backups: Fahey, Adkins

Davis said the Pointers’ will be in a four-man front but won’t hesitate to change their alignment.

Cabarrus will play end but can also play inside. Johnson and Harbolt can play inside while Adkins can play inside or out.

Davis: “Green is a big, solid kid who we’ll keep right there. We’re going to try and keep them rotated so they stay fresh.”

LINEBACKERS

Inside: Traylor, Napier, Vance, Jackson

Outside: Whomever doesn’t start inside

Davis: “They’re interchangeable.”

SECONDARY

Cornerbacks: Lewis, Patterson

Backups: Patterson, Handshaw, McCormick

Safeties: Logan McFann, Pope, Carey

Backups: Handshaw, McCormick

Davis: “We have pretty good depth in the secondary.”

KICKING GAME

Punter: Carey

Placekicker: McFann

OVC

Davis said the Ohio Valley Conference should be very competitive.

“Right now, the top is looking to be Coal Grove, but I think it’s up for grabs. Everyone is averaging 25 to 30 kids and it’s not just our conference,” said Davis.

South Point Pointers 2025 Football Roster

No. Player Pos.  Gr.

  1 Landon Vance RB-LB Jr.

  3 James Carey WR-DE Sr.

  4 Davon Lewis WR-S Jr.

  5 Noah Fahey WR-LB Jr.

  6 Robert Napier FB-LB Jr.

  7 Ethan Hunt QB-S Jr.

  8 Jonah Fitzpatrick TE-LB Sr.

  9 Elye Patterson WR-CB So.

10 Logan McFann WR-S So.

11 Levi Thornsbury WR-S Sr.

12 Braden Jackson RB-LB Sr.

13 Caesyn Pope WR-S So.

15 Luke Fitzpatrick WR-DE Jr.

16 K.J. McLain  QB-DT Fr.

17 Gary Estep TE-DE Sr.

18 Marcus Handshaw WR-LB Fr.

19 Keegan Weber WR-CB. Fr.

21 Anthony Neal WR-CB Fr.

25 Connor Runyon RB-LB So.

30 Dom McCormick RB-LB Jr.

32 Isaiah Traylor FB-LB Sr.

50 Tavarian Cabarrus T-DE Sr.

52 Kayleb Adkins C-DT So.

53 PatrickAllen T-DT Jr.

55 Quinn Johnson G-DT Sr.

56 Elijah Fahey C-DT So.

60 Cash Westmoreland G-DT Jr.

66 Reece Walters G-DT Jr.

70 Skyler Ferguson G-DT Sr.

76 George McDaniels T-DT So.

77 Killian Harbolt G-DT Fr.

78 Shyne Green T-DT Sr.

Head coach: Chris Davis

Assistant coaches: Dave Lewis, Fred Craft, Charlie Rudolph, Jeff McLain, Wes Hall

2025 Schedule

Aug. 22 BEAVER EASTERN 7:00PM

Aug. 29 at Racine Southern 7:00PM

Sept. 5 WELLSTON 7:00PM

Sept. 12 at Symmes Valley 7:00PM

Sept. 19 ROCK HILL# 7:00PM

Sept. 26 FAIRLAND# 7:00PM

Oct. 3 at Chesapeake# 7:00PM

Oct. 10 at Coal Grove# 7:00PM

Oct. 17 at Portsmouth# 7:00PM

Oct. 24 GALLIA ACADEMY# 7:00PM

#- Denotes OVC game