By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

LIBERTY

For Chet Allen, the biggest adjustment to becoming a head coach is the stuff that doesn’t involve coaching.

“It’s been awesome, but it’s a lot more paperwork,” he said. “It’s a lot more shaking hands. It’s a lot more time making sure the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted. It’s saying hello to the people that you’re supposed to.”

That includes his wife and kids.

“That’s the tough part, because my wife hasn’t been used to me being a head coach, with the time away,” he said. “But I’m making time for my wife and making time for my kids, so they’re not getting neglected.”

Allen’s biggest challenge may be dealing with Life After Lynn. The Leopards’ best player, quarterback Lynn Bowden, transferred to Warren Harding in the offseason after Liberty opted not to renew head coach Kevin Cylar’s contract after two playoff years.

“He was a big part of the team,” senior RB/LB Branden Smith said of Bowden. “We’ve just got to keep moving, keep pushing. Everybody just has to work together as a team. One person can’t just do it.

“If we all work together this year, we should be pretty good.”

OFFENSE

Dra Rushton will start at quarterback in place of Bowden, who ran for nearly 2,000 yards last season, threw for another 900 and combined for 39 touchdowns. JaShaun Whitman will also see time back there and Allen will also play him at wideout, defensive back (he led last year’s team in tackles with 57 and sacks with eight) and punter.

“We have a really young team and he just has me everywhere,” Whitman said. “I’m basically an all-around player. I just want to be a leader on and off the field.”

Smith, Ke’Andre Bowers and Jon Griffin will play running back along with freshmen Justin Chismar and Marquinn Tate. Kaylon Davis and Kyree Davis return at wideout and basketball player Andree Bowers should provide a spark there as well.

The offensive line is young, but somewhat big with returning starters Jaylen Williams, a senior, and Derek Gilcher, a sophomore. Senior John Kloos, junior Alec Coman and sophomores Jaylen Harper and Muhammad Yusef are also in the mix.

DEFENSE

Williams, Griffin and senior Junion Blair are back on the defensive line, while Kloos, Chris Edmond and John Spivey will also see time. At linebacker, Smith is back, where he’ll play next to Bowers and Griffin. Rushton, Capone Haywood, the two Davises and Whitman lead the secondary.

“Defensively, we don’t have 11 new guys to come off the sidelines when we switch from offense, so we’ll need to use a lot of the same guys,” Allen said.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Senior Brendan Gilmartin will handle kickoffs and extra points and has shown good potential there, Allen said.

OUTLOOK

Liberty has made the playoffs each of the last three years but losing Bowden, as well as RB/LB Brandon Rios (who transferred to Hubbard) and WR/DB Ben Phillips (who graduated) might be too much to overcome.

Then again, it might not.

“I told some people the other day, ‘We’re just trying to win the day,’” said Allen, a 1991 Liberty High graduate who has 18 years of coaching experience, including the last three as Niles’ defensive coordinator. “Us as coaches, we’re like, ‘We don’t know if we’re going to make it. We’re young, we’re young.’ But I think the pieces and the parts are there. We could open some eyes if these guys just buy in.”