Hudson (FL) football re-tools offense after losing top QB, WR

HUDSON, FL  – When you lose the all-time leader in regular season/postseason yards, you definitely start looking at how to re-tool at the quarterback position.

For the Hudson Cobras, it’s not just their top passer from a year ago that they are trying to replace, but also their top receiver as well. The Cobras have to replace quarterback Hunter Young and wide receiver Ladamian Starks on offense and that will be no easy fix for head coach Tim Hicks.

Young, who will be playing his college football at Webber International, was the leading passer in Pasco County in 2021 and threw for 2,567 yards and 28 touchdowns. Now stepping in for Young is going to be junior Riley Blevens, who starred at quarterback for Hudson in the spring game versus Fivay. Blevens completed 5-of-9 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Blevens will have some capable play-makers around him to hand the ball off to and throw to, as running back Logan Shawell is expected to shoulder the load in the backfield. Shawell was the feature back for Hudson in the spring and showed a lot of versatility coming out of the backfield to catch passes.

AJ Mcfarlane is the top receiving threat back on offense and caught 37 passes for 768 yards and 10 touchdowns. Count Shane Hagen as another athlete that should contribute on the offensive side of the ball and the Cobras have a solid offense all the way around. Hudson showed the ability to move the ball just fine but redzone efficiency proved to be the downfall during the spring.

On the defensive side of the ball, the player to watch out for is standout defensive end Elias Williams. The junior edge rusher is the team’s top talent when it comes to colleges recruiting anyone on the team, as Williams has an offer from Florida Atlantic on the table. Last season, Williams notched 55 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks. For the defense to play up to level, Williams will need to be on his game again this fall.

The Cobras will be playing within a totally new district of 2-Suburban, District 11 and one very noticeable rival that Hudson will have to see again is Nature Coast. Some may remember the last time these two teams met back on October 15th of last year, the Sharks edged out the Cobras 64-57 in a basketball-type game. Now the two teams will be jockeying for a shot to win a district championship, which Hudson is shooting for its first since 2005.

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.