Dreher quarterback Kibwe Dixon Photo by Mike Maddock After years of watching Dreher High School primarily line up everyone within five yards of center, Blue Devil fans may be excused for being uncertain how to describe what they are seeing this season.

After all, so are the coaches.

The Blue Devils are adopting and adapting the spread offense that first– year coach Josh Stepp, the one–time quarterback standout at Pelion High and Newberry College, used as offensive coordinator at Spring Valley last year.

“It’s similar in that it’s still run first to set up the pass, still fast–paced, still spread, and still no huddle,” Stepp said. “But the personnel we have here is so different from what we had at Spring Valley that it is not going to be the same offense.”

The resulting hybrid —by any name—is under the direction of senior quarterback Kibwe Dixon.

“We are expecting a lot out of Kibwe this season. This offense is centered around the quarterback. He’ll call a lot of stuff at the line. He’ll have to make changes and call audibles. He’s a very smart kid, and he’s done a great job picking up the offense. He has speed, which will help him run the zone option. He’s very good at making reads and a strong thrower.”

Stepp holds high expectations for fullback Devin Barnes and wide receivers Jay Anderson and Tyriq Outler. Outler is one of seven freshmen on the 52–man varsity roster, and Stepp plans to play the youngsters.

“We are counting on a lot of young kids,” Stepp said. “Some are getting thrown into the fire early, but it will benefit us in the long run.”

And that is the goal for Stepp, who has repackaged one piece of advice into a cornerstone concept for his coaching staff: “We aren’t building a season; we’re building a program.”

To that end, it helps to have players who will be around for a while. In addition to the freshman, 17 sophomores are out for the squad. And four juniors begin the season as starters at linebacker in the 3–4 defense: Josh Wilkins, Jeremy Jenkins, Giovani Dwight, and Dashawn Davis.

“All four can run, and they will hit you—and they will hit you as many times as they can,” said Stepp, who believes the unit will be the strength of his defense.

Stepp freely admits both lines need to improve, although he enters the season not planning to have linemen play both ways—in part because of the tempo he wants both sides of the ball to play. That will force players to step forward.

“Depth is the biggest thing going from a 4A to a 3A school,” Stepp said. “We have some very good athletes in the program, but depth, especially up front, is an issue. We have some talented athletes, and we have some guys with size. We just don’t have a lot of them.”

Among those in the trenches Stepp is counting on are seniors Harry Savage, Chas Barrineau, and Michael Bell.