By Ty Marzean
WKTV Contributor
Though the Lee Legends finished their first full season in the Southwestern Michigan 8-Man Football League (Tier 2) with an 0-6 record, they enter the 2023 season with a wealth of experience and understanding of the game.
The Legends return everyone but one player, graduate Elijah Beckwith. Worth noting, the team grew in numbers from 19 to 25 over last year.
In his second season leading the team, Lee Coach Lamar Marshall is excited to build off the experience they gained last year.
“They understand the game a lot better,” said Marshall, whose team finished 0-9 overall last season. “During chalk talk, they even correct me sometimes.”
Marshall has stressed the importance of execution to his players.
“If we don’t execute, we will be our own worst enemy this year.”
Junior Anthony Blok returns as the quarterback of the Legends, but has freshman Jayden Sanchez nipping at his heels.
“Anthony will bring a lot to our run game, and his deep ball is pretty good and has gotten even better during off-season workouts,” said Marshall, who had many positive thoughts about his freshman quarterback as well. “Jayden Sanchez is going to be the future of Lee football. He’s smart and can manage our short passing game.
“This quarterback battle has made them both a lot better.”
Sanchez isn’t the only newcomer to the Legends roster.
Fresh from the basketball team
Two of the new faces are from the basketball court. Clarence Lewis and Jaden Potts move to the gridiron after helping the Legends basketball team secure their first conference title in 43 years last winter.
Lewis jumps into his new role as the starting running back, while Potts makes his impact felt on the defensive side of the ball.
Marshall and defensive coordinator Damion Gregory have created a hybrid safety/linebacker position for Potts called the “Rebel” position.
“He can tackle with the best … he’s very smart, one of the smartest kids I have ever coached,” Marshall said. “He can play in the box and coverage both very well.”
Senior cornerback Kam’ron Washington and sophomore wide receiver Aiden Merriweather return to a Legends team that wants to continue the culture change at Lee.
“We are ready to change who we are as a school, change the way people see us,” Washington said.
The Lee Legends kick off the 2023 season on August 24 at Baldwin.
WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back next week!
Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’ll bring you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.
As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches and players for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well.
You won’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!
