For the last five seasons, the Stonewall Jackson football team would start its season at least with the potential greatness given that either Ryan Williams or Damien Thigpen would be there in the backfield.

But both running backs and eventual NCAA Div. I-A talents have graduated.

So what does second year head coach Mike Dougherty and his Raiders do now?

First, the team needs its veterans to lead the way. Stonewall does have plenty of players on both sides of the ball with playing experience and at the skill positions, Dougherty is counting on three or more players to be able to fill in as requested.

"We're not real deep but through the ones, we feel like we're pretty talented and if we can keep them healthy and our twos can step in when we need them to, we feel like we can win more than we lose," said the coach. "It's about getting over that .500 mark. It's not about getting to it; it's about getting over it."

Returning starters Sean Blackman, A.J. Means and Bradon Simmons will be playing "by committee" at the joint running back / quarterback position along with Orlando Budd, a senior who missed the entire 2008 season due to injury.

"All four of those kids are capable of playing college and we're looking forward to each of them getting their fair share," said Dougherty.

Blackman played the most in place of Thigpen last year when the UCLA-bound state track champion took time off to recuperate from a leg injury. That gave Blackman experience running the team's single wing offense.

"The single wing is based on combo blocks, angle blocks [and] double teams, so it's just as important as it is for the running backs to learn their plays and where they need to go and their misdirections, it's important for the line to know their blocking roles and execute (them) because as we saw in our scrimmage Friday, a couple of breakdowns here and there and a play just blows up," explained Dougherty.

Stonewall fought host team Briar Woods to a draw at a scrimmage on Friday as neither team's offense scored a touchdown. Brian Woods earned a defensive touchdown and Stonewall converted two field goals.

"We need to work on running up the field more than running sideways. We tried to outrun them more than we tried to gain up yards, so we need to run north and south instead of east and west," said Blackman.

The senior is running behind offensive line classmates Mike Pitts and Drew Danner, both of whom he described as the type of guys who are the first to the field and the last to leave. Veterans Ronald Ausberry (junior) and Coery Kaiser (senior) also bring more experience to a squad already heavy on upper classmen in starting positions.

"So we have returning starters. The problem is, behind them, we've got unproven guys as rookies," said Dougherty.

Defense is probably the team's strongest suit, according to Blackman. He mentioned the Raiders are a smaller but faster group than last year, meaning their style of play is more up-tempo and aggressive than in 2008.

Leading that pack so far this summer is nose guard Jeremiah Owens, who has found his way into the backfield "every play," Blackman said.

Owens noticed in the Briar Woods game though that the team's mental toughness could still be tweaked before the season opener Aug. 28 at Martinsburg (WV).

"We have to improve on some stuff. Like, some people need to stop being scared, you know what I'm saying?" said Owens. "It's football, football, football; if you get hit, you get hit and you get in there [and] take the pain..."

Stonewall, which hasn't had a winning season since 2004, joins Battlefield as the only Division 6 schools in the Cedar Run District this season now that Osbourn has been dropped to a D-5 level and Osbourn Park moved to the Cardinal District. So a loss to a D-5 opponent won't necessarily keep SJ out of the playoffs, but the team must keep in mind it is competing regionally for a slot against several other Cardinal district teams.

Dougherty expects that teams finishing with six wins could make the playoffs, seven wins should qualify them, and eight win would "definitely" open the post-season door.

"We have no pride. We'll sneak in or we'll win the whole thing. Our goal is to get there," said Dougherty.