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2011 KHQA BARNSTORM TOUR     STOP #7    HANNIBAL PIRATES

Returning Starters: 2 on Offense, 5 on Defense

2010 Record: 9-3

2010 Stats: Pirates averaged 37 ppg, gave up just 12.4 ppg

Projected 2011 Strengths: Secondary, Linebacker, Size, Edge Weapons

Question Marks: Depth

HOOP DREAMS: Don't look now but the Hannibal receiving corps just got a whole lot better with the inclusion of two sizeable new targets by way of Pirate Basketball. We told you earlier this summer that 6'6" Pirate Pivot Bubba Williams is out for Football for the first time and looking sharp at Tight End. Now, Hannibal Wing Mike Shivers is in the mix and the early returns for his work both at Wide Receiver and Safety have been glowing. Mark St Clair told me quote "we can't cover him" in drills and that could make an already promising Offense even more explosive.

IN THE HICK OF THE NIGHT: It would not truly be the preseason if Mark St Clair wasn't engaged in some kind of Quarterback Battle and true enough Logan Hicks and Dalton Powell are battling as we speak. Both figure to play prominent minutes but it appears at this point that Hicks has gained an earlier than usual upper hand. Logan is an explosive athlete, for certain, but what really stood out watching him today was his ability to make the right read on the option. He seems to see the read/pitch assignments as if they were in slow motion and scored a touchdown on a long touchdown keeper on the team's first play from scrimmage in live offense.

DALTON...I THOUGHT HE'D BE BIGGER: On this first day of contact, your "hit of the day" honors got to a quarterback, inexplicably enough. "General" Dalton Powell lowered the shoulder on a linebacker (whose name we will not mention here to avoid the embarrasment) and not only dropped the kid, but flipped him over 360 style to the delight of every Pirate Player in the place.

THINGS RARELY HEARD IN CAMP ST CLAIR: Generally, it isn't the summer workout season until Mark St Clair wonders aloud why his team doesn't have the front line size of the other Class 4 powers in the state. Today, I was greeted with this fact from the Pirate Coach: the 2011 squad is the second biggest in his tenure. The return of Hannibal native Paul Davis on the Offensive Line (290lbs) after a year spent at Decatur Eisenhower with family is a huge bonus on that front. Overall, the Pirates really look the part up front for a change. Jacob Borgmeyer is a fiercesome asset in the trenches and seems to added some heft to his 225 pound frame. Kaleb Whalen is making a smooth and effective transition here from Fullback to Offensive Guard. The presence of state champion thrower Jake Crenshaw is another nice asset as well. This is going to be a very physical and imposing line for the Pirates to front for Caleb BienIek and Joe Shrum. Add in a pair of outstanding Tight Ends, and you have the makings of a really forceful front here.

DON'T SLEEP ON...The Pirates Linebacking Corps. All the attention tends to fall on Hannibal's Defensive Backfield (see also the feature included here) but the Kaleb Whalen and Logan Rhodes look to be a really nasty pair of run stuffers on the inside. There isn't going to be much flashy from either guy. They are old school "hit it if it moves" players and they seem to have the respect of the entire defense for the intense manner in which they transact their business. There is a lot more gravitas here with these two guys in the middle, which is another bonus for the Pirate Defensive Line. I also think that Joel Shrum, with so many people eye-balling Caleb Bieniek on offense, is going to really see a lot of primo carries. Make no mistake about it. Hannibal is deep at the running back position, one of the few spots where the Pirates have some proven quality depth.