What a difference a year makes in the life of first-year head coach Sherard Poteete as his Northeastern A&M Golden Norsemen prepare to host the Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals, Saturday, at 2 p.m. during homecoming festivities at Robertson Field.
"It will be a little odd just simply because I coached with most of the Trinity Valley coaching staff, including coach (Brad) Smiley for the last three years," Poteete said. "But another thing is that I recruited half of those players and coached them last year, so I know a lot about this team."
Poteete, a record-setting quarterback for the Golden Norsemen in 1998-99, joined the Cardinal staff in January of 2010. He came to TVCC from Louisiana College, where he coached for six seasons and held titles of offensive coordinator, passing game coordinator, special teams coordinator and quarterbacks coach during his tenure.
Another close tie with the NEO football program involved in this game is offensive coordinator-quarterbacks coach Clay Patterson. Not only did Patterson, the nephew of NEO athletic director Dale Patterson, play tight end for the Golden Norsemen, but he also declined an opportunity to return to NEO for the assistant's job at Trinity Valley.
After knocking fellow Southwest Junior College Football Conference opponent Navarro College out of the No. 1 spot in the weekly National Junior College Athletic Association football poll by a 35-7 margin last weekend in Corsicana, Texas, the Cardinals come to Miami with a 3-2 season record and a 2-1 conference mark.
"We knew before the season started that Trinity Valley would be in the top echelon of the conference," Poteete said. "Not only did they have a very productive recruiting year, but they've got several Division 1-type players coming back on both sides of the football."
While Poteete's Golden Norsemen enter the game leading the SWJCFC in total offense by averaging 519 total yards per game, the Trinity Valley Cardinals ranked second in the conference in total team defense by limiting the opposition to a mere 287.6 total yards per game.
"They've got three defensive ends and two defensive tackles that are definite D-1 players," Poteete said. "Then, throw in a linebacker and a safety, they have one of the best defenses in the entire country."
Offensively, the Cardinals rank second in the league behind the Norsemen by averaging 493.4 total yards per game.
Although the Cardinals have relied heavily on a proficient passing game, two TVCC runners are listed in the top 15 of the conference.
Freshman Marquel McNac (5-8, 180 from Garland, Texas) leads the Cards ground game with 224 yards on 35 carries and one touchdown. He has also caught nine passes for 65 yards.
Redshirt freshman Tavarreon Dickerson (5-11, 185 from Arlington, Texas) has gained 202 yards on 26 carries with one TD.
Sophomore transfer quarterback Ryan Polite (6-1, 220 from DeSoto, Texas) leads the SWJCFC by completing 138 of 204 passes for 1,488 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions. He has added 115 yards on 35 carries and three rushing touchdowns.
"They've also got two wide receivers and a tight end that are D-1 caliber," Poteete said. "So they are very talented on both sides of the ball."
Freshman wide out Jataveon Green (5-8, 165 from Garland, Texas) leads the conference with 27 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns.
Another freshman wide receiver, Jarvis Baxter (5-11, 165 from Garland, Texas), ranks second in the league with 24 catches for 364 yards and four TDs.
Defensively, the Cardinals are limiting the opposition to a mere average of 84 total yards per game on the ground.
Veteran inside linebacker Joshua Pickett (5-9, 215 from Port Arthur, Texas) has made 47 total tackles to rank third overall in the SWJCFC.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Cortney Finney (5-11, 215 from Bay City, Texas) ranks fourth in the conference with 46 total tackles and three deflected passes.
