Experienced defensive backs for CF thriving this off-season – Camden News

Last year, the Camden Fairview Cardinals had one of their biggest football seasons in program history.

Behind every conference winning championship team, weaknesses can cause a team to fall short of its biggest goals. While the Cardinals had a highly efficient defense that competed with some of the most talented offenses in the conference, they did have some problems they're hoping to address during spring training.

One weakness that the Cardinals possessed was the trouble they had defending against mid-range-to-deep passing situations. That is something that the Cardinals' defense looked to improve when the off-season started. This year, the defensive backs for Camden Fairview are more experienced and persistent in locking down the opposing passing game.

The Cardinals are returning two defensive backs from last season, but each of the five starters in the 4-2-5 defensive front has already shown to be in excellent form. Junior Jabauree Lockhart and senior cornerback Arquavion Martin led a talented Cardinals secondary that strives to lock down the top impact receivers on the opposing team. They are joined by the other main cornerback in Matt Davis, safety/linebacker Jabari Spencer and safety Takorey McCoy.

Lockhart started at cornerback last season and is taking a special and pivotal role on secondary and defense this year. He will be the rover for the Cardinals' defense, enabling him to be flexible and play as either a linebacker or safety in certain schemes.

Last season, Lockhart accounted for 40 tackles, one sack, a team-high 16 pass breakups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His ability to scout the ball and read the quarterback's eyes in passing situations makes him one of the most reliable zone coverage players for the Cardinals. He is more efficient on covering bigger and more aggressive receivers, which can make him win at press at the line of scrimmage.

Martin is another defensive back that is switching from cornerback to the hybrid linebacker/safety position. Defensive coordinator Devin Ball made the switch as Martin can play more inside pass coverage.

"Arquavion has been bumped to the other spot, to a safety/linebacker hybrid, but he plays more coverage duty stuff. We play him to the strength; both of them are savvy, both of them (including Lockhart) are talented. I expect them to be the best safeties in the conference this year," Ball said.

McCoy will be the Cardinals' lone safety, often deep in the secondary. He will often be the one-man safety that plays a lot of zone coverage against deep passing situations. His ability to read the plays and the receivers' routes after the ball has been snapped is a huge asset to the Cardinals' pass defense. Ball said McCoy put on 10-15 pounds of muscle during the off-season and looks to be a huge playmaker for the Cardinals' defense.

Davis and Spencer are the team's primary man-coverage cornerbacks as the defensive backs will contain the outside deep receivers of the opposing offense. Ball complimented the quick twitch of Spencer's movement, which allows him to turn his hips and stay on his assigned man. Spencer is also highly aggressive at the line of scrimmage, which is good for press-man coverage to go along with his speed.

While Davis is one of the smallest-sized players by height for Camden Fairview, he is not a cornerback that loses contested catches. Davis possesses speed and superior athleticism and the surprising ability to create big hits to cause pass breakups and make open-field tackles. He possesses the athleticism to create pass disruptions in the air and swat the ball away. His speed, athleticism and determination make him a lockdown corner.

"Matt came to us to us this year, he is a late bloomer. Last year, he had some things going on off the field; we understand that in this world of this nature, we know kids have struggles. We rode it out with him through the school year to make sure he was good," Ball said. "He may be the smallest guy on the field, and the cliche is about the dynamite, but he brings a boom, and he has a great feel for the ball. Excellent in coverage, you see him out there against Jarvis Reed today and he did some special stuff for us."

This entire secondary for Camden Fairview already has asserted their presence in practices against this incredibly talented and loaded receiver corps. They look to get better throughout the Spring Training and this summer as they prepare for the 2022 season kicks off.

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Experienced defensive backs for CF thriving this off-season - Camden News