Football preview: Jordan looking to rebuild

Jordan, a dominant power in the PAC-6 Conference in the first decade of the 21st century, hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2010, when it lost to Fayetteville’s Seventy-First High in the first round, 36-28. But the Falcons think they can contend in the PAC-6 this year.

With the exception of Hillside, the PAC-6 has not produced a lot of significant runs in the postseason, and most of the league’s playoff spots look up for grabs. Jordan (2-3 in the PAC-6) was one win away last year for getting one of the conference’s three playoff berths.

LaDwaun Harrison, heading into his fourth year as head coach at Jordan, thinks his attempts at getting the team mindset back to where it was 10 years ago,

“Overall, we’re going to be more competitive and, I think, mentally tough,” he said.

The Falcons will be looking to step up their offense after scoring just 88 points last year while finishing 2-9 overall.

Top contributors: Senior running back Chris Francis, a returning starter. “Looking for him to have a really big year,” Harrison said.

Players they’ll miss the most: DB and running back Keandre Randerson (Jacksonville University); offensive linemen Grant Swigart (N.C. State) and J.J. Cyriaque (Morehouse); wide receiver Piccaso Keaton (Winston-Salem State.)

Expected team strength: “The group overall is more competitive. They’ve been very engaged in what we’ve been teaching and working really hard this summer.”

Question mark: Depth. The Falcons will be young and have to replace a lot of former starters. “Sometimes I think that’s an advantage, because you don’t have bad habits,” Harrison said. “But overall depth could be an issue for us.”

The main number: 18 - seniors lost from the 2014 team.

The quote: Harrison: “This group has been with me for four years now, so I’m excited about this class here. Everybody is a lot more comfortable now, and when you’re comfortable, you can play a little bit more free.”

Game to watch: Sept. 25 vs. Person. The Falcons need to start off 1-0 in PAC-6 play if their going to have a postseason.

This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Football preview: Jordan looking to rebuild."