SPENCER, W.Va. — Since the 2021 season, Roane County has posted a record of 50-9 with five playoff wins and a spot in the 2024 Class AA title game. Last fall, Roane went 9-1 in the regular season before falling to Clay County in the opening round of the playoffs.
“After the season was over, sitting down and going back to reflect and looking at everything, we had 14 injuries and five of those were season-ending,” said Roane County head coach Paul Burdette. “Brodey [Proctor] going down early was a big deal for us. Brodey played a huge role on both sides of the ball. And then late in the year, Javon [Letourneau] got hurt. Javon was the focal running back as we moved through the season after Brodey got hurt.”
In Roane’s run-heavy Wing-T offense, demands are high for the Raiders’ offensive line. Several new faces will work their way into the starting five.
“We had a group of guys that was together for three or four years without losing a bunch of guys. But this year, we return one starter. Getting those guys on par together and where we need to be is probably the biggest focus right now.”
While new linemen will be called upon, familiar faces can be found in the backfield. Junior Javon Letourneau and senior Koltyn Starcher each rushed for over a thousand yards in 2025. Senior Brodey Proctor will return to the lineup after he was limited to three games last fall.
“Those guys are kind of a three-headed monster back there. Nobody gets a lot of carries. They are always kind of broken up between the three. It is just the way it has been for the last couple years since we really moved to the Wing-T. All three of those guys bring something different to the table.”
For the first time since 2022, the Raiders will be working in a new starting quarterback. Newcomer Brennen Carpenter will step in after the graduation of four-year starter Jacob Greathouse.
“He transferred from Calhoun. He was here at the beginning of basketball season last year. So we got to talk a lot in the spring and kind of go over things. He is the starter at quarterback right now. He had done a really good job of adapting to our offense and learning all the new things he needs to learn.”
Roane held opponents to 16 points or less six times a year ago and many returners can be found on their defensive line.
“We return both starting tackles with Quentin Cooper and Wyatt Greenhouse. Logan Wilson returns at defensive end. Evan Greathouse moves from linebacker to defensive end. We have kind of deemed them the twin towers here in camp because they kind of look the exactly same on both sides of the ball.”
While averaging ten wins per season over the last five years, Burdette says consistent success is a year-round process.
“The biggest thing for us is that we have an established offseason, which is huge. These guys really work hard in the offseason, preparing themselves for the next year. Just the mindset that these guys have and the buy-in they’ve got in the program makes it easier. But still it is tough because we are a small rural community. Graduation hurts you some years. And some years, those coming in help you. It is just a matter of who you’ve got and what they are able to do.”