Tiger Sharks bringing size and experience

The Port St. Joe football team is featuring a lot of sizes this season with only two players under 200 pounds.

Both lines will be two of the strengths of the team. The Tiger Sharks are returning four players from the offensive line.

“They’ve had a great offseason,” Port St. Joe head coach Tanner Jones said. “They’ve gotten stronger, they’ve gotten bigger, a lot of Little Debbie Cakes have been consumed.”

One of the biggest players coming back is senior Chance Gainer, a true athlete who can contribute no matter what position.

“If we keep getting first downs, we can’t lose,” Gainer said. “That’s really the point of the game. If they can’t stop you from getting first downs, then they can’t stop you from winning.”

Last year in his first year as a starter, Gainer became that guy for the Sharks. Now as a senior, his team is looking at him for the same performance.

“You always expect great things out of kids as a senior,” Jones said. “He showed a lot of improvement, a lot of growth as a junior. He’s really come along as a leader and somebody we can count on.”

Another returning playmaker is junior running back and linebacker Corban Butts, who stepped up major as a sophomore.

“He is a true football player,” Jones said. “He makes stuff happen and I don’t think pain is in his vocabulary.”

A new face to the starting lineup is junior quarterback Greyson Hensley, who is referred to as “Arkansas.”

It will be his first season starting, but the Sharks are confident in his potential and the talent surrounding him.

“He can throw far,” Gainer said. “He has accuracy. He didn’t start last year, but he got a lot of playing time. He’s not going to be nervous. He knows what to do.”

When it comes to their offensive attack, that has yet to be determined.

“We have no idea what our identity is going to be,” Jones said. “We have our options and we’re going to play around with it and hopefully when the time comes, we’ve got it figured out.”

Port St. Joe is one of the most decorated programs in the area and with what the team is returning the sights are set on making more history.

“It’s exciting to look through the hallways and see all the banners,” Butts said. “Growing up and going through school saying I want to be on that wall.”

Port St. Joe will play Franklin County in the preseason kickoff classic on Friday, Aug. 16, and will travel to Wakulla for week one on Friday, Aug. 23.