COLLINSVILLE – It wasn’t the start to the 2009 season the Collinsville Panthers envisioned.

Just six days before the Panthers opened against Victory Christian, quarterback/strong safety Nathan Coker was involved in a one-car accident. Coker fractured his vertebrae and jaw, and was lost for the year.

As if losing Coker wasn’t enough, the Panthers lost their first three games of the season.

Things were looking pretty grim, but the team finally found its stride beginning in Week 4. Collinsville posted blowout victories against Woodville and Fayetteville, with a showdown against region rival and eighth-ranked Cedar Bluff looming.

The Panthers pulled off a 28-20 victory, propelling them to win three of their final four games of the year and finish at 6-4.

While Collinsville fell short of the playoffs, a sense of optimism in the off-season was just what head coach Alan Beckett was looking for.

“As far as the off-season, it’s been really good and has gotten better every year,” he said. “We’ve got about 40 (players) from (grades) 9-12. It’s far and away the best we’ve had.

“We’ve had a really good commitment. It’s been about 30-plus every time we’ve opened the weight room. These guys have really worked hard. Now we’re ready for the next phase.”

Beckett is hoping a big part of that next phase includes Coker, who returns to the lineup after working through rehab. Coker said he’s healed, and now he’s “just ready to get back out there and play.”

“It took a while, but every day I’ve just been training to get back on the field,” he said. “It’s just amazing I’m walking and being able to put the pads on again. That’s going to be a great feeling (in the first game). Maybe I can do something for the team. I’m kind of nervous about it, but I think it’s going to work out.”

Beckett said Coker “means so much to our team.”

“He’s one of those few guys who can just really across the board be somebody who reaches out to the whole student population,” Beckett said. “There are very few players you ever see that way, but he’s a guy who means a lot to everybody. He definitely means a lot to us. Obviously, when you lose your quarterback six days before you play, it’s tough. His ninth-grade year, he had six interceptions (on defense) so it was huge for our secondary. He was our traffic director, and I really thought losing him hurt us defensively. He’s a big cog for us.”

The Panthers also return several other big cogs, including Class 1A All-State lineman Ryan Chamblee. Chamblee posted 89 bulldozer blocks (blocks from beginning to end of a play) along with 54 pancakes, including 13 pancake blocks in a Week 5 victory over Fayetteville). He graded out at 90 percent or better throughout the season.

Also returning to anchor the Panther line is Luis Perez, Quintin Coker and Clay Coker.

Beyond those four returning players, Beckett said the Panthers might be a little thin.

“Our offensive line doesn’t need to have a lot of injuries,” he said. “We sent 10 to offensive line camp (in late July), but still, five or six is where we’re at there.”

Another area where the Panthers are looking for depth is at receiver. The Panthers lost last year’s top pass catcher, Sharrard Crawley, to graduation. Senior Logan Sharpe is one of the players Beckett hopes can fill the void.

“Logan Sharpe is a guy who’s always going that extra mile,” Beckett said. “If a ball’s thrown away from him, he’s still running his route as hard as he can. He’s the first guy on the practice field. He’s always got a smile on his face, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Sharpe said the panther receivers have worked hard in the off-season to get better.

“The receivers are running their routes better, and our quarterbacks are throwing the ball better,” Sharpe said of summer workouts. “We’re just looking forward to the season and expecting to have a great year.”

Tray Reed, Josh Gogus and Shon McElrath are expected to carry the load in the Panther backfield.

On defense, Reed and Jesse Chandler give the Panthers stability at linebacker, but Collinsville is looking to replace Huntingdon signee Justin Irvine at defensive end. Irvine posted 38 tackles (eight for lost yardage), four sacks and recovered a fumble for the Panthers last season. Beckett is hopeful Perez can make the move to the position.

Nathan Coker and Sharpe will patrol the Panther secondary.

Once again, the Panthers will have their hands full when it comes to region play. Collinsville competes in Class 1A, Region 7 with Cedar Bluff, Gaylesville, Spring Garden, Gaston, Valley Head, Skyline and Woodville.

Getting off to a good start would serve the Panthers well, Quintin Coker said.

“We’ve been stressing to get off the bus and try to play hard,” he said. “The first three games of our schedule are stacked. Coosa’s our first game and they’re good. Then, you’ve got Spring Garden the second week and Gaston the third week. That’s three really good teams, so we’re just going to try and come off the bus playing hard like we did toward the end of last season.”