Throughout the offseason, Central Hinds coach Lance Teasley put his roster and schemes into a blender and tried to mix them up to see what works.

He didn’t have much of a choice.

On offense, the Cougars lost one of the school’s all-time leading rushers and four of five linemen to graduation. Three starters are returning. Five are back on defense, and only four of the 28 players on the roster weigh more than 200 pounds.

Teasley’s solution was to devise schemes that rely on speed and athleticism rather than bulk, and hope it all comes together before reaching the heart of the district schedule in late September.

“We’re counting on a lot of guys that haven’t played in a year,” Teasley said. “Athletic ability will be our strong point. We hope it’ll make up for the lack of size. We’re changing our defensive scheme a little bit to compensate for the lack of linemen. We’ll blitz more. It scares me to death, but makes them happy.”

Offensively, the Cougars will need to find someone to compensate for the loss of Brian King. The tailback Teasley called “our instant offense” rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.

Ben-Moss Lauderdale and Donnie Haley, who both played fullback and served as blockers for King, will try to make the adjustment to tailback.

“They did fine in the spring. How they do through the course of 14 games is going to be telling,” Teasley said.

Junior Tanner Leggett will also take a bigger role at quarterback. He didn’t play last season, but Teasley said he’s a great athlete who is smart enough to quickly pick up the nuances of the position.

“He’s probably the best athlete in the whole school,” Teasley said. “He plays football, baseball, soccer — almost every sport except track, and he has the potential to make the all-star team in every one of them.”

Central Hinds also has a secret weapon with kicker Gunar Robinson. He has 50-yard range and is accurate from about 40 yards in. He made waves this summer with a viral YouTube video in which he used his feet to flip a ball over his head and then, without letting it touch the ground, kicked it through the uprights from about 25 yards out.

Robinson went to eight kicking camps this summer, Teasley said, and developed from a mediocre kicker to one who will be a major factor in the team’s game plans.

“It’s big for us because of the lack of size,” Teasley said. “When we get in the red zone, if we don’t have the strength to lean on you it might be hard to pick up that fourth-and-2. Now we don’t have to think about it too much.”

Central Hinds finished 3-7 and missed the playoffs last season. It’s already in a district with a powerful Riverfield team, and had last year’s MHSAA Class 1A runner-up St. Aloysius thrown in when that school joined the MAIS in July.

The schedule also includes non-district games against perennial powers Simpson Academy and Brookhaven Academy. Only the district winner is guaranteed a playoff berth, but Teasley was hopeful that even if that path doesn’t work out for the Cougars they’ll be able to win enough games to get in as a wild card.

The MAIS Class AAA bracket includes 16 teams, 11 of which are selected via a power point system. Four of the first five games are against Class AA teams, so early success will be as important for the Cougars as what they do when district play begins.

“If we get wins out of those, it’s good. If we stumble around and don’t get the power points, it’s bad,” Teasley said.

2015 Central Hinds schedule

Aug. 21 – at Union Christian

Aug. 28 – Brookhaven Academy

Sept. 4 – at Porters Chapel

Sept. 11 – River Oaks

Sept. 18 – at Wilkinson Christian

Sept. 25 – *Manchester

Oct. 2 – Simpson Academy

Oct. 9 – *at Riverfield

Oct. 16 – *St. Aloysius

Oct. 23 – *at Hartfield Academy

*District 3-AAA games