FAIRMONT — Fairmont won just two games in 2023, and most of the key contributors from that team graduated in the spring. This year’s Golden Tornadoes, therefore, have plenty of question marks as they prepare for the season.

But as he leads his young team, Fairmont head coach Jeremy Carthen is focused as much on off-field development as on-field progress in the hope that more discipline helps on both fronts.

“We’re working on becoming better people, and that should take care of the X’s and O’s off the field if we become better people,” Carthen said. “That process will look like growing every day, making sure we’ve have each other’s back, and making sure that we know who we are as a team and know where we are as a team, to try to fill the voids of the missing spots from the seniors that just left, and trying to become better people everyday.”

As Carthen enters his second year leading the program, he said he hopes that more familiarity with the program compared to this time last year can help him lead his team to a better on-field product.

“Pretty much knowing them as people, it’s creating a better bond and giving the kids something to play for besides themselves, to play for what we stand for,” Carthen said. “There’s still challenges being a head coach; I’m still learning. As I learn, I’m trying to correct mistakes and make sure we’ll be the best football team and I’ll be the best coach to put them in a position to win.”

Offensively, Carthen looks for senior wide receiver Jamir Jones and sophomore quarterback Jamarion Brown to each make a big impact.

“I think that (Jones) is going to take us to the next level this year with his speed and athleticism and his leadership. A kid that likes to do everything right, on and off the field, and someone that can take us to the next level,” Carthen said. “Also, getting (Brown) acclimated to the varsity game, the speed of the game and trying to get him caught up so he understands what we’re trying to do so he can execute.”

“Offensive side, we’ve got a different quarterback, a young quarterback, but he’s learning fast,” Jones said. “We’ve got some new receivers. The O-line looks better than it did a few years back, and everybody’s ready on the offensive side, ready to work.”

Junior Calvin Johnson and senior Tristen Longchallen will each be a “very big help” in the backfield for Fairmont, Carthen said, while senior Jordan Collins and junior Gavin Mayers — the team’s only returning All-County selection from 2023 — will lead the offensive line.

“(Collins and Mayers), they’re very smart, Beta club kids, high GPAs, very smart,” Carthen said. “So I think that should translate on the field, but I think that will be very vital to our run game this year, those two guys.”

On the other side of the ball, Carthen says the Golden Tornadoes’ defense can be a strength.

“We’ve just got to stay off the field and pretty much have some more offensive production to help the defense out, but I think the defense is going to be our strongest point,” Carthen said.

Jones and sophomore Tariq Leggett are a pair of talented cornerbacks for the team, with junior Jayvon Brown at safety and Johnson and Longchallen each at linebacker among the other key players.

“Those kids are going to be the difference makers on the defensive side of the ball that can make plays for us,” Carthen said.

As the Golden Tornadoes look to have the best season they can this year, beginning with their Aug. 23 opener at Lumberton, they’re also looking ahead to the future, as a young team hopes to build for future seasons as well.

“That’s a big thing this year, because we’re going to have the same team next year,” Johnson said. “So hopefully this year we can go good and keep it going in the future.”

Improvement is a key goal for the immediate future, though; after winning exactly two games in each of the last three seasons, the Golden Tornadoes hope for that number to increase this fall.

“Just to have a better season than what we have the past few years,” Johnson said. “We went 2-8 all these other years, so we’re going to try to improve. So anything, three (wins), four (wins), we’re going to try to improve.”