2019 Football Preview

FOOTBALL PREVIEW putting covington newton county 2019

on the map

‘N ewTEN’ Top 10 Players SEE INSIDE

A special publication by the covington news

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Table of

Contents INTRODUCTION Table of Contents/staff list………………….4 From the Sports Editor………………………6 MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL Q&A with Veterans Memorial coach………7 New Liberty coach not new to school………8 SUPERLATIVES Covington News Preseason All-County….12 ‘NewTEN’ Top 10 Players………………….14

CONTACT US Jackie Gutknecht

Gabriel Stovall

Editor and publisher jgutknecht@covnews.com

Sports Editor gstovall@covnews.com

Cynthia BlackshearWarren

Caitlin Jett

COLLEGE College Q&A w/Josh Sims………………....26 UGA Season Preview.………...……………10 GHSA FOOTBALL Alcovy headshots…………………………..18 Alcovy feature story………………………..19 Newton feature story…………………...….21 NHS Class of 2020 on the map…………….23 Eastside headshots……………,…………..28 Eastside feature story..........………………...29 Social Circle headshots…………………….31 Social Circle Feature………………….....….32 PRIVATE SCHOOL FOOTBALL Covington Academy feature……………….36 Peachtree Academy feature……………….37 Piedmont Academy feature……………….38 SCHEDULES High School Schedules……………………..39

on the cover FOOTBALL PREVIEW putting covington newton county 2019

on the map

Advertising Director cbwarren@covnews.com

Staff writer cjett@covnews.com

Amanda Ellington

Daniel Richardson

Circulation Director aellington@covnews.com

sports writer drichardson@covnews.com

Lee Ann Avery

Tyler Williams

Legals Clerk lavery@covnews.com

sports writer twilliams@covnews.com

Sydney Chacon

Matthew Grimes

Advertising representative/ Photographer schacon@covnews.com

sports writer sports@covnews.com

‘N ewTEN’ Top 10 Players SEE INSIDE

A special publication by the covington news

SEE THIS YEAR’S COVER STORY ON PAGE 23.

PHOTO BY JASON MUSSELL DESIGN BY JACKIE GUTKNECHT

4 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS

The Football Preview magazine is published annually by The Covington News, a division of Newton Newspapers Inc. No portion of this issue may be copied, scanned or reproduced in any manner without prior written consent from the publisher.

The Football Preview magazine is available free to subscribers of The Covington News. To subscribe, call 770-787-6397.

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from the sports editor

You can smell it in the air.

No, not this late summer Georgia heatwave, rather the smell of the high school football season that’s just one week away from cranking up – which is just as hot of a ticket in Newton County as the temps have been lately.

This year promises to be even hotter.

Welcome to the 2019 Football Preview Magazine, brought to you by the sports department at The Covington News. It’s our third edition, and though some of the names and many of the stories and storylines will be different from the last two versions, the mission for this mag was the same. That is, to bring you the most comprehensive football preview of the Newton County football scene that you’ll find anywhere.

Once again, our staff has gone through great pains to make sure our awesome readers and football fanatics are well prepared to cheer on your favorite teams for the 2019 season.

Each year there always seems to be something new and unique that crafts our theme for us. For the 2019 campaign, we chose to focus on introducing the ‘NewTEN’ Top 10 performers – a list of the county’s 10 best football players, most likely to put Covington, Georgia on the high school football map.

Our staff chose 10 of the county’s highest ranked recruits, or players we felt had the highest “recruitable” potential. All three of our county’s GHSA schools are represented, and we know there could be a case made for many more. We’re excited about this list, and the caliber of football talent represented.

This year, we’re also taking you to our middle school and private school programs to get a behind-the-scenes look at how those schools are preparing for the season. And if you aren’t a print or digital subscriber to The Covington News, you’ll want to be before Friday. We’re adding a few cool digital touches to our football preview’s on-

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line edition – the kind of stuff you can’t get in the print version alone.

Every year we try to push the envelope in a different way to provide you with unrivaled local sports coverage on the teams that matter to you most.

We hope you enjoy what we’ve cooked up for you this year.

Let me take the time to thank our team. I will say, without hesitation, that we have one of the best sports teams in Georgia. Being a smaller publication, we have to become masters of doing more with less, and I’m grateful to have a group of content creators that don’t mind embracing that challenge. Big shout out to the entire staff whom you see pictured on the Table of Contents page.

Also, major thanks to our publisher Jackie Gutknecht for allowing us to run with our visions to do sports coverage at the highest level possible. We appreciate every business that’s placed an ad in this year’s edition. And last, but most definitely not least, our advertising team of Cynthia Warren and Sydney Chacon need to be lauded as well as circulation

director Amanda Ellington.

Without their tireless work, we wouldn’t have a magazine to speak of.

Of course it is you, our readers whom we seek to please, and we hope you’ll be pleased with this year’s product. You’ve got a week to soak it all in before the lights come on at Sharp Stadium signaling the beginning of what should be another exciting season!

So sit back and enjoy this year’s magazine, and we’ll see you under the Friday Night lights next week.

OUR SPORTS STAFF Gabriel Stovall, Sports Editor Tyler Williams, Sportswriter Matthew Grimes, Writer/ Photographer Michael Pope, Writer/Videographer Sydney Chacon, Advertising/ Photographer Anthony Banks, Photographer Jason Mussell, Photographer Xavier Williams, Videographer Bailey Stevens, Videographer Daniel Richardson, Sports Intern

Q&A with Veterans Memorial coach Dante English DANIEL RICHARDSON Veteran’s Memorial head coach Dante English has been with the team for five seasons now and has seen quite a bit as the middle school program’s head man, including watching several ultra-talented young athletes begin to create recruiting buzz for themselves before even reaching high school.

The News’ Daniel Richardson stopped by during a team practice – on a particularly hot day – and the two spoke about possible must-watch middle school talent, what he hopes to see out of his team this season and more.

Daniel Richardson: With this particular group, which players should Newton County have their eyes on for now and the future?

Dante English: “The community should have their eyes on [eighth grader] Bryson Craft, SanCarlos Rollins, Aveon Dyer and [eighth grader] DeCorey Sinkfield.”

DR: How important is for those eighth-graders to come into the year with the proper mindset with high school being the next level for them?

DE: “It's very important to me because Sinkfield [has] been with me. Bryson Craft [has] been with me throughout the years I've been at Veteran’s Memorial. For three years, I have seen their growth.

They've been working hard this summer. [They’ve shown] attitude changes and [their] leadership qualities have shown.

And it's just been them overall doing a good job. I'm [excited] to see what comes out of this eighth-grade year for them.”

DR: With this being your fifth season as head coach at Veterans Memorial, what is this year’s team theme, or what have you seen out of this year’s roster?

DE: “What I see out of this group is a lot of talent. But the most important thing that I see is leadership. Leadership to me is very important.

Without leadership, I don't think you have a team. And what these guys have shown me is that they're going to be true to Veterans, and not only are they good football players, they are great as student-athletes. Out of all the guys I named [earlier], two or three are on the honor roll. I also have Ethan Huntsinger. He's one of my injured players, but he's been with me throughout the last three years. I'm very impressed with his knowledge of the game. He's injured right now, but he'll be back soon.

But definitely not just football, but the most important thing to me is academics.”

DR: Sticking with Huntsinger a bit, what is the injury that he’s dealing with?

DE: “The injury is his lower back. He’s been practicing with me and we’ve been conditioning, but he's been having lower back problems. [Ethan’s] been going to get x-rays and stuff, and his mom -- she's been giving me updates on it.”

VETERANS MEMORIAL RUNNING BACK SANCARLOS ROLLINS IS A PLAYER COACH DANTE ENGLISH SAYS IS ONE TO WATCH, BOTH NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. Matthew Grimes

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TOBY DAVIS ADDRESSES A POST-PRACTICE HUDDLE OF LIBERTY MIDDLE FOOTBALL PLAYERS DURING A RECENT SUMMER WORKOUT. DAVIS IS THE NEW HEAD COACH FOR THE KNIGHTS, AND IS RETURNING TO ALCOVY HIGH SCHOOL AS ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND PART OF THE SCHOOL’S NEW FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF. Matthew Grimes

Davis embraces return ‘home’ to coaching at Liberty Middle, Alcovy GABRIEL STOVALL

At one point Toby Davis cracked a bit of a smile while watching some of his Liberty Middle School football players work a routine drill during a recent summer practice.

If you watched him, you’d see that the smile started small — almost wry — but then gradually grew, seemingly encompassing his entire face. Then, if you looked at the routine drill he was watching and you saw that nothing spectacular happened — no slobber-knocking hits.

No jaw-dropping runs — you might be tempted to ask what the big smile was for.

If you asked, Davis would have no problem telling you.

“I’m just so happy to be back on this soil,” Davis said. “This Liberty Middle School soil. I’m so excited to be able to put in the hours to see this program grow.”

Davis picked a good time to arrive. The Knights are coming off its first NewRock championship since winning back-to-back crowns in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. But that’s another reason why he’s pumped to be there.

For Davis, coming to Liberty is coming back home.

I started out at Liberty back in 2014 when we weren’t undefeated two years in a row,” he said.

“We won two championships and then I got a promotion to go be the offensive coordinator at Alcovy.”

Davis was part of those championship Liberty squads that were considered legendary by some in local circles. And when he got to Alcovy, he felt like he was tracking along pretty well 8 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS

until the injury bug showed up.

“We were 4-1 there, and went into region play with players banged up and nicked up and out for the season,” he said. “So it took a bit of a turn for the worse.”

Alcovy football hasn’t had much success since, as it finds itself in the midst of a goingon-four-year region drought. And save Liberty’s return to championship status, the Knights had been down a bit as well.

Excuse Davis if he feels a little deja vu sensation coming over him, though, as he finds himself pretty much in the same place he was in five years ago. Not only is he the Knights’ head football coach, but he’s also assistant athletic director at Alcovy and serves on offensive coordinator Cory Quinn’s play calling staff.

All this is considered a special treat for the coach, given that he decided to stay out of coaching for a while once things went south at Alcovy several years ago. But Davis said the time away was good, and it’s energized him for what he hopes will be more feelings of deja vu — of the championship variety.

“I had to rejuvenate, get that energy back and come back and coach the game I love coaching,” he said. “I love coaching. I played in college (at Morris Brown) and this game has gotten me to where I am. And coming back to coach here, I want to use this game to give back to these young men and show them how football can open up more doors. I want to teach them the game instead of just coaching it. I want to teach them nature of the game and how they’re supposed to play the game that they love.”

He’ll definitely be taking on more of a tutoring role as many of the key players from last year’s championship squad have moved on to the high school ranks. That doesn’t bother Davis, though, as he sees ample potential in guys like quarterback Taj Avery and a pair of highschool-looking offensive linemen in Bruce Jones and Atavious Burton.

“Bruce is about 6-foot-1 and 330 pounds,” he said. “Atavious is 6-foot-1, 350 pounds. They’re two big lineman who should help us develop a power running game. I want to teach them how to use their bodies and learn the system.”

Part of that learning curve involves getting the Liberty program fitted with becoming a feeder to Alcovy — something his dual ties with the school should help with.

“I already have some of my players already talking about the new Alcovy coaching staff and that they see what’s brewing over there,” he said. “And I want these guys to know that, hey, Alcovy isn’t a program on the bottom. It’s a 6A program, and if you want to play ball, just be committed, go to Alcovy and help the program change its ways.”

That’s something Davis said he wants to do at Liberty too. He said he’s anxious to continue the rebuild of this once proud program to prove that last year’s championship run wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

“When I was presented with the opportunity to come back to both places, I couldn’t pass it up,” he said. “I left as a champion and want to come back as a champion. What better place to get back into coaching than to come back home?”

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Georgia Bulldogs look to get over the hump in 2019 PAUL NEWBERRY Georgia begins another season with the highest of expectations.

None of that will matter if the Bulldogs don't finish stronger.

Coach Kirby Smart has quickly built a powerhouse between the hedges, guiding his team to the national championship game two seasons ago and a shot at the Southeastern Conference title last year.

Both times, the Bulldogs came up excruciatingly short.

"We'll be as good as we want to be," running back D'Andre Swift said. "We've got to finish better, first and foremost."

Alabama has been the biggest roadblock to Georgia's rise. The Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs 26-23 in overtime to claim the national title in January 2018, and rallied in the fourth quarter behind backup quarterback Jalen Hurts for a 35-28 victory in last season's SEC championship game.

After that second loss to Alabama, Georgia went on to lose to Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

"We're always looking forward," Smart said.

"You learn from your mistakes, but you don't dwell on them."

Some things to watch for from the 2019 Georgia Bulldogs:

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Quarterback Jake Fromm will be throwing to a whole new set of targets after losing his top five receivers from last season Tyler Simmons, a senior with just 14 catches in his career, ranks as the Bulldogs' top returner.

Otherwise, there's plenty of talent but little experience at the position.

Georgia lost receivers Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley and Terry Godwin, as well as tight end Isaac Nauta, to the NFL draft. The lack of experience grew when junior receiver Jeremiah Holloman was kicked off the team after an allegation that he punched and choked his girlfriend.

"The guys are ready to step up," said Fromm, who is going into his third season as the starter.

D'ANDRE FOR HEISMAN

There are no questions at the running back position.

Despite some nagging injuries, Swift rushed for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns in addition to making 32 receptions for another 297 yards and three TDs. The junior is fully healthy now and sure to come up in talk about the top Heisman Trophy contenders.

"I'm focused on the team right now," Swift said. "The team comes before the Heisman or anything like that."

NEW COORDINATORS

Smart will have new coordinators on both sides of the line after offensive leader Jim Chaney took a job with SEC rival Tennessee and defensive guru Mel Tucker left to become the head coach at Colorado.

James Coley, who served as co-coordinator

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with Chaney last season in addition to being in charge of the quarterbacks, now has the job all to himself.

"I'm definitely excited," Coley said. "We all understand that the challenge is to be better, to always be better than the day before."

Georgia also hired from within on the defensive side, promoting outside linebacker Dan Lanning to the coordinator position.

He intends to bring an energetic approach to the job.

"If I coach really casually, and just kind of cruise on cruise control out there, then I expect my players to play that way," Lanning said. "I want to coach with passion so my players play with passion."

DEFENSIVE DEPTH

Georgia lost a couple of key defensive players to the NFL, but there is plenty of talent ready to fill the void left by cornerback Dandre Baker and outside linebacker D'Andre Walker.

"We're not going to play 11 players on defense," Lanning said "We're going to play a lot of guys. We've got a lot of experience returning."

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Georgia faces a huge test early in the season when Notre Dame visits Sanford Stadium for the first time in a primetime clash on Sept. 21.

The teams met two years ago in South Bend, a thrilling game won by the Bulldogs for the first signature victory of Smart's tenure.

But the biggest game of all will likely be the Cocktail Party clash in Jacksonville against rising Florida on Nov. 2. The winner of that game could be the team that advances to play for the SEC championship — and a probable spot in the College Football Playoff.

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2019 Covington News Preseason All-County Team Introducing our 2019 Preseason All-County squad. It’s no easy task to preemptively choose who we think will be the county’s top players by the time the season ends, but a week before the 2019 campaign kicks off, here’s who we believe can be the cream that rises to the top.

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE: QB — Noah Cook, Eastside RB — Natorien Holloway, Alcovy RB — Quincy Cullins, Newton WR — Robert Lewis, Newton WR — Jeffery Haynes, Eastside WR — Caleb Brown, Alcovy WR — Jerrol Hines, Newton TE — Colby Shivers, Eastside OL — Bryant Byrd, Eastside OL — Pierce Downs, Eastside OL — Christopher Simmons, Alcovy OL — Jacob Wade, Alcovy OL — Keyshawn Blackstock, Newton ATH — Andrae Robinson, Alcovy ATH — Diondre Glover

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE: DL — Tyon Bigby, Newton DL — Mark Jackson, Eastside DL — Malachi Arnett, Newton LB — Colby Shivers, Eastside LB — Demetrius Thrower, Alcovy LB — Ronald Graves, Newton DB — Nyland Green, Newton DB — Jeffery Haynes, Eastside DB — Jaquez Snell, Alcovy DB — Josh Hardeman, Newton K/P Ezra King, Eastside K/P Abdiel Valesquez, Newton

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TOP: QUINCY CULLINS TRADED IN HIS EASTSIDE GREEN AND WHITE FOR NEWTON BLUE AND WHITE OVER THE OFFSEASON, BUT THE BULKED-UP JUNIOR TAILBACK IS PRIMED FOR A BREAKOUT SEASON. BOTTOM LEFT: ALCOVY RUNNING BACK NATORIEN HOLLOWAY IS THE LEADING RETURNING RUSHER FOR THE AREA COMING INTO 2019. HE’LL BE SEEN AS THE TIGERS’ FEATURED BACK IN A NEW, FAST-PACED SPREAD ATTACK UNDER OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR CORY QUINN. BOTTOM RIGHT: JEFFERY HAYNES IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE FASTEST PLAYERS IN THE COUNTY, AND HE’LL BE LOOKING TO MAKE HIS MARK FOR EASTSIDE AT DEFENSIVE BACK AND WIDE RECEIVER. File Photos

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NewTEN

the county’s Top 10 Players GABRIEL STOVALL

For the last couple of years, we’ve brought you our Covington News Super Six — the six most highly recruited players in the county, or players with the most recruiting potential.

This year, we felt like the amount

of difference makers littered across the county was enough that the number six couldn’t contain it all.

We also believe that there were enough impact players in this county for the 2019 season to where, if they all reached their full potential, they could do much to really put and keep Covington on

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Our staff continues to believe that Newton County puts out its fair share of next-level talent, per capita, in comparison to virtually any other area in Georgia. So this year, we wanted to commemorate that by rolling out the NewTEN Top 10 Performers — celebrating

the 10 top football players of any position in the area.

So without further ado, here they are. You can find more in-depth feature stories on each player on our digital version at covnews.com.

ALCOVY TIGERS RB NaTorien Holloway, SR,

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5-foot-6, 180 pounds, Alcovy: NaTorien Holloway returns as the area’s leading returning rusher after totaling close to 700 yards on the

ground last year for a struggling Alcovy offense. He was one of the few bright spots, and his play — particularly early in the season — left many across the area wondering what could’ve been if things had run a little bit smoother in the Tigers program. Nevertheless, Holloway has worked hard under the Tigers’ new coaching staff, knowing he’ll be expected to fully fit into the role of being the team’s featured back. Holloway possesses a toughness and grit to his game that belies his diminutive stature. He has good burst and vision and is one of the toughest football players the county has to offer.

The unfortunate thing about Holloway is his size keeps some away when it comes to the recruiting piece. But if any one decides to “take a chance” on Holloway, they’ll not only get a solid, high character football player who gets it done in the classroom (3.4 grade point average), they’ll also have a leader on and off the field and an athlete guaranteed to give his all.

ATH Andrae Robinson, SR. 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Alcovy: Sort of like Holloway, Robinson is an intriguing talent for the Tigers.

He was the team’s second leading

rusher last season (271 yards and three touchdowns) behind Holloway, but he also was the team’s leading return man on special teams and as a defensive back, he tied graduated senior Bryson Wilcox for the team lead with six pass breakups. Along with twin brother Adrian, the Robinson twins have long been among the more intriguing talents in the area. Injuries have dogged both brothers at various points in their career, otherwise there’s no doubt either or both would be extremely highly recruited athletes at this point in their careers. Andrae makes this list because his body of work is a bit larger than that of his brother who missed virtually all of last season with a collarbone injury.

EASTSIDE EAGLES QB Noah Cook, SR, 6-foot-1, 165 pounds, Eastside: There is no argument that Eastside brings back the area’s top signal caller. Cook threw for over 2,100 yards while rushing for 352. He accounted for north of 30 touchdowns — 25 passing — while completing almost 70 percent of his passes and tossing just three interceptions. His play earned him several postseason

accolades, and he received an invite to the prestigious Elite 11 Quarterback Camp in Nashville this past summer.

Cook is one of the best returning quarterbacks in Class AAAA, but he’s the unquestioned leader of the Eastside offense after guiding the Eagles to an undefeated regular season, a 12-1 overall record (quarterfinals playoff appearance) and the school’s first region championship in football in nine years. With another stellar season complete with a deep playoff run, there’s no doubt that Cook’s offer list will grow.

DB/WR Jeffery Haynes, SR, 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, Eastside: Haynes burst onto the season during Eastside’s magical 2018 run. Perhaps the highlight moment for him was when he snagged a pick six to seal Eastside’s monumental win over Region 4-AAAA foe and thorn in the side Woodward Academy. But the truth is, Haynes was a solid defender all season long, and one of Eastside’s leading tacklers out of the defensive backfield.

As a junior he had 65 total tackles and displayed his ability to hit well in space with 55 solo stops. He

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had two interceptions and six pass break ups, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt. With the departure of Antavious Cobb, Jamari Brown and Quincy Cullins and Andre Royal, Haynes is going to have every opportunity to become the team’s top defensive back, which should give him plenty of opportunity to catch the attention of college recruiters with his speed and nose for the ball. Haynes could also figure into the plans for Eastside’s

passing game, as the Eagles will likely try to find a place to get him out on deep balls with his speed.

OL Bryant Byrd, SR, 6-foot2, 250 pounds, Eastside: This is a classic case of where you can’t judge a lineman by his size. Eastside’s Byrd represents one of the anchors in what should be a more-than-solid offensive line in 2019. He’s garnered some recruiting attention even before the season has begun, and scored his first

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offer — Louisiana College — over the summer. Byrd fits the mold for the kind of trenchmen who are successful in Eastside’s fast-paced, shotgun spread offense. You don’t have to be a behemoth to be effective in offensive coordinator Jay Cawthon’s often run-heavy attack, but you do have to be physical, smart and quick. Byrd has all those attributes.

The senior is one of four returning starters on an offensive line that paved the way for a run game that rolled up over 240 rushing yards per night. It helped that Eastside had talented backs like graduated 1,000-yard rusher Taylor Carter.

But even with a few less-proven commodities in the offensive backfield, Byrd and his fellow linemen will make life easier, both for Cook and the stable of tailbacks that will work to replace Carter’s production.

TE/LB Colby Shivers, SR, 6-foot1, 210 pounds, Eastside: Shivers was one of five members of the Eastside receiving corps that caught more than 15 passes last year. Shivers shined as a safety valve option over the middle for Cook last year, to the tune of 20 catches, 363 yards and four touchdowns while averaging almost 20 yards per catch. Shivers may end up finding a lot of his collegiate offers from schools looking for a solid baseball player. But don’t be surprised to see Shivers garner some football attention as well.

We mentioned that Shivers was one of five pass catchers to snag more than 15 receptions last year.

Well, the fact that Shivers is the leading returning receiver for the Eagles, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone if Shivers finds himself being featured more in the team’s passing offense. Eastside’s receivers will be young, but

Shivers will provide Cook with a sure-handed, reliable target. Shivers showed flashes of excellence on defense last year as well, making 39 total stops from his linebacker position, with five of those tackles for losses. Shivers was one of six Eastside players who recorded three quarterback sacks last year.

Look for a breakout season from him.

NEWTON RAMS DB/WR Nyland Green, JR, 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Newton: The meteoric rise of Green’s star has been nothing short of astounding to watch. Originally thought to be the next great wide receiver at Newton — and some say he still could be — Green has shocked some, virtually coming out of nowhere to be one of the top defensive backs, not just in the county. Not just in the state, but in the nation.

Green recorded 17 tackles from his cornerback spot as a sophomore in 2018. But he also grabbed three interceptions, including a pick six and he also had a fumble recovery. He’ll look to play more receiver this year, which should only do more to show off his ample athleticism. But make no mistake.

The recruiters are salivating at the prospect of having the long, rangy junior line up opposite receivers at corner.

Green had a tremendous summer, full of great performances at elite camps that helped him grab an assortment of Power Five offers, including an overture from 2018 college football national champion Clemson. A 4-star prospect, look for Green’s offer list to grow even as his role on the team continues to expand over the next two years.

WR Robert Lewis, SR, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Newton: The brother

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of NFL running back and former Newton star Akeem Hunt seems destined to follow in his brother’s footsteps. The senior wideout starred as a junior alongside now-Akron freshman Mike Mathison, to the tune of 25 catches for 674 yards and eight touchdowns.

The latter two stats led the Rams in 2018. He also proved himself a bigplay threat every time the ball went deep with his 27 yards per catch average.

Lewis has transformed his body through Newton’s rigorous offseason weight room regimen and college scouts have noticed. The combination of a solid sophomore season, last year’s breakout performance and a strong summer have put 13 schools on Lewis’ offer list, according to 247sports.com, including Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Kentucky, Minnesota and Syracuse.

Two things could help Lewis showcase yet another level in 2019. One, is the fact that, unlike last year, Newton doesn’t seem to need a two-quarterback system like it attempted in various parts of last season. For all intents and purposes, the quarterback job seems

to be fairly secured by senior Neal Howard. But the second thing is the other receiving talent around Lewis. With Jerrol Hines returning and Green looking to get more play on offense, opposing defenses will attempt to double cover Lewis to their own potential peril, as the Rams’ other wideouts are capable of routinely beating man coverage.

Don’t be surprised if Lewis adds another star to his count before signing day comes.

SS/RB Josh Hardeman, SR. 6-feet, 180 pounds, Newton: Hardeman has graduated from jitterbug scatback to a formidable force on both sides of the ball.

He’s a hard-hitting strong safety, a slashing type of running back and one of the fastest football players in Newton County, having been clocked regularly at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash over the summer.

Recruiters are starting to notice as well.

After getting several mid-major offers from schools like UNC-Charlotte, Hardeman grabbed a Power Five offer from Big 10 Conference member Purdue during the offseason. Hardeman battled some injuries last year as a junior, but now-Butler Com-

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munity College (Kansas) freshman Adarius Thomas carried the load at tailback last year for Newton. This season, the Rams have solid depth at running back, but don’t be surprised if a now healthy Hardeman shows a hot hand and takes control of the Rams’ run game at times this season.

ATH Diondre Glover, SR, 6-feet, 170 pounds, Newton: If there was a Mr. Personality award to be handed out, it would go to Glover. The two-star prospect is an athlete in every since of the word. He’s

shown promise both at defensive back and wide receiver. Early in his high school career he even played some quarterback. But regardless of where Glover lines up, he finds a way to become a playmaker.

Back in June, Glover chose Mercer over seven other schools, including UNLV, UNC-Charlotte, Southeast Missouri State and Coastal Carolina. But don’t be shocked to see a few more overtures come his way, trying to get the talented Ram to flip his commitment.

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Alcovy’s Stroud taking position change in stride TYLER WILLIAMS The quarterback – it is a position in football that comes with some of the greatest responsibilities on the entire team.

When you are the quarterback of a football team, you are responsible for most of the team’s offensive attack, whether you are throwing the ball or calling audibles at the line of scrimmage.

Not surprising enough is the fact that when a football team is struggling at the quarterback position, the entire offense and team usually struggles too.

This case has been proven several times over in the Alcovy Tigers football program, which has had issues with the quarterback position seemingly since after 2013 – the last season Alcovy made the playoffs.

Over the last couple of years

specifically, injuries and inconsistencies have dogged Alcovy signal callers. In 2017 Cam Anderson got off to a good start before going down to injury and giving way to then-junior Nicholas Simmons.

Simmons played admirably in Anderson’s stead, and seemed to have a grasp on the quarterback job for the 2018 season. But a late-summer transfer showed up, injuries to both players and an offense that never quite came together all combined for a dismal offensive output.

The entire Alcovy offense went the entire year without completing a single touchdown pass.

However, one highly touted sophomore seems ready to turn those fortunes around, and he might just be the most unlikely candidate to do so.

As a freshman, MJ Stroud was

regarded as one of the best receivers in the area. This year, however, new Alcovy head coach Jason Dukes believes Stroud can line up under center and put the team in the best position possible to win games.

“MJ understands the meaning of team,” Dukes said, “He understands that our team has a better opportunity to be successful right now with him at the quarterback position.”

But it wasn’t an easy transition for Stroud, especially moving from an offensive weapon to the guy who throws to those weapons.

“Well, he’s had to learn a lot.”

Dukes said. “When you go from being a receiver, you seemingly only have to worry about your position and what your individual route is. Now that he’s the quarterback, he’s got a whole pro-

gression of receivers he has to go through. He has to know what protection calls to make, too, so the learning curve has been huge for him.”

It was also not an easy transition for Stroud in the sense that what he wanted to be and what he was told he needed to be were two different things. Most folks close to the program will tell you Stroud still has playing receiver in his heart. But he also wants to see Alcovy become successful as well – hence his commitment to being whatever he’s asked to be for his team.

“He’s a teenage boy,” Dukes said.

“You know, a lot of times change is a difficult thing for anyone, even adults. It was a big change for him, because going into this year he knew he was going to be the featured receiver in our program, and rightfully so. But then,

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ALCOVY’S MJ STROUD COULD TURN OUT TO BE THE SPARK THE TIGERS NEED AT QUARTERBACK IN 2019.

Matthew Grimes

all of the sudden, he gets a new coach and then that new coach is asking him to be something that is different from what he had in mind.”

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound sophomore caught a team-high 14 passes for 195 yards, despite 20 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS

playing in just seven games. He flashed big-play ability in several games, making a 43-yard catch-and-run against Lakeside and then snagging a 22-yard pass the next week against Evans.

But it didn’t take long for Dukes to take notice of Stroud’s penchant for making people miss, as well as the kind of speed to make would-be

tacklers whiff. But Dukes also said that the move could bode well for Stroud’s long term football prospects.

He noted that Stroud making that kind of transition shows not only what kind of player he is, but also the kind of player he wants to be.

“What has been so great for us is that he’s an extremely bright kid who has an innate thirst for knowledge,” Dukes said. “He doesn’t just want to be a good receiver or a good quarterback, he wants to be a great football player.”

NYLAND’S As far as DBs in the area go, ISLAND: Green is in a class by himself GABRIEL STOVALL Back on May 16 when Nyland Green got his 16th Division I scholarship offer, he felt compelled to take a step back and reflect a bit.

It came from Kansas. The next day, Syracuse came calling. Then South Florida five days later. A month later, national champion Clemson. It all seemed surreal to Green, a 6-foot3 cornerback who, at the time, was still technically a sophomore.

Still technically in his first season playing outside of his natural position of wide receiver. Still just recovering from his first year of varsity ball.

At first, the switch seemed like a bit of a novelty — something to do to past the time, to help him become a better all around football player and to help his team get some depth in the secondary.

Four stars later, the Newton junior is a top 300 ESPN junior, which means he’s one of the top defensive backs in the country.

Green burst onto the scene as a corner in 2018, snagging three interceptions, including a pick six, a fumble recovery and 17 total tackles. His height is what gives college recruiters visions of grandeur regarding his potential as a defensive back. But although the attention has come fast and furious for Green, it’s not something he’s completely unfamiliar with.

Green’s older brother Brandon graduated from Newton and has plans to walk on Georgia State. But beyond that, when Green moved to Covington from Mississippi, he planted his feet on a street that is argu-

ably one of the most athletically talented in streets in town.

“Me, Kurt Taylor and Ashton Hagans, we all live on the same street together,” Green said. “We all came up together for a bit, playing ball, and our parents are close too. Plus my brother Brandon is the reason why I know those guys. They were his friends first, and then he just introduced me to them and we’ve all got a great relationship with each other. I love those boys.”

Taylor is a a Newton High graduated who grabbed headlines couple of years ago when he temporarily transferred to Grayson where he helped those Rams win a state championship. And Hagans starred as a point guard for the Newton basketball team before reclassifying to leave school a year early and join the Kentucky Wildcats program where he’ll be a sophomore in the coming season.

Green says he couldn’t have picked a better street in Covington to live.

“That street is pretty lit,” he said. “Lots of talent there.”

Newton defensive backs coach Josh Skelton is specifically concerned with the talent wrapped up in Green’s 6-foot-3 frame, however. Skelton said he’s proud of the way Green has handled the transition from wideout to corner.

“He really bought in to what we were asking him to do,” Skelton said. “We know his first love was playing receiver, and he’s still probably one of our best receivers here. But we also know that he can really give himself an opportunity to play major college football as a DB.

There are a lot of 6-foot-3 receivers out there, but for him to have the kind of size and athleticism he has at corner, that’s rare. And that’s what college recruiters are looking for.”

Green is taking it all in stride though, not allowing himself to get too caught up in the hype. Not letting himself take himself or the attention too seriously.

When he’s with his teammates, it’s as if he’s just a regular teenage boy. In fact, he’s earned the nickname “Smiley” from some of them, because it doesn’t take long for him to flash a wide grin, especially when having fun with his football brothers.

Perhaps one reason why he doesn’t take himself too seriously is because he knows that despite his talent and the recruiting fervor that’s come with it, he still has a lot to learn in order to maximize his potential as a football player.

“My first time playing real football is in the ninth grade,” he said. “So things have moved fast. It’s been a fun process though, and I’m just taking it day by day and just trying to do whatever I can to get better.”

He still has dreams of catching the touchdown passes, though, instead of swatting them down. But that comes secondary (no pun intended) to him now, as he just wants to do his part to help this new-look Newton football program achieve greatness.

“I definitely can say I still like playing receiver better probably,” he said. “But I’ll do whatever I can to be what’s best for our team and to help our team win.

Whatever that needs to be, I’ll try to do.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS 21

NEWTON RUNNING BACKS COACH TOMMY GREGORY, FRONT, CENTER, HAS BEEN THE HEAD COACH OF THE RAMS’ FRESHMAN TEAM SINCE IT BEGAN BACK IN 2016.

NOW THAT THE FRESHMAN PROGRAM IS ENDING AFTER THIS SEASON, GREGORY IS TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK BACK ON THE ATHLETES WHO REPRESENT THE FRUIT OF HIS LABOR — PARTICULARLY THE CLASS OF 2020.

Gabriel Stovall

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Newton coach Tommy Gregory will carry fond memories of the 2020 class GABRIEL STOVALL

Tommy Gregory was shocked when he found out he had went mini-viral on social media.

To him, it was just an innocent picture accompanied by a fun, light-hearted video.

It happened toward the end of the Newton High football team’s Saturday morning picture day. As individual players were getting team headshots and keep sake photos for their families, Gregory struck up an idea.

“I want to get all my 2020 guys,” Gregory said while looking around the Newton gym, scouring the scene for anyone who fit that description. “Those guys were my first freshman class,” he added proudly.

This in a time when Newton’s football program had just begun its freshman team.

Gregory, a former Liberty Middle School football coach back in the school’s backto-back championship era, was tasked with coaching this first crop of football freshman as they stepped on campus, still wet behind the ears with middle school lunch on their breath.

Now, several from this team, like senior wideout and 3-star prospect Robert Lewis, are sought after Division I football prospects. Four years ago, they were just trying to survive their first high school workout with coach Gregory.

Apparently that’s the one — even after all these years of 5:50 a.m. workouts and running summer 110s — that sticks out the most.

“We didn’t have a sled back then, and I had an old F150 truck,” Gregory said, recalling the first freshman team workout he administered. “I would get in the back of it, or drive it and they’d push it around the field.”

And how did these freshmen feel after it was all said and done?

“Hurt,” Josh Hardeman said, triggering a response of laughter from several of his fellow Class of 2020 teammates.

Christopher Black remembers it especially, because it was almost his first and last football workout.

“I’d never played football before high school,” he said. “So when I went through that first workout, I actually did almost think about quitting. I remember thinking is this what I really want to do. But I came back the next day and said, ‘Let’s get it again.’ I think the tough workouts and all the sticking together and pulling through is what makes this group so special.”

Special for the players. Special for Gregory for many reasons.

“I’m kind of in a weird place here, because I’m celebrating the academic and athletic success of my first group of freshman, but also looking at the freshman group I have now, knowing that it’ll be my last group,” Gregory said. That’s because Newton will phase out its freshman team next year, combining it with JV and Varsity.

“I’m super proud of these guys,” he continued. “In every freshman team you have some attrition. But the retention in this group has been the greatest. These guys have stayed. We lost one just to a transfer because his family moved. But these guys, not only did they stay, but they progressed.

They became leaders, captains, starters.

I’ve always told them this will be the group that will take this program places it’s never been.”

They’ve certainly done that for Gregory’s heart

A SMILE TO SOOTHE A DARK DAY Gregory’s smile caught by camera on that mini-viral photo was more than just a

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timely-caught image. It embodied, in a moment, all the joy that this particular group of Newton Rams had given to Gregory over the last 3 1/2 years.

But this latest infusion of joy was probably the one the coach needed most, considering what happened on the 4th of July.

“You know, when you’re mentoring guys, some of them do what we call ‘make it,’ and some do what we deem ‘not making it,’ whatever that means,” Gregory said. “That has 100 different meanings.”

One of his guys who didn’t make it — at least not to a life of longevity — was Newton graduate and sports enthusiast Kevin Marshall.

Marshall was killed on the 4th of July after a confrontation with Joshua Anderson ended in Marshall being run over by a truck believed to be driven by Anderson. Since that day, Anderson’s been arrested and is awaiting trial. Gregory, along with Marshall’s family and the entire Newton High School community, is still waiting for answers.

“That day it happened, I missed a call,” Gregory said. “I had left my phone in the truck, and something told me to go get it on that 4th of July day. I saw the text message.

It said, ‘Coach, Kevin just got killed.’ When I talked with Kevin’s mom and she told me what happened, my world just stopped.”

Marshall had just spent time at Gregory’s house the day before. They bantered about who was going to beat who on the bench press the next time they worked out together. They planned for a weight room showdown for the next weekend.

That day never came for Marshall.

“When I learned how it happened, it took me for a loop,” Gregory said. “I knew there were some divine things going on with Kevin. What helped me to close better was focusing on the why and not the how of his

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death. If I focused on the how, it would take the divine part out of it.”

Gregory said the seemingly hateful way of Marshall’s death stretched his faith beyond anything in recent memory.

“I’m a Christian,” he said. “I’m a believer. But I’ll be honest. I was fighting vengeance in my heart. It definitely strengthened my prayer life. You know, every round goes higher and higher. And I think about if he was here today, what would he say.”

Marshall affectionately called Gregory, “Unc.” Gregory says it’s almost like he can hear Marshall’s voice calling out to him in that way. It’s what helps him continue to push through.

“I know if he were here, he’d say, ‘Unc, God’s got this. Don’t worry about it. Go tell the guys I said hey.’”

Many of ‘those guys’ were in that picture with Gregory that day.

“There’s about 25 of those guys that are really dear to my heart,” he said.

“And that day on picture day, it was like I thought about how I’d lost one, but I was still working with a 24-pack. So that day, and that picture, and that smile you saw, it was kind of a redemption thing. It renewed my excitement and let me know we could still move on.”

A ‘JAW-DROPPING’ CREW Gregory has a football philosophy.

“Victory is not always in the numbers, but rather in the way a man competes, and what he takes away from the game,” he recited thoughtfully during the aftermath of last month’s East Metro Atlanta Football Media Day. It’s not only the thing that guides his coaching, but also how he measures the progress of the young men he’s helped over the years.

“Not many things drop my bottom jaw,” Gregory said. “However, some instances with these guys, my bottom jaw dropped. They’ve really astounded me.”

He mentioned starting quarterback Neal Howard who came in as a freshman about 150 pounds soaking weight and “unable to throw a football 30 yards accurately.”

“Now, he’s zipping it wherever he wants to zip it,” Gregory said. “He’s placing it in an accurate window. He’s throwing to routes. If he chooses to place a receiver, he has a nice back shoulder.”

And Howard has no problem attributing Gregory with the lion’s share of credit for his progression.

“Man, I’ve had a great experience with these guys,” Howard said. “Coach Greg developed us to go hard. He believed in us. He got me stronger in the weight 24 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS

room. That’s what it was. My eighth grade year I weight about 150 pounds.

Now I’m 170. I got taller and stronger, and just being with these guys I grew up with, I just got better.”

Josh Hardeman is another jaw dropper.

The 6-foot, 175-pound running back and strong safety has gone from being just a little jitterbug type player to a Power Five prospect with offers from the likes of Purdue of the Big 10 Conference.

“I’ve always known Hardeman to be a little fast and a little shifty,” Gregory said. “But now, it’s like he’s the fastest guy I know.”

All Hardeman did to prove that is clock a 4.3-second 40-yard dash during a camp at Mercer this summer.

He’s expected to be one of a handful of big-play guys on either side of the ball for Newton.

Hardeman says he couldn’t have gotten here without Gregory’s presence and that first freshman squad.

“That first day, man,” Hardeman said. “We were out there doing Military stuff. ROTC type stuff. But he did it to us because he was a loving, caring man. He always pushed us from day one, and because of that, I’m better because I put in the work in the weight room, on the field and in the classroom.”

Linebacker Ronald Graves, a fellow member of the Class of 2020, says Gregory gets the assist for getting him to Newton.

“I’ve know him since I was about 7 or 8 years old,” Graves said. “We went to the same church together, and he’s definitely one of the reasons why I came to Newton. His workouts were hard the first day in. He didn’t let us do anything under 225 pounds.”

And now that he sees the benefits, he appreciates it more, and is sad to see their time together coming to an end.

“It’s surreal,” Graves said. “These guys have been playing ball with me since we were about 6 or 7. We got closer here with coach Greg. So now it’s time for us to finish out our high school career with these guys. I expect nothing less than state.”

Gregory’s expectations for his prized group are just as lofty.

“I’ll never stop expecting greatness from these guys,” he said. “I don’t think any thing I hear them do, whether here as seniors, or after high school will surprise me. These guys have become amazing young men. I’m proud of them.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS 25

College Football

Spotlight: This spotlight takes us inside the mind of former Eastside Eagles standout Josh Sims.

Sims is entering his sophomore season with NCAA Division II powerhouse James Madison, and is looking to enjoy a much larger role than his freshman campaign where he caught 15 for 103 yards for a Dukes squad that finished the 2018 season with a 9-4 record.

Our Matthew Grimes caught up with Sims before the grind of a new season started to chat with him about his prospects for year two in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Matthew Grimes: So last year I know you were able to contribute a decent bit. What was your role last year, and now that you’ve had some time to think about it, what are your thoughts on last season?

Josh Sims: “Last year I started the season out as our starting slot receiver, and it was one of the best feelings having my first college start against NC State and on TV. Thinking back on last year, I noticed how much I grew as a football player and also as a young man and there isn't anything I would change.”

MG: What were some of the ways you grew

Josh Sims

as both a football player and man?

JS: “As a football player, I think adjusting to the speed of the game is one of the biggest things.

Once you make that adjustment your mind can slow down and you can actually think about what's going on. That allowed me to be myself and do what I knew how to do at a high level. So I believe I grew mentally stronger from football last season. For how I grew as a young man, I suffered a concussion halfway through the season and my playing time after that slowed down a lot. That hurt a good bit. But football is just like life. It's not about the things that happen to you, but how you respond. So that taught me to have a different perspective about life itself and that no matter what happens, you have to keep pushing forward. You can never let one bump in the road stop you from the success you're striving for.”

MG: Good stuff man. How has the offseason been? What kind of stuff have you been focusing on during the summer?

JS: “The offseason has been good! Started off by getting an entirely new staff, but the transition was very smooth. Some of the things

Mayfield

I worked on this offseason were my route running and defense recognition. When you know what kind of defense your opponent is playing, you know where the holes are and things of that nature, and it allows you to play faster.”

MG: I know you’re ready to get this season started, so what is your outlook on the year and maybe some personal goals?

JS: “After going through what I did last season with my concussion, I think my main goal is to just have fun and take in every moment. Playing at JMU is a blessing but it won't last forever, so I want to make the most of it.”

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EASTSIDE Eagles not resting ENCORE: on 2018 laurels DANIEL RICHARDSON

There aren’t any rules for how a team should approach the season after going undefeated in the regular season, winning its first region championship in almost a decade and ending the year with a 12-1 record.

This is what the 2018 Eastside Eagles did.

Now come the questions.

How, specifically, is a team supposed to follow up the only undefeated regular season ever recorded in Newton County football history?

How do you rebuild a defense decimated by graduation?

In short, what might Eastside do for an encore in 2019?

Some would suggest that the Eagles have to back up their performance and put Newton County and the state of Georgia on notice that the team is the real deal.

Eagles coaches are not underestimating or sugarcoating the expectations that are sure to follow them heading into their first game of the season next Friday at Ola. Having to bare the weight of expectations as

large as the ones placed on Eastside is not for the faint of heart. That’s why Eastside coaches spent the summer breaking the team down to build it back up again.

“It sounds simple. It sounds easy, but get better every day, every rep counts, especially with a lot of those guys that haven't played as much, whether they're young or old,” Eastside coach Troy Hoff said during July’s East Metro Atlanta Football Media Day. “We've said that before.

It's going to be important. We know what these guys have done that I have with me here today -- their reputation, their work ethic and how they perform when the lights are on."

Losing several seniors to graduation last year is one challenge that Hoff sees as one that will fall on the players who are stepping into that place.

“What's new for [the seniors] is they’re in new roles as well,” Hoff said. “Playing the game is one part of it. Now they're in the leadership role. And I'm not saying they haven't been in that before, but they don't have the support of the seniors above them -- now it's on them. So that comes with the learning curve as well.”

The younger players on the team haven’t had to experience the pressures that come with performing and sustaining the level of play that Eastside has established, particularly under Hoff ’s watch.

The goal is to prepare them and get them as comfortable as possible.

“I think that is that's the task, getting [the young guys] acclimated as quickly as possible,” Hoff said. “From a workout perspective, and all that they're good. Now it's practicing at a sustained level for long durations of time, which is the season. So concentration, executing, maintaining that focus in practice, which carries over to game day.”

One Eagle in particular is as comfortable as he’s been in a long time, according to one Eagles coach – and that’s senior quarterback Noah Cook.

Cook is entering the year coming off an offseason that saw him step more into his light as an athlete. Spending time playing travel baseball and earning a trip to Nashville, Tennessee to the vaunted Elite 11 quarterback camp, Cook has elevated his stature as one of the state’s top

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ARGUABLY NO ONE IN THE COUNTY HAS BIGGER EXPECTATIONS ON HIS SHOULDERS THAN EASTSIDE SENIOR QUARTERBACK NOAH COOK. Matthew Grimes

all-around athletes and a leading quarterback in Class AAAA. “Coach [Jay] Cawthon does a real good job with me about [keeping my focus],” Cook said.

“We spend 90% of our time together. I mean, our practice, we’re together the whole time. He's constantly talking about you ‘You're never too good; you always got something to work on.’ And that's my goal, to keep getting better and to keep progressing and be the best that I can be for myself and my team. Because it is bigger than playing football. You're playing with your brothers, you're playing for God, you play for your family, but most importantly, playing for yourself, and you want to do [well]."

Gearing up for his second full season as Eastside’s signal-caller, Cook has plans to fully establish himself as the leader for his program and to command more trust from his teammates.

“I tried to instill in some of the younger guys that, you know, what we did last year; it doesn't matter,” Cook said. “You got to be your own person, you’ve got to do your own thing. Especially for a lot of these younger guys that didn’t get to play

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a lot of snaps, that are good -- and now they're going to be playing a lot of snaps this year. We just got to work hard, and you’ve got to put in the effort. It's a grind; you got to do it every day. You can't just show up and expect results.”

His relationship with Eastside’s woefully underrated offensive line, which features seniors Bryant Byrd and Pierce Downs, is one of the significant factors that can be attributed to his success.

A NewTen Top 10 Covington News player and preseason All-County and All-State selection, Cook, is undeniably one of the best – if not the best – individual players in Newton County.

“Noah works hard,” Hoff said.

“He's a humble kid that plays hard and leaves it on the field and those guys see that, so there's mutual respect between his approach and how he is with the guys and the respect he has for them.”

Defensively, Eastside doesn’t have as many proven players. But Hoff is high on players such as unheralded senior Mark Jackson, who, before the latter part of his junior year, had never played football.

“What makes [Mark] dan-

gerous as a defensive lineman is his first step -- he has got such a quick step that he can absorb that space between him and that offensive lineman very quickly, defensive lineman coach Chris Edgar said. “We tell our guys all the time that a tie is a win for us, it's a loss for the offensive line. If we can absorb that space as quickly as we can, it causes problems for anything that the offense is trying to do.”

Jackson’s strength is a popular subject as he is said to be able to bench a pure 600 pounds. His work in the weight room since the ending of last season has earned him a chance to start and become a major contributor to this Eastside team.

“There were times during the spring, where he single-handedly would disrupt the entire play, just by being that quick off the ball,” Edgar said. “So a good summer of continuing to get stronger and continue to work on those technique kinds of things, and kind of embracing that leadership role, not as ‘hey, I'm coming in to help out,’ but ‘I'm the guy’, is only going to make him a better football player.”

Social Circle headshots ZACH CLEGG

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SOCIAL Youth movement in full effect for 2019 Redskins CIRCLE: GABRIEL STOVALL When you’re at the helm of a football program that hasn’t seen a winning season since 2006 or a playoff berth since 2009, some may consider it a tough sell to get guys motivated to keep playing hard.

Not so much for Chad Estes.

The Social Circle football coach has been around for five of those 12 consecutive losing seasons.

But now entering his sixth season leading the Redskins, the veteran coach isn’t changing his tune when it comes to motivating his troops.

“It’s optimism,” Estes said. “It’s positivity. Things may change, but we’re going to be positive around here, just like I’ve been in every other place I’ve coached. We’re going to get those guys to work hard, and as long as our kids are doing

the best we can do, that’s all I can ask, and we let the chips fall where they may.”

Last year’s chips almost landed on the school’s first postseason appearance since Troy Morris was pacing the sidelines, leading Social Circle to Class A state playoff appearances from 2007 through 2009. That three-year run was tagged onto a run of six straight postseason showings under coach Ken Stoudenmire.

Call it the glory days of Social Circle football.

Since Morris left after the 2009 season, though, the ‘Skins have only had two campaigns where they’ve won at least four games — 2015 and 2018, both under Estes.

Last year, Social Circle got off to a 4-2 start, only to lose its last four ball games, all in region play.

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Then in 2017, Estes’ bunch just missed the playoffs, losing 7-0 to Putnam County in a Region 8-AA mini-game that determined the region’s final playoff spot.

It’s been those kind of close calls that Estes says has sort of highlighted his tenure at the school.

“To be honest, I don’t think we’ve gotten many breaks since I’ve been here,” Estes said. “We’ve lost some tough ball games. I think competitively we’ve certainly raised the bar.

We’re just looking for that breakthrough year. It’s coming. Whether or not that comes through this young ball team we’ve got now, who’s to say.”

About that young ball team.

Estes will be the first to tell you that he definitely lost some studs to graduation this past spring. Think quarterback Tate Peters and wide

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“Definitely, I don’t like to use the term ‘rebuild,’” he said. “I’d rather reload. But I think at a small school, sometimes you’ll go through some ups and downs with numbers. That said, we’ve got a great young class. We’ve got a lot of freshman that are gonna be playing on Friday night. I’ll tell you, that’s not what we want. But they’re gonna be some really good players, and when they’re seniors, it’s gonna be a pretty special senior class.”

That’s not to say Estes has no

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receiver Davis Smith. Along with the loss of a few other seniors such as Ken Sheats who anchored the offensive and defensive lines, Estes finds himself operating his program in a mode that most coaches don’t like to talk about.

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confidence in their current abilities.

“If we didn’t think they could get the job done, they wouldn’t be playing on Friday nights for us now,” he said. “They’re good kids.

Very coachable.”

Estes does have some upperclassmen assistance available, though. Blake Barfield is an impressive senior who Estes said will lineup as an outside linebacker and an H-Back. Hunter Muse also returns as a top rusher from last year. Estes also mentioned Blake’s cousin Colt Barfield as a potentially impactful two-way player, as well as inside linebacker Ethan Ryan.

He also mentioned junior Eric Taylor and Logan Cross as the guys most likely to fill in Peters’ spot behind center. Estes called Taylor more of a dual threat guy, while Cross is “strictly a quarterback who can flat out throw it.” He said he’s not opposed to employing a two-quarterback system.

“I’m excited about what both those young men bring to our team,” he said. “Defenses are going to have to prepare for both thunder and lightening. Throwing and running. They’ll have to decide

ERIC TAYLOR IS ONE OF A PAIR OF OPTIONS SOCIAL CIRCLE COACH CHAD ESTES WILL LOOK TO EMPLOY AT QUARTERBACK FOR THE 2019 SEASON. Sydney Chacon

which 11 they put on the field, because both of those quarterbacks will probably be on the field regardless.”

Despite the youth, Estes says he’s encouraged by the team’s numeric growth.

“I’ve been at some of the biggest high schools in the state,” he said.

“And it’s most definitely challenge in a small school. You’ve gotta get all kids to buy in, not just to football, but to wrestling, baseball, basketball. When you have a limited

s ’ k c Ja

number of athletes, you have to get those guys to play multiple sports.

I like the direction we’re heading in. Could it be better? Of course.

But I think once we start winning a few more, I think that’s gonna happen.”

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COVINGTON Re-tooled football program starting to feel ‘at home’ ACADEMY: DANIEL RICHARDSON

Coaches and players for Covington Academy are raring to get back to playing football for what will be their second full season in a row.

After a layoff that began in 2015 and carried over into the 2016 season, the conditions are finally right for the private school to take another step in the right direction toward establishing a solid football program.

Last year didn’t begin or turn out how head coach Travis Price and his team wanted, in the program’s first year back, but Price said they’re looking to capitalize on how it ended.

“We finished off the season with a win against Twiggs Academy, and we have most of our players returning this year,” Price said. “We are short a couple guys, but we do have a lot of returning players.

So my goal this year is to pick up right where we left off. And I think a realistic goal for basically a second-year program is if we can get close to the .500 mark or at the .500 mark. I think that would be a great year.”

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SA-playing rosters don’t have. For Covington Academy, an injury to a critical performer puts the entire game plan in turmoil.

But program depth is building, slowly but surely.

This season, with a returning quarterback in Hunter Hudgins, Price is confident. The addition of Alcovy transfer Caden Cook gives Price the luxury of flexibility – something new to his program.

“I have a guy like Hudgins who's able to play in

the quarterback position, but he's also an awesome tackler,” Price said. “He does a number of different things. Now I could use him without the fear of losing [him] to an injury -- I have another guy that I can use if needed. So I'm going to be able to use both of those guys. I want to be able to use them in multiple roles other than just quarterback, and I don't have to be restrained from the fear of an injury to the quarterback.”

With a retooled roster and a renewed enthusiasm for the program, the school’s community is feeling the excitement of a fresh start. The Bulldogs are slated to play home games this season at Earl O’Neal Sports Complex in Conyers, Georgia — something exciting and new for Price, who’s also the school’s athletic director.

“This will be our first season ever having home games,” Price said. “We're excited about that; it'll give the community an opportunity to actually come out and visit and see us playing on the home field instead of having to travel with us. So that excites us about this year. And the excitement of the kids that are returning -- we've got five seniors this year. They'll be playing their final season, and that's exciting.”

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PEACHTREE ACADEMY COACH CLINT MILLER SAYS HE’S CONFIDENT IN HIS TEAM’S ABILITY TO BRING ANOTHER STATE CROWN BACK TO COVINGTON. Sydney Chacon

PEACHTREE Panthers are repeat-minded ACADEMY: heading into 2019 DANIEL RICHARDSON Peachtree Academy will start this season as the reigning GICCA football champions after completing an undefeated 12-0 2018 season.

The private school may play a less traditional, 8-man brand of football, but, for the Panthers, the competition level does not suffer a drop-off, neither did the euphoria for finishing the season on top.

Last year’s championship run was an impressive one, filled with blowout wins and gridiron dominance. No doubt, the target on the Panthers’ backs will be larger. But this season, the Panthers will expect nothing less than defending their title and going back-to-back.

For that to happen, though, head coach Clint Miller will have to do his best at making sure the plethora of new players are all on one accord.

“Half our team is new to our roster; we’ve got seven new

players,” Miller said. “So we’re bringing back some good starters. What we’re [also] trying to do is bring the new guys in and teach them our system. We teach them our culture, teach them what we’re about. We got a lot of talent. We have to try to stay hungry, try to stay humble and teachable. We look good [early on]. I’m excited about what our future looks like.”

Miller wants to streamline the process of integrating new players into the Panthers’ triedand-true system as much as possible. It’s a system that, offensively speaking, rolled up over 45 points per game while defensively surrendering a little more than a touchdown per contest.

“It’s a lot of reps, so we try to practice quickly,” Miller said.

“We try to do a lot of conditioning in our practice itself – [we] try not to waste a lot of time.

We’re trying to teach our boys toughness and mental toughness as much as physical toughness.

Pushing through when you’re

tired, pushing through when you hurt. And understanding how physical and how mentally tough you have to be to play football.”

Senior quarterback Marvin Peoples is coming into this season as a proven leader, but he noticed the fitness part of his game is where he wanted improvement. So he spent the summer tweaking it.

“I’ve been working, agility wise, getting my speed faster and [also working on my] footwork and making sure that my mindset is the right way,” Peoples said.

“And then eating differently, trying to do more workouts, trying new things to maintain the same mindset as last year. But also be in better shape overall.”

Peoples says the change to his diet came from noticing the number of sodas and meat he was consuming.

He decided that water was better suited for the grueling amount of preparation it takes to get ready to play at a high

level. Coach Miller has seen the improvement pay off for his dual-threat QB and is chomping at the bit to pair his potential with several other talented backs.

“Marvin is faster -- he was fast last year. He’s faster this year,” Miller said. “I think he’s bigger and stronger this year. And I think our boys are hungry. I think we have to realize that last year is over and that this year is a new year. I’m excited about the speed we got. We have four or five young men that are very, very fast. And then Marvin and Kaleb Brisbane are very big and powerful and fast. So I’m looking forward to it.”

Peoples and the team are taking notice of the local support from Covington and want to build on it for the school’s other programs. “[The community support] has constantly been growing,” Peoples said. “We’re trying to improve the school overall sports-wise and education-wise to be one of the best there is.”

FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS 37

PIEDMONT New coach looking to reclaim COUGARS: championship culture TYLER WILLIAMS It’s been seven seasons since the Piedmont Academy Cougars tasted a state championship.

In fact, their two state titles in football came back-to-back in 2010 and 2011. Since then, the Cougars have settled for a smattering of region crowns, but head coach Will Johnson is looking to bring the culture of ring chasing back to Monticello.

“We’re trying to get the culture back to what it was before,” he said.

“With our tradition at Piedmont, we’ve had two state titles and 15 region titles, so it’s about trying to get this program back to what it was.”

Following back-to-back seasons of 1-10 and 3-7-1, this summer’s workouts have been about coming together to establish that once pride-filled program culture that the Cougars boasted.

“We’ve just been getting every-

body all in,” Johnson said. “I’m a big Clemson and Dabo Sweeney fan, and we’ve kind of stolen his motto of ‘All In.’ We’ve had summers in my two years here where we’ve only had maybe 15 guys show up, and they’re off and on and not there every day, and this year we’ve had 25, 30 every day coming to put work in, so that’s what’s hopefully changing the process around.”

With a changing culture comes a change in team identity, and Johnson noted that the excitement around the Cougars’ football program is brewing once again.

“The guys are a lot more bought in to the new coaching staff,” he said. “They believe. They’re believing in what we’re doing, and they’re liking what we’re doing. We’ve grown, too. We were a really young team last year, and only lost three seniors, so now it’s about building and getting the outside excitement back in the program, too.”

Good Luck on a Great Football Season!

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After occupying a spot in the Class AA GISA classification since 1998, the team has moved back down to Class A, and Johnson noted one of their biggest rivals is now in their region, making their game even bigger in stakes.

“I would say Flint River Academy is one of our bigger rivals,” he said. “It’s turned into a rival over the past two years. With us moving down to the single A class, they’re the defending single A state champs, so that’ll be a fun one for sure.”

Other than establishing that winning culture once again, Johnson has his sights on other goals that he feels the team could easily achieve if they stick to the idea of being “All In.” “I would just say we need to find a team brotherhood because when you come together, you’re going to win a lot of ball games and be successful,” he said. “If you have a lot of

PIEDMONT ACADEMY HEAD COACH WILL JOHNSON ADDRESSES THE CROWD DURING LAST MONTH’S EAST ATLANTA METRO FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY. JOHNSON IS ENTERING HIS FIRST YEAR AT THE FORMERLY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM’S HELM. Sydney Chacon

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We Have: • Wings • Burgers • Phillys • Fish • Shrimp • Sides • Appetizers

Newton County School System 2109 Newton Drive NE • Covington

770-787-1330

www.newtoncountyschools.org

Our mission is to provide educational excellence for all students!

38 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS

www.facebook.com/honeycreekwingsjr/

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GHSA Football Schedules: Alcovy Tigers: eastside eagles: Aug. 23 vs. Newton, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 23 at Ola, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 at Rockdale, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 at Newton, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Eastside, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Alcovy, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 13 vs. Salem, 7:30 p.m. (Senior Night)

Sept. 20 vs. North Clayton, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Colquitt County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Luella, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 vs. Grovetown, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 vs. Woodward Academy, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Lakeside-Evans, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Salem, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Heritage-Conyers, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Druid Hills, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 vs. Evans, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 at McDonough, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 at Greenbriar, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 7 vs. Hampton, 7:30 p.m.

FINANCIAL STRATEGIES. One-on-one advice.

Contact or visit any of our Financial Advisors in Covington.

Call or Visit Any of Our Six Financial Advisors in Walton County

Standing left to right: Joey Montgomery, Royce Baker, Joe Stier, Stuart Hamilton, Cody Norris

JOEY MONTGOMERY (678) 342-6242

ROYCE BAKER (770) 788-9978

JOE STIER (770) 788-6181

STUART HAMILTON (770) 787-0177

CODY NORRIS (770) 788-6345

www.edwardjones.com FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS 39

GHSA Football Schedules:

newton rams: Aug. 23 at Alcovy, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 vs. Eastside, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Arabia Mountain, 8 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Buford, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Westlake, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 4 at South Gwinnett, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 12 vs. Archer, 12:00 p.m.

Oct. 24 vs. Grayson, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Shiloh, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 8 vs. Rockdale, 7:30 p.m.

social circle redskins: Aug. 30 vs. Stone Mountain Sept. 6 vs. Cross Keys Sept. 20 at Banks County Sept. 27 at Elbert County Oct. 4 vs. Oglethorpe County Oct. 11 at Clarkston Oct. 18 vs. Putnam County Oct. 25 at Rabun County Nov. 1 vs. Union County Nov. 8 at Monticello

1335 Access Road • Covington, GA 30014

770-787-3200

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www.readyrentall.com Monday-Friday: 7 AM-5 PM • Saturday: 7:30 AM-12:30 PM • Sunday: Closed 40 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS

B B B B C C C D D D E E G G H H H H J L L L M M

index of advertisers Bench Warmers - 15 Blimpie – Elm Street - 21 Buckeye’s Restaurant - 36 Bulldog Tire - 21 Chick-Fil-A - 5 Connor Smith Realty - 34 Covington News - 16 Dairy Queen - 30 Dolls & Stuff - 34 Dr. Donald J. Hillman, D.D.S, PC - 6 Edward Jones Investments - 39 El Charro Mexican Restaurant - 42 Golden Rule Automotive - 28 GoodFella’s Sports Bar - 35 Hardy’s Floor Covering - 11 Helen Chamber of Commerce - 2 Hometown Realty - 29 Honey Creek Wings JR - 38 Jack’s Bar-B-Q - 33 Lester Lackey Funeral Home - 11 Little Phillies Restaurant - 43 Littlejohn Print Sign & Design - 17 Mamie Kitchen Biscuits - 17 Mayfield Ace Hardware - 26

Mister Car Wash - 30 Natural Path Family Health Food Store - 14 Newton County Recreation - 10 Newton County School System - 38 Newton Federal Bank - 9 Piedmont Newton Hospital - 3 Ready Rent All - 40 Rudyboo’s Buffalo Café - 19 Social Circle Ace Hardware - 34 Social Theater - 31 Social Circle Veterinary - 31 Start Wheels - 27 TDS Auto Service - 32 Three Twisted Sisters - 34 Tropical Nails - 7 United Bank - 44 Uptown Cleaners - 16 Wheeler Funeral Home & Crematory - 14 Wheeler Peturay - 41 Willy’s Mex Mex Grill - 35 Your CBD Store - 13

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OUR MISSION: To provide gentle and dignified cremation services for your beloved pets.

Wheeler PETuary Our Family Serving Yours 78 Chamisa Rd, Covington, GA 30016 www.wheelerpetuary.com

470-205-3000

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A Proud Contributor to Our Local Humane Society FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS 41

3165 Elm Street NE Covington, GA 30014 770-786-2483 770-784-5315 42 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 | THE COVINGTON NEWS

9148 MLK Jr. Ave. Covington, GA 30014 770-788-8181 770-788-8566

Everthing is hand cut.

Made from scratch. Fresh to order.

10255 Industrial Blvd NE Covington, GA 30014

770-786-0095

www.littlephilliesga.com Monday - Thursday 11am-10pm Friday 11am-11pm Saturday 11am-10pm

$5.00 OFF

Purchase of $30 or More With coupon. Cannot be combined with any other order.

Expires 9/30/19. CN

$5.00 OFF

Purchase of $30 or More With coupon. Cannot be combined with any other order.

Expires 9/30/19. CN

9148 Highway 278 NE • Covington, Georgia

678-212-6410

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