George Walton Academy

(Special | The Walton Tribune)

8/20 @ Social Circle 8/27 vs. Stratford Academy 9/3 – BYE 9/10 @ Crawford Co. 9/17 Hebron Christian 9/24 @ Mount Vernon 10/1 vs. Holy Innoncents 10/8 vs. Athens Christian 10/15 @ Prince Avenue 10/22 @ Athens Academy 10/29 – BYE 11/5 vs. Loganville Christian

George Walton FACTS: Logan Beer enters his first season as head coach of the Bulldogs. GWA’s season came to an end in the third round of the state playoffs last year, but only three seniors return for the 2021 campaign.

By THOMAS BROWN

The Walton Tribune “Count on me” is the mantra that new George Walton Academy head coach Logan Beer is emphasizing to his players heading into 2021.

Beer served many roles at Mount Paran Christian before being hired as GWA head coach. He was the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks and running backs coach for the football program.

“We are trying to build off last seasons success,” Beer said. “We want to think more about the process and core values because that will be what gives us the outcome we want.”

Those core values all funnel into the “count on me” mindset that Beer wants to grow at George Walton. “Meticulous in preparation, sense of urgency, body language, win the day mentality,” Beer listed, “team over me, do your job and do everything with excellence.”

“When it gets down to the end of the game you want to look at the guy to your left and right and know with full conviction that you can ‘count on me’, and those values can build that,” Beer said.

The Bulldogs will be running similar schemes on offense and defense with a few wrinkles added in. The running game will be key; George Walton averaged 232.3 yards per games on the ground in 2020.

A large portion of the offensive production is no longer on the team, but Laythan Folgman is returning for his senior year. Folgman will be key not only offensively at running back but also on defense as a linebacker. He had 45 tackles and three sacks for the defense last year.

Folgman, Calan Fortunat, Carter Payne and Mason Lee make up the “alpha dog” leadership group for George Walton. They have been big for offseason communications and setting an example for the program.

Fortunat and Payne will line up at receiver and defensive back for George Walton, while Lee will be in the trenches. Lee will be leading a young offensive line, but Beer feels confident in the strides they have made not only on the field but on the scale.

“They have done a great job learning the offense and taking ownership of their work,” Beer said of his linemen. Mason Mathis, Aidan Townsend, Aidan Chatham and newcomer Timothy Jackson will round out the offensive line.

The run game will be key for George Walton as they shift to more of a hybrid Wing-T offense this season. The scheme will be similar, but it may have a few more looks, Beer said.

“When we are running power, it is still power and when we are running jet, it is still jet,” Beer said. “We might be in the gun a little more and have a few different formations.”

George Walton lost a lot of defensive production to graduation and transfers. Trae Adkins could become a could play a bigger role after recording 33 tackles and grabbing an interception last year as a junior. The Bulldog defense allowed 21.6 points per game last season.

Beer, in his first year as a head coach, realizes the need for depth for his program’s future.

But the little things are what will determine the results on the field, he said.

“The biggest thing for us are those little things,” Beer said. “Making sure our splits are right and we make the right read on both sides of the ball.”

Laythan Folgman, who is expected to be a game changer for GWA, is one of just three seniors on the roster. (The Walton Tribune)