Football 2012

CMYK

CMYK

Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS

THE ROUNDUP Cover story

Regions, polls

2

Composite schedule

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GHSA realignment has drastically altered the landscape for high school sports in Georgia.

See where your team will be competing.

Gainesville preview

4

Region 7-AAAAAA

Flowery Branch preview

5

East Hall preview

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West Hall preview

7

North Hall preview

8

Chestatee preview

10

Buford preview

11

Elite 11

13

Johnson preview

14

Riverside preview

15

Lakeview preview

16

Dawson County preview

17

Jackson County preview

18

Jefferson preview

18

Lumpkin County preview

20

White County preview

20

Banks County preview

21

Commerce preview

21

Habersham Central preview

22

Towns County preview

22

Union County preview

23

2

THE TIMES SPORTS POSSE Brent Holloway Sports editor bholloway@ gainesvilletimes.com 770-718-3406

Bill Murphy Reporter bmurphy@ gainesvilletimes.com 770-718-3415

Zac Taylor Reporter ztaylor@ gainesvilletimes.com 770-718-3418

Kelsey Williamson Sports assistant kwilliamson@ gainesvilletimes.com 770-718-3409

A SADDLE TO FIT EVERY HORSE

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WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Cover photo by SCOTT ROGERS Illustration by R. KEITH HATCHELL “The Gunslingers” From left: JEFFERSON’S BRYANT SHIRREFFS, GAINESVILLE’S DESHAUN WATSON, DAWSON COUNTY’S TYLER DOMINY

RIDIN’ SHOTGUN

In the spread offense, more is demanded of the quarterback. That’s just fine with them.

BY ZAC TAYLOR

Apalachee Cedar Shoals Clarke Central Flowery Brannch Gainesville Heritage Loganville Salem Winder-Barrow

Region 8-AAAA Chestatee Eastside Johnson* Lanier Lumpkin County Madison County Monroe Area Stephens County Walnut Grove

*Playing a nonregion schedule

Region 7-AAA

Region 8-AAA East Jackson Elbert County Franklin County Hart County Jackson County Morgan County North Oconee Oconee County

Region 8-AA Greene County Jefferson Oglethorpe County Rabun County Riverside Military Social Circle Union County Washington-Wilkes

Region 8-A Athens Academy Athens Christian Commerce George Walton Academy Hebron Christian Lakeview Academy* Pinecrest Academy Prince Avenue Christian Providence Christian* Rabun Gap* Towns County*

*Playing nonregion schedules

Score Atlanta Preseason Top 10 SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

Gainesville quarterback Deshaun Watson calls out signals before a play during a game last season.

As the focal point of the Red Elephants offense, Watson accounted for more than 4,200 yards of offense and 57 touchdowns last season, earning Class AAA Offensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore.

played in the single-wing offense in high school and has coached many different styles. “Those spread teams have been so successful, and that’s an exciting thing to watch.”

He added that the new trend toward spreading out on offense, something brought down from the college game, can still take many different forms, like the University of Florida did running essentially a power running game out of the spread with Tim Tebow.

Still, the passing numbers that the spread offense has enabled quarterbacks to throw for is much different than the football of the 60s and 70s.

“High school football has really changed over the last 47 years,” McFerrin said. “Some of the spread teams, the quarterback throws for 3,000 yards. That was unheard of. Back in the old days a quarterback threw for 1,000 yards and that was amazing.”

Even at South Gwinnett High in the 1990s, when McFerrin took over a team sporting a young David Greene — soon to be a four-year starter at Georgia — the passing numbers didn’t compare to today’s, although McFerrin did open up the offense to take advantage of Greene’s passing skills.

“It’s certainly changed things,” McFerrin said. “I think the quarterback’s role is much more important to a spread offense. You’re asking a whole lot more of the quarterback.”

And that’s just what Dominy and his fellow gunslingers like. Whether they’re dropping back to pass to one of a number of receivers, handing off to a running back or scrambling themselves, the spread gives them options.

Harrison has become well acquainted with the moment when everything clicks for a new spread quarterback.

“There’s just that day and that time that it kind of clicks with him; the game slows down and he becomes that coach on the field for us,” Harrison said.

“Once they know what we’re thinking, they get very good.”

“High school football has really changed over the last 47 years.Some of the spread teams, the quarterback throws for 3,000 yards. That was unheard of. Back in the old days a quarterback threw for 1,000 yards and that was amazing.”

Jefferson coach T. McFerrin

Region 8-AAAAA

Banks County Buford Dawson County East Hall Fannin County North Hall West Hall White County

ztaylor@gainesvilletimes.com Tyler Dominy likes the pressure that comes with having an offense at his fingertips.

He can read the defense, change a play at the line, or scramble if a play breaks down.

“It’s a lot more fun, I think,” said the Dawson County senior and Tigers starting quarterback, who was in a triple option offense as a freshman. “You want to have a lot of responsibility to make plays.”

Dawson County runs mainly out of the pistol offense, which enables teams to spread out five wide receivers or run with power.

Last season, Dominy’s ability to spread out the defense worked well, as he racked up 1,890 yards passing and 18 touchdowns, while also creating holes for the running backs to break through.

This season the Tigers, who finished 5-5 and 4-1 in Region 8-AA North last season after years of losing records, are a team many think are slated for the playoffs out of the new Region 7-AAA. “Its good to have a little bit of buzz,” Dominy said.

“We know if we can play up to our potential, we’re a pretty good team.”

It’s yet another success story of a team that installed offense meant to spread out the defense and found a quarterback able to take advantage.

The Tigers are not alone. Gainesville coach Bruce Miller’s only regret in regards to the spread offense is that he didn’t do it earlier.

“I wish my 2002 team would have been in this offense,” he said. “If we had, I think we would have won the state championship.”

His current team does run the spread offense that he first installed in 2007, and under star junior quarterback Deshaun Watson (3,251 yards passing, 41 touchdowns; 1,073 rushing yards, 16 scores in 2011) Gainesville is certainly in the mix for a state title even as the Red Elephants, state semifinalists last season, rise two classes to AAAAA. Of course, a spread offense is only as good as its quarterback, and the right quarterback has the ability to take an offense to the next level.

Gainesville has had its share of talented signal callers since going to the spread, from Justin Fordham (over 3,000 yards passing), to Blake Sims (now at the University of Alabama), and now Watson, who’s already verbally committed to Clemson University.

“I’ve been lucky over the years to have good quarterbacks,” Miller said. “Those types of kids tend to show up when the quarterback position is such a prominent position in the offense.”

Hall County and now Region 8-AAAAA rival Flowery Branch has had a similar recent history since adopting the former coach Lee Shaw’s spread option offense. First it was Jaybo Shaw (started at Georgia Southern), then Connor Shaw (a state finals appearance, now the starting quarterback at South Carolina), then Austin Brown (now at University of AlabamaBirmingham), and last year, Kanler Coker (now at the University of North Carolina).

Former Flowery Branch offensive coordinator and now Jackson County head coach Benji Harrison worked with the last three Falcons quarterbacks during his four years at the school.

“When you run the spread, the quarterback, a lot’s riding on him,” said Harrison, who is running a very similar offense at Jackson County with senior quarterback Kyle Daniel. “I think most quarterbacks like that. All three of those guys did.”

Now yet another Falcons signal caller will get that chance. Flowery Branch coach Chris Griffin said junior Jackson McDonald, the backup last season, will be a key to how well the team does this season.

“He’s the key player in our offense,” the first-year coach said.

That in essence, is the spread offense — it puts the quarterback squarely at the center of each play and each decision.

“He has a lot on his plate,” Harrison said. “First and foremost is protection, then he’s got to know what everybody’s doing. So it is a lot on the quarterback; that’s why he’s got to put in so much extra time.”

Jefferson senior quarterback Bryant Shirreffs has been putting in the time during summer 7-on-7 camps and in the offseason to try and lead the Dragons, under coach T. McFerrin, back to the postseason. Like Dominy, McDonald and Watson, Shirreffs (1,873 yards, 19 touchdowns passing; 401 yards, nine scores rushing in 2011) runs primarily out of a spread offense, to much success.

It’s why McFerrin, with more than 300 coaching wins under his belt, adapted to the spread.

“It’s a different concept, more wide open, getting the ball to great players in space,” said McFerrin, who

Collins Hill Duluth Habersham Central Meadowcreek Mill Creek Mountain View Norcross North Gwinnett Peachtree Ridge

Class AAAAAA 1. Grayson 2. Camden County 3. Colquitt County 4. Walton 5. Lassiter 6. Lovejoy 7. Valdosta 8. Peachtree Ridge 9. McEachern 10. Brookwood Class AAAAA 1. Tucker 2. Stephenson 3. Northside-WR 4. Gainesville 5. Warner Robins 6. East Paulding 7. Flowery Branch 8. ML King 9. Ware County 10. Kell Class AAAA 1. Burke County 2. Sandy Creek 3. Cairo 4. Marist 5. Carrollton 6. Statesboro 7. Baldwin 8. Grady 9. Stephens County 10. Griffin Class AAA 1. Peach County 2. Buford 3. Carver-Columbus 4. Elbert County 5. St. Pius X 6. Jefferson County 7. Cedar Grove 8. Washington County 9. Thomson 10. North Oconee Class AA 1. Calhoun 2. Cook 3. Fitzgerald 4. Lovett 5. Westminster 6. Dublin 7. Brooks County 8. Thomasville 9. GAC 10. Wesleyan Class A 1. Savannah Christian 2. Wilcox County 3. ELCA 4. Lincoln County 5. Clinch County 6. Charlton County 7. Wilkinson County 8. Darlington 9. Seminole County 10. ECI

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012 MASTER SCHEDULE

Aug. 24

Aug. 31

Sept. 7

Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28

Oct. 5

Oct. 12

Oct. 19

Oct. 26

Nov. 2

Nov. 9

BANKS COUNTY

Off

EAST JACKSON

@ Athens Christian

@ Commerce

WEST HALL

BUFORD

DAWSON COUNTY

Off

@ Fannin County

EAST HALL

@ North Hall

@ White County

BUFORD

Off

@ Elbert County

GAINESVILLE

HANCOCK CENTRAL

Off

@ Banks County

WEST HALL

@ White County

DAWSON COUNTY

FANNIN COUNTY

@ East Hall

NORTH HALL

CHESTATEE

Off

NORTH HALL

@ West Hall

Off

EASTSIDE

@ STEPHENS COUNTY

@ Johnson

WALNUT GROVE

LANIER

@ Lumpkin County

MONROE AREA

@ Madison County

COMMERCE

Off

JEFFERSON

@ East Jackson

BANKS COUNTY

RABUN COUNTY

@ George Walton

ATHENS CHRISTIAN

@ Prince Avenue

@ Athens Academy

HEBRON CHRISTIAN

Off

PINECREST ACADEMY

DAWSON COUNTY

EAST HALL

@ Lumpkin County

NORTH FORSYTH

@ Forsyth Central

Off

NORTH HALL

@ Banks County

Off

@ Buford

WHITE COUNTY

@ Fannin County

@ West Hall

EAST HALL

@ Dawson County

@ Chattooga

Off

EAST JACKSON

JOHNSON

@ White County

NORTH HALL

Off

WEST HALL

@ Banks County

BUFORD

@ Fannin County

Off

NORTHSIDEWR

@ West Forsyth

@ Cedar Shoals

LOGANVILLE

@ Salem

@ Apalachee

WINDERBARROW

HERITAGE

@ Clarke Central

Off

GAINESVILLE

Off

WEST FORSYTH (Aug. 30)

@ Buford

@ WinderBarrow

APALACHEE

HERITAGE

@ Cedar Shoals

@ Salem

CLARKE CENTRAL

Off

LOGANVILLE

@ Flowery Branch

Off

WHITE COUNTY

@ Stephens County

COLLINS HILL

@ Mountain View

PEACHTREE RIDGE

@ North Gwinnett

DULUTH

Off

@ Mill Creek

JACKSON COUNTY

Off

WINDER BARROW

@ Jefferson

ATHENS CHRISTIAN

EAST JACKSON

NORTH OCONEE

@ Franklin County

Off

@ Hart County

@ Oconee County

ELBERT COUNTY

@ Morgan County

JEFFERSON

Off

@ Commerce

JACKSON COUNTY

@ North Hall

Off

@ Greene County

WASHINGTONWILKES

@ Rabun County

OGLETHORPE COUNTY

@ Social Circle

RIVERSIDE MILITARY

UNION COUNTY

JOHNSON

WEST HALL

OGLETHORPE COUNTY

@ North Hall

NORTH MURRAY

@ East Hall

Off

CHESTATEE

@ Clarkston (Oct. 13)

DRUID HILLS

@ Pickens

Off

TBD

LAKEVIEW

Off

FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN

@ Hebron Christian

@ Pinecrest Academy

Off

ATHENS ACADEMY

Off

Cross Keys (@ N. DeKalb)

@ St. Francis

NORTH COBB CHRISTIAN

TOWNS COUNTY

Off

Off

DAWSON COUNTY

@ White County

@ West Hall

@ Monroe Area

@ Walnut Grove

Off

MADISON COUNTY

EASTSIDE

CHESTATEE

@ Lanier

STEPHENS COUNTY

Off

@ Chestatee

JOHNSON

JEFFERSON

Off

@ Dawson County

@ East Hall

FANNIN COUNTY

WHITE COUNTY

@ West Hall

BANKS COUNTY

@ Buford

Off

Off

WHITEFIELD ACADEMY

@ Georgia Military

RABUN COUNTY

@ Union County

@ Social Circle

GLASCOCK COUNTY

@ Jefferson

GREENE COUNTY

@ Hayesville, N.C.

UNION COUNTY

@ Fellowship Christian

@ Rabun County

RABUN GAP

@ Copper Basin, Tenn.

Off

NORTH COBB CHRISTIAN

ST. FRANCIS

@ Lakeview Academy

HEBRON CHRISTIAN

Off

@ Towns County

FANNIN COUNTY

ANDREWS, N.C.

Off

RIVERSIDE MILITARY

@ Greene County

@ Rabun County

SOCIAL CIRCLE

@ Jefferson

@ Johnson

Off

CHESTATEE

LUMPKIN COUNTY

@ Banks County

FANNIN COUNTY

@ Buford

Off

@ East Hall

NORTH HALL

@ White County

DAWSON COUNTY

Off

@ Habersham Central

LUMPKIN COUNTY

@ Fannin County

BLESSED TRINITY

EAST HALL

Off

BUFORD

@ North Hall

@ Dawson County

WEST HALL

BANKS COUNTY

FLOWERY BRANCH GAINESVILLE HABERSHAM CENTRAL

LUMPKIN COUNTY NORTH HALL RIVERSIDE MILITARY TOWNS COUNTY UNION COUNTY WEST HALL WHITE COUNTY

@ Washington- @ Oglethorpe Wilkes County

Off

@ Norcross MEADOWCREEK

WASHINGTON- @ Oglethorpe WILKES County

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NGPG Sports Medicine office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. We provide sports medicine services to Dawson, Hall, Jackson and Gwinnett counties.

Locations near you:

• Medical Plaza 1, Braselton, 770-848-6190 • Urgent Care, Gainesville, 770-219-7777 • NGPG Dawsonville, 706-216-3238

• NGPG Jefferson, 770-848-5400 • Urgent Care, Buford, 678-714-3217

Same-day appointments available Chad Palmer, MD

Katherine Tolhurst, MD

www.ngpg.org/sportsmedicine

Sports Medicine

CMYK

Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RED ELEPHANTS

Big Red buzz is growing

MOST WANTED

Deshaun Watson Jr. QB 6-3, 195 Orchestrated a run to the Class AAA state semifinals last season and set new Hall County records for total yards in a single season (4,324) and touchdowns accounted for (57).

Expectations high for Red Elephants in ’12

2012 ROSTER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Michael Pittman LB Neil Pavao DB Tray Harrison WR Deshaun Watson QB Justin Cantrell DL Ronnie Peebles LB Chandler Newton WR Lucky Walton WR T.K. Mize DB Orrin Ragland WR Brenquese Dukes LB Mikey Gonzalez QB Rodney Lackey WR Quamon Peoples DB Jay Gaudlock RB Lahius Leverette WR Rayshon Thomas RB Mesiah Dorsey WR Chastin Newman WR Fred Payne DB Lewis Cousins DB Michael Byrd RB Toddrick Turner DB Ben Smith LB Alex Muckle LB Deandre Borders DB Antonio Wade WR Devan Stringer LB Kris Pierce LB LB Chris Byrd Maurice Tanner LB Kijana Young DB Brandon Hernandez DB Terrall Hendrix LB Wake Chambers WR Jordan Haley WR Jordan Jay LB Quon Dukes LB Demichael Borders DB Brenquez Dukes LB Eric Castro LB Aaron Aguilar DB Charlie Simpson DL Logan Harr DL Carson Gregory DB Chris Lyles DB Jack Cumisky LB Corey Cantrell DB Abner Flores LB Bill Hood OL Jase Lint DL Gilbert Ibarra OL Tommie Peebles DL Kash Jones DL Jadarius Sosebee LB Nick Singleton DL Creighton Knight OL Conner Calvert DL OL Nate Roys Bobby Upshaw OL Valentine Felix OL Chris Wright OL Jeremy Ingram OL Danny Flores OL Quentin Brown DL Chase England OL Damian Grayson DL Victor Leon OL Gabriel Copeland DL Dylan Blanchard OL Tristan Hayes OL Luke Snelling OL Hosea Jackson DL Jamel Dabney DL Edgar Arroyo OL Dakota Cousinmane OL Josiah Todd DL Sam Milner OL Jeff Nguyen OL Jack Brand LB Caleb Hayman WR Arturo Razo LB Derrick Young DB Cortez Jackson WR Donovan Moss WR Tony Mercado LB Jarron Henderson DL Thomas Garner WR Anthony Constantine LB Shyderius Darden DB Patrick Schmitt K Gage Turner K Wesley Cooper K Sidney Morrow K Dre Young DB Israel Simmons DL Feliciano Galvan OL Khalid Yarbrough K Colton Quinones DL

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THE HOMESTEAD Riv e r s i d e D r .

Rd. ridge son B Thomp

N Park

Memo rial D r.

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City Gle nwo od Dr

CITY PARK STADIUM Directions: From downtown Gainesville, take Green Street and stay right when it forks onto Ronnie Green Parkway. Stadium is on the right.

Parking: On Glenwood Drive on Longstreet Trail.

BY BILL MURPHY

bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com It’s shaping up to be an exciting season at Gainesville. The Red Elephants (12-2 in 2011) have one of the state’s best high school quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson, along with a handful of receivers with speed, a trio of running backs who can help mix things up on offense and a deep group of defensive backs.

Coming off a trip to the Class AAA state semifinals in 2011 and making the move up two classifications, the Red Elephants return 13 starters after winning their fourth consecutive region championship in 2011.

“I’m very excited about the upcoming season,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “It’s a great time to be at Gainesville High with a new field house at the stadium, the move up to Class AAAAA and a talented group of players.”

If there is one area of concern for Miller, it’s an unproven offensive line with only one returning starter. He feels that having a couple of young linemen behind his projected starters will help with the still-evolving offensive line.

Offense Watson, The Times 2011 Player of the Year, put up great numbers as a sophomore last year with 3,251 passing and 1,073 rushing yards. Not only does he possess all the physical tools, but he thrives under the pressure of big games, according to Miller.

His shining moment last season was when he orchestrated the Red Elephants’ state quarterfinal upset of No. 1 Sandy Creek, 35-21, at City Park Stadium. Miller hopes that trend continues with region games against Clarke Central and Flowery Branch late in the regular season.

Watson was the player behind Gainesville’s impressive string of scoring at least 40 points in 10 consecutive wins, following a 49-0 loss to Buford in the season opener. Watson accounted for seven touchdowns in a single game twice in 2011.

“I remember coaching against (Carolina Panthers quarterback) Cam Newton five years ago when he was the top quarterback around,” Miller said. “Deshaun has that same ability to become the next big thing.”

There will be little turnover for Gainesville at wide receiver: Most of its biggest playmakers are back in the fold this season. Tray Harrison, Lahius Leverette and Caleb Hayman were all major contributors catching the ball last season, and are the leading targets again this season. Also, Gainesville has former West Hall quarterback Chandler Newton, a junior, penciled in to play at wide receiver.

Fred Payne

Tray Harrison

Sr. WR/DB 5-11, 180 An emotional leader and a threeyear starter in the secondary. May see time at WR.

Sr. WR/KR 5-7, 150 One of the fastest players on the team, a threat any time he touches the ball.

Lahius Leverette Leverette Devan Stringer Lahius Stringer Sr. WR WR 5-10, Jr. 6-10,165 165 Oneof of Gainesville’s Gainesville’s One manytalented talented WRs, many WRs, theRed Red Elephants Elephants the arecounting counting on on aa big are season from him.him. big season from Times file photo

Gainesville quarterback Deshaun Watson charges ahead for yardage during the Red Elephants’ playoff game again Sandy Creek last season. Watson finished the year with more than 1,000 rushing yards to go along with his prolific passing numbers.

Jr. LB Jr. LB 5-11, 5-11,180 180 Gainesville’s The team’s leading tackler tackler leading from 2011 2011 has has aa from great nose nose for for the the great football. football.

HEAD HONCHO

GHS ROUNDUP Location: Gainesville Coach: Bruce Miller Region: 8-AAAAA North Last region title: 2011, four consecutive region titles Last playoff appearance: 2011 (each year since 2000) Returning starters: 7 on offense, 6 on defense

At running back, Gainesville has a little more depth than in recent seasons. Last season, Jay Gaudlock broke his ankle early in the regular season, Rayshon Thomas missed the majority of the season due to suspension and freshman Michael Byrd was the go-to guy late in the season.

Now, all three are back and healthy. Miller says that it’s a toss up between Gaudlock and Byrd for the starting job, but all three will likely play. The only problem is that all three are diminutive players and fit the roll of a “scat back,” according to Miller.

“If our offensive line comes around, they’ll be the type of running backs that can break a long one on any play,” Miller said.

Chase England, a senior center, is the lone returning starter on the offensive line. The other four projected to start up front are Gilbert Ibarra and Danny Flores at tackle, and Jeremy Ingram and Edgar Arroyo at guard. Miller says that he expects sophomores Jamel Dabney and Kash Jones to also push the starters hard for playing time up front.

Defense Gainesville’s defense has two of Miller’s favorite athletes at the same secondary position. Payne, a senior, and Lewis Cousins, a sophomore, make up the strength of the Red Elephants defense at safety. At cornerback, Brandon Hernandez and T.K. Mize are looking at the starting jobs.

Devan Stringer was Gainesville’s leader tackler last season (141) and is back at

Bruce Miller

inside linebacker along with new starter Jadarius Sosebee.

The Red Elephants’ outside linebackers are Brenquez Dukes and Alex Muckle. Returning linebacker Michael Pittman will still be sidelined to start the season with a cracked collar bone.

Damian Grayson returns as defensive tackle for the Red Elephants, and will start between ends Colton Quinones and Conner Calvert. Justin Cantrell, one of Gainesville’s leading wide receivers in 2011, has moved to defensive end.

Special teams Harrison will handle Gainesville’s kick and punt return duties. Wesley Cooper and Gage Turner are the top place-kicking candidates to replace Aidan Reising. Watson will again handle the punting duties.

Outlook Gainesville will jump into Class AAAAA as one of the top programs to beat right off the bat. With Watson at quarterback and the collection of receivers returning, scoring points should not be a problem. The defense also looks like it will be capable of holding up its end of the deal with six returning starters.

The Red Elephants will be tested right off the bat with a Thursday night game against Class AAAAAA’s West Forsyth at City Park Stadium, followed the next week with a trip to Buford. Gainesville’s toughest region games will come toward the end of the schedule with a visit from Clarke Central on Oct. 19, followed by a trip to Flowery Branch the final night of the regular season.

Record: Bruce Miller; 106-21 at school, 174-101 career Offensive strategy: Spread; “We use the spread because it creates a lot of one-on-one situations and it spreads defenses horitzontally and vertically”.

Defensive strategy: 3-4: “We use the 3-4 because it allows us to be more multiple with our fronts and stunts and to utilize our speed.”

HIGH NOON Nov. 9 at Flowery Branch Like any team looking for a deep postseason run, Gainesville’s final game of the regular season is crucial to earning the No. 1 seed to the postseason. The Red Elephants could easily enter the final game of the regular season with their fifth consecutive region title on the line.

Big games are nothing new between Gainesville and Flowery Branch.

They’ve met for games to decide the region champion when both used to play in Region 7-AAA, and also played in the Class AAA state semifinals in 2009 at City Park Stadium.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 30 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent WEST FORSYTH at Buford at Winder-Barrow* APALACHEE* HERITAGE* at Cedar Shoals* at Salem* CLARKE CENTRAL* LOGANVILLE* at Flowery Branch*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 leaders

2011 record L W W W W W W W W W W W W L

12-2, 5-0 Region 8B-AAA Buford White County North Hall Franklin County Johnson Oconee County Monroe Area Walnut Grove West Hall Stephens County Class AAA state playoffs Dalton Monroe-Albany Sandy Creek Burke County

49-0 40-3 55-15 42-13 47-0 66-7 41-21 48-0 41-0 62-7 48-27 16-13 35-21 63-28

Passing

Rushing

Yds TDs Comp% *Deshaun Watson 3,251 41 61

Yds TDs Avg. *Deshaun Watson 1,073 16 6.9 *Michael Byrd 498 2 7.1 *Ray-Ray Thomas 329 2 6.5 *Tray Harrison 232 3 11.6

Receiving

Stephen Mason *Tray Harrison *Justin Cantrell *Lahius Leverette

Rec. 62 46 50 37

Yds 901 818 681 469

TDs 9 12 8 6

Defense

Tkl TFL *Devan Stringer 141 5 *Fred Payne 133 NA Eli Nwefo 127 NA Jeremiah Ledbetter 83 5

INT 1 1 1 1

*returning player

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

FLOWERY BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL FALCONS

New look, no change

MOST WANTED

Darius Curry Sr. WR/DB 6-2, 193 Curry is highly recruited as a DB, and Griffin said he could also be as effective as older brother CJ at wide receiver as well.

Jacob Allen

Noel Padmore

Sr. LB 6-1, 237 Flowery Branch’s leading tackler in 2011 and an emotional leader on the defense.

Sr. WR/DB 6-0, 164 A lock-down corner who has already received a host of big, Division-I offers.

Chandler Bridges Kris Smith Sr. OL 6-5, 269 One of the state’s better linemen is a key piece in the Falcon’s effective spread offense.

Sr. RB/OLB 6-1, 196 Transfer from Greater Atlanta Christian with Division-I college offers.

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Chris Griffin Record: 0-0 (first year as heach coach) Offensive strategy: Spread Option. “The purpose is to get the ball to different peoples’ hands much easier. When we spread the ball out, you’ve got six different guys who are a threat on every play.”

Defensive strategy: 3-4. “A pressure-style defense. We’re going to line up at 3-4, but we’re not going to stay at 3-4.” en the ball’s snapped it could be something different.”

HIGH NOON Nov. 9 vs.

Gainesville The last time these two teams were in the same region, the Flowery Branch-Gainesville game usually decided either a playoff spot, seeding or a region title. Once again the last game of the year, it could decide a region title, not unlike the Falcons’ past two regular-season finales against Clarke Central.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 9

Opponent NORTHSIDE-W.R. at West Forsyth at Cedar Shoals* LOGANVILLE* at Salem* at Apalachee* WINDER-BARROW* HERITAGE* at Clarke Central* GAINESVILLE*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

Falcons expect to keep rolling with new coach

BY ZAC TAYLOR

ztaylor@gainesvilletimes.com It’s all anybody wants to talk about, but it’s also not until November.

“Everybody wants to talk about Gainesville, but we have nine games before then,” said Flowery Branch coach Chris Griffin, who admitted that it will be the resumption of a great county rivalry when it finally occurs.

But, before the Falcons have the chance to possibly play in yet another pivotal game with Gainesville in the last week of the season, familiar region foes and new faces await.

Times file photo Because for a program that Flowery Branch wide receiver Jamaad Stephens looks for running had known only one head football coach for its first decade of room during a game last season. existence, this past offseason was quite a shake-up.

Longtime Flowery Branch coach Lee Shaw is now coachLocation: Flowery Branch ing at Rabun County, offensive Coach: Chris Griffin coordinator Benji Harrison is at Region: 8-AAAAA Jackson County, and defensive Last region title: 2011 (8-AAAA; three-team tie) coordinator Griffin has taken Last playoff appearance: Every year since 2005 the reins of one of the most sucReturning starters: On offense 7, on defense 8 cessful programs in the area.

While there might be a few differences from the Shaw He’ll have another first-time to operate behind West Hall years, Griffin plans to keep the offensive starter to hand the transfer Dexter Jackson at nose Falcons — who advanced to the ball to in Quinton Mayfield, tackle, a player Griffin said state quarterfinals last season who has lately emerged as the could really cause problems for — as one of the top teams in not top choice amongst a stable of the opposing offense. just the region, but the state.

In the defensive backfield, potential running backs after And his team has the poten- spending the year on defense returning starters Darius Curry tial to do just that — especially in 2011. and Noel Padmore, two highon defense.

There’s more starting experi- level Division-I prospects, re“Potentially this could be as ence at the wide receiver spot, turn to their cornerback spots. good (at defense) as we’ve ever where 2011 starters Jamaad had,” Griffin said. “But, as I tell Stephens and Cris Dilidili, who Special teams the players, potential has never Kicker Leo Manzo graduaccounted for a combined 725 won a game.” receiving yards and seven ated, but Flowery Branch scores, return. They are joined returns punter Lucas Arnett, Offense A number of big names are by Darius Curry, also a star de- who is an option for the kickgone from an offense that aver- fensive back, Cameron Davis, ing duties along with Alejandro aged 44 points scored per game East Hall’s starting quarterback Montoya and Jesus Alvarado. last season, including quarter- last season, and Devonte King.

Outlook back Kanler Coker, running Gainesville is the only new back Jeremy Haley and top Defense face in Region 8-AAAAA, forWhile Griffin said the unit wide receivers CJ Curry and has the potential to be the best merly 8-AAAA, a region that Jeremy Osborne.

Griffin said that, while this in program history, the one Flowery Branch won a share of, and would have won outright year’s crop of offensive players weakness is depth.

“Our starters are as good as with a win over Clarke Central may not exactly fill the shoes of last season’s stars, there’s still we’ve had in a long time,” the last season. The Gladiators plenty of talent to go around, coach said, “But there’s very are the only region team the starting on the offensive line little depth, especially at line- Falcons have yet to beat.

Now the Red Elephants and with college prospect and se- backer.”

The starting linebacking Gladiators will stand in the nior Chandler Bridges.

At quarterback, Griffin said corps has a wealth of talent way of the Falcons’ chances at McDonald, a more advanced though, with last season’s lead- a region title, along with a few runner than passer knows the ing tackler in senior Jacob other talented opponents. Still, system as well as anyone, but Allen and Greater Atlanta the Falcons can match up with any other favorite in the region, it’s yet to be seen how he will Christian transfer Kris Smith.

The linebackers should have meaning the region title is very fare in pressure situations in plenty of space within which much up in the air. regular-season games.

FBHS ROUNDUP

W W W W W W W W W L W W L

11-2, 9-1 Region 8-AAAA Madison County Winder-Barrow Apalachee Cedar Shoals Rockdale County Habersham Cent.

Heritage Loganville Salem Clarke Central Class AAAA state playoffs Johns Creek Thomas Co. Cent.

Tucker

Passing

41-38 31-21 42-34

Rushing

Kanler Coker *Jackson McDonald

Yds TDs 2,833 31 96 1

Receiving

Casey Osborne C.J. Curry *Jamaad Stephens *Cris Dilidili

Name Pos. Gr. Justin Curry RB So. Darius Curry QB/WR/DB Sr. Kris Smith RB/OLB Sr. Jackson McDonald QB Jr. Quan Eberhardt RB Sr. Hayden Colee WR So. Jamaad Stephens WR Sr. Davante King WR/LB Jr. Blake Turner LB Sr. Cameron Davis WR/DB Jr. Isaiah Murphy DB Sr. Justin Thomson QB/DB Jr. Brandon Benevento QB So. Shiquan Johnson DB Jr. Austin Jones WR/DB Sr. Noel Padmore WR/DB Sr. WR/DB Fr. Cortez Davis Dalton Colee LB So. Brian Aina DB So. Jeremy James WR/DB Jr. Cooper Harrison WR/DB So. WR/DB Sr. Quinton Mayfield Quinshad Jenkins DB Jr. Cris Dilidili WR Sr. Zack Smith LB So. Brock Jones WR So. RB Sr. Jimmy McIntyre Thadeus Johnson DB So. Paul Jaramillo WR/DB Fr. Gabriel Takacs LB Sr. Fr. Michael Albini LB Fr. Brett Shephard QB WR/DB Fr. Jimmy Hamilton Gabriel Argueta DE Jr. Ty Scott LB Sr. Fr. Spencer Cheeks LB/WR Fr. Kyle King WR/DB RB/DB So. Clay King Brady Dyer LB So. Adante’ Aguilar LB/RB Jr. Jacob Allen LB Sr. Fr. Jesus Alvarado K/DL RB/LB Fr. Malcolm Prather Michael Greene WR/DB Fr. Clay Hamilton DE Fr. Daniel Lalor RB Jr. Austin Bennett OL Sr. DL Jr. David Potters Herbert Mazariegos OL/DL Fr. Andrew Miles OL/DL Jr. Kevin Tarr OL Sr. Rashaan Doleman OL/DL Jr. Chandler Bridges OL Sr. Grant Simonds OL/LB So. Nick Curtin OL/LB Jr. Jonah Matthes OL/DL So. Cody Santmyres OL Jr. RJ Deyton DE Jr. Christian Hunt Fr. LB Matthew Johnson OL/DL So. Joel Ryder OL/DL So. Aaron Morrenzin OL/DL Jr. Griffin Herold OL/DL Fr. Cory Godfrey Fr. OL/DL Nick Ross OL/DL Fr. Branson Nash OL/DL Fr. Keaton Coker OL/DL Jr. Dawson Murray OL/DL Fr. Jarad Dunn OL/DL Sr. Justin Johnson OL/DL Fr. Dezmond Osborne OL/DL So. Tyler Page Fr. OL/DL Sterling Sykes OL/DL Fr. Benoy Scroggs OL/DL So. Dexter Jackson OL/DL Sr. Aaron Miles OL So. Chase Pitts Fr. WR/DB Michael Ellis WR Sr. Justin Marshall WR Fr. Kyle Nix WR Sr. Austin Welch WR So. Christian Bennett Fr. WR/DB Robbie Locklear WR/DB Fr. Thor Smith TE/DE Jr. Lucas Arnett P/K Sr. Trayvon Fort WR Sr. Cory Emerson WR So. Tyler Davis OL/DL Fr. Trey Wilson WR So. Trevor Maddox WR So. Alejandro Montoya K/P Jr. Justin Chaney Fr. OL/DL Connor Collins LB/WR Fr. Skyler Hollers Fr. WR/DB Austin Poole WR/DB Fr. Daniel Torres OL/DL Fr.

ane th L e b a Eliz

2011 leaders 56-7 64-7 42-20 49-7 51-0 56-31 21-13 49-21 54-8 38-35

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

THE HOMESTEAD

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record

2012 ROSTER

Rec. Yds TDs 58 994 9 45 805 13 33 474 5 16 251 2

Yds TDs Avg. Jeremy Haley 1,350 21 7.94 Kanler Coker 837 15 7.03 *Jimmy McIntyre 179 3 6.39

Defense

*Jacob Allen Sydney Cheeks *Jeremy James Jonathan Frick *Noel Padmore Quinncy Hodges

Tkl 131 107 66 79 42 69

TFL INT 24 1 11 0 4 2 24 0 2 2 14 1

g erlin e St Lak Sp ou t

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Flowery Branch High Sp rin gs

Ro ad

FALCON FIELD Directions: From Gainesville, take Interstate 985 to Exit 12 (Spout Springs Road/Flowery Branch) and turn left. School is 2.5 miles on the left.

Parking: Lots available at the school.

CMYK

Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

EAST HALL HIGH SCHOOL VIKINGS

Taking the next step

MOST WANTED

Devonte Benton Sr. OL/DL 6-5, 263 The big lineman was fifth on the team in tackles as a DT in 2011. He already has a number of scholarship offers and could be one of the most sought after OL in North Georgia by season’s end.

2012 ROSTER 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 27 30 32 33 35 36 45 49 50 51 52 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 65 66 67 69 70 71 73 75 76 77 78 79 80 82 84 88 90 99

Milton Whelchel Zach Groover Devin Watson Austin Mahaffey Xavier Hughey Quay Jarrells Schqwon Tanner Isaach Mize Travis Foster Uriel Andrade Thaddeus Webb Dre Brawner Jacques Ash Levi Woodring Brock Griffin Junior Lee Enrique Restrepo Jacquen Hopkins Jimmy Wade Dillon Warren Juwon Merritt Rex Purgason Hugo Contreras Dustin Rodgers Felton Wood Tareek Jenkins Jiel Vargas Edward Vergara Alan Silva Ramiro Camarillo Oscar Garcia Leon Ellison Jesse Ingram Ulises Andrade Abraham Sepulveda Chase Mullins Joseph Allen Will Fair Yonny Galaga Vincent Truong Braden Jarrard Jesse Flores Steven Dinh Tyler Thomas Genaro Garcia J.D. Holloway Tristan Rhodes Jose Guerrero Jesse Winters Cody Andrews Devonte’ Benton Kevin Thompson Wyatt Yopp Luis Caudillo Triquece Ware Xavier Summers Sergio Lara Jorge Hernandez Chase Johnson Rolando De Luna

WR/DB QB/FS QB/DB RB/CB RB/LB RB/DB RB/DB WR/DB TE/DL WR/LB QB/DB RB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/LB WR/DL WR/LB QB/DB RB/LB WR/DB RB/LB RB/LB WR/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/LB RB/DL LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB TE/LB TE/DL OL/DL

Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Fr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Jr. So. So. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So.

THE HOMESTEAD ire m hit e W Lan

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East Hall stadium

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EAST HALL STADIUM Directions: From Gainesville, take Jesse Jewel Parkway North. Turn right onto Old Cornelia Highway through Rabbittown. Stadium is past the school on the left.

Parking: Lot is immediately off Old Cornelia Highway, in front of the stadium.

Vikings aim to continue their upward trend

BY DAVID MITCHELL

sports@gainesvilletimes.com Building continuity is an annual struggle for East Hall, which breaks in a number of new players on a yearly basis.

Despite the difficulties, however, the Vikings were able to battle to five wins in 2011, falling just a play-in win short of the playoffs.

This season, East Hall will have to replace its two leading producers on offense, Cameron Davis and Jamond Witt. Witt graduated and Davis transferred to Flowery Branch.

But that doesn’t mean coach Bryan Gray expects a drop-off in the team’s success.

The team returns six starters on offense and eight on defense, and Gray expects new playmakers to fill holes.

“We feel like we’re in a good position,” he said. “I think we’ve got a lot of good players that will certainly keep us in contention.

Braden Jarrard

Sr. RB/LB 6-2, 198 The team’s top tackler in 2011, he has great speed to lead the Vikings defense.

Sr. OT 6-5, 247 A four-year starter who will help anchor a big and experienced offensive line.

Cody Andrews

Dustin Rodgers

Sr. DE 6-4, 251 He is a four-year starter who recorded 28 tackles, including six for a loss in 2011.

Sr. LB 6-0, 214 Has started each of his four years at East Hall and was third on the team in tackles in 2011.

HEAD HONCHO

Bryan Gray Times file photo

East Hall defenders gang up on a Rabun County ball carrier during a game last season. The Vikings bring eight starters back on defense after last year’s 5-5 campaign.

EHHS ROUNDUP Location: Gainesville Coach: Bryan Gray Region: 7-AAA Last region title: 1987, 8-AA Last playoff appearance: 2005 Returning starters: 6 on offense, 8 on defense

Offense When it comes to the offensive side of the ball, Gray says the team is going to improve in the passing game.

“There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “That’s been our focus.

We want to improve the passing game to open up our running game.”

That will begin, obviously, at quarterback, where Zach Groover and Devin Watson are competing for the starting spot.

Groover was originally slated to be the team’s starter in 2011 until an injury opened the door for Davis.

Gray said that one of those two, along with a stable of talented wide receivers, should actually help the team take a step forward.

Austen Mahaffey and Edward Vergara, third and fourth on the team in rushing last season, will be back to lead a deep corps of tailbacks. Quay Jarrels, Dre Brawner, Corey Reece and Juwan Merritt will also see plenty of carries.

It will be tough to replace the athletic Witt, but Gray sees plenty of talent in the backfield.

“I think we’ll be better for being able to rotate them in and out,” he said.

Senior Devonte Benton will help open up holes for those runners. Gray said he believes Benton could be one of the most

Xavier Hughey

sought-after offensive linemen in North Georgia by season’s end.

Braden Jarrard, a four-year starter, will also play a significant role on the line.

Defense A defense which returns most of the starters has Gray feeling optimistic about the Vikings’ chances on that side of the ball.

“We’ve got a quiet excitement about them,” he said. “They’re very athletic and run extremely well. All the kids playing have either started or logged a lot of time.

“You can’t be successful without some experience.”

He’s hoping that experience will help the Vikings continue to progress.

Benton and Cody Andrews, along with Xavier Hughey and Dustin Rogers will comprise a strong defensive front. Isaac Mize will help man the defensive backfield.

Rogers and Andrews are each four-year starters, which Gray says is significant.

“Understanding what people are doing and being able to adjust is important,” he said. “You

Record: 11-39 at East Hall; 11-39 overall Offensive strategy: Spread option; “It gives us the ability to run the ball at all times. If you get a kid that can pass well, that’s an option too. It’s flexible and allows playmakers to make plays.”

Defensive strategy: Multiple front; “You can do different things out of an aggressive multiple front. We play in a run-heavy region, so we like to get more guys on the line.”

HIGH NOON Nov. 9 at Fannin County

have to have kids who are confident in their techniques and fundamentals. You can’t just throw them out there and let them play.”

Gray said the defensive line will need work simply because it lost the most from last season.

Special teams Hugo Contreras will handle the kicking duties for East Hall, while Junior Lee will punt.

There are four or five players who are still battling it out for primary return duties, and Gray said there is a lot of defensive speed that will carry over to special teams as well.

Outlook As with many teams in Region 7-AAA, East Hall figures to be firmly in the hunt for one of the four playoff spots.

It will be difficult for the team to improve by leaps and bounds, simply because of the lost production of running back Witt.

But deeper talent across the board could help the team step forward, perhaps into the playoffs.

East Hall figures to be firmly in the conversation for one of the top four spots in the region. While it may not find itself at No. 1 or 2, the third or fourth seed should be within reason. In a region filled with a number of teams on fairly equal footing, a playoff spot could be on the line for the Vikings in their final week. A win against Fannin County could get East Hall over the hump.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 24 Aug. 31 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent at Dawson County* at Chattooga EAST JACKSON JOHNSON at White County* NORTH HALL* WEST HALL* at Banks County* BUFORD* at Fannin County*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 leaders

2011 record W W L L W W L L W L

5-5, 3-2 Region 8-AA North West Hall Johnson Elbert County Adairsville Rabun County Union County Fannin County Dawson County Banks County Elbert County

47-14 41-17 48-0 25-9 35-14 33-3 35-19 49-7 34-17 27-7

Rushing

Yds Jamond Witt 1,211 Cameron Davis 553 *Austen Mahaffey 416 *Edward Vergara 137

Passing TDs 14 5 2 1

Avg. 9.3 4.8 6.9 4.4

Receiving

Rec. Yds Jamond Witt 12 165 *Austen Mahaffey 4 80

TDs 0 2

Yds TDs Comp % Cameron Davis 422 3 33

Defense

Tkl *Xavier Hughey 58 *Oscar Rangel 57 *Dustin Rogers 51 *Devonte Benton 41

TFL INT 4 0 3 1 6 0 11 0

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

WEST HALL HIGH SCHOOL SPARTANS

Building the foundation

MOST WANTED

Blake Manning Sr. OT 6-6, 300 The big senior will be the anchor of the offensive line for the Spartans.

Zach English

Damien Millsap

Jr. QB 5-11, 175 After contributing as a WR and on defense, English will embrace a new role in 2012.

Sr. DT 6-3, 290 Quick and strong, Millsap has good feet and is tough to block on the line of scrimmage.

New coach’s big plans take root in 2012 sports@gainesvilletimes.com

Hunter Atkinson Ty Statham Jr. TE/DE 6-6, 235 Atkinson is an aggressive blocker and has good hands out of the tight end spot.

So. RB/LB 5-11, 180 The team’s leading tackler from 2011 has a great nose for the football.

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Tony Lotti Record: 0-0 (1st year as a head coach) Offensive strategy: Multiple-I; “It’s no secret we plan on running the football.

This gives us some versatility to run between the tackles and control the ground.”

Defensive strategy: 3-4; “We assessed the kids and felt like the 3-4 gave us the best chance to put them in positions to succeed.”

HIGH NOON Aug. 24 at Johnson The Battle of Oakwood is always an entertaining battle. Last season it was a 35-21 win for West Hall. None of the previous three match-ups were decided by more than four points in what often turns into a shootout.

This year, the fact that both teams have men coaching their first games as head coaches only adds to the intrigue. The offseason was a good one for the Spartans, but only when the team takes the field will we really know how far they’ve come.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 24 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent at Johnson CHESTATEE LUMPKIN COUNTY at Banks County* FANNIN COUNTY* at Buford* at East Hall* NORTH HALL* at White County* DAWSON COUNTY*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

With only five wins in the past three seasons combined, West Hall is opening a new chapter with first-year head coach Tony Lotti.

Lotti, who comes over after stops at Union Grove and Woodland High, has his sights set on long-term success at the school.

“We’re building a program here,” he said, “not a team.”

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t focused on winning in the short term, too. Lotti said he expects a win every time his team takes the field.

It’s a tall order for a team that has seen so little success in recent years, and yet a possibility considering the changes that are already taking place.

Numbers have improved and Lotti is seeing excitement within the program. It may not happen overnight, but Lotti is encouraged by the work his players are putting in so far.

Offense The unit will be led by Zach English, a receiver-turnedquarterback in his first season under center.

Last season, the athletic junior caught 30 passes for 241 yards and a score. This season, he will be distributing the ball to players like tight end Hunter Atkinson, a solid blocker with good hands.

Lotti said that he wants to take advantage of Atkinson’s size in the passing game.

But it’s no secret that West Hall will run the football.

Fullback Eric Camacho will also be in a new role. Splitting time as a linebacker, Lotti said that he expects him to be a dependable runner on offense.

Senior Blake Manning, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman, will anchor the offensive front to make the holes for the runners.

“This is a process,” Lotti said. “We’re growing and we’re learning. The good thing is that everything is fixable. We’ve got kids who are giving a strong effort and ready to learn. That’s important.”

Like some other teams in the region, the Spartans are young, which leads to inconsistency and a lack of depth.

“Sometimes they’ll be really good,” Lotti said of the offense.

“Other times in practice, it won’t be so great. But that comes with a higher maturity level as far as experience goes.”

Defense As on offense, the Spartans will deal with some youth on defense.

Times file photo

West Hall’s Zach English celebrates after a touchdown in a game last season. English, who started at receiver and defensive back in 2011, will take over the quarterback spot this fall.

WHHS ROUNDUP Location: Oakwood Coach: Tony Lotti Region: 7-AAA Last region title: Never Last playoff appearance: 2002 Returning starters: 1 on offense, 1 on defense

But Lotti is pleased with how will his players have begun grasping the system in such a short time.

“They’re asking questions,” he said. “We’re making sure that they’re not too intimidated to ask when they don’t understand.”

Despite the youth, Lotti wants his defensive unit to be aggressive from the very start.

That begins up front with defensive tackle Damien Millsap, a tough-to-block senior who could cause problems against both the run and the pass.

Ty Statham will be a key at linebacker who Lotti considers to be a good physical presence for the defense. Lotti also mentioned T.J. Bowles as a potential sleeper on defense and Quan Williams as a talented freshman who has handled the system well so far.

The Spartans will run a 3-4 scheme, not because it’s what Lotti has run the most in the past, but because it’s what he felt like put his players in the best position to succeed given the personnel.

That could change in the future, but he also stressed continuity.

“We want our players to learn something early and be able to grow in that program for a few years,” he said. “This team has lacked some continuity in the past, so that’s what we’re trying to provide now.”

Special teams Connor Kirkland will kick and punt for the Spartans.

Lotti said who will be the returner on kicks and punts is still up in the air and likely won’t be decided until the end of camp.

Outlook The outlook is positive for the Spartans.

Are the playoffs likely right away? Probably not, but the team is making strides in the right direction.

An improvement over last season’s win total (2) should be expected and, even in losses, the Spartans should be more competitive.

They will open at Johnson in the Battle of Oakwood before hosting Chestatee and Lumpkin County. The immediate goal is to sport a winning record entering region play in Week 4.

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 leaders

2011 record L L L L W W L L L L

2-8, 2-3 Region 8-AAA South East Hall Chestatee White County Stephens County Walnut Grove Johnson Oconee County Monroe Area Gainesville Lumpkin County

47-14 41-14 26-7 44-14 38-9 35-21 35-31 34-0 41-0 31-21

Passing

Rushing

Yds TDs Comp% Chandler Newton 1,134 10 50

Rico Jones A.J. Stephens Chandler Newton Anthony Strickland

Receiving

Rec. Yds TDs A.J. Stephens 26 499 7 *Zach English 30 241 1 *Cameron Johnson 8 204 0 Rico Jones 8 149 1

Yds TDs 476 3 402 4 264 3 162 1

Avg. 6.7 7,9 3.4 4.2

Tkl 61 36 29 27

INT 0 0 0 2

Defense

Turk Taylor Colton Collins Anthony Strickland *Zach English

TFL 0 2 1 0

*returning player

2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 37 38 41 44 51 52 53 54 55 57 59 61 64 66 67 68 69 71 73 74 75 76 77 79 80 82 83 86 87 89

Tyquan Statham Fr. WR/CB Chase Seymour Jr. OLB Kwon Williams Fr. FS Isiah Rowe So. RB/LB Mason Gaines Jr. OLB Bradley Hodgson So. K Jacob Miller So. H Connor Kirkland Sr. K/P Jay Crawford So. CB Zach English Jr. QB Anthony Lotti Fr. QB Rick Atkins Sr. WR/LB Daniel Walsh Jr. WR/SS Javier Vera-Silva So. RB/DB Chase Jarrard Sr. WR/OLB Kassius Swain Fr. TB Kyle Lenz So. CB Cole Davis So. RB/LB Xavier Johnson Sr. WR/CB Hunter Atkinson So. TE/DE Keith McCroan Sr. TE/OLB Cameron Johnson Jr. FB/FS Ty Statham So. TB/LB Antonio Pittman Jr. FB/DE Evan English Fr. WR/DB Triston Hester Fr. RB/DB Wyatt Taylor Sr. SS Ian English Fr. RB/DB Jared Mathews Fr. WR/DB David Godines So. WR/DB Eric Camacho Jr. FB/LB Dylan Bramblett Fr. WR/DB Marvin Mejia Fr. C/LB Tavezz Thurmond So. OL/DL Blaine Satterfield So. OT Devin Hughes So. C/LB Cameron McCollough Fr. OL/DL Brandon Fuller Fr. OL/DL Mark Maynard Fr. OL/DL Taylor Secor Fr. OL/DL Michael Meadows Sr. OG/LB Joston Segars Jr. OG/NG Luis DeLacruz So. OL/DL Markus Page Jr. C Darius Torres Jr. OG/DE Blake Manning Sr. OT/LS Chris Kidd So. OL/DL Jarrett Turner Fr. OL/DL Mackell Crittenden Jr. OT Austin Williams Fr. OL/DL Damien Millsap Sr. DE/OG TJ Bowles Jr. NG/OT Matt Bennett So. TE/DL Ryan Howington Fr. WR/DB Johnny Griffing Fr. WR/DB Hayden Lee Fr. WR/DB Jesse Bridgewater Fr. WR/DB Brandon Horner Sr. OL/DL

THE HOMESTEAD West Hall High McE ver Rd.

BY DAVID MITCHELL

2012 ROSTER

Lane rook Westb y Holida Circle

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WEST HALL STADIUM Directions: From Interstate 985 South, take Exit 17 and turn right on Ga. 53. After about 2 miles, turn left on McEver Road.

The school is 2 miles ahead on the right.

Parking: Available in front of the stadium and in front of the high school.

CMYK Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

NORTH HALL HIGH SCHOOL TROJANS

New region, new hope

MOST WANTED

Destin Bennett Jr. RB/LB 6-1, 220 Bennett recorded a team-high 10 tackles for loss in 2011 and should anchor the linebacker corps in 2012.

2012 ROSTER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 32 33 35 37 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 75 76 77 79 81 82 84 85 86 89 93 95

Marcus Hulsey Sr. RB/DB Avery Cagle So. QB/DB Kevin Christmas Sr. RB/OLB Brannon Dyer Jr. RB/DB Eric Gonter Sr. TE/OLB Taylor Clark Fr. WR/DB Copelan Collins Jr. WR/DB Lee Shelton Jr. WR/DB Taylor Ryder Sr. TE/OLB Micah Strickland So. RB/DB Skylar Samples Fr. WR/DB Bradley Brown Sr. QB/OLB Jonathan Green So. WR/DB Andrew Smith Jr. QB/DB TJ Tate Sr. RB/DB Malik Gill So. QB/DB Sam Jackson Fr. WR/DB Jake Bracewell Fr. WR/DB Drew Atha Fr. QB/DB Darien Ingram Fr. RB/LB Trystan Regnier So. RB/DB Isaac Seid Jr. RB/DB Bobby Mendenhall So. RB/LB Austin Perry So. RB/OLB Caleb Parrish Sr. WR/DB Clayton Dyer Sr. WR/DB Will Cape Jr. WR/DB Andrew Erwin Sr. TE/DB Colby Miller Fr. RB/DB Tyler Hale Fr. WR/DB David Epps Jr. RB/LB Jimmy Loggins Fr. TE/LB Timothy Cantrell Jr. RB/DB Dylan Murphy Fr. RB/LB Devon Motes Jr. TE/DE Nathan Kinney Fr. TE/OLB Zac Little Jr. RB/OLB Isaiah Hale Fr. RB/DB Destin Bennett Jr. RB/LB Frankie Camacho So. OL/DL Dylon Truelove Jr. OL/DL Avery Rogers Jr. OL/DL Colby Krepcio So. OL/OLB Jake Walden Fr. OL/DL Thomas Marchman Jr. OL/OLB Will Pope Fr. OL/DL Hayden Hughes So. OL/OLB Cody Marchbanks Fr. OL/DL Matt Pratte Sr. OL/DL Scott Talley Sr. OL/LB Elijah Bowen Fr. OL/DL Avery Easton Sr. C/DL Patrick Chappell Sr. OL/DL Cole Strickland Jr. OL/DL Levi Patterson Fr. OL/DL Pablo Chavarria Fr. OL/DL Nathaniel Adams Fr. OL/DL Justin Bacus Jr. OL/DL Tyler Dispain Fr. OL/DL Russell Gillespie Jr. OL/DL Austin Smith Fr. OL/DL Nathan Holman So. OL/DL Haydn Ellis Fr. OL/DL Corbin Davis Fr. OL/DL Mason Ellis Jr. OL/DL Cole Handte Fr. OL/DL Jonathan Chewning Jr. OL/DL Jake Norris Fr. OL/DL Nolan Tucker Jr. TE/OLB Michael Shoaf Fr. RB/DB Modesto Cruz Sr. K/WR/DB Chris Dennis Fr. K/WR/DB Ben Finley Fr. OL/DL Nick Whitmire Fr. TE/OLB Austin Reisinger Fr. OL/DL

THE HOMESTEAD Yo un g Rd .

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North Hall High

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Rilla Rd.

THE BRICKYARD Directions: Drive north on Ga. Highway 60 to Mount Vernon Road. Turn right, school is four miles ahead on the left.

Parking: Lots are available in front of the school and at North Hall Middle School.

Andrew Smith

Bradley Brown

Jr. QB/DB 5-8, 145 The athletic Smith tied for the team lead in INTs a season ago with three.

Sr. QB/LB 6-2, 205 A returning starter who completed 63 percent of his passes as a junior in 2011.

Avery Easton

Will Cape

Sr. C/DL 6-3, 260 Spent his the majority of his time at center a season ago, and will lead the OL again.

Jr. WR/DB 5-11, 175 Third on the team in tackles a year ago, Cape should solidify the secondary.

Trojans aiming for a return to postseason

BY DAVID MITCHELL

sports@gainesvilletimes.com The past two seasons have strayed from the norm for North Hall under coach Bob Christmas.

In 2010, a streak of eight consecutive winning seasons came to an end when the team notched a 5-5 record. Last year, the Trojans endured their first losing record since 2001.

But with a change in scenery in the new Region 7-AAA comes renewed hope for North Hall.

The Trojans have to contend with Buford, which has won four of the last five Class AA state titles, but they can also count themselves among a number of teams that should contend for one of the remaining playoff spots.

And when the dust settles, they hope to be playing in their first postseason since 2009.

HEAD HONCHO

Times file photo

North Hall wide receiver/defensive back Will Cape breaks loose in last season’s game against Stephens County.

NHHS ROUNDUP

Offense Key to the Trojans’ success this season will be how they adjust to the loss of one of the state’s best running backs, Imani Cross, who will be suiting up for the University of Nebraska this fall.

Christmas said that it is more a matter of adjustment rather than replacement.

“There’s a reason he’s at the University of Nebraska,” he said. “He was a big, talented back who had a lot of skills. I don’t know that you replace an Imani, but here’s what we do have: I think we’ve got 8-10 really good high school running backs. We have a good mix in age, none of them huge in size, but they’ve got good strength and good quickness.”

The Trojans will miss Caleb Faulkner, who transferred to Lakeview Academy, but David Epps and Destin Bennett will be primary figures at the fullback position.

Bradley Brown will return at quarterback for the Trojans, and Christmas is pleased with the progress the senior has made.

The coach said that he didn’t know that he would have his team throw the ball more, but the strides that Brown has made should allow for the offense to go to the pass more often when defenses focus on the run.

“We always want to take what the defense gives us, so there may be times where we throw it more,” he said. “But the ability to throw the ball down the field when they give it to us is important.”

Also returning on offense will be senior center Avery Easton, who will be an important piece

Location: Gainesville Coach: Bob Christmas; 86-40 at North Hall, 231-115 overall Region: 7-AAA Last region title: 2007, 7-AAA Last playoff appearance: 2009 Returning starters: Offense 4, Defense 6

to opening up the run game.

Defense Last season was a mix of good and bad for the Trojans defense.

There were games, like the 49-0 win over Lumpkin County, in which the Trojans appeared to have everything settled.

Other times, like when they allowed 55 points to Gainesville or 54 to Franklin County, when it appeared North Hall had a long way to go.

The common theme among the teams that had success against the Trojans was superior athleticism at the skill positions.

Christmas hopes to see an improvement against those teams by increasing pressure.

The defense features a handful of players that should make that possible.

Undersized but athletic cornerback Andrew Smith leads a defensive backfield that could allow for more freedom to pressure up front. Smith notched three interceptions in 2011 as a sophomore and should be improved this season.

Destin Bennett, who led the team in tackles for a loss last year, and Taylor Rider will lead the charge at linebacker.

Despite the loss of Cross, who lead the team in tackles, Bennett and Rider have the experience to make 2012’s an

improved unit.

“This year, we have a good mix between juniors and seniors, and I think that makes a huge difference in consistency,” Christmas said. “Young players can play really well, but they aren’t always consistent.”

The coach would also like to see his team stay healthier this year to improve continuity. A result of last year’s injuries, however, is that a number of sophomores — Bennett, Smith and Will Cape to name a few — saw plenty of playing time.

Special teams Modesto Cruz will return as the kicker this season, while Zac Little and Bradley Brown will contend for the punter job.

Smith and T.J. Tate will split return duties.

Outlook In a region with teams of similar skill, North Hall appears to have more than a fighting chance at a playoff spot.

Christmas sees room for improvement before his team is ready to make that leap, however.

“I think we’ve still got a lot of work to do,” he said. “I think we’ll continue to find some areas we need to grow in.”

If that growth can take place, the Trojans could find themselves back in familiar territory.

Bob Christmas Record: 86-40 at North Hall, 231-115 overall Offensive strategy: Multiple; “We’re adding in a little more three-back sets this year. It helps us attack inside, outside and off tackle, and stretch the defense horizontally.”

Defensive strategy: Multiple odd/even fronts; “We’ve started with an even front this year. We want to be a pressure defense more so this year than we have been in the past.”

HIGH NOON Sept. 28 at Dawson County The Trojans and Tigers will play each other for the first time in history, and it couldn’t come at a bigger time.

It will be the region opener for North Hall and, after struggling the past two seasons, the Trojans will look to get their bid for a playoff berth started on the right foot. Both teams will compete for one of the top four spots in Region 7-AAA, so a win here could pay dividends by season’s end.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent at Chestatee JOHNSON JEFFERSON at Dawson County* at East Hall* FANNIN COUNTY* WHITE COUNTY* at West Hall* BANKS COUNTY* at Buford*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record L L L W W W W L L L

4-6, 3-2 Region 8-AAA North Jefferson St. Pius X Gainesville Walnut Grove Chestatee White County Lumpkin County Franklin County Stephens County Monroe Area

2011 leaders 38-28 38-13 55-15 48-14 48-7 28-14 49-0 54-37 39-14 28-21

Passing

*Bradley Brown *Andrew Smith

Receiving Yds 471 59

TDs Comp% 5 63 1 44

Rushing

Imani Cross Caleb Faulkner *Zac Little Eli Gilmer

Yds 1,706 608 276 100

TDs 24 9 1 0

Avg. 8.9 5.9 5.4 5.6

Caleb Faulkner Eli Gilmer Wade Phillips

Rec. 7 7 2

Yds 126 112 85

TDs 1 3 2

Tkl 71 52 48 46

TFL 4 2 10 0

INT 1 3 0 3

Defense

Imani Cross *Andrew Smith *Destin Bennett Wade Phillips

*returning player

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Sunday, August 19, 2012

9

The North Hall Cheerleaders, Coaches and Booster Club wish to thank the following sponsors and patrons for making our

AnnualGolf Tournament

held at Chattahoochee Country Club Golf Course, a tremendous success!

Senior Cheerleaders from left to right: Lauren Shoaf, Julie Anne Eavenson, Faith Willis, Abbi Shoaf, Sabrina Strange, Mackenzie Potts, Madisen Burrell

2012 NORTH HALL HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADER HOLE SPONSORS Adams and Anderson Bluegrass Festivals Adams Insurance Agency Advanced Eye Center-Dr. Steve Wisehart Advantage Appraisals Alexander, Almand & Bangs, LLP ALFA Insurance, Ken Day Agency Allergy & Asthma Care Center American TeleCenters Answering Service, Inc. Ameriprise Financial, Gary Harr AquaBot of Georgia.com Avocados Restaurant Barry & Michaela Strauss Beasley Lawn Services Bennett Family Dentistry Berry Medical Group Best Ceramic Tile Bill & Judy Manus Bill, Beth, Walker & John Bishop Moffett Bodyplex Fitness Boswell Electrical & Communication Supply Brenau University Brewster & Crocker Architects Brookton Express Butch Miller State Senate C.B.C. Construction Company, LLC Cain Electric Co. Cantrell Capable Financial Solutions, Inc. CGS Properties Charles Black Construction Co. Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia Cheeley Electric Company, Inc. Chris Strickland, D.M.D. Christopher D. Childs, DMD, PC Chuck Hewitt for Sheriff Clarks Cabinet Shop Coker Equipment Co. Coleman, Chambers & Rogers Complete Auto Parts Cool Springs Tooling Coppermines Pest Control Corrie Hill / Liberty National Cotton Eyed Joe’s Crafty Draught Curt’s Cafeteria Darlene Heath Deb Schofield Dixieland Equipment Sales Dorks Double D Burger Doug Parks - Norton Agency Insurance Doug Smith Contracting Dr. & Mrs. Ray Schofield Dr. Ben Hawkins and Dr. Lee Hawkins Dr. Suzanne Kimmons-Doty Dr. Walter Piekarczyk Duncan Exterminating, Inc. Duplicating Products, Inc. Eagle Industrial Distribution Eagle Transportation Services Easy Out Bonding, Inc.

El Sombrero Mexican Grill Eric Thomas Trucking, LLC Ertzberger Builders, LLC Eskimo Cold Evergreen Heating & Air, LLC Farmer’s Forestry Products, Inc. Fox, Chandler, Homans, Hicks & McKinnon Frank R. McKay of Stewart, Melvin & Frost, LLP Fred & Lynn Kelly Fred H. Simonton III D.M.D. Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Gainesville FUMC High School Ministry Gainesville FUMC Middle School Ministry Gainesville Janitor Supply Co., Inc. Gainesville Paint/Budget Carpet Outlet Gainesville Pet Salon Gainesville School of Gymnastics Gainesville State College Georgia Powder Coating Gibson Dental Designs Glenn Mull Golden Buddha Restaurant Grady Parrish, DDS / Chris Childs, DMD Grayel & Cindy Wellborn Great American Loan Greene Ford Company Greg & Lynn Syfan GSD GTO 2000 Guardian Home Care/Dan Clements Habersham EMC Hamilton State Bank Happy Pappy’s Storage & Car Wash Hardy Chevrolet Harrison Fence Co. Hayes Chrysler Dodge Jeep Holman Pest Control HomeStar Financial Corp.

Hopewell Baptist Church Horace Mann Insurance Co. / Wayne Parrish - Agent Hulsey Environmental IMAC Group LLC Imperial Leasing Company Industrial Pipe & Supply, Co., Inc. IOA - Jason Peacock J&J Welding Inc. J. Thomas Salon Jackson Electric Membership Corp.

Jackson Industries / Ben Jackson Jacky Jones Ford Jaemor Farms James Electric Co. James L. Cannon DDS Janwyck Decorating Center Jarrell Scroggs Remodeling & Construction Jeff Elder, MD - Pediatric Associates Jerry & Linda Dyer Jessup Compton Pierce CPA’s JH Photography Jim Ellis Volkswagon Joe Jackson, DMD Family Dentistry John D. Golden

Johnny Hulsey Truck Parts Joyce Merck Florist Keith Porter Insulation Lakeside Plumbing Service Lanierland Insurance Agency, Inc. Larry & Susan Gorman Lavender Pest Control Law Office of Ken Parker Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing Leon Smith Lewis Page Auto Brokers / Jerry Page Liberty Mutual Insurance - Angie Williams Little Davenport Funeral Home Little Italy Pizza Longstreet Cancer Center Lula Pharmacy Mairlyn Ballard - Prudential GA Realty Mar-Jac Poultry, Inc. Mark Howell Construction Martin Docks Matrix Software, Inc. Matthews Printing Company McDonald’s of Hall County McKann Transport Medical Park Pharmacy Melinda Barnes Memorial Park Cemetary Memorial Park Funeral Homes Merlinos & Associates, Inc. Midway Electric, Inc. Mike Smith Mountain Fresh Creamery Mountain Valley Community Bank MRI & Imaging of GA Muddy -H- Holsteins Murphy Pump Service New Leaf Landscape Services Newell Investigative Services Inc. Noble Finance Norman D Peets III, DDS North Georgia Eye Clinic North Hall Ace Hardware North Hall Earthworks, LLC North Hall Tire and Wheel Oakwood Tire Company Overdrive Logistics, Inc. Parker Pump Service Parks Family Properties Patrick B. Toms, DMD / Heather Ramsey, DMD Patterson Auto & Wrecker Peach State Dental Studio, Inc. Performance Food Service Roma Phil Kinsey Piano Master Poor Richard’s Restaurant Premier Designs - Amy Gilbert Primary Care Clinics of GA - Dr. Hocker Prime-Pak Foods, Inc. Princeton Salon Pueblos Mexican Cuisine Randall Jordan / GA Farm Bureau

Randy Kinsey Construction Company Recess and Sidebar 120 Restaurant Richard Higgins Riverside Pharmacy Rochester and Associates Rushton & Company, LLC S & S Trucking, Inc. Salon 4514 & Day Spa Sartain Law Offices Sheila Davis - The Norton Agency Shelby’s Beauty Salon SKF USA Inc. Skitts Mt. Farm Supply Smith, Gilliam, Williams, & Miles Attorneys Sosebee & Britt Orthodontics Southerland Farms Chicken Sausage Southern Companions, LLC Southern Renovation & Roofing, Inc. Specialty Clinics of GA - Orthopaedics, PC Specialty Orthopaedics Surgery Center, LLC Spec-Takular Boutique Springer Mountain Farms State Farm Insurance - Lee Dempsey State Representative Carl Rogers Strickland & Henderson CPA Strickland & Sons Pipeline, Inc. Strickland Funeral Home Syfan Logistics Terri Hulsey Mintz The Little Ladybug The Longstreet Clinic, P.C. The Meat Corral The Monkey Barrel The Pool and Spa Center The Powers Company The Ship Station The Times Three D Cleaners Tipton Construction Co. Total Auto Service, Inc. Tracy & Suzanne Willis Tri-State Waterproofing Solutions, LLC Truelove Tax Turbo Truck Center Turner Johnson Group Financial Services Turner, Wood & Smith Insurance United Community Bank USA Cheers Wauka Mountain Pharmacy Wauka Mt. Farm Wayne & Nancy Colston Weber Dental - WeberFamilyDental.com 770-532-8521 WE-Clean Weezie’s Kitchen Wendell A. Turner, M.D. White Co. Farmers Exchange Wilheit Packaging L.L.C. Williams Family Wilson Orthodontics Woody’s Pharmacy

2012 NORTH HALL HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADER PATRON SPONSORS Al, Martha, and Zack Mize Billy Bell Plumbing Burger & Shake # 6 Captain Billy’s Steak & Seafood Caroline Willis David F. Brown

Davidson Bookkeeping & Tax Service Dr. Bill Morrison Dr. Jody L. Whisenant, OD Dr. Philip Koch Gainesville Dental Supply Insulaire, Inc.

Special thanks to our tournament sponsor

Ivey Furniture J. Geyer Advertising Kathryn & Roland Stroberg Lester’s Body & Paint Shop, Inc. Little’s Lawn Service Martin & Karen Schofield

Paula & Wayne Howser Precise Fit Removables, Inc. Pueblos - Tino Sanchez Richard Evans Truelove Celebrations Wingo Dental Arts, LLC

for providing a Hole-in-One Car

CMYK 10

Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

CHESTATEE HIGH SCHOOL WAR EAGLES

Seeking a strong finish

MOST WANTED

Jordan Degraff Sr. QB/DB 6-0, 155 Returning starter threw and ran for nearly 1,200 total yards and a combined 16 touchdowns last season.

Logan Cates Fr. QB/DB Kelly Arthur Sr. WR/DB Tony Fayson Sr. WR/FS Quan Clark Sr. RB/DB Keith McClure So. WR/DB Austin Holcombe Sr. RB/DB William Fayson Jr. RB/LB Tyler Shields Sr. WR/DB Austin Passmore So. QB/DB Blake Buffington Jr. RB/DB Coleman Wilson Jr. WR/DB Nick Gladmon Sr. WR/DB Wyatt Burgess Jr. QB/DB Jordan Degraff Sr. QB/DB AJ Sijiye So. RB/FS Tommy McCormack Sr. WR/DB Najee Whittle Fr. WR/DB Brandon Thompson Sr. WR/DB Tyree Robertson Jr. WR/FS Jay Lyles Sr. RB/LB Justin Goodall Fr. WR/FS Zac Cheshire Jr. RB/DB Austin Morris Fr. WR/DB Garrett Brader Fr. RB/LB Jaime Arroyo Fr. OL/LB Cody Humphries Jr. TE/DL Khalil Cantrell Jr. TE/DL Rob Minor Jr. TE/DL Manuel Najera Sr. WR/DB/K Tray Bryant So. RB/DB Kyle Perry Sr. TE/LB Noah Baxter Jr. TE/DL Chandler Carroll Jr. OL/LB Ryland Washington Sr. OL/DL Cody Kenimer So. OL/DL Matt Pruitt So. OL/DL Danny Mejia Sr. OL/DL Seth Strickland So. OL/LB Johnathan West Sr. OL/DL Jaime Aguillares Jr. OL/DL Brandon Brechter Jr. OL/DL Sammy Villa So. OL/DL Kevin Caputo Jr. OL/DL Kurt Radford Jr. OL/DL AJ Lariscy Fr. OL/DL TJ Veasley Fr. OL/DL Billy Fulcher Jr. OL/DL Dakota Ivester Fr. OL/DL Mike McNerney Fr. OL/DL Grayson Entrekin Jr. OL/DL Mike Ravan Jr. OL/DL Jose Zamora Jr. K Malik Daniel So. OL/DL Tanner Hinchcliff Fr. OL/DL Nick Probart Fr. OL/DL Brett Anderson So. OL/DL Edgar Amaro Jr. OL/DL Spencer Stover Sr. OL/DL Johious Cantrell Sr. OL/DL Baker McCormack Sr. TE/LB Brandon Cantrell Fr. WR/DB Logan Gruenenfelder So. WR/DB Matthew Nelson Jr. WR/DB Zach Boerger Jr. TE/LB Axl McDonald Jr. OL/DL Austin Hollman Jr. WR/DB Jordan Browning Jr. OL/DL

THE HOMESTEAD Brackett Dr. Antioc h Camp. Rd . d. dis R Sar

Chestatee High

Brandon Thompson

Sr. RB/DB 5-10, 188 Was second on the team in rushing last season with 589 yards and four TDs.

Sr. RB/WR 5-9, 160 Track star led the team in rushing yards last season, but will also catch passes this season.

Kyle Perry

Jay Lyles

Sr. TE/LB 5-10, 210 Perry is the leading tackler returning after registering 82 stops last season as a junior.

Sr. RB/LB 5-10, 170 Lyles teams up with Perry in a unit looking to make up for the loss of Cody Etris.

Experienced War Eagles want more in ’12

2012 ROSTER 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 26 27 29 30 32 33 34 41 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 71 72 74 75 76 77 78 80 82 83 84 86 87 88 99

Quan Clark

N

WAR EAGLE STADIUM Directions: Take Thompson Bridge Road across the bridge and turn left onto Ledan Road.

After about 2 miles, turn left onto Sardis Road. School is on the right.

Parking: On either side of the school.

BY ZAC TAYLOR

ztaylor@gainesvilletimes.com Last year, Chestatee’s season, to an extent, hung in the balance on the fourth game of the season against Monroe Area, the first subregion game of the year.

Chestatee, then 3-0, took the Purple Hurricanes down to the wire before falling 41-35.

In addition to suffering their first loss, the War Eagles would never again in 2011 have fewer than three starters out with an injury, including quarterback Jordan Degraff.

It was the start of a 1-6 finish to the season, revealing a lack of depth.

Chestatee coach Stan Luttrell, along with a group of 16 returning senior starters, is determined to not let that happen again.

So, for the first time in years, a number of War Eagles will play on both sides of the ball, and each player is already practicing both ways, in order to maximize the available talent. And the talent is there to make the kind of run that the team started to make last season, even with the move up to Region 8-AAAA. “We have a lot of (young) guys growing up, and they’re ready for a great year,” said Luttrell, who boasts 18 seniors and “27 or 28” juniors. “These are seniors that got a ton of reps as sophomores.”

And the upperclassmen have the experience to camp out on the field if needed. Luttrell mentioned returning starter and senior quarterback Jordan Degraff as a prime example.

Degraff led the team in interceptions as a sophomore cornerback and then switched to starting quarterback last season.

This season he will once again be behind center, but that may not be his only role.

“We may shift him to corner, safety or punter, whatever we need him to do,” Luttrell said.

“We will make the most of the talent we have.”

passed for 766, accounting for a team-high 16 total touchdowns.

“He definitely knows what we’re looking for,” Luttrell said of his signal caller.

Three of last season’s starting linemen return as well to help block for the experienced backfield, which will need to make up for the loss of 2011 senior running back Montrai Tate’s 448 rushing yards.

Luttrell said the strength of the team is up front on both sides of the ball, and that on offense, the linemen have the size to push back defenses and let the backfield work.

And, while the team certainly likes to run, defenses won’t be able to overlook the wide receivers, led by Kelly Arthur, Tony Fayson and Thompson, who will play running back and receiver.

Offense

Defense

Chestatee returns three of last season’s four top rushers, including the top two in seniors Brandon Thompson and Quan Clark, who combined for over 1,000 yards on the ground.

Luttrell said the backfield will be five or six rushers deep this season, including junior William Fayson, who Luttrell said has the potential to start on offense and defense.

Also returning is Degraff, who ran for 300 yards and

HEAD HONCHO

Times file photo

Chestatee coach Stan Luttrell yells instruction to his players during a game last season.

CHS ROUNDUP Location: Gainesville Coach: Stan Luttrell, 29-32 at Chestatee (7th year); 33-48 overall Region: 8-AAAA Last region title: None Last playoff appearance: 2006

With a number of offensive starters possibly playing defense as well, it’s still very much up in the air as to what the final makeup will be, save that nearly all of the players will be able to help on the defensive side.

Luttrell added that the defensive line, led by nose tackle Spencer Stover and Kalil Cantrell at defensive end, is a strength.

Seniors Kyle Perry (top

returning tackler with 82 last season), Jay Lyles, and Austin Holcombe all return at linebacker.

In the secondary, seniors Nick Gladmon and Tommy McCormack return to help solidify the secondary.

Special teams Last season’s kicking and punting duo of Michael Herrin and Leo Molina, who accounted for all of the field goals and all but five punts, graduated, leaving a void to fill.

Luttrell noted that Degraff could be in the mix on punts, providing the threat of a fake on each play. He said a number of players are competing for the jobs.

Outlook Luttrell said the goal for this senior-laden team is the playoffs, even with the move up in classification. If the War Eagles can start as strong as last season, stay relatively healthy and keep the hot start going into region play, the goal is certainly within reach.

It doesn’t hurt, as the coach noted, that with the realignment, the odds of a top-four finish are much better.

Instead of playing in a 13team region, the next two years there are just nine teams in 8AAAA.

Stan Luttrell Record: 29-32 at Chestatee; 33-48 overall Offensive strategy: Split-back option. “I believe that option football is one of the best ways to move the ball. It’s a great team offense.”

Defensive strategy: 3-5. “The beauty of the 3-5 is that you can have eight men in the box or you can drop eight. It’s a very multiple defense, very versatile.”

HIGH NOON Sept. 21 vs.

Eastside It’s the first region game of the season for Chestatee, which didn’t win a subregion game in 8-AAA in two years in the region. It’s also the school’s first meeting with Eastside, which looks to be one of the new region’s better teams. A win would put the War Eagles on better footing entering the region schedule than they’ve had in awhile.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent NORTH HALL at West Hall EASTSIDE* at Stephens County* at Johnson WALNUT GROVE* LANIER* at Lumpkin County* MONROE AREA* at Madison County*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 leaders

2011 record W W W L L L L L L W

4-6, 0-5 Region 8-AAA North West Hall Johnson Dawson County Monroe Area North Hall Stephens County Franklin County White County Lumpkin County Johnson

41-14 46-13 27-22 41-35 48-7 28-0 41-7 35-0 41-18 28-13

Passing

*Jordan Degraff *Wyatt Burgess

Receiving Yds 766 183

TDs Comp % 8 40 0 38

Rec. 13 4

Yds 213 205

TDs 2 2

Tkl 90 63 82 82 44

TFL 7 2 7 5 2

INT 0 1 0 0 0

Defense

Rushing

*Brandon Thompson *Quan Clark Montrai Tate *Jordan Degraff

*Kelly Arthur *Tony Fayson

Yds 597 589 448 389

TDs 8 4 3 8

Avg. 5.8 5.7 4.7 5.9

Garrett Bennett Justin Spears *Kyle Perry Cody Etris *Jay Lyles

*returning player

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

11

BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL WOLVES MOST WANTED

New cast to carry tradition

BY DAVID MITCHELL

sports@gainesvilletimes.com

Josh Cardiello Sr. OL/DL 6-4, 285 Cardiello, who has committed to the University of Georgia, is ranked the No. 4 center in his class by Scout.com.

Mikey Bart Sr. TE/DL 6-3, 245 The big senior recorded six sacks in 2011 and has received multiple Division-I offers.

Dontravious Wilson Sr. RB/LB 5-11, 215 Wilson was the Wolves’ second leading rusher in 2011.

Four championships in five years.

It doesn’t matter how you slice it, that puts Buford in rare territory in the history of Georgia high school football.

Sure, the Wolves fell short in the 2011 Class AA state title game, but there is no denying the success.

If that success is to continue this season, however, Buford must conquer a new challenge.

The team returns just one starter on offense and only two from a defense that was among the state’s best last season.

Gone are Dillon Lee and Nathan Staub, along with Paris Head, C.J. Moore and Ryan Dillard. Rick LeGrant, too. All graduated.

But it’s still Buford, and coach Jess Simpson is excited about the challenge.

“It’s been back to ground zero is some ways,” he said.

“When you’re replacing 20 starters, you really kind of go back to the basics. Now we’re just kind of developing things fundamentally and setting the foundation.”

Offense Korie Rogers

Jaylen Mize

Jr. TE/LB 6-2, 210 Recorded 53 tackles and eight sacks off the bench as a sophomore.

Sr. WR/DB 5-11, 170 Mize led the team in interceptions as a junior and will be a leader in the secondary in 2012.

HEAD HONCHO Jess Simpson Record: 96-5 at school, 96-15 overall Offensive strategy: I-formation; “Being in the I gives us a physical, downhill offense, and I think it makes the defense more physical, too.”

Defensive strategy: 4-3/3-4; “We work primarily out of the 4-3, but we’ve evolved to be more multiple. I think it challenges our players and helps them grow.”

As always, the offense begins with the running game.

Buford, which works out of the I-formation, will look to get a similar physical, down-hill approach.

Leading rusher Andre Johnson has graduated, but his shoes will be filled by

Dontravious Wilson, who joined the team late last season after transferring in.

Wilson, who has already committed to Western Kentucky, finished last season second on the team in rushing yards with 662 and, in a lot of ways, became a featured part of the offense down the stretch.

“He’s a tailback that’s had a great summer,” Simpson said.

“We’re expecting a lot of good things out of him. He’s a great player.

“And right now, he could be starting both ways.”

Tight end Mikey Bart will be another key piece to the offense, both in the running and passing game as he will be counted on to seal the edge for runners as well as catch passes when the occasion warrants.

“He’s a really talented tight end,” Simpson said. “As a senior I think he could do some really good things for us.”

One change on offense, however, will be on the line, where all but Josh Cardiello graduated.

Nine of the top 10 on the depth chart last year were seniors, so even though the team had plenty of playing time for backups, this year’s starters are still relatively green.

Defense The defense is in a similar boat. Only Jaylen Mize and Bart return to the unit from last season’s juggernaut.

Simpson expects Cardiello and Bart to be strong at defensive end and Mize led the team

in interceptions last season.

But, as Simpson said, the expectations from this defense are no different than in the past.

“You might not know the names, but we won’t look any different,” he said.

Those new faces include Korie Rogers, a junior linebacker who has already received some attention from Division-I schools. Simpson added that Wilson could also win a job at linebacker and play both ways, which he did some in 2011.

“There’s a lot to learn,” Simpson said of the unit. “But I like the parts. By the end of the year, I think it could be really good.”

Special teams David Petroni will be back for his fourth year as the Buford kicker and punter. Simpson said he is currently working about eight guys as return men.

BHS ROUNDUP Location: Buford Coach: Jess Simpson Region: 7-AAA Last region title: 2011 Last playoff appearance: Each year since 1998 Returning starters: 1 on offense, 2 on defense

HIGH NOON Sept. 7 vs. Gainesville Last year, behind an experienced defense, Buford shut down the powerful Gainesville attack for a 49-0 win. But behind quarterback Deshaun Watson, one of the top juniors in the state, the Red Elephants could have a shot for redemption. Buford lost a number of seniors from its 2011 defense, but winning this game could be a sign that Buford is here to stay.

2012 SCHEDULE

Outlook As Simpson indicated, the parts may have changed, but by season’s end, expect it to be the same fine-tuned machine.

Buford has tough games to open the season, at Elbert County and at home against Gainesville. That will be the time to beat Buford.

Once the new starters have gained experience on the field, the Wolves should be back to their winning ways.

They are the favorite in 7-AAA until another team proves otherwise.

Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent at Elbert County GAINESVILLE HANCOCK CENTRAL at Banks County* WEST HALL* at White County* DAWSON COUNTY* FANNIN COUNTY* at East Hall* NORTH HALL*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record W W W W W W W W W W

W W W W L

Blessed Trinity 42-0 Gainesville 49-0 Carver-Columbus 35-7 Yulee (Fla.) 49-7 Therrell 49-0 Lovett 35-7 Decatur 59-14 Clarkston 71-0 GAC 28-0 Blessed Trinity 49-10 Class AA state playoffs Temple 49-13 Jefferson County 31-0 Elbert County 49-13 Carver-Columbus 28-13 Calhoun 27-24 (OT)

2011 leaders

Sam Clay

Passing Yds TDs 1,227 13

Comp % 63

Andre Johnson *Dontravious Wilson Nathan Staub Rick LeGrant

Rushing Yds 1,081 662 488 371

Avg. 8.3 8.4 8.9 16.9

TDs 18 9 10 6

Ryan Dillard Kurt Freitag Nathan Staub

Receiving Rec. 18 19 9

Yds 263 206 191

Andre Johnson Nathan Staub Dillon Lee Paris Head *Jaylen Mize

Defense Tkl 67 63 49 35 23

TFL 7 4 10 1 1

TDs 1 3 3 INT 0 1 0 1 4 *returning player

CMYK 12

Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

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CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

13

ELITE 11

Deshaun Watson Quarterback Gainesville Wanted for: Breaking records willy-nilly.

This year’s Elite 11 brings together a wide variety of players and skill sets. The one thing they have in common: Being a general pain in the neck of opposing coaches.

As a sophomore, Watson set school and county marks last season passing for 3,251 yards and 41 touchdowns while rushing for 1,073 and16 more scores. His performance helped lead the Red Elephants back to the Class AAA state semifinals.

Devonte Benton OL/DL East Hall Wanted for: Wanton disruption of opposing offenses.

The Vikings’ big man is a two-way threat, making his name last season as a junior and helping East Hall win five games for the first time in five years. His coach also touts him as one of the area’s top offensive linemen.

Blake Manning Offensive tackle West Hall Wanted for: Pushing around defensive linmen.

A consistent performer on the field and in the classroom, according to his coach, Manning is the bell cow for the West Hall offensive line. It’s no secret in Northeast Georgia that when the Spartans run, Manning will be leading the way.

Jacob Allen

Fred Payne

Linebacker

Safety

Flowery Branch

Gainesville

Wanted for: Brutish behavior directed toward running backs.

Wanted for: Enforcing his own brand of justice in the defensive backfield.

Allen broke into the starting lineup late in his freshman year and has never left, becoming a focal point in the Falcons defense. He led the team last season with 131 tackles, including 24 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Back for his third year as a starter, Payne emerged as a force for the Red Elephants last season. An aggressive, physical presence, the 180-pound senior racked up 133 tackles last season.

Bryant Shirreffs Quarterback Jefferson

Tyler Dominy Quarterback Dawson County

Wanted for: Presenting a dual threat to opposing defenses.

Wanted for: Torching defensive backfields across Northeast Georgia.

A three-year starter as the Dragons’ signal caller, Shirreffs showed the ability to do it all last season. He threw for nearly 1,900 yards and 19 scores while completing over 60 percent of his passes, and backed it up with 400 rushing yards and 9 more TDs.

The leader of the Tigers’ balanced offense, Dominy made strides last season and is poised to make more this fall. As a junior in 2011, he passed for 1,890 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his throws.

Cedric Harris

Josh Cardiello

Running back

Center

Johnson

Buford

Wanted for: Running roughshod over opponents.

Wanted for: Blantant intimidation of defensive tackles.

Harris has ranked among the area’s top rushers in back-to-back seasons, topping 1,400 yards last season at a 6.4-yard-per-carry clip. Expect more of the same as the Knights build their triple-option offense around the skills of their talented senior.

The senior is one of the few returning starters for the Wolves this season, but his this 285-pounder anchoring the offensive line, don’t expect too much of a dip in Buford’s run-heavy offense.

Considered one of the top centers in the nation, Cardiello is committed to the University of Georgia.

Noel Padmore Cornerback Flowery Branch Wanted for: Rustling passes intended for opposing receivers.

Padmore made a splash in 2011, his junior season, logging 42 tackles, intercepting a pair of passes and starring in the secondary for the Falcons. In the process, he drew the attention of college recruiters and is sitting on a handful of Division-I offers.

Darius Curry Athlete Flowery Branch Wanted for: Locking down receivers.

Stepping out of the shadow of his older brother C.J. (now at Oklahoma State), Curry has established his own reputation as one of the state’s best defensive backs. Darius is also committed to the Cowboys, but before he gets to Stillwater, he’ll be called on in a multitude of roles this season for the Falcons.

CMYK 14

Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL KNIGHTS

Primed for improvement

MOST WANTED

Cedric Harris Sr. RB/LB 6-1, 202 Was one of the best backs in the area last season with 1,430 yards rushing, and a leader on the Knights’ defense.

2012 ROSTER 1 2 3 4 7 8 10 11 12 14 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 31 33 36 40 41 42 43 44 45 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 59 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 72 74 75 77 78 79 81 88

Juan Soto RB/DB So. Luis Hernandez RB/DB Jr. Jake Millwood RB/DB Fr. Michael Bookwalter RB/LB Jr. Chase Sims QB/DB So. Paul Barker QB/DB Sr. Dre Johnson WR/DB Fr. Victor Kowalke WR/DB Jr. Eric Gallardo QB/DB Fr. Isaiah Torres RB/DB Fr. Joel Frayle WR/DB Sr. Efren Lopez WR/DB Jr. AJ Millwood RB/LB Sr. Jamison Owens WR/LB Jr. Jose Martinez TE/LB Sr. Jesse Griggs FB/DL So. Jordan Green FB/LB Jr. Orion Pittman QB/DB Fr. Brice Orr WR/DL Fr. Kyree Willis WR/DB Fr. Cedric Harris RB/LB Sr. Isaac Cooper WR/LB Sr. Kenny Stephens FB/LB Fr. Cameron Josey WR/DB Fr. Canaan Johnson WR/DL Fr. Issac Henry K Fr. Armando Camacho WR/LB Fr. Francisco Euyoque WR/DB So. Brandon Berry WR/DB Fr. Collin Young WR/DB Fr. Sergio Aguilera OL/DL Fr. Ricky Bui OL/LB Fr. OL/LB Fr. Eliezer Vasquez Lyric Bright OL/DL Sr. Mason Borders OL/DL Sr. John Averils OL/DL Sr. Orlando Romero OL/DL So. Roman Guerrero OL/LB So. Killian Brown OL/DL Fr. Daniel Erazo OL/DL Fr. Andrew Temple WR/DL Fr. Raymundo Hernandez OL/DL So. Bernardo Plascencia OL/DL So. Pedro Estrada OL/DL So. Jose Castillo OL/DL Sr. Candido Huizar OL/DL Jr. Caleb Herrin OL/DB Jr. Miguel Gallaga OL/DL So. Jordan Randolph OL/DL Fr. Devin McClay OL/DL Jr. George Plascencia OL/DL Fr. Steve Rodriguez OL/DL Jr. Jake Bowers WR/DL Fr. Chase Frazier WR/LB Fr.

THE HOMESTEAD Atl ant aH wy.

N

R.W. Johnson Dr.

Johnson High d gs R . rin p rS pla Po

BILLY ELLIS MEMORIAL Directions: Take Interstate 985 to Exit 17, turn left on Mundy Mill Road. Then turn left onto Ga. Highway 13, followed by a right onto Poplar Springs Road.

School is 1/4 mile on the left.

Parking: Behind the gym and to the right on the athletic fields access road.

AJ Millwood

Jose Martinez

Sr. RB/LB 5-9, 185 Johnson’s secondleading running back ran for over 700 yards as a junior in 2011.

Sr. TE/LB 6-1, 212 Led the Knight with nine tackles for loss and a pair of sacks last season.

Knights, new coach learning on the fly

BY ZAC TAYLOR

ztaylor@gainesvilletimes.com

Mason Borders Steve Rodriguez Sr. OL/DL 6-2, 315 Part of an O-line that will be a key to how effective the running game is this season.

Before most high school football teams in the state hit the gridiron for their first regular season game, the Johnson High football team will have already been tested.

The Knights, under first-year head coach Jason Roquemore, are kicking off the 2012 season on Aug. 24 at home against West Hall in the annual Battle of Oakwood.

That means that Roquemore, hired in June after the departure of previous coach Paul Friel, has had to do a lot of work in a hurry to evaluate the team and install new systems.

He’s starting to see the results of that work.

“We have a pretty good idea about where our guys are going to fit,” said Roquemore, who coached previously at North Cobb Christian. “And we want to continue to build on that as we move forward.”

Offense The coach said he’s very encouraged about the play of his offensive line so far in practice, which is important for a team looking to run the double slot offense, similar to that of Georgia Tech.

Mason Borders, John Avery and Lyrick Bright are the three leaders of the line, according to Roquemore, and he expects them to be able to open up holes for an already talented backfield that includes two returning starters who rushed for more than 2,000 yards combined last season.

Senior Cedric Harris (1,430 yards rushing in 2011) is one of the top running backs in the area and will play in the fullback position in the new offense.

“Cedric is by far the leader of the group, but we have three or four running backs who are very talented,” Roquemore said.

The others include senior AJ Millwood, who ran for 714 yards last season and will be one of the two slot backs this season along with junior Michael Bookwalter.

The leading candidate at quarterback is senior Paul Barker, trying take over for 2011 starter Justin Thompson.

The new Knights quarterback will also have a few talented wide receivers to throw to when he drops back.

Roquemore mentioned junior Jamison Owens as one of the top receivers available.

Jr. OL/DL 5-8, 285 An All-Region 8-AAA selection at nose tackle last season as a sophomore.

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Jason Roquemore Record: 0-0 (1st year as a head coach) Offensive Strategy: Double slot. “It really makes our kids focus on execution.”

Defensive Strategy: 3-4. “It matches up very well with our current personnel.”

Times file photo

HIGH NOON

Johnson’s AJ Millwood looks for running room during last year’s game at Chestatee.

Aug. 24 vs.

West Hall

JHS ROUNDUP Location: Oakwood Coach: Jason Roquemore Region: 8-AAAA (Playing a non-region schedule) Last region title: None Last playoff appearance: 2004 Returning starters: On offense 7, on defense 5

Defense Roquemore is pleased with the way the front seven has looked so far.

On the line, the story has been sophomore Jesse Griggs.

“He’s just been unbelievable,” the coach said.

“Really fun to watch. A great motor.”

He will also be joined by a 2011 All-Region selection in junior Steve Rodriguez.

Linebacker could be the most talented unit on the field with last season’s top two tacklers in Harris and senior Jose Martinez, who Roquemore said is an emotional leader, returning. They will be joined

by Millwood, who played in the secondary last season.

This season the secondary is the most wide open area of the team, with a group of young Knights in open competition for all positions.

The coach mentioned freshmen Dre Johnson and Orion Pittman, along with junior Luis Hernandez, as a few of the

better players in the mix for starting spots.

Special teams Freshman Isaac Henry and junior Efren Lopez are battling for the kicking duties this season.

As for the return game, Roquemore said he is evaluating a number of his secondary players as possibilities, and will also look into using Harris at times to provide a serious special teams threat.

Outlook The competition will look a little different this season with Johnson playing a non-region schedule, although the Knights still have four Hall County opponents on the schedule.

There are also a number of opportunities for Johnson to drastically improve on last season’s 0-10 record, starting with the early date against West Hall, a team the Knights lost to 35-21 last season.

Two teams with two new head coaches will meet at Johnson High — a week before most teams around the state start the season — for the annual Battle of Oakwood. Both will be looking for a better start than the year before, as the Knights lost all 10 of last season’s games and the Spartans opened 0-4. Last season, at West Hall, the Spartans won 35-21.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 24 Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Oct. 5 Oct. 13 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 9

Opponent WEST HALL OGLETHORPE COUNTY at North Hall NORTH MURRAY at East Hall CHESTATEE at Clarkston DRUID HILLS at Pickens TBD Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record L L L L L L L L L L

0-10, 0-5 Region 8-AAA South Jackson County 20-12 East Hall 41-17 Chestatee 46-13 Lumpkin County 30-21 Gainesville 47-0 West Hall 35-21 Walnut Grove 29-14 Oconee County 35-8 Monroe Area 21-0 Chestatee 28-13

2011 leaders Passing

Justin Thomson

Receiving Yds 231

Rushing

*Cedric Harris *AJ Millwood Justin Thomson

Yds 1,430 714 283

Avg. 6.4 6.1 3.8

Comp% 25

*Paul Barker *AJ Millwood

Rec. 5 2

Yds 42 32

Defense

Tkl *Cedric Harris 74 *Jose Martinez 72 *Steve Rodriguez 56 Justin Thomson 32

TFL 7 9 3 2

INT 1 0 0 3

*returning player

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

15

RIVERSIDE MILITARY ACADEMY EAGLES

Seeking return to form

MOST WANTED

Collin Pettell Jr. QB 6-4, 220 Strong leader for the Eagles at quarterback with valuable experience gained as a sophomore last season.

Montana Ogbu John-Mark MacFarlane OLB 6-0, 190 Sr. Covers good range at linebacker and should make plenty of tackles for the Eagles.

OL/MLB 5-11, 190 Jr. Scrappy player who can hold his own in the trenches.

Gage Bolden

Adrian Humphrey

RB/DB 5-10 160 Sr. Not afraid to throw his body around and make plays for the Eagles.

Eagles hoping to bring back glory days

ATH 5-10, 170 Sr. Versatile player who can help the Eagles in a variety of ways.

BY BILL MURPHY

bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Gary Downs Record: 0-0 at school, 0-0 overall Offensive strategy: Multiple I-formation: If you’re not large across the line of scrimmage, if creates advantageous blocking angles, and is a system that can be learned quicker by the players.”

Defensive strategy: Multiple: It allows us to put pressure on the other offense, even with smaller players.”

HIGH NOON Sept. 7 vs.

Whitefield Academy After a bad 2011, a win in the season opener would go a long way to forgetting the past and opening the Gary Downs era as Eagles coach on a positive note. Even though Riverside cadets didn’t report to campus until Aug. 10, meaning a late start to practice, they have an extra week before opening the season at Maginnis Field. The Eagles have two nonregion games to start the season before playing seven of the final eight games in Region 8-AA.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent WHITEFIELD ACADEMY at Georgia Military at Washington-Wilkes* at Oglethorpe County* RABUN COUNTY* at Union County* at Social Circle* GLASCOCK COUNTY at Jefferson* GREENE COUNTY*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

One of the biggest blessings for first-year Riverside Military coach Gary Downs may be a bye week right away on Aug. 31.

While most programs would despise having to use their coveted week off without having played a single game, Downs looks at it as another week to get his players at the private military school on the same page. Since Riverside Military (1-9 in 2011) doesn’t open the season until a game against Whitefield Academy on Sept.

7 at Maginnis Field, that gives Downs almost exactly a month to work with players from the time they reported to campus.

“I’m excited,” said Downs, who expects to have between 40-50 players this season.

“We’ve had a good summer of preparation. “My biggest goal right away is to restore the pride in the program and lay the groundwork for expectations.”

Right away, Downs, an assistant coach at Riverside Military from 2003-06, sees some bright spots. He’ll have some size on the offensive line, good numbers in the backfield for his run-first offense and some good athletes on the perimeter to throw to.

However, he knows not to ride the roller coaster of emotions too hard when he sees some good athletes that may enroll. Just as soon as he has two players that enroll at Riverside Military, just as many may leave the next day who he was previously counting on playing in the fall.

Final football numbers will not be intact until school at Riverside Military starts at the end of the month.

Offense

Riverside defenders take down an opposing ball carrier during a game last season

RMA ROUNDUP Location: Gainesville Coach: Gary Downs Region: 8-AA North Last region title: 2006 Last playoff appearance: 2009 Returning starters: 4 on offense, 5 on defense

the table. Again, he’ll let them battle it out during practice to see which is ready to take the starting job.

Riverside Military’s new coach expects to run an offense that starts out of the I-formation, but will gladly change it if it doesn’t suit his personnel.

Wide receiver is a position that Downs believes will be a particular strength. His three top candidates to catch the ball are Spencer Jackson and Ike Onwuanaibe at wide receiver and 220-pound junior Matt Jones at tight end.

On the offensive line, Downs plans to start Ben White (6-foot4, 285 pounds) at left tackle, Harrison Summerhour at left guard, John-Mark MacFarlane at center, Taylor Hardin (6-2, 245) at right guard and Tucker Browning (6-4, 315) at right tackle.

Defense The defensive line for the Eagles has Gabe Frazier at nose tackle, and White and Browning at defensive end. Downs will have three of his most athletic players at linebacker with Montana Ogbu and Summerhour on the outside, and MacFarlane at middle linebacker (53 tackles in 2011).

James Lovett and Bolden will also see playing time at middle linebacker. Michael Hilton will play at outside linebacker.

In the secondary, Austin Smith and Jackson are the Eagles’ two starters at cornerback. Anthony Reyes and Weschler will start at safety.

Special teams Handling kick- and puntreturn duties for Riverside Military will be Humphrey and Onwuanaibe.

Olanrewja Shitta-Bey will be the Eagles’ kicker and Jonanthan Davis will punt.

Outlook Downs knows that restoring Riverside Military’s football program will be a work in progress. However, he knows that the school has potential to be as successful, once again, as when it was contending yearly for state titles in the Georgia Independent Schools Association, during his first stint at the school.

Riverside Military’s new coach says that winning just one game again this season would be an unequivocal failure. He says that winning five games in 2012 would be a feasible goal. To do so, they’ll have to pick up a few region victories in the Eagles’ new setup in Region 8-AA. “Maybe I’m overly optimistic,” Downs said. “So much depends on the players.”

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY L L L L L W L L L L

1-9, 1-5 Region 8-A Pinecrest Academy Lumpkin County Banks County Landmark Christian George Walton Academy Social Circle Commerce Athens Christian Athens Academy Prince Avenue Christian

21-14 50-0 21-0 65-0 42-6 21-0 42-0 35-7 44-6 48-25

Passing

*Collin Pettell

THE HOMESTEAD Riverside Military Academy

L Wa ake rne rR d.

N

2011 leaders

2011 record

1. Christopher Howard Jr. 2. Stephen Weschler Jr. 3. Adrian Humphrey Jr. 4. Gage Bolden Sr. 5. Spencer Jackson Sr. 6. JeJuan McCalston Fr. 7. Collin Pettell Jr. 8. Montana Ogbu Sr. 9. James Lovett Sr. 10. Hamza Krisne Sr. 11. Akshar Patel Sr. 12. Austin Smith Sr. 14. Austin Prease Sr. 15. Ike Onwuanaibe Sr. 18. Vladimir Timokhin Sr. 21. Olanrewaju Shitta-Bey Sr. 22. Joseph Garuba Fr. 23. Phillip Sheffield Sr. 24. Anthony Sweatt So. 25. Michael Hilton Sr. 26. Mosope Shonekan Jr. 27. Merritt Wilburn So. 30. Richard Hendricks So. 31. Christopher Rosato Fr. 32. Avial Davidi Sr. 33. David Cannon Jr. 35. Drew Parker So. 37. Adam Turner So. 41. Rigney Hoffman Fr. 44. Brandon Grant Fr. 45. Jonathan Burris So. 48. Matthew Jones So. 50. Steven Hamilton Jr. 53. Theodore Ricker Fr. 55. John-Mark MacFarlane Jr. 56. Gabe Frazier Sr. 59. Jeremy Brown So. 62. Alyn Bass So. 68. Peniel Okonkwo So. 69. Conner Johnson Sr. 72. Harrison Summerhour Jr. 73. Nicolas Gasparro Sr. 74. Taylor Hardin So. 75. Shaquille Wallace Sr. 77. Tyler White Jr. 80. Anthony Reyes Sr. 81. Michael Schouest Fr. 82. Taylor Guidry Fr. 83. Aaron Wilson Fr. 84. Jacob Whitten So. 87. Justin Genes Sr. 88. Taron Robinson So. 90. Stephen Johnson So. 95. Tucker Browning Sr. 97. Christopher McAteer So. 99. Michael Tucker Sr.

Rive r s ide Dr.

Riverside Military will have options at the quarterback position. Downs plans to try returning starter Collin Pettell, Stephen Weschler and Christopher Howard to see what they can do under center.

Last year, Pettell threw for 883 yards and seven touchdowns, but completed only 41 percent of his throws.

“Pettell is bigger and stronger,” Downs said. “But the other two (Weschler and Howard) are more athletic.”

At running back, Downs feels pleased with the skills that Gage Bolden, Joseph Garuba and Adrian Humphrey bring to

Times file photo

2012 ROSTER

Receiving Yds 883

TDs Comp % 7 41

Rushing

Yds Marlan Edwards 115 Bre’Yon Thomas 62

TDs 2 0

Avg. 4.3 2.1

Rec. *Adrian Humphrey 11 Victor Salcido 17

Yds 252 215

TDs 1 13

Defense

*John-Mark McFarlane Marlan Edwards Ian Parvin-Asher David Bookrum

Tkl TFL 53 3 44 3 28 0 23 2

INT 0 0 0 0

*returning player

MAGINNIS FIELD Directions: Travel north on US129 and turn left onto Riverside Drive. Stadium is 1 mile on the right.

Parking: Available in front of the stadium and in the real lot adjacent to the stadium.

CMYK 16

Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

LAKEVIEW ACADEMY LIONS

Lions ready to roar

MOST WANTED

Trevor Price Sr. RB/LB 5-10, 165 Relentless competitor for the Lions who will be counted on to handle the bulk of the carries in their triple-option attack.

2012 ROSTER David Abee Patrick Avery Paul Avery Eric Baldwin Chris Ball Logan Barwick Anderson Cagle Chance Calderhead Michael Chosewood James Corbitt John Cox Dalton Deavers David Fadool Caleb Faulkner Mason Goodroe Matthew Hayes Nick Henderson Ramsey Hill Drake Hollander Jarrett Huge Will Kendrick Kyle Larsen Joel Larson Jack Lipold JT McClung Gabe McConnell Mitchell McIntire Alex Oliver Hunter Oliver Parker Oliver Thomas Paris Carter Pinson Trevor Price Ted Reynolds Carter Ross Matthew Sartor Connor Sosebee Jackson Strickland Chase Unger

WR/DB 10 TE/LB 11 OL/DL 11 OL/DL 12 RB/LB 10 RB/DB 9 WR/DB 9 WR/DB 11 WR/DB 9 FB/LB 10 WR/DB 12 OL/DL 12 OL/DL 11 FB/LB 12 OL/DL 9 RB/DL 12 TE/LB 12 OL/DL 12 RB/LB 11 WR/LB 12 OL/DL 12 OL/DL 10 WR/DL 12 OL/DL 10 OL/DL 11 RB/LB 9 OL/DL 10 OL/DL 12 OL/DL 12 QB/LB 10 WR/DB 12 FB/LB 12 RB/LB 12 QB/DB 12 RB/LB 12 OL/DL 9 OL/DL 9 RB/DB 11 OL/DL 11

THE HOMESTEAD Lake view Dr .

Lakeview Academy rly ve Be

y. kw eP on est Lim

N

Lakeview touts experience, momentum

BY BILL MURPHY

Offense Gruhn is sticking with his bread-and-butter triple-option attack this season. He feels like it fits his personnel great, too, with the return of senior Trevor Price in the backfield, along with Carter Ross and junior Jackson Strickland to help share the carries.

“We love the triple option

Carter Ross

Sr. QB/DB 6-1, 160 Four-year player for the Lions who displays great leadership skills on the field.

Sr. QB/LB 6-2, 205 Tough, hardnosed player who is always around the football, Gruhn says.

Alex Oliver

John Cox

Sr. DL/OL 6-1, 210 A leader up front who moves fast and is able to pave a running lane for the ground game.

Sr. WR/DB 6-0, 180 A great playmaker in the secondary for the Lions. Led the team with five INTs last season.

LA ROUNDUP

bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com Lakeview Academy coach Matthew Gruhn hopes that a greatly expanded roster will lead to even more success than the Lions’ back-to-back 4-4 seasons.

The Lions open the season with a 39-man roster, 13 more than the year before, which makes it easier to go two deep without much of a drop-off along the line of scrimmage.

This season, Lakeview also has its most experienced team with 17 seniors, all of which logged varsity action last season. The starters will also look much the same as 10 return on defense and nine on offense.

Gruhn says the true test this season will come when they have to respond to adversity.

“If this group can stay together, I feel like they can be a special group,” Gruhn said.

“Hopefully, they’ll be able to live up to the excitement that the program has created in the school.”

Gruhn noticed that the tide started to turn early last season when the Lions pulled together a game-winning drive in the final two minutes against Hebron Christian after dropping their first three games of the season.

Now, the Lions have pieced together back-to-back .500 seasons with hopes of their first winning campaign in 2012.

Ted Reynolds

Location: Gainesville Coach: Matthew Gruhn; 10-23 at school, 10-23 overall Region: 8-A (non-region schedule) Last region title: None Last playoff appearance: None Returning starters: 9 on offense, 10 on defense

because it’s such an unselfish offense,” Gruhn said. “Everyone has to do their part right to make it work.”

The man under center this season for the Lions will be senior Ted Reynolds, who Gruhn says has great leadership abilities and a hunger for the team to be successful.

At wide receiver, a group consisting of John Cox, Jarrett Huge, Joel Larson and Thomas Paris will see most of the playing time.

Lakeview’s offensive line is not very big, but athletic enough to make the triple option work. The Lions’ biggest lineman is center Ramsey Hill (5-foot-11, 220). Offensive tackles are Chase Unger (180 pounds) on the left side, and Eric Baldwin and JT McClung on the right side.

Gruhn will be able to rotate his guards regularly with Kyle Larsen, Hunter Oliver and Paul Avery seeing most of the playing time.

Baldwin is the smallest of the offensive lineman at 160 pounds, but Gruhn considers him also one of the best.

“We’ll be able to play a twoplatoon across the line,” Gruhn said. “That’s good to keep kids from having to play the entire game without a break.”

Defense Just like the rest of the field, Lakeview is experienced on the defensive front. Will Kendrick

(6-0, 280) is back in the middle with Matt Hayes at the other tackle spot. Alex Oliver and Joel Larson are the two outside linemen.

Linebackers are also veteran with Price (75 tackles in 2011), Carter Ross and Caleb Faulkner set to receive the majority of the playing time.

In the secondary, Cox is returning after leading the Lions with five interceptions last season and Reynolds is back at the other cornerback spot. Safeties are Paris and Carter Pinson.

HEAD HONCHO

Special teams

Matthew Gruhn

Price will handle the kickand punt-return duties for the Lions. Larsen is slated to punt, while Chance Calderhead will do the placekicking.

Record: 10-23 at school, 10-23 overall Offensive strategy: Triple Option; “We certainly like the triple option based on the fact that we don’t have to block everybody. We don’t have to have big, stud linemen or anything like that. We feel like it’s a neutralizer that gives teams a chance to compete against bigger teams. Plus, we love it. It’s an unselfish offense. And it’s kind of what we pride ourselves on.”

Defensive strategy: 4-4: It’s the thing that best fits our personnel. We kind of adjust it every year based on the people we have coming back and their strengths. It’s more personnel than scheme.”

Outlook The key for Lakeview Academy will be getting out to a good start. In 2010 and 2011, the Lions dropped three of the first four games, but still broke even for the season at 4-4. If they can start fast, a winning record is within reason for Lakeview with North Cobb Christian and Towns County, two teams they beat in each of the last two years, at the end of the schedule.

A winning record would be a big step for Lakeview, which hopes to make the jump into a region schedule in the near future.

.

Rd

JOCK HORNER FIELD Directions: From downtown Gainesville, take Green Street and follow US-129 North. Take a right onto Lakeview Drive. The school is less than 1 mile agead on the left.

Parking: Lots available throughout campus.

HIGH NOON Sept. 28 vs.

Athens Academy Winners of three straight to close the 2011 season, the Lions hope to build on that momentum by starting the new season 3-0. Doing so would put them in position to make a statement against the Spartans at Jock Horner Field. With a win, Lakeview Academy could certainly send a signal to the rest of Region 8-A that they are legitimate, even though the program is still playing a nonregion schedule. The last time these two played, the Lions kept it respectable, losing 28-7 in 2009.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2

Opponent FELLOWSHIP CHRIST. at Hebron Christian at Pinecrest Academy ATHENS ACADEMY at Cross Keys at St. Francis N. COBB CHRISTIAN TOWNS COUNTY Home games in CAPS

Times file photo

A group of Lakeview defender swarm over a Prince Avenue ball carrier during a game last season.

The Lions return 10 starters on defense from a team that won three straight and four of its last five games to close out 2011.

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 leaders

2011 record L L L W L W W W

4-4 overall Fellowship Christian King’s Ridge Christian Prince Avenue Hebron Christian River Ridge North Cobb Christian Georgia Military Towns County

6-0 13-3 42-7 10-7 28-21 49-21 14-7 21-0

Rushing

Matt Askounis *Trevor Price

Defense Yds 430 260

TDs 6 2

Avg. NA NA

*Trevor Price

Tkl 75

TFL 10

INT NA

*returning player

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

17

DAWSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS

Time to step forward

MOST WANTED

Tyler Dominy Sr. QB 6-4, 178 Dominy, who passed for 18 touchdowns as a junior, returns with a better grasp of the offense to lead a veteran offense.

Zack Martin

Bruce Clark

Sr. RB/LB 5-11, 225 Martin leads the ground game after notching 1,201 yards as a junior last season.

Sr. WR/DB 6-4, 210 The main threat in the passing game, Clark accounted for about a third of Dominy’s yards.

2012 ROSTER

With talented seniors, Tigers talking playoffs

BY DAVID MITCHELL

sports@gainesvilletimes.com

Jackson Putnam Cody Smith Jr. DB/QB 6-0, 175 Putnam is back after leading the team in tackles and interceptions last season.

Sr. RB/LB 5-10, 210 The leader of the LB corps, Smith was second on the team in tackles last season.

HEAD HONCHO

Jeff Lee Record: 35-56 at Dawson County, 89127 overall Offensive strategy: Hybrid Wing-T; “We have a lot of weapons this year, and it allows us to get the ball to our speed guys. There are a lot of weapons we want to get the ball to.”

Defensive strategy: Multiple 4-4; “We’re able to do more in coverage. We’ve got a lot of athleticism returning, and it should give us a good chance to succeed.”

HIGH NOON Sept. 28 vs. North Hall One could easily circle the opener against East Hall as the Tigers’ biggest game this season, as it will set the tone for a team trying to make its mark in a new region. But the home game against the Trojans will kick off six straight games in region play for Dawson County. Both teams should compete for a playoff spot, and a successful game here could set the Tigers up for a good run.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 24 Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent EAST HALL* at Lumpkin County NORTH FORSYTH at Forsyth Central NORTH HALL* at Banks County* at Buford* WHITE COUNTY* at Fannin County* at West Hall*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

It’s not often that a 5-5 season can be followed with such high expectations, but that’s the case for Dawson County in 2012.

The Tigers struggled out of the gate last season, going 1-3 in their first four games, but a 4-2 finish and a slew of returning starters have the players and coaches expecting big things.

Seventeen starters return and coach Jeff Lee can already see the benefits of experience.

“It almost feels like we’re cheating,” he said. “We practice, and the experience level allows us to add more on to what we’re doing. The players understand things early, so we finish up early and can add more to it.”

Top performers from both sides of the ball are back, improved and eager to build on the team’s 3-1 finish last season.

Times file photo

Dawson County running back Zack Martin takes a hand off from quarterback Tyler Dominy during a recent practice. Martin and Dominy are expected to lead the Tigers offense after each posted big numbers as juniors last fall.

DCHS ROUNDUP

Offense It’s hard to decide who the most important returning piece is to this offense.

Zack Martin, who led the team with 1,201 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing last season, is back for his senior season and will be a focal point of the offense.

Meanwhile, quarterback Tyler Dominy, who was impressive with 18 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions, returns, and he’ll have top receiving target Bruce Clark to throw to as well.

Add to that the fact that the team lost only one starter from the offensive line, and it’s hard to find a weakness.

“It’s a special group,” Lee said. “We’ve got a good group of juniors behind them, too. I don’t know how good we’ll be outside of practice, but from where we are now, this is the best team we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

The key will be how the team evolves.

Sure, it has almost its entire starting lineup back for the 2012 season, but it also won just five games a season ago.

Lee said he sees the improvement, but it will be important that his team continues to progress.

Speaking about his quarterback, Lee said he wants to see continued leadership under center.

“We’d like him to evolve as a leader,” he said. “In the past, maybe he’s gotten down when a receiver drops a pass, and we’ll ask what he’s supposed to do. Then he’ll go over and talk with them. Being a leader and

Location: Dawsonville Coach: Jeff Lee Region: 7-AAA Last region title: Never Last playoff appearance: 2004 Returning starters: Offense 9, Defense 8

leading by example out on the field is a big thing for a quarterback.”

Martin’s success on the ground, which figures to improve given the experience on the line, could help Dominy progress in the passing game as well.

Defense The defensive performance in the first and second halves of 2011 was night and day for Dawson County.

A key example: The Tigers allowed 42 to Jefferson in the third game of the season, but allowed just 21 to the Dragons in the final game of the season.

“By the end of the season, we were still allowing about three scores each game, but you didn’t see the big numbers like earlier in the year,” Lee said.

He’s looking for the progress to carry over into 2012. Like on offense, it’s the experience and knowledge that is helping the most.

“Any time you get a bunch of kids back, you’ve got a lot of experience,” Lee said. “We have a lot of guys that didn’t start, but got a lot of playing time. Just being able to say they’ve already done this and know these things, that helps a bunch.”

Lee expects more production in coverage this year from

senior Will Anglin and junior Jackson Putnam. Cody Smith and Cale Tallant should bring the pressure up front.

The hurdle Lee thinks this unit needs to clear is consistency.

“That’s the biggest thing,” he said. “In our first scrimmage, we ripped the defense offensively. The next night, the defense dominated. We just need to see the defense be a little more consistent as we go forward.”

Special teams Max Muldoon will return as kicker for his third season. He had never played until ninth grade, but is now comfortable from 35-40 yards out. Colton Chester will handle the punts.

Dawson County was strong defensively on special teams last year, recording a number of blocked kicks and punts.

Outlook It’s hard to predict an outcome for the Tigers in 2012. The pieces appear to be in place for a special season, but difficult competition still remains. If, as Lee said, the team can continue to build consistency, one of the top two seeds in the region is certainly within reach.

W L L L W L W W W L

5-5, 4-1 Region 8-AA North Pickens Gilmer Jefferson Chestatee Fannin County Banks County Union County East Hall Rabun County Jefferson

56-35 26-20 42-14 27-22 35-30 19-14 22-19 49-7 41-17 21-10

Passing

*Tyler Dominy

Yds TDs Comp % 1,890 18 62

*Zack Martin *Cody Smith *Will Anglin

Rec. 53 27 13 15

Defense

Yds 637 374 260 245

TDs 10 3 2 1

Allen St.

Perimeter Rd.

N

Dawson County High 53

Rushing

Receiving

*Bruce Clark *Will Anglin *Chris Sayler *Zach Martin

9

9

2011 leaders

WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB QB WR/DB QB/DB LB QB DB QB/DB TE/DE RB/LB PK RB/DB RB/DB LB RB/DB RB/DB TE/DL RB/LB RB/LB LB WR/DB RB/LB RB/LB RB/DB RB/LB RB/LB RB/DB RB/LB TE/LB TE/DL LB OL/DL OL/DL LB OL/DL OL/DL DL DL OL/DL DL LB OL DL OL OL OL/DL OL/DL OL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL OL/DL OL OL OL DL OL/DL OL OL/DL WR/DB OL/DL TE/LB WR TE/DL WR DL DL

THE HOMESTEAD 53

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record

2 Mitchell Putnam Sr. 3 Dalton Edwards So. 4 Chris Sayler Jr. 5 Tyler Dominy Sr. 7 Will Anglin Sr. 8 Brodie Chester Fr. 9 Cole Knight Sr. 10 Zach Buchan So. 11 Brandon Seay Sr. 12 Jackson Putnam Jr. 14 Colton Chester Jr. 16 Zack Martin Sr. 20 Max Muldoon Jr. 24 Levi Whitmire So. 25 Cole Hoppal Fr. 26 Justin Sams Sr. 27 Lane Venters Jr. 29 Zach Guy Jr. 30 Jessie Mitchell Fr. 31 Cody Lamar Jr. 32 Keaton Toal Jr. 33 Scott Zadernak Jr. 34 Quade Buytendorp So. 36 Logan Hurst Fr. 37 Richard Palmer So. 40 Brendan Lillie So. 41 Corey Voyles So. 42 Conor Woodbury Fr. 43 Max Currier Fr. 44 Cody Smith Sr. 45 Logan Hayes Jr. 46 Trey Maciolek Fr. 49 Kyle Hayes So. 50 Matt Hammond Sr. 51 Chase Wilson Jr. 52 Justin King Jr. 53 Cameron Hudson Fr. 54 Harley Vaughan Sr. 55 Blake McDaniel Sr. 56 Cale Tallant Sr. 57 Corbin Thomas So. 58 Christian Hebert Sr. 59 JP King Sr. 60 Joseph Conowal Fr. 61 Ty Williams So. 62 Matt Holton So. 64 Mason Bennett Jr. 65 Anthony Antoun So. 66 Levi Samples Sr. 67 Trent White Sr. 68 Cole Smith So. 69 Beau Cooper Fr. 70 AJ Manor Fr. 71 Zack Lane Jr. 72 James Holton So. 73 Jacob Wilkie Sr. 74 Kaine Barnes Jr. 75 Tristan Reed Jr. 76 Cole Waters Sr. 77 Brenden Capps Fr. 78 Eli Brown Jr. 79 Isaac Rice Jr. 80 Bruce Clark Sr. 81 Duncan Kobar Fr. 82 Brandon Munkis Fr. 83 Brenden Fitzgerald Sr. So. 85 Brett Whalen 87 Eric Leonard Jr. 93 Chris Reed So. 99 Brandon Tenorio Jr.

Yds 1,201 201 145

Tkl *Jackson Putnam 64.5 *Cody Smith 52.5 Evan Kells 44.5 *Cale Tallant 31

TDs 17 1 0

Avg. 5.6 5.2 4.1

TFL 0 1 2 2

INT 3 2 0 0

*returning player

TIGER STADIUM Directions: From downtown Gainesville, take Ga. Hwy 53 past Ga. Hwy 400 and take a right onto Perimeter Road. The school is on the right.

Parking: In the student lot by the stadium.

CMYK Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

18

JACKSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL PANTHERS

Harrison inherits hungry group JCCHS ROUNDUP Location: Jefferson Coach: Benji Harrison Region: 8-AAA North Last region title: Never Last playoff appearance: 1992 Returning starters: 6 on offense, 6 on defense

HIGH NOON Sept. 28 vs. North Oconee With only one home game after September, the Panthers need to wrap up the month with a solid showing against the defending Region 8-AA champion Titans. Jackson County has a poor history so far against North Oconee, losing 56-0 in their meeting last season, but the early schedule is loaded with home games and chances to pick up some wins.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent WINDER-BARROW at Jefferson ATHENS CHRISTIAN EAST JACKSON* NORTH OCONEE* at Franklin County* at Hart County* at Oconee County* ELBERT COUNTY* at Morgan County*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

BY BILL MURPHY

be strong for the Panthers with Dustin Scott and Daivon Ledford back as seniors after combining for 1,250 yards last season. Jackson County also has a running back that moved in from Hart County, Keyshawn Curry, who Harrison calls “the most athletic kid on the team.”

At quarterback, Kyle Daniel, a senior, returns after throwing for 861 yards and seven touchdowns in 2011.

While Daniel picks up the new offense, he’ll have the help of a handful of receivers to help ease the transition. Junior Ben Brissey has the ability to catch the ball across the middle, according to Harrison, and junior Xavier Harper is another one of the best athletes on the team. Seniors Will Clark and Jake Smith will also get chances to catch passes.

The offensive front is a part of the team that Harrison feels can become a strength for the program. Starting tackles are Alston Standard (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) and Reno Messler (64, 275). At guard, Josh Ingram (6-3, 275) and Keith Pruitt (6-0, 290) will start. At center, it will either be Austin Stockton or Silas Vincent.

“I don’t think we’re where we need to be yet on the offensive line, but hopefully it will be a strength of our team by midseason,” Harrison said.

bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com First-year Jackson County coach Benji Harrison knows exactly what the biggest obstacle is in his first campaign as a head coach: Convincing his players they can succeed.

It’s been 20 years since the Panthers (3-7 last season) made the playoffs, and they’ve never won a region championship.

However, Harrison may have come into the program at the right time. The Panthers return more than 1,000 Harrison yards in the running game from last season, more than adequate size and strength along the lines of scrimmage and wide receivers that he believes can make the spread offense work.

Now, Harrison, most recently the offensive coordinator for Flowery Branch, has to make sure the players remain mindful of the fact they’re talented enough to come away victorious on Friday nights.

“I’m excited and feel like the players have bought in,” Harrison said. “I know we have a staff that’s serious about competing and winning football games.”

Defense Senior Chris Foster (6-2, 265) anchors the defensive line, along with Chandler

Offense The running game should

Lanier, Alex Whit and former tight end River Bryant.

Inside linebacker Evan Breakspear has earned a reputation with Harrison as an aggressive player, and will be joined by Ledford and Sean Lee at the position.

In the secondary, Curry will play at cornerback with Zach Ferguson. Safeties are Garrett Holt and Dylan Stowe.

Special teams Curry and Scott will share in the kick and punt return duties for the Panthers. Brissey will handle the punting job, while the placekicking job is up for grabs.

W L L L L W L L L W

3-7, 1-5 Region 8-AA Johnson 20-12 Walnut Grove 37-0 Fannin County 28-20 East Jackson 21-12 Elbert County 48-0 Oglethorpe County 30-13 North Oconee 56-0 Jefferson 31-14 Hart County 22-13 Rabun County 42-7

Harrison says he can already tell that the culture is changing with his new players. Now they just have to prove it by winning games.

He feels that a 24-man senior class with a lot of playing experience could be a big key in making that happen. Jackson County has an advantage to be successful early in the season with four of its first five games at home, including the season opener against Class AAAAA’s Winder-Barrow on Aug. 31 at Panthers Stadium.

In 2009 and 2010, Jackson County started to have an upswing with a 4-6 record each season, before falling back to three victories last year.

The Panthers’ last playoff victory came in 1986, a 13-6 region semifinal victory against Buford.

Sr. RB/DB 5-9, 165 Almost hit 1,000 yards last season thanks to his great speed. Will be counted on again heavily this season.

Josh Ingram

Ben Brissey

Sr. OL 6-3, 275 Harrison says that Ingram is the anchor to a big, powerful offensive front.

Jr. WR 6-2, 190 A physical receiver who isn’t afraid to go catch the ball across the middle.

Chris Foster

River Bryant

Sr. DT 6-2, 265 Sr. Strong, physical lineman with quick feet. He recorded 55 tackles in his junior campaign.

Sr. DE 6-3, 225 Converted tight end with great athleticism and speed as a pass rusher off the edge.

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

2011 leaders

*Kyle Daniel

Dustin Scott

Outlook

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record

MOST WANTED

Passing Yds TDs 861 7

Rushing

Yds TDs *Dustin Scott 987 8 *Daivon Ledford 251 1

Comp % 57 Avg. 5.1 3.4

Receiving Rec. Yds 27 384 25 196 10 124

*Xavier Harper *Ben Brissey *Dustin Scott

TDs 4 1 0

Defense Tkl TFL INT 114 NA NA 55 NA 0 *returning player

Andy Williams *Chris Foster

Benji Harrison Record: 0-0 at school, 0-0 overall Offensive strategy: Spread, “I think that it gives us the best of both worlds. We’re going to throw the ball, but it also creates natural running seams. We’re going to try and be as balanced as possible.”

Defensive strategy: 4-3, “It’s a sound way to lineup and go against different schemes. It also allows us to bring pressure.”

JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL DRAGONS

Dragons a mix of experience, youth JHS ROUNDUP Location: Jefferson Coach: T. McFerrin Region: 8-AA North Last region title: 2009 Last playoff appearance: 2011 Returning starters: 6 on offense, 6 on defense

HIGH NOON Sept. 28 at Greene County Looking at the eight teams in Region 8AA, there is not a hands-down favorite to win it all, but several that could make a run at the region championship.

These are certainly two of those programs. Not only is it the first region game for both on the schedule, but first in 8-AA. The following week, the Dragons have another tough one with Washington-Wilkes.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent at Commerce JACKSON COUNTY at North Hall at Greene County* WASHINGTON-WILKES* at Rabun County* OGLETHORPE COUNTY* at Social Circle* RIVERSIDE MILITARY* UNION COUNTY*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

BY BILL MURPHY

bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs is going to have a lot on his shoulders this season at Jefferson High. Not only is he a three-year returning starter for the Dragons, but he’s one of the few seasoned players with considerable experience.

Jefferson coach T. McFerrin says his fourth season at the helm features the youngest group that he’ll play, much of that is due to necessity. The Dragons are also lean on experience across the line of scrimmage, and returning running back Tristen Jackson will not be ready to go yet in Week 1 after off-season ACL surgery.

“Our quarterback (Shirreffs) is bigger than everyone we have across the offensive line, except for the tight end,” said McFerrin, one of the state’s winningest active coaches at 326. “This is the least experienced and smallest we’ve been in my time here. We’re going to start nine sophomores, too.”

Making Shirreffs’ job a bit more manageable is a deep group of receivers to throw to out of the spread formation.

McFerrin expects a group of about five players to share time at wide receiver.

Offense As unsure as McFerrin may be about some spots on the field, quarterback is one he’s quite at ease with as Shirreffs prepares for his third season under center. Shirreffs shot out of the cannon with a great

performance last season in Week 1, completing 11 of 14 passes for 244 yards and four total touchdowns in a big win over Commerce.

McFerrin says that Shirreffs is slowly gaining complete understanding of the offense.

Jefferson’s coach says he’s gradually adding more to the offensive package for his senior quarterback to digest.

While Jackson heals from his injury, Shirreffs will have to shoulder even more of the responsibility. McFerrin says he hopes that Jackson will be ready to return by the Region 8-AA opener against Greene County on Sept. 28 in Greensboro.

Sophomore Sammy Williams is set to play at running back for the Dragons. McFerrin says he’s the fastest player on the team. Also, Tyler Brown (fullback), Isaiah Blake (slot back/wide receiver) and Tay Stevens give McFerrin some depth in the backfield.

McKay Dickens (22 catches, 315 yards in 2011) is the leader of the pack at wide receiver as a returning starter and is coming a great summer in passing leagues, according to McFerrin. Also expected to see playing time at wide receiver are Chandler Thompson, Trent Sorrells and Micah Carpenter.

Across the offensive line, Jefferson features left tackle Ethan Hicks, left guard Eli Griffin, center Jordan Tyler, right guard Conner Nations, right tackle Collin Anthony and tight end Donnie Hatfield.

Last season, Jefferson had

an especially prolific offense, scoring more than 30 points seven times. McFerrin will need his unproven offensive line to jell quickly for those kind of numbers to be repeated.

Defense Many of Jefferson’s offensive starters will have to also go on defense.

Linebacker is a strength for the Dragons with Wesley Simonton (114 tackles in 2011) and Kody McDonald (107 tackles, 8 for a loss) back in the fold in 2012. Bowen will fill the other linebacker slot.

In the secondary, Blake, Carpenter and Hanon Price will play at cornerback. Safeties are Tradd Porter and Sorrells.

W W W W L W L W W W L

8-3, 4-2 Region 8-AA

Commerce 41-14 North Hall 38-28 Dawson County 42-14 Hart County 57-29 North Oconee 38-28 Oglethorpe County 48-13 Elbert County 14-0 Jackson County 31-14 East Jackson 35-7 Dawson County 21-10 Class AA state playoffs Calhoun 39-6

Chandler Schlutow will do all the kicking for the Dragons.

Blake, Carpenter and Rodney Carr will all share in the kickand punt-return duties.

Outlook Even though the Dragons may be young, nobody is going to take a team coached by McFerrin lightly. In his first three seasons since coming out of retirement, he’s led Jefferson to the playoffs twice and won a region title in 2009.

The Dragons’ coach knows his team will have to be ready right away with a trip to Commerce in Week 1, followed by games against Class AAA opponents (Jackson County and North Hall), before jumping into Region 8-AA’s schedule.

Sr. QB 6-2, 215 Three-year starter who is both a prolific passer and capable of breaking a long run.

Collin Anthony McKay Dickens Sr. OL/DL 6-1, 215 Three-year starter for Jefferson who is coming off a strong junior year in 2011.

Sr. WR 6-1, 185 Leading receiver during summer passing camps is expected to be a main target.

Kody McDonald Wesley Simonton Sr. LB 5-11, 165 Topped 100 tackles last season and was always in the opposing backfield.

Sr. OLB 6-0, 205 Had 114 tackles (six for a loss) in a breakout a junior campaign.

HEAD HONCHO

2011 leaders Passing

Yds TDs *Bryant Shirreffs 1,873 19

*Tristen Jackson Drequn Sewell *Bryant Shirreffs

Bryant Shirreffs

Special teams

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record

MOST WANTED

Rushing Yds TDs 959 7 451 8 401 9

Comp % 62 Avg. 6.8 5.2 4.0

Will Puckett *McKay Dickens *Tristen Jackson

Receiving Rec. Yds 40 489 22 315 17 243

TDs 8 3 1

Defense

Tkl TFL INT Carson Newman 133 23 0 *Wesley Simonton 114 6 0 *Kody McDonald 107 8 1 *returning player

T. McFerrin Record: 23-8 at school; 326-84-4 overall Offensive strategy: Multiple I and spread, The strength of the Dragons’ offense willl be the connection between Shirreffs and his receivers. “At wide receiver we’re deep and hope the quality is good,” McFerrin said.

Defensive strategy: 4-3, 3-4, The Dragons are led by an athletic, experienced group of linebackers.

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW | Sunday, August 19, 2012

19

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770-532-7202 Guilford Clinics South Entrance 1240 Jesse Jewell Parkway Suite 300 Gainesville, GA 30501

www.scg-ortho.com

CMYK Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

20

LUMPKIN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL INDIANS

Indians aiming for efficiency LCHS ROUNDUP Location: Dahlonega Coach: Tommy Jones Region: 8-AAAA Last region title: None Last playoff appearance: 2003 Returning starters: 6 on offense, 6 on defense

HIGH NOON Oct. 26 vs. Chestatee This rivalry game marks the end of a three-game homestand for Lumpkin County, before finishing the season at relative unknown Lanier and at home against Stephens County. A win over what should be an improved War Eagles team could be crucial for the Indians’ chance at a playoff berth.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent DAWSON COUNTY at White County at West Hall at Monroe Area* at Walnut Grove* MADISON COUNTY* EASTSIDE* CHESTATEE* at Lanier* STEPHENS COUNTY*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

BY ZAC TAYLOR

on the offensive side of the ball is the line.

“These are guys that have played before and have experience,” Jones said.

Seniors Tyler Flatt and Zach Kile and junior Caleb Stepp are key lineman this season, both on offense and defense.

There’s a new face behind center this season in junior quarterback Daniel McCrary, who will be taking over for 2011 senior Logan Moye. Jones likes what he has seen so far from his new signal caller.

“He’s a very smart player.

He has the ability to get us in the right formations,” the coach said. “He’s good at directing traffic, and we give him the flexibility to get into the right play.”

In the backup role last season McCrary threw for 140 yards and a touchdown.

Senior wide receiver and defensive back Mitchell Stephens could see more time on the offensive side of the ball, and sophomore Gunner Wood, who had 103 tackles last season as a free safety, will get more looks at running back as well this season.

Jones likes his starters at the skill positions, but his concern is a lack of depth at those positions.

ztaylor@gainesvilletimes.com Lumpkin County coach Tommy Jones has been working to mold an efficient football team.

This year, it’s imperative.

Minus electric playmakers like Ian McIntosh and BJ Dorsey, Lumpkin County will need to win in different ways than last year’s 6-4 team.

“We’re going to have to be able to execute efficiently on offense,” said Jones, entering his seventh season with the team. “With big-play guys, you can afford a couple of bad plays. But now we have to make a lot less mistakes.”

Jones, however, said he has a team that can do just that if they continue to work hard, and a team that can continue to be competitive even with the move up to Class AAAA this season.

Of course, the Indians won’t even have to wait until the Region 8-AAAA opener Sept. 21 against Monroe Area to give their team a test. Lumpkin County hosts Dawson County to open the season Aug. 31 in Dahlonega, the first of a pair of rivalry games against Class AAA teams Dawson County and White County that could both be in for improved seasons.

The Indians are looking for a third consecutive winning season themselves after going 6-4 the past two seasons.

Defense He said he knows it’s a cliche, but on defense, Jones says the key will be to be fundamentally sound.

Last season the Indians gave up at least 20 points in each of

Offense The strength for the Indians

their four losses and allowed 20 or more points in only two of their six wins.

Wood and Daniel Horvat are two of the top defenders returning. Wood was second in tackles last season only to Lee Cagle (117 tackles), who has since graduated. Wood also grabbed two interceptions from his safety position last season.

Horvat, on the defensive line, was second on the team with six tackles for loss last year.

Jones also mentioned senior linebacker Logan Head as another key to the defense this season.

W W L W W L L L W W

6-4, 2-3 Region 8-AAA Riverside 50-0 Union County 28-13 Monroe Area 23-2 Johnson 30-21 White County 31-7 Franklin County 32-6 North Hall 49-0 Stephens County 40-7 Chestatee 41-18 West Hall 31-21

The Indians’ punter and kicker from a season ago both return this season.

The kicker is senior Chase Slocumb, who Jones said is very accurate, and the punter is McCrary, who averaged around 33 yards per punt last season.

Outlook What kept Lumpkin County from the playoffs last season was that, despite the 6-4 record, the team went just 2-3 in region play.

This season, instead of five subregion games there are seven region games, giving the Indians more room to build a winning region record. With an eight-team region, Lumpkin County needs to be in the top half to secure its first playoff bid since 2003.

Jr. QB/DB/P 6-1, 175 First-year starter takes over at quarterback for 2011 senior Logan Moye.

Tyler Flatt

Logan Head

Sr. OL/DL 6-1, 250 Jones pointed to Flatt as being one the keys to an offensive line that is a strength.

Sr. LB/TE 6-2, 200 A key defensive player who will be counted on to have a big season for the Indians.

Gunner Wood Zach Kile So. RB/FS 5-9, 160 Was second on the team in tackles as a freshman and should make strides this fall.

Sr. OL/DL 6-1, 260 Kile is one of the key linemen on what is one of the team’s strengths on offense.

HEAD HONCHO

2011 leaders Passing

Yds TDs Logan Moye 447 3 *Daniel McCrary 140 1

Ian McIntosh Logan Moye Trevor Eudy

Daniel McCrary

Special teams

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record

MOST WANTED

Rushing Yds TDs 1117 12 444 3 309 1

Comp % 67 447

Receiving

Rec. Yds 17 224 Ian McIntosh Freddie Beamon 12 146

Avg. 12.14 4.44 4.35

Lee Cagle *Gunner Wood Evan Gaddis

Tommy Jones TDs 3 0

Defense Tkl TFL INT 117 8 0 103 0 2 50 1 3 *returning player

Record: 25-35 at school and overall Offensive Strategy: Multiple. “We feel like, from an offensive standpoint, that it’s necessary to take advantage of what the defense gives us.”

Defensive Strategy: 3-5. “We have the ability to move people around, be a little more versatile against the run or pass, while being able to bring pressure as much as possible.”

WHITE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL WARRIORS

Ballard’s bunch eager for success WCHS ROUNDUP Location: Cleveland Coach: Bill Ballard Region: 7-AAA Last region title: None Last playoff appearance: 2010 Returning starters: 7 on offense, 5 on defense

HIGH NOON Oct. 19 at North Hall Two years ago, the Warriors knocked North Hall from atop its subregion. Last year, North Hall fired back with a 28-14 win in Cleveland. This season, the two teams will go at it again with plenty on the line as both figure to be in the conversation for one of the four playoff spots. The game begins the home stretch of the regular season, and could be a sign of how each team will finish the season.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent at Habersham Central LUMPKIN COUNTY at Fannin County* BLESSED TRINITY EAST HALL* BUFORD* at North Hall* at Dawson County* WEST HALL* BANKS COUNTY*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

BY DAVID MITCHELL

dmitchell@gainesvilletimes.com White County coach Bill Ballard has had success in building programs in past jobs at Tucker and Peachtree Ridge.

The development there came from within, he said, by building up youth and middle school teams in order to have players Ballard who were excited and understood the game when they got to high school.

He’s trying to do the same at White County.

In his first season at the school in 2011, the team won just three games. A handful of losses, however, came by a single score, and Ballard can already begin to see a more talented team prepare to take the field this season.

“The kids know the offense and defense better in their second year in the program,” Ballard said. “They’ve bought in, and they’re working hard. I think we’re taking steps in the right direction.

Offense The offense starts with the line, where the Warriors have experience.

Brett Westmoreland is back at left guard, and Jacob Roche and Dakota Lewis will return to the tackle positions.

The two new starters are

both seniors who have seen plenty of time in the past.

Quarterback Will Brock, who passed for 668 yards and ran for 278 more in 2011, will return, along with fullback Dalton Whitfield and receiver Jeffery Scoggins.

Leading rusher Ryan Kennedy has graduated, but Whitfield looks to be a more than capable replacement.

“Right now, I feel like our offense is a little ahead of our defense,” Ballard said. “Those guys have made great strides in the offseason.”

Brock ran hurdles in track, Ballard said, and is showing improved agility.

“He’s working hard to make himself a better football player,” Ballard said.

Defense The defense will return Whitfield, Will Flowers, Will Stonecypher, Clay Rider and Maurice Sutton.

While Ballard thinks improvement is still needed on that side of the ball, he still sees plenty of talent.

Five or six sophomores will start or see plenty of playing time, Ballard said.

“We’re excited about them,” he said. “They’re just young.

These kids are stronger, though, because we had them lifting in ninth grade. Those kids worked all offseason with us, so they should be ready.”

Ballard said that in the future, he’d like to see more depth, but with the numbers they’ve got now, the younger players will see the

field often.

The secondary is where the team is most experienced, with the senior Rider leading the way.

It was a solid unit a year ago, especially down the stretch when it allowed just 28 points in the final three games.

Special teams Wesley Saunders will do the kicking for the Warriors, while there’s been an open competition for punting position.

Ballard said he doesn’t typically like to have his kicker also punt, and he’s got three guys that can do it now. Those include Rider, Flowers or Brock.

L L W L L L L W L W

3-7 overall, 1-4 8-AAA North East Jackson 28-27 Gainesville 40-3 West Hall 26-7 Oconee County 27-24 Lumpkin County 31-7 North Hall 28-14 Stephens County 25-14 Chestatee 35-0 Franklin County 21-14 Walnut Grove 21-7

Ballard sees good things ahead for his program through the foundation that is being built in the younger programs.

For the immediate future, however, he’s looking for a winning season and contention for a playoff spot. That should be a possibility for the Warriors.

Depth is the issue, as the team is young and the numbers aren’t quite where Ballard wants them yet. A healthy team, however, should be good enough to be playing meaningful games deep into the season.

“That’s an attainable goal if we can stay healthy,” Ballard said. “We’re going into it with that attitude. I think we can be competitive. Our kids are really playing good ball.”

Jr. RB/LB 6-3, 232 The do-it-all junior was second on the team in rushing yards last season and will be a major contributor on both sides.

Will Brock

Clay Rider

Sr. QB 6-3, 198 Entering his second year as the QB with more experience and understanding.

Sr. WR/FS 6-0, 175 Will be looked at as a leader for the secondary and the rest of the defense.

Will Flowers

Jacob Roche

Jr. WR/LB 5-11, 185 A talented junior, Flowers will be a key figure against the run and in coverage.

Sr. OT 6-0, 240 The senior member of this offensive unit, Roche will help set the tone up front.

HEAD HONCHO

2011 leaders

*Will Brock

Dalton Whitfield

Outlook

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record

MOST WANTED

Passing Yds TDs 668 4

Rushing

Yds TDs Ryan Kennedy 467 7 *Dalton Whitfield 353 7 *Will Brock 278 1 Michael Limbaugh 246 1

Comp % 41 Avg. 5.5 4.4 3.8 3.6

*Jeffery Scoggin Andrew London Ryan Kennedy *Andrew Bergin

Receiving Rec. Yds 15 293 11 149 6 122 4 67

TDs 2 1 1 0

*returning player

Bill Ballard Record: 3-7 at school, 92-29 overalll Offensive strategy: Option; “We’re going to try to spread the field horizontally and vertically. We’ll try to attack in both ways.”

Defensive strategy: 50 front; “We’re a multiple 50. We like to play aggressive, and I think it’s a fun defense for our players to run.”

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

21

BANKS COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL LEOPARDS MOST WANTED

Sweet success to grow on

Leopards looking for another playoff berth

BY KELSEY WILLIAMSON kwilliamson @gainesvilletimes.com

Tyler Hubbard Sr. QB 5-9, 180 Hubbard has leadership skills and the experience necessary to put up even better numbers than last season.

Greg Cannon

Tanner Thompson

Sr. WR/DB, 6-0, 170 Will be Hubbard’s main receiving target along with fulfilling his role at safety.

Sr. FB/LB, 5-7, 195 Started every game last season and should get more carries.

Eli Smallwood Wes Faulkner Sr. RB/LB, 6-0, 200 Returns as a leader on defense, and his aggressiveness will be essential.

Jr. RB/DB, 5-8, 180 Faulkner has experience at tailback and will be expected be the primary ball carrier.

HEAD HONCHO Philip Jones Record: 7-3 at school, 7-3 overall Offensive strategy: Multiple I; “We feel like we need to score more, and we’re not afraid to spread the field out from there.”

Defensive strategy: 3-5; “We can use our best talent on defense. We have more linebackers than defensive linemen.”

Banks County coach Philip Jones is looking to build off of a successful first season last year with the Leopards.

Now, after hosting a home playoff game and going 7-3 in the regular season last year, the Leopards can’t seem to get the sweet taste of the postseason out of their mouths. This year, Jones set his team up with high expectations to be a playoff team every year.

“We feel like we set a foundation for the future,” Jones said.

With a talented team full of what Jones considers “good character guys, good leaders, and good players,” Banks County is itching to make another run at the playoffs.

Offense Banks County will rely on quarterback Tyler Hubbard once again to drive their multiple-I offense.

“He is the undisputed leader of our offense,” Jones said.

“He’s the engine that makes

us go.”

This season, however, Jones hopes to use more spread formations and be more balanced, after last year the team had almost a 3-to-1 run-to-pass ratio.

Jones also wants to see more players handling the ball, meaning fullback Tanner Thompson and wide receiver Greg Cannon are expected to see more touches.

Wes Faulkner will be the primary ball carrier from the running back position.

The offense’s only unresolved issue will be the offensive line. With only a couple of starters returning, some younger players will have to step up and fill the holes left by last year’s seniors.

Defense The Leopards’ 3-5 defense returns nine starters and will be led by returning senior linebackers Ryan Seabolt and Eli Smallwood.

The defensive line will be anchored by senior Rayshawn Hunter and junior Carman Hicks.

The Banks County defense

may not be the biggest or strongest, but they plan to use movement to create confusion.

“Our linebackers and defensive line are extremely explosive and aggressive and run well,” Jones said.

The defense lacks depth in the secondary but has solid starters with Cannon at safety and Hicks and Malcolm Mitchell at cornerback.

Special teams Junior Greg Perez will handle the kicking duties. Hicks will punt, and Thompson will be the long snapper. Cannon and Mitchell will take over the return game.

Outlook Banks County has an experienced, skilled group leading the team this year, and the new Region 7-AAA appears to be wide open behind favorites Buford.

If the Leopards can find the momentum they had last year, they have the personnel to claim a third straight winning season and a second consecutive playoff berth.

“Our linebackers and defensive line are extremely explosive and aggressive and run well.”

BCHS ROUNDUP Location: Homer Coach: Philip Jones Region: 7-AAA Last region title: Never Last playoff appearance: 2011 Returning starters: 5 on offense, 9 on defense

HIGH NOON Aug. 31 vs. East Jackson East Jackson handed Banks County one of only three losses the Leopards suffered last season. Banks opens at home against the Eagles this year, and after losing their last two games in 2011, the Leopards could use the momentum gained from winning their first home game against a team they’ve only beaten once in four previous meetings. Doing so could launch another run at the postseason.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Banks County coach Philip Jones

Opponent EAST JACKSON at ATHENS CHRISTAN at Commerce WEST HALL* BUFORD* DAWSON COUNTY* at Fannin County* EAST HALL* at North Hall* at White County*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record W W L W W W W W L L L

7-3, 4-1 Region 8-AA Social Circle 13-7 Riverside Military 21-0 East Jackson 35-7 Athens Christian 21-27 (forfeit) Union County 16-14 Dawson County 19-14 Rabun County 40-28 Fannin County 42-21 East Hall 34-17 North Oconee 41-0 Class AA state playoffs Adairsville 21-3

2011 leaders

*Tyler Hubbard

Passing Yards Comp. % 583 52

Dean Ewing *Tyler Hubbard Marquaze Maddox Tanner Thompson

Rushing Carries 188 74 29 29

Yards 1,055 435 110 107

Receiving Rec. Yards

Marquaze Maddox 23 231 Brenton Ruark 16 182

TDs 2 2

*returning player

TDs 13 7 2

COMMERCE HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS MOST WANTED

Chance McClure Jr. OL/LB 6-1, 215 Big two-way player who is not afraid to hit or be hit. He led the team in tackles last season and is poised for a big year.

Drew Whitfield Jamal Browner

Tigers hope to win in trenches

BY KELSEY WILLIAMSON kwilliamson @gainesvilletimes.com

Commerce coach Marvin Justice believes that the key to having a successful season in his second year as head coach will be staying healthy and developing a positive attitude, things the team struggled with last season.

In 2011, the Tigers were plagued with what Justice considers “an avalanche of injuries,” with eight different players losing substantial playing time after being hurt.

If the team can stay healthy this season, however, Commerce may benefit from losing so many players last year because this season’s starters were able to gain experience filling the roles of the injured last season.

Offense

natural leader and competitor.”

Quay Little and Terrick Ramsey return as experienced running backs, and Jamir Walton will be expected to emerge as one of Whitfield’s main targets at wide receiver.

Justice feels that Walton will be an all-purpose weapon for the team and may use him in many different positions, even quarterback if needed.

Commerce will also see college prospect Jamal Browner return to the backfield after suffering a season-ending injury during the first week of practice last year.

The offensive line will be full of experience with returning starters Clay Pritchett and Micah Eason as anchors. Justice thinks the offensive line will be the main strength of this year’s team and that “with the proper attitude, this offensive line could go down as one of the best in Commerce history.”

safety after suffering from injury last season and will be joined by Chase Ledbetter and Darian Hill.

Walton, who led the team in interceptions last year, will play cornerback along with Ramsey and Little.

Chance McClure has experience on both sides of the ball and will be counted upon to fill the holes left by the graduation of Josh Swistak.

Morgan Flint and Logan Owensby will fill out the linebacking corps, and Dillion Haggard and Trey Grier will start as defensive linemen after playing linebacker last year.

Special teams Kyle Brewer will return as the long snapper, while Owensby will take over punting.

Junior Nahum Mendoza is expected to assume kicking duties.

Outlook

Jr. QB, 5-9, 160 A natural football player and has the tools necessary to become a solid quarterback.

Sr. FB 6-0, 220 Has good size, strength, and speed. His return this season adds another weapon.

The Tigers are without fouryear starter Cody Streetman this season, but filling the void at quarterback will be junior Drew Whitfield, who Justice believes is ready to take on the starting role in the Tigers’ triple-option offense.

“Drew is a natural football player who has all the tools to become a solid quarterback as a junior,” Justice said. “He’s a

Jamir Walton

Micah Eason

Jr. WR/DB, 5-10, 165 Has great hands and speed and can be used in many positions, even quarterback.

Sr. OL, 6-2, 240 Returns even bigger and stronger than last season.

This experienced player will be a key.

“With the proper attitude, this offensive line could go down as one of the best in Commerce history.”

HEAD HONCHO Marvin Justice Record: 4-7 at school; 4-7 overall Offensive strategy: Triple option. For years now, the Tigers have leaned on their triple-option attack. Justice carried it over last season from predecessor Steve Savage.

Defensive strategy: 4-3

Defense The defense returns many younger players who saw playing time last season when many of the starters were injured. The secondary could be the strength of the defense as it returns all of the starters from last year.

Baron Mather returns at

While the Tigers haven’t missed the playoffs since 1996, they’ve suffered through losing seasons in three of the last four years.

If these players continue to mature at their positions and stay healthy, Commerce should make a run for not only a 16th straight postseason appearance, but perhaps more.

CHS ROUNDUP Location: Commerce Coach: Marvin Justice, 4-7 at school; 4-7 overall Region: 8-A Last region title: 2003 Last playoff appearance: 2011 (15 straight appearances).

HIGH NOON Sept. 7 at East Jackson This season, Commerce will face cross-town East Jackson for the first time. The game may not have an effect on the region standings, but it will determine who holds bragging rights.

More importantly, winning their first road game on the heels of the annual rivalry matchup with Jefferson could give the Tigers the jump start needed to make a run for a 16th straight playoff appearance.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 9

Commerce coach Marvin Justice

Opponent JEFFERSON at East Jackson BANKS COUNTY RABUN COUNTY at G. Walton Academy* ATHENS CHRISTIAN* at Prince Avenue* at Athens Academy* HEBRON CHRISTIAN* PINECREST ACADEMY*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record L W L L W W L L L W L

4-7, 3-3 Region 8-A Jefferson 41-14 Franklin County 10-7 North Oconee 33-0 Washington-Wilkes 33-0 Athens Christian 41-0 Riverside Military 42-0 Athens Academy 21-10 Prince Avenue Christian 35-13 George Walton Academy 24-14 Social Circle 45-21 Class A state playoffs Lincoln County 35-14

2011 leaders

Cody Streetman

Passing Yards TDs 699 3

Cody Streetman *Quay Little *Chance McClure

Rushing Yards 1,113 358 357

TDs 16 2 1

Comp. % 51.4

Garrett Wilson *Drew Whitfield Jake Vaughn

Receiving Rec. Yards 27 339 12 193 6 45

*Chance McClure Josh Swistak *Dillion Haggard

Tackles 116 105 83

TDs 1 0 0

*returning player

CMYK Sunday, August 19, 2012 | 2012 High school football preview | The Times, Gainesville, Ga.

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HABERSHAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL RAIDERS

Raiders ready for a challenge HCHS ROUNDUP Location: Mount Airy Coach: Stuart Cunningham Region: 7-AAAAAA Last region title: 2007 (Region 8-AAAA) Last playoff appearance: 2011 Returning starters: 5 on offense; 6 on defense

HIGH NOON Sept. 7 at Stephens Co. The Raiders’ schedule this year is full of unfamiliar opponents, but before they dive in to a competitive slate of Region 8-AAAAAA games, they’ll renew their rivalry with Stephens County. These teams haven’t met in the regular season since 2007, and Habersham Central hasn’t won in the rivalry since 1996. Ending that skid would give the Raiders a needed confidence boost.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2

Opponent WHITE COUNTY at Stephens County COLLINS HILL* at Mountain View* PEACHTREE RIDGE* at Norcross* MEADOWCREEK* at North Gwinnett* DULUTH* at Mill Creek*

BY KELSEY WILLIAMSON kwilliamson @gainesvilletimes.com

Habersham Central lost a large and talented group of seniors after last season, but being a smaller, younger, more inexperienced team in a newer, possibly tougher region doesn’t faze coach Stuart Cunningham.

“Losing a big group of seniors is going to have a significant effect no matter what region you’re in,” Cunningham said. “The region we left was tough; the region we’re going into may be a little better.”

Although the odds may seem stacked against them, with the overall number of players down from the past few seasons and needing players to play on both sides of the ball, the Raiders still expect to surprise people during the season ahead.

Offense The Raiders are now without record-setting quarterback Kevin Ellison, and his replacement has yet to be found.

“We’ve got a good battle going between Jake Tench and Logan Gosnell,” Cunningham said.

Either player will have big shoes to fill running Habersham Central’s triple-option offense. Ellison is the school’s career and single-season rushing record holder after totaling 2,183 yards on the ground last season.

Tench didn’t get many touches in 2011, as the Raiders’ games often became wild shootouts and the starters were usually called on to play the full 48 minutes.

Gosnell, meanwhile saw playing time as a defensive back.

Junior running back Sydnee Mulligan is also returning after rushing for 323 yards last season and catching five passes for 74 yards.

Senior Brandt Rinehart joins Mulligan at running back.

Rinehart caught eight passes for 87 yards, second only to 2011 senior Zac Franks. Rinehart also finished fourth on the team with 273 rushing yards.

The offensive line will be led by senior Jonathan Long who will be called on to guide a group of younger players.

Defense The Raiders will return six starters to a 3-4 defense that will be without most of the

leading tacklers from last season. For that reason, Cunningham will make a few small changes to the defense.

“We’re trying to simplify and make sure everyone knows what they’re doing,” Cunningham said.

Habersham Central will rely heavily on experienced lineman Zach Rhyneer to lead the defense along with senior linebacker Adam Aguilar, who had 64 total tackles last season. Also crucial will be versatile players like cornerback Jimmy Fordyce in the secondary, who will be a key player on special teams, as well.

Junior kicker Juan Domingo will return to the team along with punter Ian Wheeler.

Fordyce will be back as part of the return game.

Outlook Habersham Central has a lot of rebuilding to do after losing last year’s outstanding group of seniors. Ellison won’t be easy to replace, but if the Raiders can make up for his absence using a variety of sources, they may be the region’s surprise team, just as Cunningham expects.

“The region we left was tough; the region we’re going into may be a little better.”

Habersham Central coach Stuart Cunningham

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY W L W L W W L L W W L

Jr. RB 5-11, 10 Could be the primary ball carrier in the Raiders’ triple-option attack. Has the skills to be a threat.

Brandt Rinehart Jimmy Fordyce Sr. RB 5-11, 195 Saw action as rusher and receiver last season. Will be counted on to step forward.

Sr. QB/CB Led the return game last season with 22 kick returns for 425 yards.

Michael Long Zach Rhyneer Sr. WR 5-8, 160 Expected to move into a key position in the receiving corps this season. with the

Sr. DL/TE 6-3, 280 A big, experienced lineman who has the potential to be strong defensive force.

HEAD HONCHO

2011 leaders

6-5, 6-4 Region 8-AAAA Apalachee 38-35 Cedar Shoals 41-34 Salem 43-39 Clarke Central 34-20 Madison County 41-24 Winder-Barrow 54-10 Flowery Branch 56-31 Heritage 45-42 Loganville 47-45 Rockdale County 34-7 Class AAAA state playoffs Chattahoochee 65-48

Sydnee Mulligan

Special teams

* region game; Home games in CAPS

2011 record

MOST WANTED

Kevin Ellison

Passing Yards TDs 1,025 12

Comp. % 46.0

Kevin Ellison Patrick Burns *Sydnee Mulligan *Brandt Rinehart

Rushing Yards TDs 2,183 32 649 9 323 3 273 2

Avg. 10.3 5.2 6.0 5.6

Receiving Rec. Yards

Zac Franks 32 651 *Brandt Rinehart 8 87 Tackles

Total Solo Coleman Cunningham 120 44 Drew Ferguson 105 26

Stuart Cunningham TDs 8 2 Asst.

76 79

*returning player

Record: 13-18 at Habersham Central and overall Offense: Option, The Raiders have gradually found more and more success in the triple option since switching to the system in 2010. Much of that came from departed senior Kevin Ellison.

Defense: 3-4, The Raiders will be need improvement after yielding 36.5 points per game last fall.

TOWNS COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL INDIANS

Experience breeds expectations TCHS ROUNDUP Location: Hiawassee Coach: Kyle Langford Region: 8-A (non-region schedule) Last region title: Never Last playoff appearance: Never Returning starters: 9 on offense, 8 on defense

HIGH NOON Aug. 24 at Hayesville (N.C.) Playing a nonregion schedule does not mean that the Indians have an easy season ahead of them. Towns County plays nearby Hayesville in the first game of the season. If the Indians can open the season with a road win against their biggest rival who has beaten them two years in a row, it may give them the spark needed to fuel the rest of their season.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 24 Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Oct. 5 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Opponent at Hayesville (N.C.) UNION COUNTY at Fellowship Christian at Rabun County RABUN GAP at Copper Basin (Tenn.)

N. COBB CHRISTIAN ST. FRANCIS at Lakeview Academy HEBRON CHRISTIAN Home games in CAPS

BY KELSEY WILLIAMSON kwilliamson @gainesvilletimes.com

Towns County coach Kyle Langford believes that his team has the right mix of experience and strength this season.

For the first time, Langford has a number of players returning who have seen significant playing time, and a lot of those players have gotten bigger and stronger.

In the past, the Indians had young, small teams, Langford said. But this season, Towns County will be playing with a larger, veteran team.

“All those young guys we’ve had to play are older now, more experienced,” Langford said.

He believes that this mix of players is more mature physically and emotionally than in years past and can reach the team’s goal of being consistent every Friday night.

Offense The Indians are in the second year of a spread offense led by junior quarterback Jackson Noblet. Noblet has thrown for over 2,000 yards in his previous two years as a starter and will benefit from having a year of experience with this offensive scheme.

Langford feels that the Indians will still run the ball more than they throw, but he wants the team to be closer to a 50/50 balance. It’s possible, he says, because the team understands the system now.

“We are just so much farther ahead,” Langford said, “Guys understand what we’re talking about now.”

The offensive line has typically been a weakness for Towns County, but the Indians return every starter this season — including senior Luke Parker and junior Jared Gurley — and could become a strength of this year’s team.

Cruz Shook returns at wide receiver and will be counted on to fill the shoes of last season’s leading receiver and scorer Zack Stroud, who graduated.

The Indians also have to fill the hole left by leading rusher Noah Calhoun. Wesley Bloodworth may be called upon to fill this position.

Defense The Indians’ 4-3 defense returns every linebacker this season and has the potential to be much better than in years past. Bloodworth and senior Joseph Foster will be counted upon to adapt and make changes again in order for the defense to be successful.

Towns County has depth on

the defensive line, which will be led by Colton Stroud, Garrett Bradshaw, and Dustin Brackett.

The secondary lacks depth but does have junior cornerback Brett Barrett, who led the team in interceptions as a freshman and can fill the other holes left by Calhoun’s departure.

Langford believes having a larger team will help the defense because the Indians will not need to have as many twoway players.

Special teams

MOST WANTED

Jackson Noblet Jr. QB 5-11, 185 Having a year of experience running a spread offense should only help Noblet, who has thrown for 2,000 yards total in his previous two seasons as a starter.

Bloodworth returns for his third year as punter, and junior Cesar Bustamante will fill the kicking role left by Calhoun.

Outlook It may have taken Towns County all of last season to adjust to the new scheme, but the team did win the last game of their disappointing 2-8 season.

With no new offenses to learn this season, the Indians can capitalize on the opportunities that come with having a larger, stronger, more experienced team.

The Indians have the players necessary for a successful season. If they can learn to execute, they should be able to improve greatly from last year’s record.

Luke Parker Sr. OL/DL 6-3, 275 Experienced starter anchors an offensive line that is returning every player from last season and is expected to be the team’s strength.

Wesley Bloodworth Sr. RB/LB, 5-10, 230 The team’s leading tackler two seasons ago and brings needed toughness to the Indians defense.

HEAD HONCHO

“We’re just so much farther ahead. Guys understand what we’re talking about now.”

Towns County coach Kyle Langford

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record L L L L L W L L L W

2-8 (non-region schedule) Hayesville (N.C.) 21-6 Union County 20-0 Cherokee (N.C.) 38-0 Copper Basin (Tenn.)

26-21 Georgia Military 35-7 North Cobb Christian 33-6 River Ridge 42-6 Glascock Academy 34-19 Lakeview Academy 21-0 Hebron Christian 29-27

Kyle Langford

2011 leaders Passing

Yards Comp. % *Jackson Noblet 871 58

Noah Calhoun

Rushing Carries Yards 147 796

Zack Stroud

Receiving Rec. Yards 34 388

Noah Calhoun

Tackles Total 96

TDs 6

*returning player

Record: 14-36 at Towns County; 14-36 overall Offensive strategy: Spread; “We feel like we’re not as good 11 on 11, so we want to spread the field out so we don’t have to beat 11 guys on defense.”

Defensive strategy: 4-3; “It fits our personnel better and seems to me that we can get more kids that are athletes on the field.”

CMYK The Times, Gainesville, Ga. | 2012 High school football preview | Sunday, August 19, 2012

23

UNION COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL PANTHERS MOST WANTED

Panthers prowling for playoffs

BY KELSEY WILLIAMSON kwilliamson @gainesvilletimes.com

T Bentley Sr. QB 6-0, 190 Tallied more than 1,700 yards of total offense last season while completing more than 50 percent of his passes.

Luther Jones

Clay Burnette

Jr. OL/DL, 6-0, 275 Big two-way player is a strong leader and is primed for a breakout year as a starter.

Sr. FB/DB, 5-8, 165 Proved last season that he has the skills to be a force on both sides of the ball.

Jonah Whitmer Craig Jones Sr. WR/DB, 6-0, 175 Adds experience and skill to a young, inexperienced defense.

Sr. OL/DL, 5-11, 235 Has seen time on both sides of the ball and will be looked at as a leader this fall.

HEAD HONCHO Brian Allison Record: 18-22 at school, 79-83 overall Offensive strategy: Spread; “We’re not very big. It’s a better opportunity to move the football.”

Defensive strategy: 5-2; “It’s what I know and feel comfortable doing.”

Union County is starting this year with a team that is young in some places, but coach Brian Allison feels that his underclassmen will be able to grow up quickly and become leaders.

The Panthers will need that to happen as they enter a new region full of unfamiliar opponents.

Although he admits that the Panthers lack in depth in some areas, Allison still feels that he has a team that will compete each week.

“Skill-wise, I feel confident that we have some kids that may not be game breakers, but that can make plays,” Allison said.

The Panthers are certainly in a position for the newcomers to prove themselves, no matter how young they may be.

Offense Union County has only four returning starters on offense, but two of them are experienced players who will lead the team throughout the season.

Quarterback T Bentley will be back as the starter after throwing for 1,429 yards last season. Bentley had five touchdowns and completed 51.2 percent of his passes.

The Panthers will need him to continue to make strides if they plan to improve upon last year’s 3-7 record.

Junior fullbacks Clay Burnette and Johnathan Hughes will return to the Panthers’ offense this season. Hughes led the team in rushing last season with 486 yards and two touchdowns. Burnette will see more time with the ball this season and can become a leader on offense, Allison said.

On the offensive line, Allison stresses the value of linemen like Luther Jones and Craig Jones and hopes that they can mask “some of the inexperience at other spots.”

Defense The Panthers return five players to a 5-2 defense that Allison believes needs to be much more consistent. The numbers back him up, as Union County gave up 28 points or more in half of its games last season.

“We gave up too many big plays last year,” Allison said.

Although the team deals

with inexperience on defense as well, Allison expects players like Burnette, Luther Jones, Craig Jones and senior defensive back Jonah Whitmer to lead a unit that he says will have to “step up and grow up.”

Burnette was a leader on defense last season with 86 total tackles behind only Ian Petkevich and Garret Dietz, both graduated.

Union County has all new starters at inside linebacker, and the team will count on veteran players to help them grow.

Special teams Eric Hougrand will return as the kicker and punter this season after making 10 of 14 field goals last season and averaging 34.7 yards on punts.

Outlook Union County faces a tough travel schedule in region play and is competing with a young and inexperienced team. But if upperclassmen continue rise to the challenge and lead the younger players to help them develop, Union County could see more success this season than last, and a playoff berth is not out of the question.

“Skill-wise, I feel confident that we have some kids that may not be game breakers, but that can make plays.”

UCHS ROUNDUP Location: Blairsville Coach: Brian Allison Region: 8-AA North Last region title: 1974 Last playoff appearance: 2001 Returning starters: Offense 5, Defense 4

HIGH NOON Aug. 31 at Towns County Union County once again opens the season against rival Towns County, which has only beaten the Panthers once in its history. Winning the first game of the season on the road would not only allow Union County to continue their winning traditions against the Indians, it would give them a positive beginning to feed off of for the rest of the season.

2012 SCHEDULE Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9

Union County coach Brian Allison

Opponent at Towns County FANNIN COUNTY ANDREWS (N.C.) WASHINGTON-WILKES* at Oglethorpe County* RIVERSIDE MILITARY* at Greene County* at Rabun County* SOCIAL CIRCLE* at Jefferson*

* region game; Home games in CAPS

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 2011 record W L L L L L L W W L

2011 leaders

3-7, 2-3 Region 8-AA Towns County 20-0 Lumpkin County 28-13 Hart County 36-7 Lanier 33-15 Banks County 16-14 East Hall 33-3 Dawson County 22-19 Rabun County 10-7 Fannin County 30-15 Hart County 28-14

*T Bentley

Passing Yards TDs 1,429 5

Comp. % 51.2

*Johnathan Hughes *T Bentley Ian Petkevich

Rushing Yards 486 333 249

Avg. 5.2 2.8 6.6

TDs 2 6 2

Zach Williams Daniel Coyne Chase Schafer *Clay Burnette

Receiving Rec. 42 24 26 17

Yards 431 327 241 142

TDs 1 0 0 2

Ian Petkevich Garrett Dietz *Clay Burnette

Defense Total 106 87 86

Solo 73 64 54

Asst.

33 23 32 *returning player

Play Hard. Play Healthy.

At Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at The Longstreet Clinic, P.C., we are fellowship-trained, board-certified surgeons. We are experts in sports medicine and have the knowledge and experience to treat all athletes.

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Gainesville Braselton 770-532-7092 Flowery Branch/Buford 770-533-4355

www.longstreetclinic.com

Our Team

Harry Ferran, MD Michael Gottsman, MD Barry Munn, MD Derek Moore, MD Charlie DeCook, MD Amy Borrow, MD Stephen Fisher, MD Trevor Ezzell, FNP-C Kelly Hemphill, PA-C Amanda San U, PA-C Christopher Thomas, PA-C

CMYK 24

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