Football 2012 by The Times-Herald

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 — The Newnan Times-Herald — 5C

Heritage Christian crusaders

ICSGA 8-mAN Head coach: AL Williams

Gaining Ground By CHRIS GOLTERMANN cgoltermann@newnan.com

seven-win season might as well have been double in the eyes of Heritage Christian football players. After years of struggling to put together all the right numbers — whether in the size of a roster, the measurements of players or the total points on the scoreboard — the building blocks of a legitimate 8-man football contender seemed to all come to fruition in 2011. Last year’s trip to the Independent Christian Schools of Georgia and Alabama playoffs was just the second in the short history of the sixth-year program. A heartbreaking 46-43 loss to CrossPointe at its tail end equally proved Crusaders players weren’t satisfied with just making the postseason anymore following a 7-3 campaign, the first winning season in school history. “We’ve made the playoffs before. The time before this one we kinda backed in,” Heritage Christian head coach Al Williams said. “This last one, they truly earned it.” This year’s Crusader players, however feel there’s more than an encore possible following a trip to the postseason. There’s a hunger around the program as well a level of excitement about football which hasn’t been felt at the school since it began fielding a team in 2006. “Before, teams thought they were going to run over us,” said 6-3, 235-pound senior guard Tyler Smith “Last year, when we started beating up on some teams we got that bullseye on our back.” With seven seniors returning, a renewed effort in the weight room and a shift in defensive philosophy that hopes to cut down on the Arena League like shootouts 8-man football games can produce, Williams believes the program is headed in the right direction. A spread-option offense instigated prior to the 2009 season that paid off with a running attack that averaged more than 250-yards a game. Behind a line now averaging over 200-pounds after being outsized year after year helped pave the way for junior running back J.D. Farlow. Last year, Heritage Christian’s offense averaged 48 points a game — highlighted by a 10-touchdown outburst against Auburn, Ala. rival Ballard — with returning senior quarterback Dutch Williams attempting less than 22 pass attempts all season. “It was a plan that we started three years ago. We’ve been working on that. Two years ago, things started clicking. The next season, the kids understood it and we had two big

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 team

Heritage Christian 2012 ROSTER No. Name Pos. HT/WT Yr. 10 Gordon Smith DE/TE 6-1,180 Sr. 12 Caleb Plowman TE/LB 5-9,155 Sr. 15 Jesse Parkerson C/DG 5-9, 205 So. 17 Jared Farlow RB/LB 5-7,165 Fr. 18 Tyler Smith QB/G 6-3, 235 Sr. 20 Austin Stover RB/S 5-8, 175 So. 22 Dakota Rainey DB 5-10, 140 So. 30 Dutch Williams QB/LB 5-10, 155 Sr. 42 Christian Parkerson C/DG 6-0, 210 Jr. 44 Kevin Fidati WR/S 5-9, 165 Sr. 45 J.D. Farlow RB/LB 6-1, 215 Jr. 50 Austin Reaves LB/TE 6-2, 190 Sr. 55 Conner Haydon TE/G 6-1, 200 So. 60 Rodney Allen G 5-7, 185 So. 66 Bailey Todd S 5-10, 160 So. 71 Jeremiah Winkley T 6-0, 170 Jr. 74 Brent Schultz G 5-9, 200 Fr. 75 McKinley Reece G 5-8, 165 8th 80 Jerald Dewveall G 6-1, 290 So. 82 William Christenson S 5-10, 165 Sr. Head coach: Al Williams Assistants: Paul Frantz (Defensive coordinator), Kelby Holt (Offensive coordinator) Rob Caney, Joey Farlow (Special Teams), Andy Coggins (Offensive line, Strength and Conditioning).

20. “Once the kids figured out that they could win, and win big ... be on the other side of the mercy rule, it took off. Typically we normally lose a few to other programs. This year I think we actually gained a player or two.” Nowadays, with the recent success as well as the ability to use homeschool students as well as those from Newnan Christian School to form a team in the ICSGA, Heritage Christian may soon have enough interest in football to begin fielding a junior varsity as well. 2011 Statistics “I really wanted to get a JV Rushing going because that’s the real No.Player Att. Yds Avg. TDs pipeline,” Williams said. “And 45 J.D. Farlow 185 1,583 8.6 25 they’re not discouraged. We 44 Noah Parkerson 127 844 6.7 13 have eighth and ninth graders 30 Dutch Williams 20 110 5.5 3 that probably won’t get as much 50 Austin Reeves 3 playing time this year. That’s Totals 332 2,537 7.6 44 just one of the rights of just learning how to play football.” Passing Keeping the momentum, No. Player Comp. Att. Yards TDs INT however, means eliminating 30 Dutch Williams 12 17 198 5 1 weaknesses. First came the 50 Austin Reeves 3 5 33 3 0 offense and then, last year, Totals 15 22 231 8 1 assistant Andy Goggins went to work at making the Crusaders Receiving stronger with a new weight No. Player Rec. Yards Avg. TDs program that has also paid 50 Austin Reeves 6 165 27.5 dividends. “You can definitely tell backs and the misdirection was the teachers are showing up,” we’re faster and stronger than really effective,” said coach Williams said. “It’s one of those we were last year,” said 6-0, Williams. 210-pound junior Christian things that just perpetuates Farlow, a bruising 6-1, 215Parkerson. “And we’re doing itself.” pound running back that it by mostly running, not passThe transition didn’t happen Williams used to call “Czonka” overnight, however. ing. Eight man’s might be a little during his youth football days more difficult. One man makes Williams remembers game finished his sophomore year nights not too long ago when all a mistake and someone’s going with 1,583 yard rushing and to the House.” of the right numbers belonged 25 touchdowns. Five colleges Parkerson centers a more to the opposition. During the scheduled to come watch him substantial and equally deeper earliest days of the program play this fall including Coastal offensive front than in previwhile as an assistant on the Carolina. ous years. Younger brother Crusaders staff, he remembers “It was fun,” Farlow said. “I practices where only eight play- Jesse, a sophomore, can also hope we can do it all again this play center, while the guards ers showed up. year.” include three more sophomores There were just as many Despite losing senior Noah — 290-pound Jerald Dewveal, previous fall Fridays in the Parkerson, who added 844 ICSGA when defenses might as Conner Haydon (6-1, 200) and yards and 13 touchdowns in Rodney Allen (5-7, 185) well have been in the Heritage 2011, Heritage will again turn to Christian huddle, their front “He didn’t just put a lot Williams at quarterback while of meat, but he added a lot lines already with their hands moving senior Austin Reeves of strength in these boys,” at a Crusader quarterback fol(6-2, 190), the team’s top return- lowing the final ‘hut.’ Williams said. “We’d like to ing receiver at tight end, to The result was only four wins be faster. If you average it out the offensive backfield. Jared in 2008, four more in 2009 and across the line, we’re probably Farlow, a 5-7, 165-pound fresheven less than that in 2010 over 220 plus [pounds]. I’ll take that man, and J.D.’s younger brother 10-game seasons each year. for eight man.” is the backup quarterback. “I think back to some of the Junior Jeremiah Winkley Last year’s high-scoring games that we had years ago. also adds depth up front as a offense also produced a bit of a The refs would come up to us 6-0, 170 pound offensive tackle. culture change for home games after halftime and ask if we Seniors Gordon Smith and at East Coweta Middle School. wanted to start the mercy rule. Caleb Plowman can play tight “We have full stadiums. The And we’d be like, ‘nah, nah, we end while senior Kevin Fidati school starts coming out, the want to get our subs in,” said can line up wide at receiver. parents start coming back, Williams, who has a roster of “We’ve still got a lot of guys

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2012 SCHEDULE Aug. 24 LaFayette Christian (LaGrange) Aug. 31 At Harvester Christian* (Douglasville) Sept. 7 At Colonial Hills (Lithia Springs) Sept. 14 At CrossPointe (Williamson) Sept. 21 Life Christian (Albany) Sept. 28 Evangel (Montgomery, Ala.) Oct. 5 Holy Ground* (Roopville) Oct. 12 North Georgia* (Gainesville) Oct. 19 At Ballard (Ala.) Christian Oct. 26 Praise Academy* (Powder Springs) * ICSGA Region game Home games at East Coweta Middle School 2011 Results (7-3) Aug. 26 Community Chr. L48-29 Sept. 2 At North Georgia W60-8 Sept. 9 At Praise Academy L52-14 Sept. 16 Harvester Chr. W52-8 Sept. 23 At Georgia-Alabama W46-36 Sept. 30 Grace Baptist W54-8 Oct. 7 Colonial Hills W52-7 Oct. 14 At Faith Christian W60-8 Oct. 28 Ballard Christian W68-54 ICSGA Playoffs Nov. 4 At CrossPointe* L46-43

gest linemen on the team, has also become an accomplished kicker and provides a boost on special teams. Meanwhile, Williams feels the continuity of the staff — most of which has been together for four years — has been as much a positive toward the most recent success. The Crusader staff nowadays outnumbers some GISA programs while made of a combination of staff and outside volunteers, most of which are parents like Williams. “There’s big expectations,” Williams said. “How do we do this year? I don’t know. We continue to perpetuate it, I hope.”

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who are going to play both sides, but they’ll get rest this year, which is huge,” Williams said. The most recent chapter in the makeover this fall comes with coordinator Paul Frantz’s new defense that hopes to use Heritage Christian’s strength to its advantage and keep the Crusaders out of shootouts such as last year’s 68-54 victory over rival Ballard Christian. “This year we’ve gone more to a zone defense, so we’re hoping it really pays off instead of having to outscore people,” Williams said. “After the Ballard game, we said, ‘We’ve got to fix this. The teams we did get beat on, they had some decent speed. [I’d rather] we’ll give up three or four yards on a pass.” The victory over Ballard, one of Heritage Christian’s biggest and most long-standing rivals, was only the second ever in the series and the first since the Crusaders’ inaugural season. It saw the Crusaders rush for over 528 yards on 68 attempts. Over the spring practice period, the schools scrimmaged again, with Heritage also defeating Evangel by two points among a pair of exhibitions. “They were undefeated when we played them and we beat them by three touchdowns,” Smith said. “It sent a message to the whole league.” Newcomer William Christenson, a 5-10, 165-pound first-year senior gives Heritage an athlete capable of playing safety while joining Fidati and sophomores Austin Stover and Dakota Rainey. “William’s gone from not playing football to really being somebody that we’re going to be able to use,” coach Williams said. “His brother played with us last year. So that was a nice asset to pick up.” Both Farlow brothers, Dutch Williams, Reaves and Plowman make up the linebacking corps. The Parkerson brothers will both play at defensive guard while senior Gordon Smith lines up at one of the ends. Tyler Smith, one of the stron-

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Senior quarterback Dutch Williams and running back J.D. Farlow are back to lead a Heritage Christian offense that gained over 2,500 rushing yards last year while finishing its best season in school history.

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