Carrollton Trojans Football Preview

Posted on August 6, 2018 by admin

The Skinny

 

Sean Calhoun begins his third season as head coach of the Carrollton Trojans. The Trojans are another program in the state that is steeped in rich football tradition. The Trojans are 7-time state champs. Coach Calhoun has taken the Trojans to the 3rd round of the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. We asked Coach Calhoun what his biggest challenge was for the 2018 season.

He said, “Preparing my student-athletes mentally for a 15 game season.”

On offense at the skill positions, the Trojans have to replace the production of Mark Wright at quarterback; All-State running back Jaylan Thomas and wide receiver Dalton Benefield. Kashif Taylor appears to be the next in line to start at quarterback for the Trojans. Taylor played meaningful minutes last season as a sophomore, passing for 642 yards and 8 TDs.

Kode Brewer, the team’s second leading rusher in 2017, is poised to step in and fill the void left by Thomas. Isaiah Lancaster and Miles McLendon both return to lead the Trojans receiving corps. Lancaster was second on the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs in 2017.

 

 

 

While the young Trojans are figuring things out at the skill positions, Carrollton returns Johnathan Mason and Kayliek Dunson on the offensive line. Coach Calhoun will be relying on these two to anchor the line and pave the way for the Trojans ground game.

Defensively, the Trojans will be led by All-State linebacker, Kevin Swint. Swint led the team in tackles (102) and recorded a team-high 18 sacks in 2017. Swint will be teamed up with another young linebacker, sophomore Chaz Chambliss. Chambliss recorded 12 sacks in his freshmen season and was tied for second in total tackles with 97.

The defensive line returns Malachi Moten and Robert Johnson. While Reid Dedman and Jacob Cotton return in the secondary.

We asked Coach Calhoun if there was a game that was circled on the schedule.

“Our scrimmage because it is the first one!” he said.

When asked how success will be defined for the Trojans this season, Coach Calhoun said, “Getting my student-athletes to perform at 100% on the field and in the classroom.”

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Conversations with Coaches – Episode 11 – John Bowen – Montgomery County Eagles

Posted on August 6, 2018 by admin

Last season, Coach John Bowen led the Montgomery County Eagles to their first playoff appearance in 14 years and their highest win total in 28 years. Coach Bowen talked to us about some of the challenges this year’s Eagles will face.

“In a small school, depth is always a concern and this year at MCHS will be a classic example of this’” he said, “The Eagles will have to find ways to rotate players enough to create some depth along the OL and offensive backfield. The Eagles must also break in a new QB to take over from the graduation of the school’s all time passing leader, Kris Daniels.”

Listen here as we talk a little pre-season football with Coach Bowen:

Please remember to visit our segment sponsor http://www.yourganizeit.com Make sure you tell them you heard about them from The Turd Ferguson Report!

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Chestatee War Eagles Football Preview

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

Shaun Conley begins his third season as the head coach of the Chestatee War Eagles. Last season, the War Eagles missed out on the playoffs. Their region was a grinder in 2017, as it included the two teams that played for the state title in Class 4A. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, in 2018 Flowery Branch was dropped down from 5A and Denmark in Forsyth County came online and will be playing in the region this season.

We asked coach Conley what would be his staff’s biggest challenge in 2018.

“Replacing a group of seniors who have been 3 year starters,” he said.

However, there is a good amount of young talent waiting in the wings for the War Eagles.

On offense Christian Charles will return at quarterback. Last season, Charles split time with Storm Yarbrough, but Charles will take the reins, as Yarbrough has graduated.  Charles threw for almost 500 yards and 3 TDs last season, while rushing for almost 400 yards. For his efforts, Charles was tabbed as an All-Region Honorable Mention selection.

 

 

 

The War Eagles return three experienced offensive linemen in Josh Hamilton, Eduardo Jordan, and Jesus Aguillares. Hamilton was a First Team All-Region selection while Aguillares was selected as All-Region Honorable Mention. Wide receiver Seth Pressley could quickly become one of Charles’ “go to guys” at receiver.

Coach Conley’s defense lost its top seven tacklers to graduation. The War Eagles will look for production from linebackers Robbie James (41 tackles), MJ Jarrard (20 tackles) and Hunter Chambers (34 tackles). David Woodward will be a leader on the defensive line for Chestatee. The great news for the War Eagles, is that all four of these young men are just juniors this season.

We asked Coach Conley if there were any games on the scheduled that were circled for his team.

“None in particular,” he said, “the next one is always circled.”

How will the War Eagles define success this season?

“…we strive to compete in every situation we are in – we want to give maximum effort and play together,” Conley said.

 

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Southeast Whitfield Raiders Preview

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

 

Coach Sean Gray enters his 7thseason at the helm for the Southeast Whitfield Raiders. Coach Gray guided the Raiders to a 7-3 season last year and narrowly missed out on a playoff berth after falling to Pickens High in the play-in tiebreaker game. The seven-win tally was the most wins for the Raiders since the 1985 season.

This year, one of the biggest challenges for Southeast will be replacing the defensive line and First Team All-State  lineman Luke Johns.

Junior quarterback Adam Sowder takes over for Porter Johnson. Last season the Raiders passed for just under 2,000 yards. Receiver Zac Cole will look to step in and help replace the production of tight-end Oscar Gonzalez. Gonzalez was a First Team All-State selection last season, who led the team in receiving with 891 yards and 13 touchdowns.

 

 

 

While the Raiders fine tune the passing game, the run game looks to be in good shape with the return of Christian Gillespie. As a sophomore last season, Gillespie led the team in rushing with 845 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Gillespie will more than likely see time on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he will line up as linebacker. Cornerback Mike Zilbert is projected to lead the secondary.

As mentioned before, the Raiders had their best season in 32 years. Graduation however, has taken its toll on this squad. They lost 24 seniors off of the 2017 team. Matching last years win total will be a tall task.

Looking at the 2018 schedule, there is no question that the biggest game of the season for the Raiders is their county rival Northwest Whitfield.

 

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White County Warriors Football Preview

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

Coach Tim Cokely leads enters his second season at the helm for the White County Warriors. The Warriors had a reversal of fortunes in Cokely’s first season and returned the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. However, with a new season comes new challenges.

Cokely said, “creating depth,” is one of the biggest challenges that he and his staff will face as they prepare for the 2018 season.

The Warriors do return J Ben Haynes at quarterback for his sophomore season. Haynes was an All-Region Honorable Mention selection his freshman season.

Cody VerSluis is projected as one of the leading receivers for the Warriors. While Noah Hoersten is slated to help anchor the offensive line for Coach Cokely.

 

 

First Team All-Region linebacker Mike Mintz returns to lead the Warriors on defense. Minitz is a punishing tackler who always seems to be running downhill.

Jay Lepkoske and Deejay Fleming should give the Warriors experience on the defensive line. Karson Crow and Kurtis Havlen will lead the Warriors secondary.

While we don’t have a definition of success for the Warriors this season, we can certainly believe it would have something to do with coming into each practice and each game and competing to the best of their ability.

 

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West Laurens Raiders Football Preview

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

 

 

**Our podcast interview with Coach McClain will be released on Friday, August 10th. Stay Tuned as Coach McClain takes a deeper dive into the Raiders upcoming season.** 

 

The Skinny

 

 The West Laurens Raiders advanced to the second round of the state tournament last season. As a matter of fact, the Raiders have qualified for the state tournament for 4 straight seasons. However, Coach McClain knows that each new season brings its own set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges this season, according to Coach McClain is youth.

“We are going to be very young” said McClain regarding the 2018 Raiders.

While the Raiders will be young, they do return Junior Quarterback AJ Mathis to lead the offense. Mathis passed for over 1,600 yards and 12 TDs as a sophomore in 2017. Mathis will not be alone in the backfield as West Laurens returns leading rusher Dorian Edmond. Edmond ran for 867 yards for the Raiders last season.

West Laurens lost their 3 top receivers to graduation, but EJ Holmes could be poised to step up and take a leadership role within the young receiving corps.

 

 

Defensively, D’Eryck Jackson is poised to improve on his 99 total tackles and seven sacks, from last season. He won’t be alone, as fellow defensive tackles Que Mack (4 sacks) and Spencer Dacus (5 sacks) look to make running the football difficult on opposing offenses.

There is no one ‘most important game’ for West Laurens. Instead Coach McClain said that all the region ones are circled on the schedule this season.

While the Raiders will be young, the goal seems to remain the same as last season.

“Our goal is to play hard, be physical, and compete for a playoff spot,” he said.

 

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Troup County Tigers Preview

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

(You can listen to our podcast interview with Coach Glisson here: Coach Glisson Podcast Interview)

 

The Skinny

 

Coach Tanner Glisson has quickly helped right the ship  for the Troup County Tigers. Last season, the Tigers won 9 games. The team found ways to light up the scoreboard, primarily through the air. Last year’s leading passer, Montez Crowe has moved on to Savannah State and he takes along with him his 3,984 passing yards. Coach Glisson knows that he has to continue to keep his team focused.

“Dealing with outside expectations”, that’s one of the biggest challenges that Glisson said his team will face this season.

Troup County does return their 3 leading receivers from last season. WR Jamari Thrash was a First Team All-State recipient. The rising senior caught 61 passes for 1,410 yards with 13 TDs. Rising Juniors Kobe Hudson (896 yards, 12TDs), Mark Anthony Dixon (577 yards, 4TDs) and Ja’Rell Smith (281 yards, 2 TDs) round out the WR corps. TE Luke Purnell is poised to get in the mix in the passing game this season.

 

 

 Alabama verbal commit King Mwikuta will certainly be one of the leaders on this Troup County defense. He was a consensus First Team All-State selection last season at his linebacker position. Mwikuta will be joined by fellow linebackers Joko Willis (1stteam All-Region in 2017) and Kevin Martin (second team All-Region in 2017).

Junior Andy Boykin, an Honorable Mention All-Region selection, will help to make this defense an extremely formidable force this season.

Coach Glisson has had the Tigers playing well over the last two seasons and you ‘d better believe they’ll be looking to improve on last year’s nine wins. There is no doubt they won’t be taking any opponents lightly either, but Cartersville has been the measuring stick in Region 5. The November 2nd matchup with the Canes could show how far the Tigers have come, or it tell how much further they have to go.

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West Hall Spartans Football Preview

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

The West Hall Spartans have qualified for the state playoffs for five consecutive seasons. New Head Coach Krofton Montgomery will look to guide the Spartans to their sixth consecutive playoff appearance this season. But the road to a playoff berth  in region 7 becomes a little more difficult, as Flowery Branch now joins a region which already boasts the 2017 state champion (Blessed Trinity) and runner-up (Marist).

Senior, Quenton Smith will lead the West Hall offense. He will have a talented weapon in the backfield alongside him in  Junior Michael Thompson. In 2017, Thompson passed for 529 yards and also rushed for 879 yards with 9 TDs. The Spartans were a run oriented offense last season and will no doubt look to capitalize on Thompson’s ability in the ground game.

Solomon Riley looks poised to help carry the load offensively as he joins Smith and Thompson in the backfield. Upfront, senior tackles Ricky Castillo and Matt Sinclair will anchor the offensive line tasked with making holes for the ground game.  They will no doubt get help from tight end Hunter Rainey.

 

 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Spartans sport two good-sized linebackers in Corey Dupree and John Stoecker. They will look to replace Cory Davis and Austin Sinclair who led the team in tackles last season. The defensive secondary will be anchored by senior corner, Jeremiah Prather.

Coach Montgomery said “(all of the games) are equally important”, but he added, “Johnson in the battle of Oakwood and will always be the number one game in our communities.”

So what would make a successful season for the Spartans?

“Growth day by day as young men, athletes, community members, sons, and overall citizens. If we work hard and follow the plan wins will come, but success is measured in players coming back 4-5 years from now as productive citizens, husbands, and fathers and realizing what football as game does for you in life,” Montgomery said.

We couldn’t agree more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets Football Preview

Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

Coach Ashley Henderson takes over as head coach for the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets this season. Henderson’s Valwood teams won 3 GISA state championships in his six seasons there. TCC is a program steeped in tradition. They’ve won five state titles and have only missed the playoffs once since 1991.

Going into the summer and fall, Coach Henderson knows one of the challenges and keys to success will be to “establish relationships and trust between players and new staff.”

TCC has traditionally been a run oriented offense. Last season the Jackets only threw for 325 total yards. Kalique Guyton returns for his sophomore year and looks to be the projected starter at QB for TCC.

We have good reason to believe that Coach Henderson may integrate the passing game into the mix this season; and if that is the case players such as TE Ben Wilhelm, and WRs Zendai Brooks and Dee Wyche could be in store for productive seasons.

Defensively, the Jackets will look to make improvements from 2017 as the team surrendered an average of 32 points per game. Jaylen Dunbar is poised to be one of the leaders for the unit.  AJ Stephenson is also set to step up for the Jackets at the corner back position.

We asked Coach Henderson what game if any is circled on the calendar, he said the first game against Early County.

What does a successful season look like for Coach Henderson?

“Check back in 20 years and lets see what kind of citizens the players are,”  he said.

There is little doubt that not only is Henderson preparing his players for this season, but also trying to prepare them for success in life. We look forward to seeing the new look Yellow Jackets in 2018 and beyond.

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Montgomery County Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

**Our podcast interview with Coach Bowen will be released on Monday, August 6th. Stay Tuned as Coach Bowen takes a deeper dive into the Eagles upcoming season.** 

 

The Skinny

Last season, Coach John Bowen led the Montgomery County Eagles to their first playoff appearance in 14 years and their highest win total in 28 years. Coach Bowen talked to us about some of the challenges this year’s Eagles will face.

“In a small school, depth is always a concern and this year at MCHS will be a classic example of this” he said, “The Eagles will have to find ways to rotate players enough to create some depth along the OL and offensive backfield. The Eagles must also break in a new QB to take over from the graduation of the school’s all time passing leader, Kris Daniels.”

While the team does lose Daniels at quarterback, there is some talent at the other skill positions. DaQuan Jackson and Randy Shomake return for the Eagles at running back. Each will look to break out of the shadow of graduated senior Clayton Harvey. Jackson was also second on the team in receiving yards last season. Matt Seward will look to fill the void left by the graduation of Shaw Robinson. Kam Wideman (Second team All-Region) and Blain Craft will lead the offensive line again this season.

 

 

 Defensively Shomake and Jackson return at linebacker and safety respectively. Both were First Team All-Region selections last season on defense. Upfront Ty Roundtree and First Team All-Defensive selection, Jaheim Wilson will anchor the line.

We asked Coach Bowen if there were any games circled on the schedule this season.

“Treutlen, as always due to the rivalry,” he said, “Other than that, Week 1 vs. Atkinson County is huge because the Eagles will need to get off to a fast start if they hope to try and repeat the success of the 2017 season.”

So what is one of the ways success will be defined by the Eagles in 2018?

“Competing night in and night out and handling adversity while developing some leadership,” Bowen said.

 

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