Mount Vernon Presbyterian Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Mt. Vernon Prespyterian Mustangs have seen a steady increase in victories over Coach Wayne Dabbs tenure as head coach. Yet playing in region 5 is not for the faint of heart, as perennial powers Eagle’s Landing Christian and Wesleyan are region foes.

“We play in a very difficult region with some outstanding coaches and players, so just working hard to get our players prepared so they can play with confidence each week, “ said Dabbs.

The Mustangs return their leading rusher Austin Douglas (965 yards, 4 TDs) and their leading receiver, Justin Douglas, (876 yards, 8 TDs), but they will need to find a new starter at quarterback as Reggie Burnette was lost to graduation. Alex Holiday is a player in the mix to replace Burnette at quarterback.

There are several players poised to step up and make contributions for the Mt. Vernon, including Will Mitcham (ATH), Max Stevens (OL), Bennett Williams and (OL) Bijan Nikain (OL). John Watson, a Second Team All-Region selection at receiver could be another player poised to step up for Coach Dabbs.

The Mustang defense returns several players with experience, including a deep defensive backfield; which includes the aforementioned Austin and Justin Douglas. They will be joined in the secondary by John Watson,and Hayden Moore. Eric Harris (Second Team All-Region) and Jonathan Hammond will shore up the defensive line for the Mustangs. Linebacker Parker Corley (Second Team All-Region) will be another player to watch on this Mt. Vernon football team.

 

 

While there is not one particular game on the schedule that the Mustangs have circled, they understand that each week is important.

We asked Coach Dabbs what will make 2018 a successful season.

“Want to see our players enjoy working hard together this season. Enjoy being around each other, having a wonderful experience. Want to see our players improve on the football field but even more so in life in making good choices about life. Want to see our players be the leaders in the community,” said Dabbs.

Dabbs went on to say,  “We want to see our players be better people because of being a part of our program. (We) want to see our players achieve goals that they never would have dreamed. (We) want to win some football games and each week our opponents know that they were in a war.”

He finished up by explaining, “ (We) want to see our MV Community fall in love with this team and love supporting them. (We) want to see our alumni come back and be proud to say, I am a Mustang.”

 

 

 

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Landmark Christian Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

Here is a link to our podcast interview with Coach Scott. Listen for a more in depth pre-season preview: Coach Scott Podcast Interview

 

The Skinny

 

Coach Joe Scott takes over a Landmark Christian team that suffered its first winless season since they began region play in 1992. We asked Coach Scott what would be the biggest challenge for the upcoming 2018 season.

“The biggest challenge for the upcoming season is the same as it always is. Getting a group of players, parents, the school, and the community to focus on the task at hand, have a great attitude, and to put forth the effort that is required to achieve success,” Scott said.

Coach Scott will lean on a couple of  two-way players at the skill position to lead the War Eagles this season. Senior Donovan Pickett was a Second Team All-Region selection at running back last season. Pickett looks to improve on his 4.6 yards per carry from 2017. Pickett will double as a line backer for the War Eagles on defense.

Wide receiver Bernard Turner, also returns for his senior season. Last season, Turner was a playmaker for the War Eagles on offense, so we are sure that Coach Scott will try to get the ball in has hands as much as possible.  Turner was a Second Team All-Region selection at defensive back as well last season.

 

 

 

 

 The War Eagles offense will also get a boost from returning lineman Trey Bedosky; while the defense will be helped out with the return of linebacker Anthony Velez.

We asked Coach Scott if there were any games that were circled on the schedule this upcoming season.

He said, “The first one. It is always a great to win the first game and that is what we are focused on right now. We will have some games that will be appealing to our fans, but we want our guys to focus on one game at a time.”

What does a successful season look like for the War Eagles this season?

Scott said, “Success on the field is always decided by what the score board reads at the end of the game. Although our overall success as a team may not always equal a win, we will be able to measure it by our Faith in ourselves and those around us, our commitment to doing what’s Right, and our capacity to Work hard for the things we desire. These three aspects will lead us to a life of serving others and loving our neighbor as ourselves, and that is where true success resides. Here at Landmark our goal is to prepare each student to impact the world for Jesus Christ and I want our football program to be designed to blaze a trail that will show our guys how to obtain the true riches of life as we strive to Live as Champions.”

 

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Georgia Military College Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

 

The Skinny

The Georgia Military College Bulldogs (GMC) return to play a region schedule for the first time in three years. While the region schedule presents it’s own challenges, Coach Simpson explained what is the biggest challenge for the coaching staff this season.

“Depth will be our biggest challenge,” he said, “ Especially depth along the lines.”

The Bulldogs do however return a pair of players with experience along the offensive line. Germaine Patterson and Grayson Goodwin look to provide leadership going into the 2018 season. At the skill position, Malik Fortson and Armanious White are two players that GMC will look to for offensive production through the air.

 

 

Coach Simpson said that Josiah Cleveland (defensive line), Malcolm Clayton (defensive back), and Ramari Lewis (line backer) are some of the top returners on defense.

We asked Coach Simpson if there were any games that were circled on the schedule for the Bulldogs.

“Greene County as it will be our first region game in three years,” he said.

As the Bulldogs re-enter region play, Simpson explained how success would be defined this season.

“Our definition of success,” he said, “will be constant improvement towards our ultimate goal.”

 

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Claxton Tigers Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

The Skinny

 

Coach Tony Welch begins his second season as head coach of the Claxton Tigers. The Tigers posted their most wins in 3 seasons in Welch’s first year and are certainly eager for more. We asked Coach Welch what are some of the biggest challenges for his team coming into the 2018 season.

He said, “Early games, (and) time to prepare (for them).”

Some of those challenging early games that the Tigers are preparing for include the likes of Toombs County and Montgomery County.

While the season is less than a month away for the Tigers, they will have the luxury of welcoming back their leading passer and rusher, Karon Taylor. Taylor led the Eagles last season as a freshman with over 1,100 yards passing and 9 TDs.  Taylor’s performance in 2017 was enough to earn him Second Team All-Region honors. Taylor will be joined in the backfield by their second leading rusher and First Team All-Region running back, Myles Freeman. Freeman was also the teams leading receiver last season with 457 yards. Tight end Devon Hagan, a First Team All-Region selection, also returns for his senior season.

 

 

 

Junior defensive tackle Deoveon Hayward will anchor the front four for the Tigers. Hayward earned First Team All-Region honors last season. Other experienced players returning for Claxton are linebacker Myles Freeman and Zach Tillman, along with Second Team All-Region selection Shakari Denson.

Coach Welch and his staff will also be looking for production out of two-way players Allan Bartley (RB/SS), Chenard Densn (DT/OT) Kenan Brewton (OT/DE) and Adam Brown (WR/DB)

There are a couple of big games that are circled for Claxton. The first, is the first game of the season on August 17th against Tattnall County. This should give Coach Welch and the rest of the Tigers staff a good picture of where they stand and where they need to improve. The second game earmarked for the Tigers is the October 12thmatchup against region rival,  Calvary Day.

Coach Welch explained that there are two tangible goals for this season, “(a) winning season and making the GHSA playoffs”

We will certainly be taking notes to see if the Tigers can return to the GHSA post season for the first time in four years.

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Eastside Eagles Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

**Our podcast interview with Coach Hoff will be released on Tuesday, August 7th. Stay Tuned as Coach Hoff takes a deeper dive into the Eagles upcoming season.** 

 

The Skinny

 

Coach Troy Hoff begins his 4thseason as the head coach of the Eastside Eagles. Coach Hoff has led the Eagles to the post season in consecutive seasons. However, to get back to the post season in 2018, the Eagles will need to address some of their biggest challenges. Coach Hoff explained what one of those challenges was.

“This year, developing competition & depth on the offensive and defensive line,” he said.

While the Eagles will be working to shore up both lines, we asked coach Hoff who could be primed for a breakout season.

“Taylor Carter (Senior RB/DB), He’s been a high level player for us on both sides of the ball. He’s also been extremely productive – won’t be a surprise, but he’s done a great job of leading us this off-season,” he said.

Joining Carter in the offensive backfield will be sophomore Quincy Cullins. Last season, the two combined for 1,084 yards and 12 TDs. The Eagles also return two of their top receivers from last season, Jamari Brown and Jerry Mays.  Both Brown and Mays were All Region Honorable Mention selections in 2017.

 

As mentioned before, the Eagles will be looking to add depth along the offensive line, but they do welcome back Second Team All-Region lineman Dustin Morgan.

Defensively, linebackers Jamari Brundage and Dalton Whitney give the Eagles some valuable experience. Brundage was second on the team in tackles last season and an All-Region Honorable Mention selection. Two-way stars, Jamari Brown and Taylor Carter return to the secondary. Brown led the team in interceptions in 2017 with 5.  Coach Hoff has already explained how valuable Carter is to the team.

We asked Coach Hoff if there were any games that were more important than others.

Hoff said, “All of them! Obviously region play is most critical – Woodward Academy is the defending region champion so they are the team that everyone measures themselves against.”

Regarding success this season, Coach Hoff said, “Showing constant improvement to play to our capabilities – (we) want to be in a position to win the game in the 4th quarter.”

 

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Salem Seminoles Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Coach Jarrett Laws led the Seminoles to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years last season. It looks like Coach Laws has the Seminoles headed in the right direction. But he did share with us one of the challenges he and his staff face going into the 2018 season.

“Getting our guys to perform at their full potential every day, both in practice as well as during games,” he said.

We asked Coach Law about some of the top offensive returners this season.

He said, “The offensive unit as a whole. We return 9 players that have started at some point last season.”

A few of those players at the skill positions include quarterback Donald Wilson, and receivers Makari Pruitt and Tyler Smith. All three players garnered First Team All-Region honors last season.  Wilson led the team in passing with over 1,500 yards last season and 14 TDs.  Pruitt and Smith were first and second respectively in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. The duo combined for over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 TDs.

Omarius Burnam and Jesse Carter return as the team’s two top rushers from last season. Burnam was a Second Team All-Region selection while Carter was recognized as Honorable Mention.

 

 

On defense, the line will be led be Second Team All-Region end DeVon Reaves. Reaves wreaked havoc in opposing offenses backfield all season last year. Brad Plunkett will provide experience at the line backer position while Keevan Bailey and Artemus McCorkle (All-Region Honorable Mention) return in the secondary.

We asked Coach Laws about some of those players flying under the radar that might be poised for a breakout season.

“Several,” he said, “but I’ve been really impressed with the growth of offensive lineman Reco McDaniel, Wide Receiver Lennox Bowie, and cornerback Justin Johnson.”

But what about any particular games that are circled on the calendar. Coach Laws gave a unique answer.

“Week 11, which is the 1st week of the GHSA playoffs. Our goal is to have a game scheduled during that week,” he said.

With regards to how the team will define success Coach Laws quoted legendary basketball coach John Wooden:

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” – John Wooden

 

 

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Marist Ware Eagles Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

The Skinny

Coach Alan Chadwick enters his 34thseason as the head coach at Marist. No active coach has more wins than Coach Chadwick (364), and under his leadership,  Marist has never missed post-season play. Yet as with all programs across the state, each season holds its own set of challenges. We asked Coach Chadwick what he thought might be the biggest challenge this upcoming season.

“Replacing our entire offensive backfield and line backers, “ Chadwick said.

It was a backfield that churned out over 1,100 yards through the air and over 1,400 yards on the ground during the regular season.  The War Eagles do return their second leading receiver from a year ago, Kyle Hamilton.  Hamilton is two-way player who was also a first team All-Region selection at his safety position. Two way player Matthew Houghton  (WR/DB) should be poised to step in for the War Eagles and help fill the void left from graduation.

Joining Hamilton and Houghton on defense will be  first team All-Region defensive end Dean Colton and Honorable Mention selection Ryan Mannelly (defensive end).  Mannelly lead Marist in sacks last season with five.

 

Adam Pozzobon also returns on the defensive line for the War Eagles. This should make for a formidable front four. Look for this group to lead the way while the next crop of Marist linebackers learn on the go.

While we know that Marist won’t be overlooking any opponents this season. Blessed Trinity is a game that should be circled on their calendar. Marist lost to their region foe in the Finals of the AAAA state title game last season.

Under Chadwick, Marist has been a model of consistency when it comes to post-season play as we mentioned earlier. So it should come as no surprise how Coach Chadwick responded when we asked about goals for this season.

“Going deep into the playoffs,” he said.

The War-Eagles are also very active in the community. We asked coach Chadwick to name some of the teams All-Stars off the field. He said, “there are too many to name.”

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Christian Heritage Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

The Skinny

 

Coach Jay Poag begins his third season as head coach of the Christian Heritage Lions. The Lions are in their seventh season of play at the GHSA level. The Lions will face a challenging slate of games in 2018 including a 3 game stretch of regional foes Mt. Zion, Carroll, Darlington, and Trion. All of whom made the playoffs last season.

Christian Heritage returns quarterback Matthew Neff on offense. Last season, Neff threw for over 1,600 yards with 13 TDs.  Additionally, Zach Gentry returns at wide receiver for the Lions. Gentry led the team in rushing last season and was also second in receiving with 663 yards. Evan Lester is also projected to contribute at receiver for the Lions as well. Lester is a big target at 6’2” 205lbs.

 

 

Defensively, the Lions will be led by linebackers,  Duane Jones, Mitchell Herndon and Syd Reece.

We asked Coach Poag if there were any games that were circled on the calendar.

“All of them,” he said,

What will success look like for the Lions this season?

Paog explained, “Being competitive and putting ourselves in position to win games in 4th quarter.”

 

 

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Chattahoochee County Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

Last season, the Chattahoochee County Panthers recorded the 3rdmost wins in their 13-year school history. Third year head coach Drew Fowler knows that this season will present a new set of challenges however.  Fowler was not shy when being asked about the biggest challenge of the season.

“Replacing a large, experienced senior class,” he said.  (It was a class of 24 seniors.)

Fortunately for the Panthers, they do return 3 players on the offensive line with meaningful experience. Kendrick Harvey, Richard Sims and Chris Robinson. The Cougars averaged 238 yards per game on the ground in 2017, and in order to repeat those stats, Harvey Sims and Robinson will need to duplicate the success of last season.

While the team losses their leading rusher Ty Lucas to graduation, they do return their second leading rusher, quarterback Deandre Masten (568 yards rushing) and Kyjuan Harris (367 yards rushing) this season. Senior fullback Josh Geleney is a player that is poised to step up as well in the backfield for the Panthers.

 

 

 Defensively, the team graduated their leading tackler, Malic Bonner but do return defensive end Jontavus Walker who recorded 23 tackles, (including 4.5 sacks) and defensive backs Devion Dotson (59 tackles) and Nakia Delaine (29 tackles.) Dotson and Delaine also combined for 3 interceptions in the secondary in 2017.

Coach Fowler will be guarding against complacency for his young Panthers.

Fowler said “(success will be defined) by not being content with the success of last season”.

While the region games are extremely important, you can believe the Panthers are looking forward to their match-up with rival, Marion County on August 24th. It will be intriguing to see if Chattahoochee County can fill those voids and pick up where they left off last season.

 

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Central (Talbotton) Football Preview

Posted on August 4, 2018 by admin

 

 

The Skinny

 

Coach Cedric Stegall begins his third season as the head coach for the Central High Hawks. Coach Stegall’s Hawks increased their win total and statistical categories from a year ago. This season the Hawks biggest challenge is perhaps creating depth on both offense and defense. Like many smaller schools across the state, the Hawks will feature several player that play both ways.

Treymore Walker returns as the starting quarterback for the Hawks Walker. Walker was a Second Team All-Region Selection who passed for 990 yards and 13 TDs. He was also second on the team in rushing. Sophomore Arkevious Leonard is projected to get the bulk of the work at running back. He was tied for first last season in yards per carry at 5.7. Martavis Barber will anchor the offensive line.

 

 

The aforementioned Barber will also anchor the defensive line as well. Barber garnered Second Team All-Region honors in 2017. He will be joined by returners Arkeviosu Leonard at defensive back and Kanin Searcy at linebacker.

We asked Coach Stegall if there was any game that was circled on the calendar. He said that Manchester was a big game. The Blue Devils have been the measuring stick for Region 4 over the last few years.

Coach Stegall told us that,” a winning season,” will be how the team defines success this year.

 

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