By Sports Staff
The Daily Citizen
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Northwest Whitfield remains in the Georgia High School Association’s Region 7-4A for the 2010 football season, while Dalton, Murray County and Southeast Whitfield are in Region 6-3A and North Murray begins its varsity era in Region 7-2A.
Northwest’s 11-team region is free of subdivisions, but other area teams will compete in sub-regions with a playoff system set up to determine who advances to the postseason. Dalton and Southeast are in Sub-region 7A-3A, while Murray County is in 7B-3A and North Murray is in 7B-2A.
Here’s a glance at the teams from outside the area who will compete against local programs in their regions and sub-regions:
REGION 7-2A
Sub-region “A”
ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS
• 2009: 5-5 overall, 3-2 in Sub-region 7B-2A
• Coach: Jim Kremer (second season, 5-5)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/6
• First down: With 12 starters returning for a second year under coach Jim Kremer, the Tigers could end a steak of six straight non-playoff seasons, but the road isn’t easy in this sub-region. Plenty of skill players return for the Tigers, but the offensive and defensive lines are relatively inexperienced.
ARMUCHEE INDIANS
• 2009: 7-4 overall, 4-1 in Sub-region 7A-2A, lost 28-6 to Westminster in hte first round of Class 2A state playoffs
• Coach: John Mullinax (seventh season, 22-39)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/5
• First down: The Indians have been a model of improvement over the past six seasons, steadily increasing their win total before making the playoffs for the first time in 10 years in 2009. The team is coming off a tragedy, however, as offensive line coach Thomas Bryant died this past spring.
COOSA EAGLES
• 2009: 3-7 overall, 2-3 in Sub-region 7A-2A
• Coach: Chad Perry (sixth season, 28-23)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/6
• First down: The Eagles should be improved after starting so many younger players last season. The offense will be keyed by junior quarterback Brook Bingham (6-1, 195) running the Eagles’ wing-T scheme. Free safety Jared Vancuren in the star name on Coosa’s 3-3 stack defense.
MODEL BLUE DEVILS
• 2009: 1-9 overall, 1-4 in Sub-region 7A-2A
• Coach: Lynn Hunnicutt (first season)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 1/5
• First down: The Blue Devils will have to adapt to a new coaching staff and a lack of numbers, which could mean good things down the road, because so many young players should get quality experience this year. The strength of the team will be on defense, where linebackers Zack Pilcher, Wesley Tate and Zack Baker all return. Quarterback Dustin Fincher returns to run Hunnicutt’s offset-I package.
PEPPERELL DRAGONS
• 2009: 9-2 overall, 4-1 in Sub-region 7A-2A, lost 24-0 to Buford in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs
• Coach: Jeff Shiflett (fourth season, 29-8)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 9/7
• First down: The Dragons are primed for a run this year after counting on a lot of underclassmen last year. Injuries played a big part in that, but the experience should pay off in 2010. Up front, offensive tackle Kyle Harris is a Georgia Tech commitment, while tight end Dakota Ball has several Division I offers. Tailback Janier Ferguson rushed for more than 1,200 yards last year.
ROCKMART YELLOW JACKETS
• 2009: 5-5 overall, 4-2 in Sub-region 7A-2A
• Coach: Dan Duff (ninth season, 43-40)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/4
• First down: Rockmart returns plenty of speed and skill players, but the key will lie on the line. Senior Josh Hatch and Josh Cates will anchor that group, but Duff says that how the rest of the line develops will be the key to success this year. Quarterback Roshmel Young will trigger the Yellow Jackets’ I-option attack after combining for nearly 2,000 yards of total offense in 2009. Running backs Quitman Derry and Kwame Peek will get the carries on offense, while defensive back LaDarion Morris is the star returning on the other side of the ball.
Sub-region “B”
CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS
• 2009: 14-1 overall, 5-0 in Sub-region 7B-2A, lost 13-10 to Buford 13-10 in Class 2A state championship game
• Coach: Hal Lamb (12th season, 114-27)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 4/6
• First down: Back-to-back trips to the state championship game have only fanned the flames at Calhoun. Despite the loss of the quarterback-receiver tandem of Nash Nance and Da’Rick Rogers, the Yellow Jackets still have plenty of weapons. Running back Dustin Christian had 19 touchdowns and 1,300 yards rushing last year. Punter Adam Griffith is one of the best in the state.
CHATTOOGA INDIANS
• 2009 RECORD: 9-2 overall, 5-1 in Sub-region 7B-2A, lost 45-7 to Lovett in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs
• Coach: Brad Waggoneer (second season, 9-2)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 2/2
• First down: Chattooga might have surprised a lot of people in coach Brad Waggoneer’s first season, but the Indians will have plenty of attention this fall. Senior receiver Bradley Black (6-2, 180) will be one of the big cogs in Chattooga’s spread offense with a sophomore running back and a junior quarterback.
DADE COUNTY WOLVERINES
• 2009: 6-4 overall, 2-3 in Sub-region 7B-2A
• Coach: Bradley Warren (third season, 7-13)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 8/7
• First down: After a 1-9 start in his first season, coach Bradley Warren’s Wolverines improved to 6-4 last year, and he expects that upward trend to continue in his third campaign. Senior fullback John Hampton rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year and he will start at linebacker as well. Dade’s wing-T offense will be powered by beefy tackles Nick Lawson (6-3, 320) and Randy Holt (6-6, 340).
GORDON CENTRAL WARRIORS
• 2009: 3-7 overall, 0-5 in Sub-region 7B-2A
• Coach: Chad Fisher (fourth season, 8-22)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 8/8
• First down: Despite a 3-7 record last year, expectations are high at Gordon Central because the Warriors have 16 returning starters. The brother combo of Dre Prather at quarterback and sophomore defensive end D.J. Prather (6-5, 230) should get the attention of opposing teams pretty quickly.
LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE WARRIORS
• 2009: 7-4 overall, 3-2 in Sub-region 6A-3A, lost 42-0 to Gainesville in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs
• Coach: Todd Windham (fourth season, 12-18)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 1/5
• First down: Starting over is definitely the theme on the offensive side of the ball for the Warriors, who make the trip down from Class 3A this season. Senior center Tucker Wilson is the lone returning starter on the offense, while just five players return on the defense. With a small senior class, the Warriors should have plenty of experience in 2011, but how they handle the 2010 schedule will be the biggest test for most of the young starters.
SONORAVILLE PHOENIX
• 2009: 5-5 overall, 1-4 in Sub-region 7B-2A
• Coach: Chuck King (fifth season, 13-27)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/8
• First down: In their fifth season, Sonoraville will look for a breakout year and a trip to the playoffs. Plenty of starters return, and running back Shequeal McAfee had more than 1,000 rushing yards as a sophomore in the team’s wing-T attack.
Region 7-3A
Sub-region “A”
HERITAGE-CATOOSA GENERALS
• 2009: 1-9 overall, 0-5 in Sub-region 6A-3A
• Coach: Tim James (third season, 1-19)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 9/8
• First down: The Generals, who jumped straight into varsity and region competition when Heritage opened its doors two years ago, should start to feel more like they belong in the varsity ranks this season. James said he’s proud of the team’s progress in the weight room and believes he has some future college football players on his roster this year, including Justin Adekoya, a 6-5, 270-pound defensive end.
LAFAYETTE RAMBLERS
• 2009: 5-5 overall, 1-4 in Sub-region 6A-3A
• Coach: Tab Gable (first season)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/5
• First down: When Perry Swindall left LaFayette after two seasons, Gable became the seventh coach to lead the Ramblers since 1990. But Gable might be able to provide stability — he was at Trion for more than a decade, his second stint with the program — and he’s familiar with Northwest Georgia, having spent much of his head coaching career in this portion of the state. He doesn’t have to worry about experience at quarterback, though, with senior Josh Morgan a third-year starter who’s put up big numbers in pas seasons.
RIDGELAND PANTHERS
• 2009: 9-2 overall, 5-0 in Sub-region 6A-3A, lost 17-14 to Flowery Branch in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs
• Coach: Mark Mariakis (seventh season, 36-29)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/5
• First down: Mariakis has established the Panthers as one of Northwest Georgia’s winning programs after the school endured years of mediocrity (or worse), and two straight Region 6-3A titles add weight to a run of four winning seasons — quite an accomplishment for a team that had only two years above .500 before. On the other hand, after advancing to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs in 2008, the Panthers were a one-and-done team in 2009 and they’ll get more competition in the sub-region this year with the addition of year-in, year-out winner Dalton, a team they’ve never beaten in 18 attempts.
RINGGOLD TIGERS
• 2009: 8-3 overall, 4-1 in Sub-region 6A-3A
• Coach: Robert Akins (fourth season, 18-13)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/7
• First down: Stability on offense — a returning starter at quarterback in junior Josh Moore, as well as the five guys up front who protect him — should be an asset from the get-go for the Tigers, whose only blemish in sub-region competition a year ago was a three-point loss to eventual region champ Ridgeland. And they have a favorable schedule in that they’ll have half a season under their belts before traveling for a big game at Dalton’s Harmon Field and hosting the rematch with the Panthers in late October.
Sub-region “B”
ALLATOONA BUCCANEERS
• 2009: 4-6 overall, non-region schedule
• Coach: Gary Varner (third season, 7-9)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): N/A
• First down: The Buccaneers fielded a full varsity schedule last year, but now they are playing their first year of region football two years after the school opened its doors. The running game was potent at times in 2009, but the Bucs will now play a full season against schools their own size.
CARTERSVILLE PURPLE HURRICANES
• 2009: 5-5 overall, 3-1 in Sub-region 6B-3A
• Coach: Frank Barden (15th season, 116-49-1)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/6
• First down: The Purple Hurricanes won a state title 11 years ago, but have not advanced past the second game in the playoffs since 2004. Coach Barden has faith in several players on his defensive line, as well as in the linebackers corps and secondary.
CEDARTOWN BULLDOGS
• 2009: 2-8 overall, 1-3 in Sub-region 6B-3A
• Coach: Scott Hendrix (first season)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): N/A
• First down: The Bulldogs have won 11 games in the past four years and have not had a winning season since 2003. With a first-year coach, the team is working on fundamentals, including controlling possession of the football.
GILMER BOBCATS
• 2009: 4-6 overall, 2-4 in Sub-region 7A-3A
• Coach: Wesley Tankersley (third season, 4-16)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/8
• First down: The Bobcats’ leading rusher, fullback Jacob Teague, had 700 yards and 12 touchdowns in six games in 2009, missing the rest of the season with an injury. He’s back in the Wing-T offense that emphasizes ball control.
PICKENS DRAGONS
• 2009: 2-8 overall, 0-6 in Sub-region 7A-3A
• Coach: Steve Sewell (ninth season, 39-43)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 4/4
• First down: The Dragons have won six games in the past three seasons. The quick maturity of young starters will be key, especially on the offensive line, which does have some experience.
Region 7-4A
CASS COLONELS
• 2009: 3-7 overall, 2-4 in Sub-region 7A-4A
• Coach: Rick Casko (eighth season, 30-41)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/5
• First down: The Colonels haven’t had a winning record or advanced to the postseason since 2006, when standout running back and linebacker Richard Samuel, now at the University of Georgia, was still on campus. Senior wide receiver Tarris Batiste and defensive end Albert Catron will have to lead a young team seeking to return to the playoffs.
CHATTAHOOCHEE COUGARS
• 2009: 4-6 overall, 3-5 in Region 7-5A
• Coach: Terry Crowder (sixth season, 28-34)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 7/7
• First down: Chattahoochee might be the happiest team in the region after moving down from a region that included Parkview, North Gwinnett and Mill Creek. “We feel like we are coming down from one of the strongest regions in the state, so us moving down into a region that is so spread out isn’t a problem for us,” Crowder said. Senior quarterback Timmy Bryerly (6-1, 215) will key the Cougars’ spread offense after accounting for 30 touchdowns (17 rushing, 13 passing) last season. On the offensive front are four three-year starters in Matt Kiefer, Kurt Dumont, Matt Mills and Travis Skillingstad, who average 6 feet, 2 inches and 280 pounds.
CREEKVIEW GRIZZLIES
• 2009: 9-2 overall, 5-1 in Sub-region 7A-3A, lost 31-14 to Carrollton in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs
• Coach: Al Morrell (fifth season, 31-11)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 4/3
• First down: Creekview’s first full graduating class left the team with a state playoff appearance and the loss of 20 seniors. This year’s graduating class for the Grizzlies will have more seniors at the Cherokee County school, but with only seven returning starters, experience will be a factor early on. Creekview also lost the scheduling lottery with its “off” week coming on the last week of the regular season — that means 10 straight games without any kind of a break.
FORSYTH CENTRAL BULLDOGS
• 2009: 4-6 overall, 4-5 in Region 6-4A
• Coach: Chris Bennett (fifth season, 15-25)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/5
• First down: Depth could be a key concern for the Bulldogs, who have three players who will start on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Spencer Transue (5-10, 170) will key the wing-T offense for Forsyth Central, which moves out of a primarily DeKalb County region into a much more natural location with the other Forsyth County schools.
JOHNS CREEK GLADIATORS
• 2009: 3-4 overall, non-region schedule
• Coach: Mike Cloy (second season, 3-4)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 11/11
• First down: Johns Creek, like Lambert, is a second-year school with plenty of unknowns and tons of potential. The Gladiators jump feet first into the region with a long trip to Rome this Friday night.
LAMBERT LONGHORNS
• 2009: 4-0 overall, non-region schedule
• Coach: Sid Maxwell (second season, 4-0)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 11/11
• First down: The Longhorns didn’t have a senior class last year, so virtually all starters return, even though some positions were shared. Former Sequoyah coach Sid Maxwell started the program, so a wing-T offense and a 4-4 defense, not surprisingly, are hallmarks of the Longhorns.
ROME WOLVES
• 2009: 4-6 overall, 2-4 in Sub-region 7A-4A
• Coach: Franco Perkins (first season)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/6
• First down: Last year, the Wolves suffered their first losing season since 1994, but they will be fairly stable in the coaching ranks despite a change of who’s in charge. Former assistant Franco Perkins takes over as head coach after Sid Fritts moved on to Elbert County, and the Wolves should be strong with quarterback Chad Barton and fullback C.J. Diamond expected to play big roles this season.
SEQUOYAH CHIEFS
• 2009: 6-4 overall, 5-1 in Sub-region 7A-4A
• Coach: Jim Teter (second season, 6-4)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 5/5
• First down: In the second year under coach Jim Teter, the Chiefs will work to find better consistency than in 2009. Quarterback Ben Rogers returns to key Teter’s wing-T offense, which also brings back talented running back Timmy Swainey and wide receiver A.J. Hallyard.
SOUTH FORSYTH WAR EAGLES
• 2009: 1-9 overall, 1-7 in Region 7-5A
• Coach: Jeff Arnette (first season)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/5
• First down: Like Chattahoochee, South Forsyth moves down a class from a tough region, but unlike Chattahoochee, the expectation level isn’t nearly as high. After suffering a 20-0 loss to Flowery Branch in last week’s scrimmage, first-year coach Jeff Arnette — who jumped back into the head coaching ranks after last leading a program in 2005, when he was at Elbert County — said there was little to be impressed with.
WOODLAND-BARTOW WILDCATS
• 2009: 3-7 overall, 2-4 in Sub-region 7A-4A
• Coach: Steve Hamilton (fourth season, 10-20)
• Returning starters (offense/defense): 6/6
• First down: When Woodland comes to play, all eyes should be on junior running back Cambrell Turner, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year despite missing parts of three games with a broken arm. Want an idea of how dangerous Turner can be? In the preseason scrimmage with Cartersville, Turner had 10 carries for 180 yards. Woodland, keyed by a strong junior class, is still a year away from reaching its full potential.
— Compiled by Drew Brantley, Marty Kirkland and Chris Whitfield.
