Indians beginning to believe in 7-AAA

DAHLONEGA -- Seeing is believing. And what Lumpkin County fans are seeing lately from the Indians offense is certainly making believers out of them. Lumpkin County has been putting up some eye-popping numbers recently, rushing for more than 400 yards each of the last two weeks and averaging more than 36 points a game in that span after scoring just 29 total points in its first three games. The Indians pounded out 478 yards rushing last week in a 38-35 Region 7-AAA opening win over East Hall, which had followed a 452-yard attack against Our Lady of Mercy in a 42-35 loss the week before. For first-year head coach Ty Maxwell, it has all been part of what they had hoped would be a master plan for lasting success. "We want to win every time we step on the field, but priority No. 1 was instilling an attitude of toughness and hard work," Maxwell said. "Also, a big battle for most teams is believing you can win. That was another thing that we needed to try and build with the guys. Right now, they're beginning to believe they can win." Maxwell, a 2006 Lumpkin County grad, knew that wasn't always the case. The Indians have not made the playoffs since 2003 and have just two winning seasons in that span, including back-to-back 2-8 campaigns the past two seasons. "They didn't have a lot of confidence coming into the season" Maxwell said. "I came in as the third coach in three years and you could see they were a little weary of changing things again. But we told them what we wanted to do and they have bought into it and every week we have gotten a little better." Lumpkin County (2-3, 1-0 Region 7-AAA) will try keep things rolling Friday in the first major battle of 7-AAA when they play host to Franklin County (2-2, 1-0) in a battle of region unbeatens. In the fall practice Maxwell said he would utilize what he perceived to be a strong offensive line to go with speed and power in the backfield. He changed the Indians attack to a split-veer option to mirror what Maxwell, who was an assistant at Chestatee, saw had been successful with similar personnel for the War Eagles. Sophomore quarterback Zach Matthews has shown a knack for running the offense and seniors Gunnar Wood and Bradley Womack are having breakout seasons so far at running back. The pair combined for 361 yards and four touchdowns in the win over East Hall But the key may be the play of a tough and talented group in the the trenches. Seniors Garrett Gray (C), Jacob Jackson (T) , and Steven Bowen (T) have provided key leadership while senior Caleb Fields, junior Ben Brown, and freshman Josh Chastain have solidified the line. Junior tight end Zach Samples provides another good blocker and someone who can catch ball. "We felt we had guys with talent (on the line) that could be even better," Maxwell said. "We made some adjustments and they have responded. What I really like about the group as a whole is that they want to get better. They're never totally satisfied and I think they can keep getting better." Turnovers also has been a key. They had four in a tough 15-8 loss to still-undefeated Model in the season-opener and have improved each week. They had just one against East Hall. "Taking care of the ball has been a big priority in practice," Maxwell said. "We're not at the point where we can have four turnovers and win games. Few teams are. But we've shown the last couple of weeks that when we do take care of the ball we're a tough team to stop." Franklin County will offer another tough test for Lumpkin County. The Lions are a near mirror-image of the Indians posting just three total victories over the past two seasons. But the Lions are also showing signs of improvement since the opening week. They allowed 75 points to Stephens County and Hart County in two losses to open the season but have rallied with wins over East Jackson (47-7) and Banks County (22-21) last week in region play. Lumpkin County offensive coordinator Nicky Jenkins said he is expecting a dogfight up front. "Franklin has improved and are big up front and can match our line. It's going to be a battle for sure," Jenkins said. "But I like where we are right now and the guys are understanding better what we're trying to do and are executing. The key has been very few turnovers." Maxwell, however, said last week's success was just that: last week's success. "(Franklin County) is a lot like us in that they're still learning a new system but are getting better each week," Maxwell said. "There are no easy games in this region because everyone is so close. You have to be ready to play every week. "What we did last week or two weeks ago doesn't matter now. Our focus is on this week and doing what we need to do and working hard to make that happen." A win for the Indians this week will be their most since going 6-4 in 2011. But more importantly, it will give them a solid start in the region. However, Maxwell said they did not set any preseason goals and aren't ready to make any predictions on how things will end. But, he has noticed a spark in their eyes when Friday rolls around. "We didn't set any season goals because our focus was on changing the mentality here and bringing attitude and effort back to the program," he said. "The last two weeks I feel we have definitely gotten both from the guys. I see it when they step on the field now. They believe they can win." And that is 90 percent of the battle.