There are just 32 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2018 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign got underway months ago in weight rooms, sand pits and practice fields throughout the state. And teams throughout northeast Georgia are in full countdown mode.
With that in mind we spent the last couple of weeks catching up with programs around our area to get a feel for how spring practice went, how the summer is going and what coaches believe the fall will look like. We call the series "Two-a-Days" in honor of those old-school grinding sessions that lead us out of summer and into fall, asking each area coach two key questions about the state of their respective programs.
Over the next two weeks, AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night will get you prepped for the start of gridiron action with responses from coaches throughout northeast Georgia. (Teams run in alphabetical order)...
BUFORD
The Wolves had another solid season winning Region 8-5A and advancing to the Class 5A semifinals. But they ran into juggernaut, and eventual state champion Rome, and saw their streak of 10 consecutive trips to the state finals halted in a tough 45-7 loss on the road. Second-year coach John Ford has kept the ship moving forward after taking over for Jess Simpson but Buford will be rebuilding its vaunted ground attack in 2018 after the graduation of both Christian Turner and Anthony Grant, who comprised one of the top running back tandems in the state at any level. We caught up with Ford see how his latest group has dealt with last year's disappointing finish and who will be toting the ball in the Wolves' new-look backfield.
QUESTION: Coach, stud RBs Christian Turner and Anthony Grant have moved on to the next level. Who are y'all looking at to fill those large set of cleats?
ANSWER: Christian and Ant were great players and amazing young men, competitors and leaders. Derrian Brown will be the senior and behind him you have juniors like Elijah Turner, Xalan Taylor, Javen Sadler and sophomores Gabe Ervin and Brandon Castro. Derrian has the most varsity experience and averaged over 8 yards a carry last year and Elijah got the most work of the kids behind him...they all have had productive off-seasons and RB coach Fyrone Davis does an amazing job getting them ready.
Q: The senior class seems to be taking on the leadership mantle coming off last season's disappointing ending. Talk about that group and how they are driving things leading into the Fall.
A: This whole 2019 class is a dynamic and special group. There are a lot of talented kids, but more important than that is the character and leadership they bring. There are a lot of great leaders in this group. Some are vocal, some lead by example, but it is a fantastic group of young men that make each day a lot of fun, I am excited to see them put the pads on (on opening night) because I know how much work they have put in.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: BANKS COUNTY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: CHEROKEE BLUFF
