There are just 31 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)...
CHESTATEE
The War Eagles missed out on the playoffs in a very competitive Region 7-4A in 2017. It won't get any easier in 2018 as Flowery Branch moves down and Denmark, a new school in Forsyth County, moves into the region. Chestatee will have to find a replacement, or two, for the graduated Nick Lyles, who amassed more than 2,500 yards the past two seasons in the War Eagles revamped offensive attack. Third-year coach Shaun Conley said filling Lyles spot has been a priority, as is rebuilding a defensive unit that struggled in region play.
QUESTION: Replacing RB Nick Lyles and his 1,300-plus yards from scrimmage obviously will be tough, but sophomore QB Christian Charles had some breakout moments last season. What do you expect to see from the offense this season?
ANSWER: Nick built a 2-year total of 2,500 yards so he will leave a huge hole to fill. So far during spring and summer workouts we have been running back by committee. Wesley Perez and Caleb Chiles are competing daily for the starting role. They each bring something a little different to the table with one being more of a slasher and the other relying more on speed and finesse. We also have used Hunter Chambers in certain situations -- we look for him to play a factor in filling the void left by Nick. Christian did show signs last year but we did not take full advantage of maybe his strongest asset -- his legs -- while trying to stay as balanced as possible. There is a chance we will use the QB a bit more this year on the ground instead of relying on the RB position to carry the rushing load.
Q: On defense y'all lost LBs Micah Flanagan and Reggie James. Will filling those slots be a key factor as you continue to try and build a consistent defensive unit?
A: The LB position is always a key position to fill on the defensive side of the ball. We have moved safety MJ Jarrard up to fill our weakside LB position. MJ is a 2-year starter and has made a quick transition and added some speed to the position as well. At the strong side LB, we have moved Reggie’s younger brother -- Robbie James -- from defensive end. Robbie’s size as well as athleticism has helped him with this move. There will be somewhat of a learning curve as we progress through the season but I look for these two to be able to fill the spots and provide our defense with some consistency.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: CHEROKEE BLUFF
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: COMMERCE
