There are just 29 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)...
EAST HALL
The Vikings had their best season in recent memory in 2017 winning their first playoff game since 1994 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs. They also had the most prolific passing attack in the state, all classifications, behind now-graduated quarterback Austin Parker. However, off-season changes galore have knocked the Vikings almost back to square one. Bryan Gray stepped down after 11 seasons at the helm. Assistant Scott Patrick was promoted and he has had to reassemble an entirely new staff. And that's not counting graduations besides Parker. We asked coach Patrick, who got a late start, how things have been progressing heading into the Fall.
QUESTION: Coach, a lot of late changes in Valhalla. What has been your biggest priorities as y'all prepare for Fall camp?
ANSWER: There have been changes and new additions to the coaching staff. The players have responded well to the coaching staff and the different coaching styles they each bring. I could not be more proud of them. We are working to continue building on the success. From the day I started, that has been the focus. We have a good core of backs returning as well as lineman and receivers, with good competition at quarterback. We have had some good senior leadership, which has made the job easier. We have been working on defense, making some tweaks and moving players around. On offense, we have added some wrinkles as well. Players have stepped up in drills and competing. They are competing in every aspect of summer workouts. There is excitement. I feel when it comes time for practice; we will hit the ground running.
Q: Of course, everyone will be curious to see who takes over at QB with the graduation of Austin Parker. Have y'all been able to get an early sense of who will be taking over under center at this point?
A: Right now we have four guys competing for the spot, two upper classman and two freshman, in Kyle Baugh, Clete Cooper, Zander Mann, and Christian Torres. They have been students of the game, working hard on their fundamentals and reads. Each brings something different.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: DAWSON COUNTY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: EAST JACKSON
