There are just 22 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)...
TOWNS COUNTY
The Indians put together arguably their best-ever season in 2017 by securing their first-ever state playoff berth and putting up their second-highest win total at 5-5 in the regular season. Playing in the always-difficult Region 8-A, Towns County made its mark, including a vital, 28-27 comeback defeat of Athens Christian that went a long way in securing a postseason bid in the Class A Public bracket. The thing is, however, is that the Indians are not satisified. They want more, and coach John Cornett believes he has the roster to continue the impressive ascent of last season.
QUESTION: Last season your team made history by reaching the program's first ever state playoff game. What has that achievement done for the state of the program? How has it energized young players and the community to continue that success?
ANSWER: Last season definitely had a huge impact on our program. I think the biggest part of that success is getting the players to believe they could win. Two years ago, they just hoped they can win. Now I think our players not only believe they can win, but they expect to win and feel like they have worked hard enough to deserve to win. Last year's success also created a spark in the community. I think more people will come to our games to test to see if it was a fluke. I think the community has a lot of hope, and I think after this season they will also believe.
Q: Last year's team was veteran-laden. How is this year's roster shaping up in terms of experience? And who are some of the players that are ready to step into leadership positions?
A: We had a great senior leadership last year, no doubt. However, we have a large group of seniors returning and a few more have decided to come back out for football (a large part was because of the season last year). I believe we could have one of the best teams Towns has ever put together. We need to stay healthy though. We are thin in spots. We have five offensive linemen returning, led by Danny Reagan and Jarrod Wiggins. Our QB Trent Bradshaw has been starting in our system for three years. We have a wide receiver, Will Travis, that is looking to have his breakout season. Our playmaker, Allen Gillis, will have a great season on both sides of the ball. Our linebacker Hunter Frisk will leave his mark on the season as well. These leaders are our hardest workers during the summer, so everyone else follows.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: RIVERSIDE MILITARY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: UNION COUNTY
