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)...
RIVERSIDE MILITARY
The Eagles may have won just two games in 2017, but they were just a handful of points away from five victories, dropping three 3-point contests in coach Nick Garrett's first season in Gainesville. Those near misses included a 16-13 defeat to eventual state playoff and Region 8-A foe George Walton Academy. As Riverside prepares to enter Garrett's second campaign it finds itself in a much stronger position both numbers- and experience-wise. And the coach believes the lessons learned in 2017 will be put to good use against another rugged 8-A slate.
QUESTION: You're on the precipice of your second season in charge of Riverside Military, what did you learn from that first campaign and are you approaching this season any differently from 2017?
ANSWER: I learned a lot from my first year at Riverside Military Academy and understand the culture of what makes a military boarding school unique with the military model, academic integrity and the structure and discipline of day-to-day operations. Our (Class) 1A Private league is one of the most competitive and well-coached leagues I have ever seen or been around, and with that being said proper preparation is key in order to compete week in and week out. The major difference from last year to this year was my first year we had about 16 varsity experienced returners and this year we will be around 40-45 cadets with varsity football experience -- which is very difficult to accomplish in 1A private.
Q: The Eagles face unique challenges because of their boarding school status, how did you attempt to overcome the fact that many of your players are not around for summer workouts and 7-on-7 camps -- or were you able to get many of your players on campus over the summer weeks?
A: Not having players in the summer is a challenge not only here but anywhere, so in order to make up for that time our staff picked up our cadets and took them to prospect camps for a few reasons: 1) exposure, 2) team building, 3) developing a stronger relationship with each and every one of our kids and coaches. Outside of that we were able to get a few workouts in during summer school.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: RABUN COUNTY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: TOWNS COUNTY
