It may be spring but football is still very much in the air. And even though there won't be a game played for another four months, the next few weeks will prove crucial to the life of every northeast Georgia program, as teams take to the practice field and shore up the foundation for the season ahead.
Spring allows coaches to work on fundamentals, install new offenses and defenses and tweak old ones, all while getting a glimpse of how their players react to those situations. It is an important time, part of a now year-long process. With that in mind, let's take a look at five big questions for area programs, as they prepare to close out the school year with a look toward summer workouts and the 2013 kickoff. (NOTE: For a look at dates for area spring scrimmage dates, simply scroll down.)
1. Who will step up for the defending champs?
With three state champs based within a 30 square mile area, plenty of eyes will be turned toward northeast Georgia this spring -- and for many different reasons. Let's take a brief look at each.
Gainesville: After taking 87 years to claim a championship, Big Red returns its standout quarterback in Deshaun Watson -- a player some recruiting services have dubbed the top QB prospect in the nation and one that people from around the state will want to watch as he progresses through his senior year. His continued progress will certainly be a key for the Red Elephants this spring -- but titles are won by teams and not individuals, and Gainesville must replace a number of defensive standouts, as well as shore up other positions, that played key roles in last year's drought-breaking success. There is plenty of talent available at the other skill positions on offense, as leading receiver Rodney Lackey returns, along with running back Michael Byrd.
Buford: The Wolves have often replaced graduated stars and kept rolling, and it certainly appears on paper as if Buford can do that again after claiming its eighth state crown in 12 seasons in 2012. Certainly the cupboards are far from bare, as the Wolves return the bulk of last year's squad, including standouts at running back in Zavior Hoxie and Thomas Wilson and quarterbacks Taylor Mitchell and Montgomery VanGorder. Buford also brings back plenty of experience at its bread and butter -- the lines of scrimmage, as well as a highly-recruited middle linebacker in Korie Rogers. How that unit gels and meshes will, of course, be important, but certainly the Wolves seem to be sharpening their fangs for another big campaign.
Jefferson: Change is in the air for the Dragons, who will enter 2013 with a new head coach and a new starting quarterback after both T McFerrin and Bryant Shirreffs put their names down in Jefferson lore forever after their exploits with the program. The Dragons should have continuity after naming offensive coordinator Ben Hall as head coach, and the new head man will be interested to see how several new faces will serve in key positions. Jefferson must also replace defensive standouts such as linebackers Wesley Simonton and Kody McDonald as part of last year's 18-man strong senior class.
2. Can the Trojans re-load in the backfield?
North Hall tweaked its offense to great effect in 2012, rushing for just a shade over 333 yards per game en route to the Class AAA semifinals for the second time in program history. The players that did much of that running have graduated, however, and North Hall will be looking to replace stars such as TJ Tate (1,172 yards rushing and Kevin Christmas (1,065 yards rushing). Rising seniors Andrew Smith (605 yards) and Zac Little (551 yards) will look to pick up the slack and each provided big moments last season. The best news for North Hall's backs is that, among a large group of offensive linemen, just four seniors graduated from last year's squad. That should make for some fairly sizable holes through which to run in 2013.
3. How much will the Falcons improve?
The close of the 2012 season proved a wild roller coaster for Flowery Branch football, as it claimed its first outright, solo region championship in a thrilling win over Gainesville before falling in the first round of the state playoffs the very next week. The Falcons will have spent months gnawing on that setback and have weeks yet ahead of them to let it spark them toward improvement. If Flowery Branch can continue the sort of strides it made throughout last campaign this spring, it should be in for plenty of good things in 2013. Quarterback Jackson McDonald developed into an outstanding playmaker as a junior, while running back Justin Curry also punished opposing defense for over 1,000 yards rushing. There will be plenty of talent on hand again for Flowery Branch in 2013, and it will be interesting to see how the squad develops in coach Chris Griffin's second year in charge.
4. Big spring for sophomores and freshmen -- coaches that is
There are almost as many "underclassmen" coaches in northeast Georgia right now as there are veterans. In fact of the 30 programs we track, 12 of them are under head coaches either heading into their first or second spring practices -- and that doesn't even count Commerce, which just saw coach Marvin Justice step down, citing health and family reasons. Spring is especially big for new coaches, who are installing new offensive and defensive schemes. Spring represents a two-week period in which staffs can provide the base for the season ahead and have their players see how it works in action.
5. Chestatee looks to consolidate gains
The War Eagles made huge strides in 2012 and will look to add to those for the upcoming campaign. It won't be easy after the graduation of an impressive senior class that included starting quarterback Jordan DeGraff and standout running back Quan Clark among others. But the War Eagles also have a huge class of rising seniors to lean on for 2013 -- 24 this spring versus 17 last year. Running back A.J. Sijiye, who developed into a huge threat last season will also be a junior. This group will also have the added value of seeing what it takes to succeed both in Region 8-AAAA and in the Class AAAA playoffs and will want to make-up for last year's first round defeat LaGrange. Coach Stan Luttrell's team is coming off the best campaign in school history but will only want to better that in the weeks ahead.
Spring Scrimmage Dates For Area Teams*:
Apalachee -- May 13
Buford -- May 17
Chestatee -- May 10
Fannin County -- May 17
Flowery Branch -- May 20
Gainesville -- May 10
Habersham Central -- May 18
Jackson County -- May 13
Jefferson -- May 10
Johnson -- May 10
Lumpkin County -- May 17
Mill Creek -- May 17
North Forsyth -- May 17
North Gwinnett -- May 18
North Hall -- May 17
Rabun County -- May 20
Towns County -- May 17
West Hall -- May 9
White County -- May 18
Winder-Barrow -- May 13
* - Not all programs will hold end-of-session scrimmages, and these are the scrimmages that were made available to us.
Tuesday
May 6th, 2025
3:25PM
