It was an incredible 2015 high school football season. OK, so there were no state titles to celebrate for the first time since 2011 -- but there was plenty more to enjoy, including historic campaigns for a number of area programs, awesome talents, and jaw-dropping plays that were made each and every Friday night of the fall.
With that in mind let's take a look back at 2015 and celebrate it for what it was: Incredible.
The team at Friday Game Night has put together a season highlight reel that includes some of most outstanding plays of the recent campaign -- not just touchdowns and sacks but some of the more super-human efforts and light-hearted moments of 2015. It is available for viewing above.
We also present the season in pictures -- 15 outstanding moments captured from 2015 available for view at left.
Finally, this is also our last chance to get our own two cents in about the season, so following is the annual Friday Game Night postseason awards gala. (NOTE: The FGN ceremony is brought to you minus any sort of ceremony, chicken dinner or plaques. But look on the bright side, you also don't have to put on a suit to attend this banquet -- unless you just like reading our web site in a suit, which is fine... but we digress...)
2015 Awards/Reflections:
Things we'll miss most about 2015:
- Balance -- this year was as balanced as any we could remember. Sure there were a few top-heavy regions, but several more provided runs to the wire for region titles and playoff spots. We're not saying it won't continue, and we do, in fact, hope this is just the start of continued competitiveness. Unpredictability makes it that much more fun to watch.
- Current regions -- What can we say, we're conservatives at heart when it comes to change, and the classifications and regions GHSA has set for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 years have us a little nervous about what is to come -- between new rivalries and road-trips to plan.
- We'll miss the one-man wrecking crew that was Lanier's Derrick Brown. The top-rated defensive player in the state could change a game on any given play. Whether it was one-handed punt blocks, interceptions or devastating sacks, opposing offenses had to account for him on every play. He scared a few defenses too, scoring touchdowns via rushing and receiving. There will be several opposing coaches in the area glad that he is headed to the collegiate ranks.
- For that matter there were a ton of standout players that wowed us consistently, including: Rabun County's Charlie Woerner (is there anything he didn't do in four years with the Wildcats? Another star that opposing teams will be glad is gone), Gainesville's Chris Byrd (look up "football player" in the dictionary and there should be a picture of the hard-nosed, two-way standout), Buford's Shug Frazier (far more than just an immovable object in the middle, Frazier was a playmaker at defensive tackle), Union County quarterback Joseph Mancuso (one of the players that helped put Georgia mountains football on the map over some incredible seasons), Flowery Branch's Cortez Davis (another Swiss Army Knife in shoulder pads, Davis was a threat at any number of positions). Dawson County's Tucker Maxwell showed the kind of speed 7-AAA had rarely seen, helping lead the Tigers to the promised land in his first (and only) season in Dawsonville. And there are plenty of more, but we have to stop the list somewhere...
What we're looking forward to most in 2016:
- Young guns -- this season saw the rise of some incredible sophomore talent, players that made the leap from good to great. That includes Jefferson running back Colby Wood (2,119 yards, 33 total TDs), Rabun County quarterback Bailey Fisher (2,936 yards passing, 753 yards rushing, 46 total TDs), East Hall quarterback Austin Parker (2,485 yards passing, 214 yards rushing, 24 total TDs), Dawson County quarterback Coey Watson (2,171 yards passing, 473 yards rushing, 28 total TDs), Buford running back Anthony Grant (743 yards rushing, 7.4 yards per carry, 11 total TDs), White County running back Kaleb Crane (one of the Warriors most consistent performers), Gainesville linebacker Keith Harris (89 total tackles, second-highest on team).
- Some local rivalries return -- With so many regions, the number of region games for each team is shrinking, meaning that teams are free to go out and schedule some local foes in non-region contests. We're intrigued as to what is in the works.
Biggest surprise:
- There were several eye-openers this season -- but perhaps none moreso than Dawson County. The Tigers were coming off a 2-8 2014 and sporting a new head coach. All they did was respond with their best-ever season, winning their first region title and reaching the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Special shout-outs also go to West Hall for overcoming a five-game losing skid to get back into the playoffs and to East Hall for overcoming a three-game skid to start the season en route to a five-game win streak and their first home playoff game since 2000. North Hall also gets a nod for getting back into the playoffs after going 2-8 last season.
Toughest region:
- 8-AAA -- This league continued to set the standard for tough in 2015. Consider that defending champ Jefferson had to win on the final day of the regular season just to avoid fourth place. The Dragons went on to give eventual Class AAA runner-up Blessed Trinity fits in the second round (till the hosts pulled away in the fourth quarter). Meanwhile, third seed Elbert County reached the quarterfinals and only lost to Calhoun in triple overtime. Also consider that Jackson County, which won one contest in region play went 3-1 in non-region play. That's tough.
Most fun region:
- 7-AAA -- Outside of Dawson County running away with the title (and even that had one hiccup), this was the most unpredictable league in northeast Georgia. East Hall also went 5-1 in league play, but won three of its games by 10 points or less. And there were still four teams fighting for two playoff spots on the last night of the regular season. Even Dawson County, which claimed the league crown, won two games by two scores or less and took a loss at Fannin County. Plus there all those wide-open offenses on display. Consider 7-AAA the Pac-10 of northeast Georgia.
Most thrilling game:
- This one is difficult, really difficult. There were some absolute gems this season, including:
- Mill Creek 20, Peachtree Ridge 17 OT (Nov. 6) -- The Hawks sealed their first region title in the regular season finale, as Brenton King drilled a field goal in the extra frame of a defensive slugfest.
- Gainesville 29, Flowery Branch 26 (Nov. 6) -- The Red Elephants marched 73 yards to score the winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining just about two minutes after the Falcons had taken their first lead. The Branch needed the win to clinch the playoffs; Gainesville needed a win to assure a postseason berth.
- Dawson County 35, East Hall 28 (Oct. 2) -- This one had big play after big play and saw the Tigers fend off the Vikings to begin their ascent toward their first region championship
- West Hall 40, Fannin County 37, 2OT (Oct. 23) -- Really, you could pick any of the Spartans' final three games that saw them buck a five-game losing skid and fight back into the state playoffs. All three were decided by seven points or less. But this one gets the nod because it was in two overtimes, on a long road trip and kick-started the whole three-game push.
- Winder-Barrow 35, Salem 34 (Sept. 25) -- The Bulldoggs played in five games decided by one score or less and went 4-1 in those contests -- every win absolutely vital, as Winder climbed back into the playoffs as a No. 4 seed. But none were closer than the win over the Seminoles -- a victory that saw back-up quarterback Brock Landis take the reins as starter and score four touchdowns to help seal the win.
- Stockbridge 40, Gainesville 34 OT (Nov. 20) -- Had the Red Elephants won this, you can bet it would be No. 1. Gainesville came oh-so-close to another huge road playoff win, forcing overtime after trailing throughout.
- Jefferson County 31, Rabun County 28 (Nov. 27) -- Another one we wish had gone the other way, but what a contest it was, as the Wildcats slugged it out on the road and so very nearly claimed their first state semifinal berth in the process, falling only to a late field goal.
MVP:
- This one really was too tough -- Derrick Brown, Charlie Woerner, Tucker Maxwell, Chris Byrd, Joseph Mancuso... the list goes on. Every single one of them was HUGE for their respective teams. We hate to do it, but we're going to go new-school with this and give out trophies to the lot of them.
Best team:
- Since we went all wishy-washy on the last one we really should pick just one here... But we're going with two. Buford and Mill Creek get the tie here. We really would love to see these two play each other this season. It would be one of the grittiest defensive battles we would see this season. Seriously. These two were downright nasty on defense. Buford ended the season allowing just over 7 points per game. Mill Creek yielded just 10 points per game, 6.2 if you take away the (52-31) semifinal loss to eventual state champ Colquitt County (for the second year running). Meanwhile, both teams also had really good offenses that were overshadowed but would have starred for most other programs. Mill Creek also had a historic campaign with its first ever region title and first state semifinal berth, while Buford stormed back to the state championship game for the ninth straight year, despite graduating 15 collegiate signees from 2014. These two were seriously good. We didn't see any better teams from top-to-bottom all season.
