NOTE: There are only 36 days left until the start of the 2015 high school football season -- both around the state and right here in northeast Georgia. With that in mind, AccessWDUN is already in full preparation mode. Over the next three weeks we will give you a sneak peek of what’s in store for 2015 with our "Two-A-Days" series. We will bring you two key questions -- and answers -- for each program in our coverage area, twice a day. Each morning will start a new program, with another highlighted each afternoon. And at the end of each week we will also provide some video footage and commentary from area coaches. Programs will run in alphabetical order.
Playing the rough-and-tumble and fast-paced Region 8-A, Lakeview Academy switched to a spread offense midway through last season. With a full off-season to work out the kinks, Lions’ 10th-year coach Matthew Gruhn is hoping the upgrade in tempo will also translate into renewed interest and wins for the program.
We talked to Gruhn about how the changes are coming along and the prognosis of building toward a future shot at the playoffs.
QUESTION: The offense only averaged 11 pg in your seven losses but seemed to be coming together by season’s end in the new spread attack. How are things progressing on that side of the ball heading into fall practice?
ANSWER: Last year was our first year going to the spread and it took a while for us to find an identity with it. I thought by the end of the year we were doing a much better job of understanding how to run it and in our execution. In Year 2 now, everyone from the coaches to the players has a much better understanding. We will have new people in place but we’ve had an entire year to work on it and understand it so I expected us to be better at this point of the off-season and I think we are. Sr. Thadeus Webb, who moved from WR, will take over at quarterback for us. He was the backup last year so he got reps. Sr. Avonte Gober will take over at RB and we feel both of those guys give us some playmaking ability. We will probably use a little more zone-read this year which should give us a different element than last year.
QUESTION: The numbers have been increasing for the program the last few years. What is mindset of the program as it tries to make a push for its first-ever playoffs in in 2015?
ANSWER: Obviously the goal for every program is to make the playoffs. We’re no different. Our numbers are on the rise but we don’t have the overall numbers of some of the other teams in our region, which is one of the toughest in Class A. We would love to make history and be that first team from Lakeview to make the playoffs. But right now we’re just trying to improve day-to-day and game-to-game. I do feel we’re making progress as a program but every year is a new challenge for us because of the numbers. I think we’ll be competitive and hopefully we can get a few breaks along the way.
COMING UP NEXT: Lanier
