NOTE: There are only 38 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.
After years of frustration Jackson County football recently pulled itself out of the mire and clinched two straight state playoff berths. Last season proved difficult, however, as the Panthers went 2-8 and then lost head coach Benji Harrison to Habersham Central. Yet new head coach Brandon Worley is determined to get Jackson County back on a winning track.
Worley is asking a lot of his new charges, but the coach has been pleased by the response so far, and he’s found some leaders ready to step into the breach and take ownership.
QUESTION: How would you judge the installation process so far? How are your players getting used to things this summer?
ANSWER: I think they’ve done a great job considering everything that we do. We’re very multiple on offense. We base out of the ‘I;’ I guess you call it the ‘multiple-I.’ We go under center but we also go out of the gun a little bit. It’s just a really multiple offense, and they’ve done a good job picking that up, and at this point right now I’m very pleased with the progress we’ve made on that side of the ball as far as getting the new terminology and scheme in.
QUESTION: Things are very different once the lights come on on a Friday night, so workouts and drills aren’t always the best judge -- that being said, who has impressed you so far, especially from a leadership standpoint?
ANSWER: I definitely would say Griffin McElvery, a fullback/linebacker, is a very, very special kid. He’s done a good job and jumped right in, and has really been a leader through the spring and over the summer. He’s going to be a senior this year. And Caleb Matthews the quarterback, he’s going to be a junior, has really fit into the offense well. The transition going from being full spread to being very multiple is very difficult sometimes; you never know how the kids are going to take it. But as of right now I think the kids absolutely love it, and they’re enjoying it, and they’re getting an understanding of why we’re doing things, not just doing them. And up front we’ve got a lot of seniors that are going to be on the line of scrimmage, and I think they have just carried us over the summer too, great attitude, just a hard-working group of linemen. (I’m) very excited by our group of linemen.
COMING UP NEXT: Jefferson
