NOTE: There are only 29 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.
Coming in as the third head coach in three years, Towns County's Billy Barnhart understood it would be daunting task in building the Indians into a consistent winner in Hiawassee, a place where only one winning season has been posted in the program's 46-year history. Still, the second-year coach said it can be done and that changing the mindset was priotity number one.
We caught up wih Barnhart, who said offseason changes in personnel and several returning starters have given him a feeling of optimism as they prepare for their 2015 opener against arch-rival Union County.
QUESTION: Maintaining consistency has been an issue for the program from the beginning, What have y'all been trying to do to turn things around?
ANSWER: I have tried to surround myself and the kids with positive coaches and I think we have an excellent staff that knows how to build something and relate to the kids. The coaches understand what we want to do and where we want to go and that's a big first step. This (senior) group has had three coaches in their time here so it's been tough for them to build trust. What we're doing as a staff is building those relationships and trying to build a level of trust and, more importantly, trying to get the kids to believe in themselves. I think we're making progress in all those areas. We had a great spring and summer and I feel like we're moving in the right direction overall as a program.
QUESTION: The defense had a rough time in a very tough Region 8-A last year allowing 46 ppg in your eight losses. Has that been an area of emphasis heading into this season?
ANSWER: Again a lot of that was that there were new changes for those guys, again, and trying to build a level of trust between everyone. We will have another change on that side of the ball with a new defensive coordinator in Lee Bohannon, who joined us July 6. We're also changing from a 4-4 base last year to more of a 4-3 this year. But, we have six starters returning, including three LBs that either started or saw a lot of playing time last year, and the kids have picked things up pretty quickly. We have worked hard on that side of the ball during the offseason and I feel we're going to be better. We still have a ways to go but we have six weeks to get there and I like what I have seen so far.
COMING UP NEXT: Union County
