There are just 31 days left until the kickoff of the 2016 high school football season, but make no mistake, preparations for the 2016 season got underway months ago in weight rooms, sand pits and practice fields throughout the state. And teams from throughout northeast Georgia are in full countdown mode.
With that in mind we spent the last few days catching up with programs around our area to get a feel for how spring practice went, how the summer is going and what coaches believe the fall will look like. We call the series "Two-a-Days" in honor of the grinding sessions that lead us out of summer and into fall. And for the next few days, AccessWDUN will get you prepped for the start of gridiron action with responses from coaches throughout northeast Georgia. (Teams run in alphabetical order)...
LUMPKIN COUNTY
Shane Williamson took the reins at Lumpkin County the first week of June -- a time when most coaches already have full summer camps, passing league schedules and workouts planned. But Williamson, who came to Dahlonega from Forsyth Central, says he will not use the short time-frame as an excuse for his team as they move forward. And he likes what he has seen from the Indians in his short time in charge.
With that in mind, AccessWDUN sports editor Morgan Lee talked with Williamson about the unique challenges involved for him and his team this season and how he wants his Lumpkin program to play.
QUESTION: You've had almost no time to get to know your new team, but what are your early impressions of this program and the players you have inherited?
ANSWER: I've been very impressed -- anyone who sees the facilities here can't help but be impressed with what they first see. But, more importantly, I'm very pleased with the players. They're very dedicated, and the staff is very impressed. This is a golden opportunity here; the community is very supportive, and with this being the only team in town it's so exciting to know that everyone will be wearing purple and gold and cheering for Lumpkin County. That's one of the things that drew me there, the tremendous amount of support. There's a lot to deal with coming in late, but we're not going to use that as an excuse. We're working to install an offense and defense, and we like what we've seen so far. But the truth comes out when you put pads on. Right now we've got 22 positions open, and the kids are working to show us what they can do.
Q: Talk about the basic style and mentality that you want to bring to the Indians? How do you want your teams to be defined?
A: We want them to be high character men when they graduate from us, and we're going to focus on that. From a football standpoint we want to be physical and fundamentally excellent at blocking and tackling. That's what i tell everyone; we're going to coach fundamentals. I pride myself more on the defensive side of the ball because of my past as a defensive coordinator. You've got to stop people to be able to win. On offense we're going to be run oriented, but we want to mix in the pass. We've got some candidates at quarterback that we think can fit that bill, and we're going to be multiple looks-wise.
Previously in Two-a-Days: LANIER
Up Next in Two-a-Days: MILL CREEK
