There are just 28 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)...
RABUN COUNTY
The Wildcats are coming off a season that equalled their best campaign in program history -- and was yards removed from a state semifinal appearance. Yet coach Lee Shaw knows that maintaining that charge will be tough after graduating an extraordinary senior class.
Shaw recently told AccessWDUN sports editor Morgan Lee that his charges are amped to show what they can do, however, and know that they face a tough task in a radically re-shaped Region 8-AA.
QUESTION: Last season matched the best playoff performance in program history -- and you so nearly reached a state semifinal. Your program has been on the rise since you took over, but how tough will it be to take that next step?
ANSWER: Last year's team was led by such a special senior class. There were 19 guys in that group and they set a record for career wins with 34 -- I think the previous record was 31, set sometime in the 1960s -- and broke a lot of records. So how do you replace that? Also, how do you replace a guy like Charlie Woerner (an All-State athlete that will be playing for the University of Georgia this fall)? He was one of a kind. You can't really replace guys like that. You can only train the guys you have as best you can and hope they play up to their potential. That said we have 18 seniors now, and they have their own identity; several of them played a lot last year, and they're excited to show what they can do. We've had a great summer, and they've impressed. But we've also got a huge challenge ahead of us because of how the schedule is stacked against us.
Q: Talk about those players who are impressing; who is stepping in to leadership roles for your program now?
A: Well, our quarterback, Bailey Fisher is coming off season where he had 3,000 yards passing, 46 touchdowns and was All-State honorable mention, so we are expecting a lot from him. We've also got Cal Drummond, who's going to be a senior, and he was phenomenal last season. He's a real spark for this team and brings a lot of intensity. Peyton Backer was an All-State offensive/defensive lineman and is an incredible wrestler as well; he's our bell cow on the line. And then you've Noah Cannon, our All-State punter, as well as a receiver and defensive back, and he just got his first offer -- from Army. So there are several key guys there that are catalysts, and there are a plethora of younger guys stepping in to roles, and that's shown this summer. We were runner up in the Athens Academy 7-on-7 tournament; we won a tournament at Fannin County, and then we went to the USA Football 7-on-7 tournament at Lassiter and were the only Class AA school and we upset Valdosta. We're excited from what we're seeing, but, ultimately, it's about how they respond on Friday nights. And now it's these guys turn to see how far they can take this team.
Previously in Two-a-Days: NORTH HALL
Up Next in Two-a-Days: RIVERSIDE MILITARY ACADEMY
