There are just 25 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2017 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign got underway months ago in weight rooms, sand pits and practice fields throughout the state. And teams 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 those old-school grinding sessions that lead us out of summer and into fall, asking each area coach two key questions about the state of their respective programs.
Over the past few days, AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night presented responses from coaches throughout northeast Georgia. This is the last article of Two-of-Days. (Teams ran in alphabetical order)...
WINDER-BARROW
The Bulldoggs are in the middle of one of their best runs as a program with three straight playoff appearances. However, they have yet to make past the second year in that span. The Bulldoggs will have several key areas to fill on both sides of the ball from graduation in a rugged Region 8-AAAAAA. However, experience across both lines of scrimmage could be the one area that coach Heath Webb thinks his group can draw strength from.
QUESTION: Coach, despite some graduations up front, it still looks like both lines could be a strength this season. Do you see that as an area that will lead the team?
ANSWER: We will have three new starters on the offensive line but everyone that is competing for those spots saw significant action last year so we have experience coming back. On both sides we’re probably the biggest we’ve ever been as a program. (Senior) Trey Hill started at right tackle and he’s moving over to center and (senior) Jared Johnson is back at left tackle. We also got a big move-in for us with (junior) Joey Klemm (6-2, 310) coming over from Mill Creek. On defense Logan Cash (Jr., 6-3, 260) is a D-I prospect and (junior) Deontre Millwood will be up front and they give us some size in the middle. I think our lines will make us go this year. If they play well I feel like we will be competitive and have a chance at the playoffs again.
Q: Who will lead the defense with the losses of tackle-machines Nathan Millwood and Mason White?
A: First, those two guys will certainly be missed. They were three-year starters for us. There are two ways to look at it, I believe. First, as leaders, they will be tough to replace. I think from the leadership standpoint we’re seeing a shift to seniors Josh Sims and Peige Moore. We’re kind of looking for them to pick up the mantle. Second, we probably looking at four guys to try and replace those two huge spots on the field. The four guys we think will see those most action all have played pretty well during the spring and summer. We’ll have to see how things work out.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: WHITE COUNTY
