GAINESVILLE — The 2016 season brought both jubilation and a sigh of relief for Chestatee football.
The War Eagles advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and erased the memories of a brutal 1-19 stretch from 2014-15 in the process.
Now, however, comes the follow-up of matching expectations. And coach Shaun Conley said the mood of his group has been upbeat, while also understanding that one season does not a program make.
"Every year is different, and last year is behind us," said Conley, who led his team to the fourth seed in Region 7-AAAA in his first season in charge. "This year the kids know more about what to expect from us and from themselves. We were all happy to get in the playoffs. But they know that 4-7 is not good overall. Our expectations are higher than that and they know that."
The War Eagles will have two of the area's best at their positions in senior running back Nick Lyles (1,327 yards rushing, 15 TDs), who had a breakout season in 2016, and senior quarterback Storm Yarbrough (1,719 yards passing, 12 TDs, 8 INTs; 301 yards rushing, 3 TDs), who "barely scratched the surface of his potential" despite a solid campaign last year. The pair will lead a spread attack that is sure to put pressure on opposing defenses and put points on the board (last season the unit scored 102 more points than in 2015). However, the War Eagles must also replace four starters on the offensive line.
"Nick is a great running back. He could have an even better season if we can get the right combinations up front," Conley said. "Storm has really come on lately over the last half of the summer. He has begun to really grasp the offense as a whole. We saw the 'light come on' as they say recently, and I think he has the potential for a big year."
Yet their success may hinge on a rebuilt defense that yielded 38.3 points per game in 2016. The entire front-eight graduated and Conley said they have been shuffling players around as they look for the right pieces in the the right places.
"Right now they're buying into what we want them to do. We're moving guys around a lot to see what we have and what we like. It's a work-in-progress," Conley said.
As for those expectations, Conley said they are solely focusing on their scrimmage (7 p.m., Aug. 10 vs. Johnson) before they look at their season-opener against arch-rival North Hall.
"Our expectations overall are to make the playoffs. That's what you play for," he said. "But we have so many things to work on and put together that we're just focused on our scrimmage right now. We haven't talked about (North Hall) and we won't until the week of that game."
CHESTATEE: NEED TO KNOW
- MASCOT: War Eagles
- TEAM COLORS: Black, Silver and Maroon
- CURRENT REGION: 7-AAAA
- HEAD COACH/RECORD AT SCHOOL: Shaun Conley, second season, 4-7
- 2016 RECORD/ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 4-7, first round Class AAAA playoffs
- KEY LOSSES: OL Chance Morrison, OL Skylar Gooch, OL Barron King, OL Moises Cuevas, WR Bailey Camp, LB Austin Gean, LB Nick Beard
- OFFENSIVE STYLE: Spread -- The War Eagles will strive for a run-pass balance, though they hope to take advantage of what opposing defenses give them.
- KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS: 7 returning starters -- Sr. RB Nick Lyles (1,327 yards rushing, 15 TDs in 2016), Sr. QB Storm Yarbrough (1,719 yards passing, 12 TDs, 8 INTs; 301 yards rushing, 3 TDs), Sr. RB/WR Reggie James, So. WR Seth Pressley, So. C Seth Sertain
- DEFENSIVE STYLE: 3-4 -- Chestatee likes to play aggressive but an inexperienced, reworked defense may take a more bend-but-don't-break attitude early on.
- KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS: 3 returning starters -- Sr. LB Chance Gean, Sr. CB Charles Jackson, So. Saf M.J. Jarrard, Sr. LB Reggie James
- SPECIAL TEAMS: Sr. PK/P Steven Martinez, So. PR Caleb Carter, Sr. KR Nick Lyles, Fr. KR Christian Charles, So. LS Hunter Chambers
- STRENGTH: Offense -- The running game with Lyles at the point should be stout and Yarbrough has grasped the offense as a whole, which should give the War Eagles the balance they are looking for.
- QUESTION: Defense -- The the defense will be a question mark as the War Eagles lost most of their experienced linebackers and their entire front-8 from 2016.
- KEY GAMES: The War Eagles will have to find defensive answers on the fly while going against three different offensive styles in their first three games -- opening against traditional rival North Hall (Aug. 18, home) and its wing-T, before hosting East Hall's spread (Aug. 25) and then traveling to face Flowery Branch's new pro-style attack (Sept. 1). However, they have a schedule favorable to a group that will be trying to transition early on. They open with four of their first five games at home and they have just four road dates on the season. Chestatee takes its open date immediately before the start of its Region 7-AAAA against West Hall on the road. A quick start to region play could help propel the War Eagles to a second straight playoff appearance.
- TRENDING: Conley and his staff got the War Eagles back into the playoff conversation in 2016 and will now try to build on that -- after breathing some new life into a program that struggled following the move of former head coach Stan Luttrell to Buford in 2013. The War Eagles followed their two best-ever seasons in 2012-13 with one win combined in 2014-15. Now Chestatee has two solid pieces in place with Lyles and Yarbrough, and buidling a mindset of high expectations is the next step for a program that will be young but talented over the next couple of seasons.
2017 SCHEDULE
Aug. 18 vs. North Hall
Aug. 25 vs. East Hall
Sept. 1 at Flowery Branch
Sept. 8 vs. Fannin County
Sept. 15 vs. Lumpkin County
Sept. 22 at Habersham Central
Oct. 6 at *West Hall
Oct. 13 vs. *Blessed Trinity
Oct. 20 vs. *White County
Oct. 27 at *Marist
*- Indicates region game
(All contests start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
