Game of the Week: Tigers can take Region 7-3A lead with win over GAC

DAWSONVILLE — Dawson County football coach Sid Maxwell has transformed Tiger football into a consistent winner. 

The 31-year coaching veteran, five at Dawson County, however, began his fifth season at Dawson County unlike any other: with a team full of inexperienced varsity players.

“This is my 25th year as a head coach and you never can predict the outcome,” Maxwell said about the 5-1 start. “I knew we had a lot of new faces and very few that actually played varsity competition on a Friday. So I knew there was going to be a learning curve and we really didn’t know how well they would blend together. But probably the strengths of this team are they really like each other and they hold themselves accountable.” 

The Tigers graduated 28 seniors, including the dynamic quarterback/running back duo of Se’Vaughn Clark and Ahmad Kamara -- the two combined for almost 3,000 yards of offense last season. 

But the 2019 Tigers have taken the graduation hit in stride, averaging 37.9 points per game on offense and giving up just over 20 points per game on defense.  

The Tigers’ ability to gel together quickly has them sitting at 5-1 and 2-0 in Region 7-3A play and, for the fourth time in four seasons, they face No. 4-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian with a shot at grabbing the top spot in the region.

"We play together, that's for sure," Dawson senior defensive back Brody Howell said. "I don't think anybody thought we could be 5-1 right now." 

The Tigers will host GAC tonight at Tiger Stadium in a game that has become a marquee matchup since the Spartans joined the region four years ago. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“Coach [Tim] Hardy does a tremendous job,” Maxwell said. “They are well-coached. They've got premiere players that are going to play at the next level, and that's just a drawing point for them. GAC has established a great reputation in football for numerous years.”

The Spartan lineup has stars all over it, including four-star offensive tackle and Stanford-commit Myles Hinton and three-star seniors, linebacker Choe Bryant-Strother, runningback and Georgia Southern-commit Tyler Bride and Georgia State-commit and wide receiver Christian Thomas.

"They're always going to be good," Howell said about GAC. "They've beat us every year, so obviously they do something right. We just have to play the best to our abilities and know we can win this game." 

Bride will be the featured running back in the Spartans' run-heavy offense against the Tigers. The senior back has rushed for 755 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, and the Spartans are averaging 220 rushing yards per game.

“He’s the type of back that will if you have everything cut off, slice back on you,” Maxwell said about Bride. “So we’ve got to stay home and play fundamental football. He's going to get some yards, but we’ve got to prevent those long runs for a touchdown.”

But don't sleep on the Spartan passing game. Senior quarterback and Richmond-commit Jackson Hardy has the ability to stretch the field. He’s 67-of-123 passing for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. 

“Jackson is a very well-schooled quarterback and knows where to throw the football,” Maxwell said. “They've got some receivers that can go get it. But they’re so balanced, you can’t key on one  aspect.”

For Dawson County, the Tiger offense is as balanced as it can get -- 170 passing yards per game and 165 rushing yards per game.

“Dawson is very diverse and balanced on offense,” GAC coach Tim Hardy said. “They have a number of playmakers in both the run and pass game. Their offensive balance forces opponents to defend the entire field. Defensively, Dawson has good team speed and quickness. You can see that the players are experienced and confident in their system because they play fast. Their kicker is also a weapon.”

Maxwell and offensive coordinator, Andy LeBlanc, have put their trust in sophomore quarterback and first-year starter Zack Holtzclaw to run the show on the field, and he’s answered the call. 

Holtzclaw has connected with his receivers 63 times for 977 yards, 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

“I think he's worked hard to get to this point,” Maxwell said about Holtzclaw. “I think, probably, his biggest attribute is he's so humble. “I mean he is there for his teammates; he'll do whatever he can; he doesn't look for individual success; he's looking to just run the system and stay within the system. He doesn't try to do too much and obviously, he's doing a good job so far this season of taking care of the football.”

Junior Dakohta Sonnichsen and senior Hunter Barron lead a group of speedy receivers. Sonnichsen has hauled in 371 yards and two touchdowns, while Barron has caught 15 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns.

"Dakohta has first-step quickness,” Maxwell said. “When the ball is in his hands, he can take it the whole distance and make something happen. Hunter has made some crucial catches in traffic for us. He’s just a team player. He’ll do whatever we ask him to do. He’s got great guts. He’ll go across the middle, knowing he’s going to take shot and pull the ball down and keep moving the chains.”

The Tigers have employed several running backs this season, but senior Shawn Thomas (88-473 yards and 5 TDs) and junior Isaiah Grindle (30-230, 5 TD) have risen to the top and helped the Tigers form the balanced attack. 

“They run the ball hard,” Maxwell said. “They see the field and we do try to spread it around because, if we become one dimensional and the defense has a chance to lock in on us, then we’re going to be out-athleted. So, we've done a good job trying to keep the balance and make them play the whole field and had some success doing it.” 

KEYS TO THE GAME

Although the Tiger secondary has allowed the big play this season, the unit has nine interceptions this year.

"If you put people to stop the run, then you're going to limit on the pass, and we've been susceptible to the long ball," Maxwell said. "It’s no secret. I can’t hide anything now, but our guys will compete. We’ve just got to keep getting better and try to get a little bit of more of a pass rush.”

The biggest key to the game, according to Maxwell, is winning the kicking game. Junior kicker Caleb Bonesteel leads the team in scoring with 53 points. He’s a perfect 29-of-29 on extra points and has nailed 8-of-11 field goal attempts. 
 
“Our kicking game is probably one of our biggest strengths of our football team,” Maxwell said. “Caleb is a weapon in himself. His kicking game on kickoffs has allowed us to have some touchbacks, which is always strong when you start at the 20. So for us, special teams, taking care of the football and preventing the big play are the three factors that will allow us to compete.”

Hardy agrees with Maxwell. 

"They're the same every week for us," Hardy said. "We need to limit the big play on defense, win on third downs, protect the football and be sound in special teams."