There are just 29 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2018 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign got underway months ago in weight rooms, sandpits and practice fields throughout the state. And teams throughout northeast Georgia are in full countdown mode.
With that in mind, we spent the last couple of weeks 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 next two weeks, AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night will get you prepped for the start of gridiron action with responses from coaches throughout northeast Georgia. (Teams run in alphabetical order)...
RIVERSIDE MILITARY ACADEMY
The Eagles experienced, by Georgia High School Association standards, its best season to date in 2018. They made their first playoff appearance since 2009 and won their first-ever GHSA playoff game with a 24-14 win over George Walton.
Gone are dynamic players Isaac Teasley and Khalid Duke. However, coach Nicholas Garrett said there is still plenty of talent and will look to another dynamic player in Shad Dabney to try and keep momentum rolling on Riverside Drive.
QUESTION: Coach, what has the mood been like around the program coming off arguably one of the best seasons in program history?
ANSWER: It is the best season in history in terms of Riverside in the GHSA, also beating Commerce which was No. 4 in Class 1A Public. Commerce had never been beaten by Riverside in it’s history and us winning first round against heavily favored (No. 8) Georgia Walton (in the playoffs) at the time. The mood is that it's a great day to be a Riverside Eagle.
Q: Y’all moved Shad Dabney to quarterback. How has the transition gone as he acclimates himself to a new position and new responsibilities?
A: Shad Dabney is the most dynamic athlete in Hall County for 2021 and with his combination of a high football IQ, team leadership, county servant leadership, it made the transition very simple and very effective for our team.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: RABUN COUNTY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: TOWNS COUNTY
