There are just 28 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)...
TOWNS COUNTY
The Indians have a new man in charge in former Johnson head coach Jason Roquemore, who is no stranger to challenging jobs after spending seven seasons in Oakwood rebuilding the Knights.
They lost some key players and depth is always an issue. But they also have some young players they can build around as they try to get back to the playoffs for the second time in program history.
QUESTION: Coach, the job in Hiawassee is one of the most unique and challenging in the entire state. What is the attitude on the practice field as y’all approach the 2019 campaign?
ANSWER: It's been great. Our kids have done a tremendous job of embracing and learning the concepts our staff is teaching. Every job has its own challenges. My approach has to be no different than what I tell our players on a daily basis our players in the fact that ‘Control the things I can control and make sure I am being the CONTAGIOUS leader’ that our young men need. I am looking forward to us growing together this season.
Q: You do have a good nucleus of players returning in the Oakes brothers (junior wide receiver Garrett and sophomore quarterback Kyle) and senior running back Dakota Edge and a big senior class by Indians’ standards. Can this group make a run at a playoff spot in 2019?
A: We do have a talented group returning. It's been fun to get to know and coach our kids this summer. I have been very pleased with the commitment of our players and look for our confidence to continue to grow through fall camp. As far as making a playoff run, we have a group of kids that work hard and want to do it the right way. When you work hard and do the little things right, who knows what can happen.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: RIVERSIDE MILITARY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: UNION COUNTY
