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)...
UNION COUNTY
The Panthers had another solid season in 2018 with nine wins but also failed to get out of the first round in a tough Class 2A field. In 2019 they still have senior quarterback Pierson Allison, who led all of Class 2A is passing yards for most of the season.
Coach Brian Allison touted his receiving group as perhaps one of the best in the area but rebuilding an offensive line may be the key to their region and playoff chances.
QUESTION: Coach, you have one of the best quarterbacks in the area returning in Pierson Allison and a slew of talented receivers. The offense was outstanding last year but did they only scratch the surface in 2018 in showing just how good they can really be?
ANSWER: I believe every year is different. We lost six offensive starters off 2018 team but we have a core group of guys returning which gives us a chance to be competitive.
Q: However, a big question mark coming into the season will be the offensive line. How is progress coming along in putting that group together to give Allison some protection?
A: The (offensive) line is coming together. It is still really early for me to make any solid comments about them except to say they are working hard.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: TOWNS COUNTY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: WEST HALL
