There are just 30 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2020 high school football season. But make no mistake, despite the COVID-19 outbreak, swirling uncertainty since April, and the cancelation of spring practice, preparations for the upcoming campaign have been underway throughout the state since early June. 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 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)...
The Tigers goal every year is to play not just for region titles but state titles. The 2020 campaign could have them in the conversation for sure.
They return the bulk of their offense and defense with 20 seniors expected to lead the way. They also will have one of their more challenging schedules to date to get them prepared.
We caught up with coach Michael Brown to get his thoughts on just how good this team could be and also renewing one of the best old rivalries in the state.
QUESTION: Coach, y’all have one of the biggest senior classes in recent memory with 20 guys returning with boatloads of experience. How much does that influence your expectations coming into the season and how big of an advantage do you think that will give you in a tough region?
ANSWER: Coach Lamb and Coach Savage both used to say that a football team is only as good as it's seniors. We try to do a complete job of leadership development with our senior class each Spring and early Summer. In spite of the time away from school, we were able to begin this process in March via an online platform.The seniors go through an eight-lesson leadership program during that time and are asked to assume a greater share of responsibility for their team chemistry and culture as well as maintain communication with coaches and teammates on a weekly basis. We are excited about this group, and are pleased with the progress they have made so far. They have had a lot of adversity thrown at them already and have responded about as well as can be expected.
QUESTION: You are back in a region with old nemesis Lincoln County. They knocked y’all out of the playoffs last year. We know it’s the season finale but how much are y’all looking forward to playing them now on an annual basis?
ANSWER: Lincoln County is a top notch program in the state of Georgia. We are excited about not only getting a chance to play the Red Devils, but are looking forward to playing all of the new region opponents. It should make for great games each week.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: CHESTATEE
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: DAWSON COUNTY
