Jackson County relishing move to Class 5A

JEFFERSON — Some may question Jackson County’s move up two classifications to Class 5A after the latest round of Georgia High School Association reclassification.

After all, the Panthers only have four playoff appearances in their history, none since 2017, none higher than in Class 3A, and no GHSA playoff wins. Yet, second-year coach Rich McWhorter says they are in the perfect spot to perhaps putting the program on a consistent playoff footing.

“Our growth suggests that we’ll be in 5A in a couple of years anyway so as a school, and not just for football, it was decided to go ahead and make the jump,” he said. “And this region is perfect for us because there is only one real football school in it.”

“This” region is Region 8-5A. And the reason McWhorter was on a positive footnote for his program is that six of the eight teams in the new region had losing records in 2019. Clarke Central is the only pedigree program in the bunch.

Clarke Central has almost as many playoff appearances (29) in its history than the rest of the field combined (34) and as many state championships (3) than the rest have region titles (3). However, only Eastside has been to the quarterfinals (2018) or better among the bunch since 2009.

The foundation of the old Region 8-5A is still intact with defending region champion Clarke Central, Johnson, Loganville, and Walnut Grove making up half of the new configuration. But Buford, which won the Class 5A state title, has moved up to Class 6A while Cedar Shoals dropped down to Class 4A.

New additions are Apalachee and Greenbrier, both dropping down from Class 6A; Eastside out of Covington moving up from Class 4A; and the Panthers, who opted to play up after being reclassified to Class 4A.

The balance of the region is what could make for an interesting season for the Panthers. A solid group of 20 seniors, the most in many a campaign off Highway 129, led by offensive linemen Tyler Vaughn and Cody Baugh, receiver Bo Reeves, and defensive lineman Andrew King, is poised to show that they are ready for a breakout season.

“Not to take anything away from anybody in this region, because we are right there with them, but for the team or teams that really improve, there are some wins out there,” McWhorter said. “I think this will be one of the more competitive races because there are so many teams that are close talent-wise. Clarke Central is probably head-and-shoulders above the rest which leaves the rest of the playoff spots up for grabs. It should be fun.”

Defensively, McWhorter said they were good enough to win six games in 2019 allowing just 24.0 ppg behind King in an offensive-minded Region 8-3A. They will, however, be reworking what was a good secondary. 

The biggest question for the Panthers will be on offense, where they will need to improve a unit that scored just 11.5 points a game in 2019. To add to that challenge, they will be breaking in a new quarterback to run their spread attack in just McWhorter’s second season.

“The defense was pretty good last year and I think we have a chance to be just as good this year,” McWhorter said. “The secondary is a little unsettled but we have some guys we think can slide in there and do a good job. For me, we have to score more points.

“The line play and the quarterback spot have to get better and that is something we’re working on. We feel good about the receiver spot but really the line has to get better for us to have any chance, no matter who is in the region.”

But McWhorter also said his optimism isn’t solely based on a new locale for the program.

“Top to bottom, our roster has a lot more talent than last year,” he said. “The key is will the kids be willing to accept the competition for each spot. If they do that, we can improve a lot and really have a chance to make the playoffs.”