Optimism abounds in Panthers’ third season under McWhorter

BRASELTON — Rich McWhorter’s plan to build Jackson County football into a contender was not designed to take place overnight.

Instead, the four-time state championship-winning coach says he’s hoping to instill cultural changes that will make success at the school last longer than just a season or two. Now entering his third season, he says he’s starting to see some fruits for those efforts.

“When I first got here, we were around probably 65 kids, maybe 70. Right now, in the Spring we had right around 120, so our numbers have really shot up,” McWhorter said. “I think the thing we have to teach our kids, with that many numbers, is you have to really compete now.”

The Panthers improved their record from 3-7 in 2018 to 4-6 in 2019, but that number doesn’t show the depth of that improvement. Despite an early-season injury to starting quarterback Connor Bejin, they came dangerously close to upsets of both Franklin County and Greenbrier in games that could have easily given them their first winning season since 2012.

Now the program will be getting a fresh coat of paint in the form of a new campus, moving from their facility in Jefferson to a new location on Skelton Road near Braselton. It will come complete with a new stadium, fieldhouse and athletic facilities.

All signs point to an upward trend for a team looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017.

“We want Jackson County football to be different than it’s been,” McWhorter said. “Not saying anything negative about the past, but we want to take positive steps forward and we feel like moving into a new facility is going to be part of it.”

There will be plenty of returning talent for the Panthers in 2021, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Bejin will return to quarterback duties after recovering from last year’s injury. While he was out, Isaiah Maxey stepped into the role and showed major improvement over the season.

McWhorter says the Panthers will likely use a two-quarterback system between the two seniors.

“When you say you have two quarterbacks a lot of people take it as a negative, but for us it’s a positive situation because both of them are very mature players, both are team guys. Both of them are going to get starts,” McWhorter said.

At running back, Jackson County returns senior Tray Ransom, who ran for over 1,000 yards in just eight games as a junior. He’ll be joined in the backfield by Jefferson transfer Hyson Porter and sophomore M.J. Spurlin.

The Panthers also return their leading receiver from a year ago in Markel Oliver. Seniors Anthony Finley and Dwight Levy and sophomore Jaden Cofer will round out the receiving corps with Bailey Hamm and J.T. Sosebee returning to start at tight end.

On the offensive line, Holden Gilstrap will anchor the middle of a unit that returns three starters from 2020. Evan Rosser will start at right tackle with Jonathan Lindquist at left tackle.

The returning experience will hopefully help to improve a unit that averaged just 16 points per game last year. McWhorter said they will continue to operate out of a spread with what he believes will be a balanced offensive attack.

“After the Spring game, we counted up and we ran 50 varsity plays in three quarters. 25 were pass and 25 were run,” McWhorter said. “It shows you how we have the ability to go either way at any time.”

Perhaps the biggest loss from last year’s team is that of defensive lineman Andrew King, who was named Region 8-5A co-defensive player of the year in 2020. This year’s line will be young but will feature plenty of varsity experience.

Sophomore Peyton Scott returns to the lineup after starting every game as a freshman. Jesse Combs will also enter the season as a starter after seeing a lot of snaps a year ago. Potter and fellow senior Jamarcus James will rotate at defensive tackle as the Panthers base out of an odd front.

Much of the defense will be new this year, as Jackson County will have to replace most of their starting linebackers and defensive backs, including last year’s leading tackler Colton Boone. Those new faces will need to step up if they hope to continue the strong play of the unit, which has improved its points allowed per game statistic every year since 2016.

The Panthers return to Region 8-5A, which is the largest football region in northeast Georgia with eight teams. With only the top four making the playoffs, McWhorter says every region game will be critical if they hope to make it back into the bracket.

“They’re all important. I don’t want to say ‘hey, this one is more important than the other,’” McWhorter said. “Last year we told the kids one time ‘this game is huge, if we win this game we’re looking at a possible playoff spot.’ We got blown out by 48 points. You’d better prepare the same way for all of them.”

Jackson County will open the season with a BYE week before christening their brand-new stadium with a non-region matchup with cross-county foe East Jackson. The Panthers and Eagles were scheduled to play last year, but the game was called off by COVID-19 protocols.

McWhorter says the strength of this year’s team may be its attitude.

“It’s about wanting to be successful. They want to be looked at as winners. They want to be taken seriously as a football team and as a football program. You can do a lot with that and you can build on that.”