Tigers call on youth to lead charge to seventh straight playoff berth

DAWSONVILLE — When Sid Maxwell uses the word youth, he means varsity experience.

Maxwell, entering his seventh year as head coach of the Tigers, may have his most inexperienced squad since he took the job in Dawsonville.

Last year, the Tigers (6-6, 4-2) finished third in Region 7-3A and lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual Class 3A state runner-up, Oconee County.
This year, there are a lot of newcomers on both sides of the football.

“There will be a lot of new faces but a lot of passion,” Maxwell said. “It’s a fun bunch to coach. We’ve had a great spring and summer and have really good chemistry. We are a youthful football team with not a whole of experience coming back in spots. But if you’ve got a lot of guys playing hard with passion, that’s a big step in the right direction.”

The Tigers graduated most of their offense and lost their top receiver to the transfer portal. Junior Jaden Gibson, who hauled in 754 yards and seven touchdowns, headed north to Rabun County in the spring.

There is good news for the Tigers as the Class 3A passing leader, Zach Holtzclaw, is back for his senior season. Holtzclaw completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,513 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for another five scores.

Holtzclaw and offensive lineman Cade Adams, senior, are the only two returning starters on offense.

Maxwell is glad to have Holtzclaw back to lead the young group of talent this season and says he’s a player that leads by example.

“He just carries himself that way,” Maxwell said. “He’s a very humble guy that comes to work. If you look at who’s sweating the most in the weight room, it’s going to be Zach.
“He’s more comfortable with the system. His biggest strength is he delivers the ball on time. He’s throwing them open, plus he gets the ball out of his hand so quickly it allows him to make more plays.”

But finding somebody to throw to is a work in progress for the Tiger coaching staff. Right now, juniors Bailey Dameron, Christian Webb and Doug Pagel are repping on the outside. In the slot, sophomore Elijah Smith, Braedon Hubbard, Braden Crain, Kenny Nelson and Sawyer Bearden are competing.

Replacing all but one upfront is going to be key for the Tigers. Adams will be the leader but finding the right combination to protect Holtzclaw and open running lanes for the rushing attack is a top priority right now.

Benji Frady, Kevin Haymond, Nick Conowal, Briggs Weaver, Siemen Welch and Camden Gentry are expected to fill the open spots on the O-Line.

Out of the backfield, Jackson Grindle and Conley Dyer are set to handle those duties.

Although there are fewer holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, most of the secondary graduated.

“We’ve got a lot of guys just not a lot of them have played much,” Maxwell said. “They’ve got to learn. They’ll make mistakes but as a coach, I always tell them to play fearless – don’t be afraid. Do what we do and trust the system. If you’re going to fail, fail forward and we’ll correct you.”

Seniors Logan Berry (noseguard) and Adams (tackle), juniors Kevin Haymond (defensive end), Travis Dickey (defensive end), Kade Moledor (linebacker) and Hubbard (safety) all return.
AJ Moore, Will Whalen, Colton Schuette and Brandon Newton will join Moledor at linebacker.

As for the open spots, Logan Ingram and Matt Bennett are expected to be at linebacker.

In the secondary, Crane, Cruz Matheson, Hubbard, Nic Baloga, Grindle, Nelson, and Garrett Fillingame are the frontrunners to earn the job in the third level.

“Our secondary will be challenged this year,” Maxwell said. “But I like our effort and attitude. We’ve been flying around and getting to the ball this summer.”

The Tigers may have the most brutal non-region schedule in the area. They open at home with Cass, but travel to Class 4A power Flowery Branch and Class 7A playoff contender South Forsyth back-to-back, before hosting Northview at home on Sept. 10.

But the Region 7-3A slate begins on the road at region title hopeful White County, a game the Tigers held on to win in 2020. It doesn’t get any easier, however, with Gilmer, an improved West Hall team, followed by defending region champ Cherokee Bluff on the road, Lumpkin County, then the marquee regular-season finale with North Hall at Tiger Stadium.

“Every one of them is a key game to me,” Maxwell said about the schedule. “I think a lot of the people in the region this year have a lot of people back. We’ve got to play better as a team and as a staff, do a better job of preparing. We must get these guys in a position to have success. If we do that, I never worry too much about who we play. I focus on how we’re playing. I’m excited about the effort we are doing as a group from top to bottom.”