There are just 23 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2022 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign got underway months ago. And teams throughout northeast Georgia already 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. Our "Two-a-Days" series honors 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)...
LANIER CHRISTIAN
The Lightning made the playoffs in the GAPPS 8-man division in 2021 but are making the jump back into the 11-man league this season. It shouldn't matter as the numbers are up by more than 50 percent, and second-year coach Bruce Miller has the opportunity to install his complete spread offense.
But there are still plenty of questions as they are expected to break in a freshman at quarterback and trying to find enough guys up front to keep him protected. As fall practice gets closer, we checked in with Miller to see where things are.
QUESTION: Coach, y’all put up video game numbers on offense last year and have some key weapons returning. But you’re also having to break in a new quarterback in freshman C.J. Britt. How has his progress been coming along during the spring and summer?
ANSWER: (C.J.) is making great progress. He is setting into the offense very well. He is showing great leadership qualities and learning how to navigate the offense play-to-play. He is a very good athlete with a great mind for the game. I'm looking forward to watching him run the offense.
Q: However, with the move back to 11-man football, the bigger question will be finding enough bodies up front. How is building the lines of scrimmage progressing as fall approaches?
A: Our offensive line is a work in progress. With a small program and limited linemen, we will likely have to move people around until we get the right combinations. But we've had some guys like Quin Winfrey, Josh Waymack, Titus Lulinski, Owen Joy, Thomas Johnson, and Cade Reed all begin to step up as we get closer to the season. It will be interesting to see what happens.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: LAKEVIEW ACADEMY
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: LUMPKIN COUNTY
