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)...
LUMPKIN COUNTY
It may be Heath Webb's first season in Dahlonega, but the Indians already are making noise in Region 7-3A. The numbers and positive attitude surrounding the program are the highest in over a half dozen years. And Webb is known for being able to resurrect dormant programs.
But before they can break a 10-year streak of non-winning seasons, Webb and his staff still have plenty of on-the-field questions to answer. We asked Webb how his first summer with the Indians has gone.
QUESTION: Coach, bringing enthusiasm back to the program was a high priority when you arrived. Have you noticed a change in the attitude around town and on campus so far?
ANSWER: I have. We have a lot of players out. Some are new to the program, and some are returning to football after taking some time off. We have a record number of middle schoolers playing, and we had 75 kids at our youth camp this summer. The community is hungry for a successful football program, and that has been evident since I showed up in January. Our 48-0 win in our spring game versus Armuchee only fueled that fire.
Q: Senior Taylor Beazley is the only returning offensive lineman. Rebuilding that unit will be key during the fall. Who are some guys that have stepped up during the spring and summer?
A: Beazley may be the only returning starter, but there were several others that got significant playing experience due to injury, so we don't feel like it's a totally rookie crew. There are several candidates to fill out the line — Trenton Brooksher, Jacob Garmany, Lane McColman, Connor Greilich, Phoenix Milford, Matthew Reece and Will Soles. We feel good about all of them, so we will let those guys compete to see who earns a starting role. I was also able to hire veteran OL coach Brooks Brodie from Johns Creek to lead them. Adding a coach with SEC playing experience, college coaching experience, and a track record of building excellent high school offensive lines puts us on the right path.
- Previously in Two-a-Days: LANIER CHRISTIAN
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: NORTH FORSYTH
