There are just 24 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)...
JOHNSON
It may not seem like it, but continuity may be one of the bigger assets for the Knights despite riding a current 19-game losing streak. William Harrell is in his third season and the numbers are trending up for the first time in four years.
However, they will be making the move to a non-region schedule as they try to rekindle the program. They also will be switching offenses to the more run-oriented single-wing, an offense Harrell has run with great success at other programs. But a near-total rebuild along the offensive line may first be in order.
We asked Harrell about the renewed interest in the program and how the search for starters up front is coming along.
QUESTION: Coach, the numbers are way up as you enter your third season. Do you feel the program is ready to begin taking that next step to being consistently competitive?
ANSWER: "I believe that our players are doing the right things to give themselves the opportunity to compete. We have seniors and juniors that are establishing good habits in terms of preparation. The ultimate determining factor for our team is going to be execution in critical moments of the game and belief in themselves, as well as in each other, that they can be successful."
Q: Y’all return just one starter along the offensive line from last season in junior Guillermo Rosales and have made that a key priority during the offseason. Who looks like they may be ready to join Rosales as Fall practice approaches?
A: "Our offensive line coach Donovan Odom has been working his guys hard and will find out who will comprise that unit. We have two seniors -- Mauricio Zaragoza and Andres Madera -- that have gotten significant playing time and starts. We will be counting on them early on, along with Guillermo. We have a player that has settled in at center, Caleb Garmon, and we have a battle between a few of our younger guys for the final spot."
- Previously in Two-a-Days: JEFFERSON
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: LAKEVIEW ACADEMY
