Tester ready to take his turn at leading Falcons

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — New Flowery Branch head coach Jason Tester was not intimidated by taking the job.

After two separate stints as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, he jumped at the opportunity when former head coach Ben Hall left for Oconee County after last season.

“When Ben came and talked to me and said Oconee wanted to talk to him and start that process, the wheels started turning,” Tester said. “Alright, if it’s not Ben, who I was very comfortable with, I’d want it to be me.”

Tester has plenty of coaching experience, starting in Michigan in the early 1990s. In Georgia, he’s coached at power programs such as St. Pius X, Grayson and Brookwood.

He is taking over a program that has expectations. The Falcons won at least eight games every year but one under Hall from 2017 through 2021. Still, he says he’s comfortable in Flowery Branch and is excited to get his turn as the leader of the program.

“The previous coaches, thinking back to (Lee) Shaw and (Chris) Griffin and (Ben) Hall, they all had their personal take and stamp on the program, and I have my own, but at the end of the day, it’s so much bigger than me,” Tester said. “We have a great supporting staff in terms of our administration and the student body. They know what that logo represents, and there’s a great deal of pride in that.”

Flowery Branch is hoping the move will also be comfortable for them by bringing in a coach who was a big part of several successful seasons under Hall. 

Tester said he and Hall shared many of the same philosophies about football, and he expects the program's core values to stay the same.

He said what he hopes to bring to the table as head coach is his defensive-minded approach.

“We had a lot of similarities, and we were always on the same page. I think football teams take after their coach’s personality, and Ben was the offense, and I was the defense,” Tester said. “It’s more so an opportunity for my vision. Our defensive culture is really carrying over into our wholesale team culture now.”

Head coach will not be the only thing changing for Flowery Branch entering this season. There is roster turnover, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and they went back up in classification to Class 5A for the first time since 2017.

Tester said almost the entire assistant coaching staff has changed over as well. Aaron Nance has come in as offensive coordinator from Pickens. He was the offensive coordinator for Grayson’s state championship-winning team in 2020.

All that change could be a lot for a high school team, but Tester said the team is taking everything in stride.

“I’m big on body language, and our energy and their overall body language have been very positive. I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to outside noise and what people say in the community, but I’ve been told there’s a positive buzz about what we’re doing,” Tester said. “That’s great if that’s the case, but I’m more about the things I can control and what we can do as a program.”

Nance will be moving Flowery Branch from the pro-style attack they’ve used in recent years to a spread offense that will stretch defenses vertically and sideline to sideline.

The most significant loss from last year’s team was quarterback David Renard, who graduated after starting for three seasons, leading Class 4A in passing yards in 2020, and being named Region 8-4A offensive player of the year in 2021. 

Senior Brody Jordan will be the leading candidate for the job after sitting behind Renard as a backup for the last two years.

“Brody is commanding the huddle and that quarterback room, so we’re excited for him. He finally has an opportunity to kind of step out of David Renard’s shadow, and that’s been a big question, but Brody’s taken that by the reins.” Tester said.

The position on offense with the most talent returning is running back, with senior Myles Ivey and junior Malik Dryden coming back after being the lead backs in 2021.

At receiver, Seth Larson returns after having a breakout sophomore campaign last year that saw him earn first-team all-region honors. He’ll lead the group, with senior Caden Pelham and sophomores Jeremiah Ware and Zion Buffington also contributing.

Another strength for the offense may be tight end. Senior John David Peacock will come back to lead the unit along with junior Ethan Fetterman.

The offensive line will be spearheaded at tackle by first-team 8-4A all-region selection Shaun Shockley. Fellow senior Dylan Setzer will also return to the starting lineup. While the rest of the lineup is still in flux, Tester said he expects it to be one of the strongest units on the team.

The defensive philosophy will be largely unchanged. Scott Jackson will take over the defensive coordinator job, but Tester will still be heavily involved.

“I will definitely be in that room more. We had our defense and my terminology. He has his own spin-off of that, and I’m kind of learning his angle now,” Tester said.

The front seven of the defense looks to be one of the best in the region. Yolando Barrett will be a feature pass rusher at defensive end, along with Ben Brookshire and Brandon Shiloh filling out the defensive line. Hunter Adams will also move down to defensive line from the linebacker spot he played last year.

The unit will be anchored by junior inside linebacker Cam Haynes, but Christian Mendoza and Frank Perez will also return as starters from last season.

The biggest question mark on defense is in the secondary, where the Falcons will have almost exclusively new faces. Camo Campbell returns after missing much of 2021 due to injury, and Drake Smitherman returns at corner to mark the only two returning starters.

Marco Velasquez will return to place kicking duties for his senior year with Brody Jordan punting.

Tester knows his team will face stiff competition all year. 8-5A will keep Flowery Branch matched up with fellow local power Jefferson but will also re-introduce them to Clarke Central. The Gladiators have won three straight region titles and were a former rival of the Falcons in the old 8-5A.

“I think it’s stronger than where we were. The first years I was here, it was Marist, Blessed Trinity and Denmark and the last two years, it's been Jefferson and North Oconee. Now we pick up Clarke Central and Eastside,” Tester said. “It’s going to be fun. I look forward to this region. There’s no cupcake.”

In non-region play, Flowery Branch will open with a road trip to Decatur before their home opener against St. Pius X. The Falcons upended the Golden Lions in Atlanta in the season opener last year.

Through all the change, Tester is in high spirits entering this season.

“I’m really excited for this senior class. I don’t like speaking a whole lot about me; it’s really about these kids and their legacy that they have a chance to leave. I’m fortunate to be able to be their coach for their last year,” Tester said.