There are just 26 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2023 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)...
JACKSON COUNTY
The Panthers, like several area programs, were just one loss from a playoff berth, dropping three Region 8-5A games after leading in the second half in 2022. New coach Korey Mobbs, who led Lanier to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons in Sugar Hill, has taken over and inherits a roster that may be ready to make some noise in 2023.
Mobbs is making some subtle changes on both sides of the ball and returns several key starters. We asked him how those changes are coming along leading up to the fall.
QUESTION: Jackson County was 4 and 5 wide most of the year last year and you are changing philosophies from the previous staff. How has that transition been coming along during the spring and summer?
A: It has been coming along well. We will be multiple on offense with our schemes and formations. We feel good about our ability to have some diversity in our formations and use shifts and motions to our advantage. The growth of our offensive line, which will fuel our run game with Region Two-way Player of the Year MJ Spurlin returning at running back, has been encouraging. Our major focus has been to make sure we compliment both sides of the ball with how we manage and play the game.
Q: The defense was solid most of the year and you have six of the top eight tacklers returning. But you are tweaking things, moving to more of a 3-4 look. How has that change been coming along as well?
A: We will base out of a 3-4, but again be multiple with our fronts. We feel good up the middle with Peyton Scott returning at defensive line as well as Daniel Stites anchoring us at linebacker. We want to play a physical brand of football on defense and do our best to get 11 hats to the ball on every play. We are improving daily on that side of the ball and we have been pleased with our progress throughout spring and summer.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: JEFFERSON
- Previous Two-a-Days: HABERSHAM CENTRAL
