There are just 22 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)...
RABUN COUNTY
The Wildcats won their ninth straight region title in 2022, paced by a record-setting offensive unit. They will come into the 2023 campaign with the most questions to answer on offense since Gunnar Stockton was a freshman replacing Baily Fisher. However, they also will be replacing several key players on defense as well.
We asked second-year head coach Michael Davis about the progress on defense and who may be ready to step up on the offensive side as well.
QUESTION: You lost some key players on the defensive side of the ball. How has retooling of the defense progressed so far in the summer?
A: It has gone well. I feel very confident in my defensive staff to get these guys ready to go. We’ve been working a little differently through the summer to overcome some of the inexperience.
Q: You also lost some key playmakers on offense, including the very underrated Lange Windham at running back. Has anyone stepped up and taken control in the backfield as far being an every down player?
A: Our running back situation this year will be a platoon. We have 2-3 guys that we feel very confident in. We have other key players returning that we are very excited about, such as explosive players like Willie Goodwyn, Jake Payne, Jarrett Giles, Paul Picciotti. Also, we feel like one of our strengths will be our offensive line and we are really excited about our young QB Ty Truelove.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: RIVERSIDE PREP
- Previous Two-a-Days: NORTH HALL
