There are just 19 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)...
WHITE COUNTY
The Warriors were another team that was just one win from a playoff spot. A tough midseason loss to Wesleyan was the difference. But injuries to key players in big games played a huge factor in them missing out on the postseason for just the second time since 2017.
Second-year coach Chad Bennett is hoping their return and another year in the system will be a key to making a playoff run in 2023. We caught up with Bennett to ask about the progress of the young talent heading into the fall.
QUESTION: Last year a rash of injuries kept y’all from seeing your true potential as a team, especially on defense. You have a lot of young talent returning. How is the progress on the defense coming along during the summer?
A: Those (young) guys got a chance to play (on Friday's) which allowed them to experience varsity football and what it takes to be successful. That helped with transitioning to the offseason where our guys have had a really good offseason and summer. I am excited about our defense. I believe that it has a chance to be very good this year. On the defensive line we will be led by junior Noah Williams, who returns for his third year as a starter. Our linebacker core -- led by senior Carson Smith -- has a chance to be the strength of our defense. We are also expecting big things from Jon Scott, Jason Rewis, and Alex Johnson at that spot. The secondary will be anchored by Caysen Duvall, Bryce & Cade Dockery, Isaiah Whitlow, Tripp Nix, and Von Dre' Nelson.
Q: You have several talented skilled players, like Jr. QB Tripp Nix, Sr. RB Ryan Fowler and receivers Caysen Duvall, Cam Wilson, and Vondre Nelson all returning. How has their progress come along as you try to maximize what should be a potent offense this season?
A: I believe that the strength of our offense is our skill position players. We have a bunch of guys that can run really fast. Our skill guys have had a really good summer. We are excited to have Tripp Nix back at quarterback and expecting big things from him this season. Ryan Fowler returns as our primary running back. If he can stay healthy, we expect a big year from him as well. At wide receiver we will be led by seniors Cam Wilson, Von Dre' Nelson, and Caysen Duvall. Quarterback Braxton Anderson, WR John Phillips, and WR Gaines Clark have all had great summers and will play an important role on offense this year. We are having to replace three really good offensive linemen from last year. But Christian Welch, Jarrett Ellis, and Tyler Autry all played lots of football for us last year on the line. We are also expecting Landon Bulgin, Breydan Ivester, Tyler Seymour, and Austin Garrett to compete and play up front.
- Previous Two-a-Days: WEST HALL
- ICYMI: BANKS COUNTY
