There are just 31 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2024 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign began 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)
DAWSON COUNTY (2-8 in 2023; did not qualify for playoffs)
After winning a region title in 2022, the Tigers slipped to their worst record since 2014 last season and missed out on the playoffs for the first time in Sid Maxwell’s nine seasons in Dawsonville.
And with a very inexperienced and young roster coming into 2024, some growing pains are expected in the early part of the season. Maxwell is hoping two fall scrimmages and an off-week in Week 1 before their season-opener against East Forsyth can have them ready.
We asked Maxwell how the summer has evolved for his young squad.
QUESTION: Y’all had a lot of young and inexperienced guys coming into the summer. What kind of progress have you seen from the team so far?
A: It has been a slow process with the majority of our athletes playing multiple sports this summer. However, when they're here we have been blessed with their effort and willingness to learn the system. We have two scrimmage games this fall so we will have an opportunity to evaluate their progress.
Q: Senior quarterback Preston Bannister is back after starting the last half of 2023. How has his improvement come along during the summer in his first full offseason of running the offense?
A: Preston has taken on a leadership role and has a much better grasp on the offense. He is another one that is a multi-sport athlete and has been balancing his time between football and baseball.
BONUS QUESTION: The defense struggled in 2023 but has some talent returning. What improvements have you seen in that group so far?
A: With the few starters coming back -- especially Luke Smith and Owen Wooten -- they have a better understanding of our expectations on defense. We’re looking forward to the scrimmages to see how we respond as a team to adversity. We will know if we are better prepared to meet these challenges of the upcoming season.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: EAST FORSYTH
- Previous Two-a-Days: COMMERCE
