There are just 31 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2025 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)...
DAWSON COUNTY (4-6 in 2024; did not make the playoffs)
Like Commerce, the maroon and gold Tigers also are sporting a new coach, as Jaybo Shaw, formerly on Rabun County, took over for the retired Sid Maxwell. Maxwell built Dawson County into a perennial playoff teams, with the Tigers making the playoff his first eight seasons at the helm. But they have not made the playoffs since 2022 and Shaw will be charged with bringing them back to playoff contention.
The Tigers will have some talented youngsters but how quickly Shaw and his staff can find the right combinations and get them ready for a competitive Region 6-3A may decide their fates. We caught up Shaw to see how the Tigers are acclimating to a new coach and system during the summer.
QUESTION: Coach, first off, how has the acclimation back to northeast Georgia for you and the staff gone so far this summer? What have been some of the early challenges?
ANSWER: Being back in the area has been great. My family and I are certainly very thankful and blessed to have this opportunity to represent Dawson County. We believe we have a great staff that not only knows how to win, they know how to develop young men on and off the field, but most importantly are great relationship builders. Anytime it is your first year somewhere you have unique challenges. I think one of those challenges is the urgency you have to have to figure out your personnel since everything and everyone is new (what the players do well, where do we need to develop, position changes, adjusting schematically, etc.).
QUESTION: You have junior dual-threat quarterback Gunner Weaver, who is a similar type of player you were back in the day. How is his development coming along as y'all look to turn the offense to him this year.?
ANSWER: Gunnar has had a very productive spring and summer up to this point. It is very evident that he loves his teammates and he takes great pride in being a part of something bigger than himself. I am very proud of his progression. The best part is that there are a lot of guys on this football team that are the same way. We, as coaches, are very fortunate here because the players in our locker room are tough, have relentless effort, and they want to represent Dawson County with a lot of pride. There is no one bigger than this program including myself, it is all about Dawson County and how do we take Dawson County football to the next level.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: EAST FORSYTH
- Previous Two-a-Days: COMMERCE
