There are just 22 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)...
NORTH FORSYTH (5-5 in 2024; did not make the playoffs in 6A)
The Raiders took a step back last year after two straight trips to the postseason. And they come into the 2025 campaign with perhaps more questions than answers, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Coach Robert Craft addressed the offense, which had its lowest output since 2021, by bringing in Troy Morris from rival South Forsyth to run the offense. We caught up with Craft to see how the changes are coming along and to here how a five-way battle for the quarterback spot is going.
QUESTION: Coach, you brought in former South Forsyth head coach Troy Morris to remake the offense. How has that transition this summer come along? And what will look different than in years’ past?
ANSWER: To be able to add a coach with the experience, expertise, success like Coach Morris was a no-brainer. I have always had a high amount of respect for Coach Morris, coaching against him for 7 seasons. Always thought very highly of his offenses, how hard his players played, and how well-coached his teams always were. Coach Morris has so much experience in Forsyth County, in our region, he will be a huge asset to our program. The transition has gone very well, we have hit the ground running from Day 1. Coach Morris will bring his own touch to our offense. To the spectator, it probably won’t look too much different. Coach Morris and I have so many of the same offensive beliefs – taking care of the football, running the football, and adapting your offense year in and year out to your offensive personnel. I am excited to continue to watch our offensive players and offensive coaches continue to grow under the leadership of Coach Morris.
QUESTION: We heard early in the offseason that there were as many as five guys competing for the starting QB spot to replace Eli Seaney. Has anyone started to emerge from that group and take control during the summer?
ANSWER: During the offseason and through spring practice, we have had a complete wide-open QB competition with seniors Matthew Bray and Jackson Galt, sophomores Caleb Halstead and Noah Bourque, and freshman Tucker Lamb. Matthew Bray returns as our leading receiver after starting at TE in 2024. We will feature Matthew more as a wide receiver/H-Back in 2025. Matthew has a chance to be one of the top skill players in our region this season. His knowledge of the game, explosiveness and ball skills are some of the best I’ve seen. Matthew has had a great offseason in the weight room. Jackson Galt has continued to compete at QB, while also working as a long-snapper and a holder on PAT/FG in special teams. Caleb Halstead will enter the season as a starting safety while also working at both QB and RB. As just a sophomore, Caleb is already one of the strongest players on our roster. Caleb will have an impact this season on offense, defense, and special teams. Noah Bourque has had a great offseason and is still very much in the thick of our QB competition. At times, Noah has also worked at safety. Noah’s competitiveness and toughness stand out. Freshman Tucker Lamb has been so impressive all offseason. Tucker does not look like a typical freshman. Tucker is in competition to be our starting QB along with the others. We have not named a starter at this point. I do not see us naming a starter any time soon. We may settle on one or you could see us playing 2-3 QBs throughout the season. Each of them does so many things well. We will feature them at what they do best and attempt to make defenses prepare for all of them.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: NORTH HALL
- Previous Two-a-Days: LUMPKIN COUNTY
