There are just 26 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)...
GAINESVILLE (7-4 in 2024; 1st round Class 5A playoffs)
The Red Elephants are coming off a disappointing early playoff exit and also will have to replace some key skilled positions, especially on offense. They do return dynamic junior quarterback Kharim Hughley and are loaded on the defensive side. But they will have to replace Carmelo Byrd at running back and retool the wide receiver position.
We caught up with Coach Josh Niblett to see who is emerging in the backfield and asked him what has been the mood and focus this offseason as they try to get back to making deep runs in the playoffs.
QUESTION: Coach, you lost most of your production on offense but do return Kharim Hughley at QB and some other skill players with some experience. However, the key area may be at running back where y’all are having to replace Carmelo Byrd’s nearly 900 yards and 16 TDs. Who are some guys that have emerged at that spot so far during the summer?
ANSWER: We did lose about all of our production on offense. We lost three of our top receivers and our running back. But we have two guys (at running back), Nigel Newkirk and PJ Lewis. They are really a Thunder and Lightning combination. I am excited about their potential.
QUESTION: Last year y'all had a disappointing first round playoff exit after two years of quarterfinal runs or better. What has been the attitude of this group so far in the spring and summer as they try to get back to a deep playoff run?
ANSWER: Last year, we didn’t finish up to the standard we set for ourselves. That is on me as the head coach. Everybody in our building owns 2024, once you own it, you earn the right to fix it. There is a sense of urgency in our program from everyone, support staff, coaching staff and players.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: HABERSHAM CENTRAL
- Previous Two-a-Days: FLOWERY BRANCH
