NOTE: There are only 37 days left until the start of the 2015 high school football season -- both around the state and right here in northeast Georgia. With that in mind, AccessWDUN is already in full preparation mode. Over the next three weeks we will give you a sneak peek of what’s in store for 2015 with our "Two-A-Days" series. We will bring you two key questions -- and answers -- for each program in our coverage area, twice a day. Each morning will start a new program, with another highlighted each afternoon. And at the end of each week we will also provide some video footage and commentary from area coaches. Programs will run in alphabetical order.
Jefferson football is developing a habit of deep playoff runs. The Dragons made their third straight state quarterfinal appearance in 2014 and so nearly reached the semifinals. Yet last year’s 12-1 team graduated a number of talented leaders. So, will coach Ben Hall’s 2015 squad be ready to pick up where the last group left off?
We recently talked to the coach, who has been impressed by a large and dedicated group this summer, to get his thoughts. With plenty of starting spots up for grabs, Hall has been pleased by the fight shown by players to earn those positions.
QUESTION: You graduated a number of key standouts last season, but in your words, what are the most pressing needs you’re trying to get a handle on this summer?
ANSWER: We have a number of guys at open positions. We lost some skill (position) starters, and we have a number of guys that are competing and it’s just a matter of determining who’s in the lead, and there’s several of those positions where it’s a little bit cloudy right now. And we probably won’t know that until we get ready to scrimmage in the second week of August. At quarterback Lane Sorrow has kind of pulled ahead. He’s a rising junior. Bryce Moore is right on his heels as a sophomore, so there’s still competition at that position. The receivers, we did a few 7-on-7 competitions this summer, and we had five or six receivers. And we’re still looking for them to separate themselves too. Then on the defensive side of the ball, virtually the entire secondary (is open to competition). We have two corners that played significant minutes last year, and they’re pretty steady. And the two safety positions, we have five or six guys that are going to be at the outside linebacker or either safety position, so we’re still in the process. We don’t know. We have an idea, but we don’t know who’s going to be in those spots come August 21.
QUESTION: What exactly does a coach look for over summer from his players? What sets a player apart over the summer?
ANSWER: What we look for -- and it may be different at other places -- we look for the guys that are going to be consistent in what they do. We harp on it all the time that it’s easy to come in on Monday when you’re fresh and work hard. We’re looking for those guys who give great effort consistently. That’s what we preach over the summer, and we try to develop that mentality and set the tone. That way it carries over through fall practice and into the season and our juniors and seniors are pretty good at that, and the younger kids are learning their way, and it’s just a matter of the young kids learning from the ones with experience and demand that they’re consistent in what we ask them to do.
COMING UP NEXT: Johnson
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/7/322102/two-a-days-jefferson