There are just 28 days left until the kickoff of the 2016 high school football season, but make no mistake, preparations for the 2016 season got underway months ago in weight rooms, sand pits and practice fields throughout the state. And teams from throughout northeast Georgia are in full countdown mode.
With that in mind we spent the last few days 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. We call the series "Two-a-Days" in honor of the grinding sessions that lead us out of summer and into fall. And for the next few days, AccessWDUN will get you prepped for the start of gridiron action with responses from coaches throughout northeast Georgia. (Teams run in alphabetical order)...
UNION COUNTY
The Panthers have posted back-to-back 9-2 seasons, including hosting two straight state playoff games, which matches the program's best-ever finishes -- but Union County also just garduated one of its best ever players in quarterback Joseph Mancuso (signed to play for Richmond University) as well as moving up to Class AAA.
How have the changes affected the Panthers this summer? And what does coach Brian Allison see coming in 2016? AccessWDUN sports editor Morgan Lee recently caught up with the coach to find out.
QUESTION: You're coming off the best back-to-back season performances in Union County football history. But you also graduated one of the best players in Panthers history in quarterback Joseph Mancuso. Who stands to replace Mancuso and how will the offense change now, if at all?
ANSWER: Some guys you just can't replace; Joe is one of those guys you can't replace. They come along so seldom, especially at a school our size, and they mean so much to you. But that said, the guys that are back from last year's team and that have had the experience of the last couple of seasons understand what it takes to be successful. They also experienced success last season when Joe got injured and know they can be successful without him. They've worked hard this summer. Hopefully, they'll step up when the season gets here and do what it takes to be successful on the field.
Q: Union County opted to play up in Class AAA for this reclassification cycle. Were you pleased with that decision? How tough will it be playing in AAA?
A: Top to bottom the competition will be tougher; we're the smallest school in the classification, and we'll be playing some teams with 300 more students than what we have. It will be a challenge for sure. But the decision to play up was purely a travel deal. Last season we were making some three-hour trips -- like when we would head to Washington-Wilkes -- and getting back around 2:30 a.m. or and then asking the kids to drive home over mountain roads. It just didn't make sense. Plus it made more sense for us, because we think we'll have more people coming out to watch us play teams from Dawson County and Lumpkin County than we would playing teams like Putnam County and Monticello.
Previously in Two-a-Days: TOWNS COUNTY
Up Next in Two-a-Days: WEST HALL
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/7/419013/two-a-days-union-county