There are just 30 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2018 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign got underway months ago in weight rooms, sand pits and practice fields throughout the state. And teams throughout northeast Georgia 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. We call the series "Two-a-Days" in honor of 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
The Tigers, like several other programs around the area, will begin a new journey without a dynamic playmaker at the helm. QB Coey Watson graduated after one of the best four-year stretches in program history. But Dawson County coach Sid Maxwell said it's "the next man up" and now they will see what SeVaughn Clark, who moved over from RB, can bring to their powerful offense. We caught up with Maxwell to see how the new-look offense is coming along.
QUESTION: Coach, y'all advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs last season for the second time in three seasons. However, the heart-and-soul of that team, QB Coey Watson, graduated. Is there a front-runner on who will be taking the reins under center in 2018?
ANSWER: SeVaughn Clark will take over (at QB) and yes we are running the same offense and our offensive emphasis will be designed around SeVaughn’s strengths. Obviously he is a tremendous threat with the ability to run the football ball with over 1,800 yards rushing last year. He has a strong arm and is working hard this summer to grasp the concepts of the passing game. We graduated a great one with Coey, but unfortunately that’s high school football and the next one has to be ready to step up to keep that winning tradition for all our players. I am confident that SeVaughn and all of this year’s players’ will be focused and working hard to maintain our team motto - “playing for those who came before you and setting the standard for those to follow”.. Each year is a new challenge and a great opportunity for the next group of players to step up -- that’s high school football.
Q: While the offense was electric last year, a young defense gave up 152 points in 3 of your 4 losses. How are things coming along in building up the defense?
A: Our defense played some very good offenses in that stretch who scored points on everyone they played -- East Hall, GAC, Cedar Grove. Playing teams with that explosive talent challenges your team in the offseason to get better. It’s going to be a slow process, but I am confident that the young men will be more than ready for the upcoming 2018 season.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/7/692243/two-a-days-tigers-move-on-without-watson-but-expectations-remain-high