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Two-a-Days: Defense is top priority for Warriors heading into fall

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter
Posted 4:04PM on Monday 1st August 2022 ( 1 year ago )

There are just 18 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2022 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)...

WHITE COUNTY

The Warriors brought back popular assistant Chad Bennett to take over for Tim Cokely, and that sparked a lot of renewed interest in the program. However, they lost a lot of production to graduation and some key transfers.

The key area is on the defensive side, where they return just four starters from a year ago. Bennett discussed his return to Cleveland and rebuilding a defensive unit that was one of the better groups in the area in 2021. 

QUESTION: Coach, you’re back where you had a lot of success as an assistant. How has the transition to head coach been progressing so far through the summer

ANSWER: The transition has gone great. I was in a unique situation. I had the opportunity to coach the upperclassmen. They knew who I was and how I coached. They are still learning about me as the head coach, but the relationships had been built, making the transition smooth.

Q: The defense is replacing five starters on a unit that was better than the numbers showed in 2021. How is the rebuild of the defense coming along? Who are some guys that have impressed so far during the spring and summer?

A: I am very excited about the potential of our defense. Coach Logan Head and his staff are doing a great job preparing our guys for the season. We have some good football players that just need to get some Friday night experience. Jeb Robinson (Senior DL/LB), Jacob Holbrook (Sr. LB), Noah Williams (So. LB/DL), and Colton Turner (Sr. DB) are a group of experienced players we look for to lead the way defensively while building that experience with the other guys. Trenton O'Kelly, Devin Norton, J.D. Trowell, and Luke Dockery have had good spring and summer showings along the defensive line. Nate Bray, Carson Smith, Cade Dockery, and Ryan Fowler have had good summers at linebacker while in the secondary, Vondre Nelson, Cam Wilson, Kane Lowery, Caysen Duvall, Joseph Haynes, Isaiah Whitlow, and Elijah Nelson have all done a nice job and are competing for playing time.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2022/8/1116251/two-a-days-white-county

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