There are just 30 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)...
EAST FORSYTH (8-3 in 2024; lost 1st round Class 4A playoffs)
Coach Dustin Cannon's first season at the helm of the Broncos could only have gotten better if they had been able to snag the program's first-ever playoff win. But after three consecutive winning seasons, they will face their biggest challenge in 2025 since opening the program from scratch in 2021.
The core elements of the defense return but they lost more than 90 percent of their offensive production to graduation and will be breaking in a new offensive line. We asked Cannon what has been the focus during the spring and summer as they try to find suitable replacements at several key positions.
QUESTION: Coach, you are having to replace a lot of offensive production from last season, most notably at quarterback after the graduation of Brock Szakacs. Senior Chase Rhodes is expected to take the reins. How is his progressive coming along during the summer?
ANSWER: Chase Rhoads has had a strong summer and is progressing well. Chase is a great kid who is a competitor and wants to do well. It is always fun to coach a kid like that. He is also strong so he can push the ball down the field and has the athletic ability to extend plays. We are excited to see him lead this team and I expect him to have a great year.
QUESTION: Y’all also will have to find replacements in a backfield that saw 1,552 yards and 25 touchdowns graduate as well. Who are some guys that have emerged so far this offseason?
ANSWER: We feel good about where we are in the backfield. Brooks Smallwood, Tripp Ferguson, Kellen Moran, and Jake Adamson are all guys who will contribute in the backfield. There is plenty of potential between those guys and we will continue to see how they develop into the season.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: EAST HALL
- Previous Two-a-Days: DAWSON COUNTY
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/7/1292778/two-a-days-east-forsyth