There are just 29 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)...
FLOWERY BRANCH (4-7 in 2024; 1st round Class 4A playoffs)
In spite of making the playoffs each of the last two seasons, the Falcons brought in former East Hall and Union County coach Michael Perry to see if he can turn things around after three straight losing seasons, their worst stretch since 2002-04, when the program was created. Perry has some challenges as they implement some schemes with a new coaching staff. But they also will have several key returning players on both sides of the ball.
The Falcons will have an interesting quarterback battle during the summer and we asked Perry, known as a quarterback-whisperer after his work with the likes of Deshaun Watson (Gainesville), about that and about his return to Hall County.
QUESTION: Coach, first, how has the transition back to Hall County been this offseason? What has been the focus for the staff and the players?
ANSWER: The transition back to Hall County has been great. Our focus this summer has been on several things: first is understanding how to help the team and not hurt the team. What we mean by this is that by being selfless and a great teammate. Every player's actions and decisions have consequences that daily affect our team. Secondly, it is important for every kid on our team to learn more than just one position. A player creates more value to the team by being able to play more than just one position. Injuries during the course of the season are going to happen and we need to be ready as a staff to plug in the next best option without having to start from scratch.
QUESTION: Y’all have an interesting situation at quarterback, where West Hall transfer Brett Sturm has joined the battle along with rising seniors Riley Bourrie and Tristan Radford for the starting spot. What have you seen from that group so far this summer?
ANSWER: All three quarterbacks have great character and get along with each other. Each one brings something different to the table. Brett has a very strong and accurate arm. Riley is a really good athlete and can really utilize his legs. Tristan is an extremely hard worker and is not afraid to be vocal around his teammates. I feel confident in our QB room and look forward to seeing all of these guys continue to grow as leaders and great teammates. I know firsthand from experience that you have to have more than one QB ready to go. Last year at Union County we lost our starting QB in the preseason. Unfortunately stuff like that can happen and you better have more than one coached up and prepared.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: GAINESVILLE
- Previous Two-a-Days: EAST JACKSON
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/7/1292781/two-a-days-flowery-branch