There are just 19 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)...
RABUN COUNTY (6-5 in 2024; 1st round Class A D1 playoffs)
After the Wildcats dropped to their lowest win total since 2012, Rance Gillespie was brought in to try and get the perennial playoff power back on track. Gillespie has had success everywhere he has been, including winning back-to-back state titles at Peach County (2005 & 2006). And the Rabun County native returned to his roots this past offseason, taking over for the Wildcats after spending three seasons at Brookstone, a GIAA school in Columbus.
The Wildcats will have a fully healthy Ty Truelove for the first time in two years and also return running back Reid Giles. But Gillespie has stated that fans will see a different look on offense and defense in 2025. We caught up with Gillespie to see how his return to his alma meter is going, both on and off the field.
QUESTION: Coach, how has the transition been back to GHSA football and at your home town coming along?
ANSWER: I’m really excited to be home. Obviously playing here and growing up here brings a different emotion. This football program, the school, and this community are very important to me. And, we will do our best to represent those three entities to our best abilities, from the way we play the game to how we get off the bus.
QUESTION: You have a healthy Ty Trulove back at QB and one of the more underrated players in the state in RB Reid Giles. But we heard there have been some tweaks to the offensive scheme. How are those changes looking coming into the fall?
ANSWER: Both of those guys are excellent players and certainly important to our program above and beyond just their skill sets. Just like any other coach I have preferences in schemes both offensively and defensively. So yes there absolutely will be “tweaks” to the scheme. In all honesty, it’s completely different both offensively and defensively. But, even with that you still highlight the players you have and put them in the best possible position you can to make plays on Friday.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: TOWNS COUNTY
- Previous Two-a-Days: NORTH HALL
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/7/1294709/two-a-days-coaching-change-scheme-changes-highlight-wildcats-summer