Bainbridge showed a year ago that success in Class AAAAA isn’t limited to the state’s bluebloods. The Bearcats entered the state playoffs with a 5-5 record and fought their way to the championship. That proved to one and all that dreams can come true.
Here are five teams poised to make improvements or big strides this season. Not saying they will win a state championship, but rather these teams could be a surprise when the postseason rolls around in November.
Union Grove: The Wolverines lost their final game of the season and missed the playoffs in 2018. This year, coach Chad Frazier's third at the school, could be when the Grove gets back into the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
“This is Year Three for our offensive system,” Frazier said. “We’ve got quite a few players with two years under their belt, so we’re getting older, getting bigger, fast and smarter. But we haven’t really accomplished anything, other than improvement.”
A pair of veteran offensive linemen – Josh Webb and Mitchell Smith – return to help the cause, along with Amari Morton, Michael Reese, Keyon Smothers and Tyler Smith.
New Hampstead: The Phoenix have a new head coach in Kyle Hockman, who finished a successful 11-year tenure at McEachern that saw his teams got 103-32. Hockman owned a home at Tybee Island and was looking for a job close to the beach. He takes over a team that's gone .500 in each of the last two seasons and missed the playoffs both years. Hockman is an innovative offensive guy, so it's likely he'll find a good use for Sam Brown and Justin McKithen, a pair of all-Region 2 wide receivers with game-breaking skills.
Griffin: New head coach Kareem Reid had great success at Westlake, where his team went 27-10 in three seasons and reached the Class AAAAAA semifinals two years ago. Expectations are high for the Bears, who went 28-8 mark in three seasons by Antonio Andrews, who left to go to Woodland. Defensive lineman Demarjhe Lewis, a D-I prospect being wooed by everyone in the South, is a big part of the team's defense.
Jones County: Mike Chastain bailed out of Warner Robins after taking the Demons to the state championship game in back-to-back seasons. He landed at Jones County, which went 45-15 under former coach Justin Rogers, who bolted for Colquitt County. Chastain finds the cupboard relatively full. Among the All-Region 4 players returning are quarterback Hunter Costlow (2,413 yards, 30 TDs), receivers Jontavis Robertson (53 catches, 921 yards, 10 TDs) and Maleek Wooten (34 catches, 630 yards, eight TDs) and offensive linemen Conner Griffin and Rhett Huckeba,
Thomas County Central: The Yellow Jackets will be in their second season under coach Ashley Henderson. They were 5-1 when region competition began and lost their final four games, missing the playoffs. Henderson is an accomplished coach – he won three GISA championships at Valwood – and TCC should rebound after enduring mass changes. The proud program is accustomed to winning big – five titles in six seasons from 1992-97 -- and claimed the region title as recently as 2016.
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