The reloading has begun at Carrollton, which completed a productive spring practice last week with an intrasquad game. The Trojans, starting their third season under coach Sean Calhoun, are expected to again be among the contenders in Class AAAAA.
“I asked them for 10 good days and they were able to give that to me,” Calhoun said.
Carrollton went a different direction this spring. The Trojans held all of their practices in the morning at 6 a.m. It allowed them to beat the heat and allowed the players to participate in other spring sports. And Calhoun’s staff was able to achieve their two main goals – finding depth and getting some competition.
“The kids really rose to the challenges we gave them,” Calhoun said.
Perhaps the biggest question this season for Carrollton will be at quarterback, where three-year starter Mark Wright graduated. Wright threw for 1,22 yards and rushed for 293 last year, despite missing five games with an injury.
The three main contenders at quarterback are junior Kashif Taylor, senior Garrison Hand and freshman Myles Morris. Hayden McGuire and Kyle Wnuck will also get a chance there.
Taylor stepped in when Wright was injured last season and threw for 642 yards and eight touchdowns. He knows the system better than the other challengers.
Hand, a transfer from Sandy Creek, is a senior who is fielding numerous Division I offers as a dual-threat quarterback. He has good speed and a strong arm.
Morris, a transfer from Pace Acaemy, may be the most intriguing option. He is an extremely gifted freshman who has off-the-chart skills. “To be his age, he’s pretty advanced in terms of physical and mental skills,” Cahoun said.
Even though they were practicing at the crack of dawn, the college scouts still managed to come out and watch the Trojans. As many as eight scouts were on hand each day. The four players drawing the most interest were: Hand, who had strong day at Clemson’s Junior Day; senior Ty Murrah, a 6-3, 315-pound offensive lineman who has numerous offers from Power Five conference schools; junior linebacker Kevin Swint, who counts Clemson among his DI offers; and sophomore linebacker Chaz Chambliss, who is being recruited by the same teams as Swint.
Expect the Trojans to remain among the state’s prominent teams this season. They went 10-3 in 2017, losing to Warner Robins, and were 11-2 in 2016, where they lost to mighty Buford. Both times their season ended in the quarterfinals to the team that wound up finishing second in the state.
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