Today's interviewee is Colquitt County head coach Justin Rogers, whose team defeated previous No. 1 Grayson 31-7 in a Class AAAAAAA game on Friday. Rogers, the successor to Colquitt County coach Rush Propst, is in his first season at Colquitt after five at Jones County, where his teams were 45-15.
Justin Rogers, Colquitt County head coach
1. What won the day in the Grayson game? What did your team do particularly well? "One of the biggest things is we've been injury-prone on defense. We got some starters back and then got in a rhythm on offense. We had a good balance of running and throwing early on. Our defense was forcing stops, giving us some at-bats. The first two possessions we came down and scored and got the momentum early."
2. Did you make any significant changes from the Valdosta game? Your defense went from giving up 50 to giving up seven. Both teams had a major Division I quarterback other offensive weapons. "We've had quite a few starters out. We still had two out on defense Friday. We were down five starters at one point. Then we've got a defense that's relatively young. You go back and look at Colquitt County's defense last year and you won't see any of those names. Nyquan [Washington, a preseason all-state defensive back] was a staple, but there are a ton of new faces, and they're growing up and getting better. There's no substitute for experience."
3. Did your players need a victory like that for their confidence, or is bouncing back ingrained in them from years of success? "It dang sure doesn't hurt. Anytime you get affirmation that hard work pays off, that's always good. It's always like that in life. But this is a great group of guys. They have to be a resilient bunch. They've been through a lot of emotions and adversity this past half year. It's a team that truly loves and cares for each other. That's showing up. It's certainly good having a win against a really good football team. We've played a tough schedule - North Gwinnett, Valdosta, Warner Robins. They've been through some good football teams, and that's definitely a confidence-builder."
4. What has been the biggest challenge for you at Colquitt County? Anything about the job you didn't anticipate? "There's lot of things I didn't anticipate. I definitely underestimated some things. It's a unique situation. It's an unprecedented, refreshing, great atmosphere and community. It's a unique tradition that we walked into. They are Packers here, man. They love the Packers. They support their kids and community. Any time you have a transition, there are going to be ups and downs, but the positives outweigh the negatives 10 fold. Until you experience it, you cannot appreciate it. I have stolen the SEC slogan, 'It just means more.' And it does. It just means more here. It's impressive. It's awesome for our young men to be able to be loved, but when much is given, much is expected, and we understand that."
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