GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Scott Jackson, Decatur
1. Who is/was the most influential person in your coaching career? "I've been fortunate in my career to work for several great coaches. I started at Northside-Warner Robins with Conrad Nix, who taught me a lot about being organized and detailed. From there, I worked for Rodney Walker at Sandy Creek. Coach Walker taught me everything I know about defense, practice plans and how to fund your program. I also worked under Frank Barden at Cartersville, who taught me how to deal with players and how to build a family atmosphere within your program. All these men taught me a lot about the game and so much more."
2. Who is the best Georgia player you ever faced? "Richard Samuel from Cass. We played them in 2007 when I was at Cedartown and barely hung on to win. He rushed for 289 yards, 250 in the second half. He started at Mike linebacker and had over 15 tackles. He kicked off, PATs, he did it all. He took one step and jumped over our line to block a field goal too. The plays he made that night and his effort was unlike anything I had witnessed."
3. What is the best team you ever faced as a coach? "2002 LaGrange when I was at Cartersville. They were in the middle of a four-year run, winning the state championship three out of the four years from 2001 to 2004. That team had Tray Blackmon, Skylar Thornton, Blake Mitchell and a slew of other Division I players. It was and still is the best-looking collection of athletes I've seen on a high school field."
4. If you were Gary Phillips, the new head of the GHSA, what would be the first rule that you would try to change? "One problem that affects our program and many like us that don't have large numbers of players is the six-quarter rule. I'd like to see something done that would allow us to play those players who play special teams or very few snaps during the varsity games, but are not the front-line starters. Sometimes, it forces us to play our players out of position just to be able finish the JV games."
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