GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Preston Poag, North Murray
1. What is the most memorable game you've been a part of as a player or coach?"I really have two. When I was offensive coordinator at Dalton, we played Sequoyah in the second round of the playoffs [2001]. Mitchell Boggs, who went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, was my quarterback, and he threw an out-and-up on them on fourth-and-10 from their 30 to win the game [21-14]. Then the next week, we played Thomson, which was one of the best teams in the state. They were supposed to beat us by a lot. It was back and forth and went to overtime. Our tailback, Torey Lovet, went on a sweep 70 yards to beat them [28-24]. Those were back-to-back games at Harmon Field, probably two of the best they've ever had there." [Dalton would reach the Class AAAA final and lose to Statesboro.]
2. Which high school coach would you want your son to play for, and why?"My son [Preston Jr.] plays for me. He's the quarterback. I'd love for my son to play Bill Chappell, who I played for in high school, for the discipline part and the toughness he brought to the table. He taught me so much about the mental part of life and how to handle ups and downs." [Poag was a quarterback for Chappell at Dalton and went on to play at N.C. State.]
3. What is your pet peeve as a coach or favorite saying/motto?"My motto is 'You've got to be your best every day.' Doesn't mean just on the football field but in the classroom and down the halls. It's something that carries on in life."
4. Which GHSA policy or high school football rule would you most like to see changed?"In our region, it's how the playoff deals work. The No. 1 in our subregion plays the No. 4 and the No. 2 plays the No. 3. If you are the No. 1 seed on your side, you should be in the playoffs. We had to go into the 10th game and beat Adairsville on the road to get in." [North Murray, which opened in 2009, beat Adairsville 28-21 and qualified for the state playoffs for the first time in history and then advanced in the first round last week with a victory over Jackson County.]
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