GHSF Daily prides itself in its statewide coverage of Georgia high school football, but nobody knows their local schools better than their hometown newspapers and radio stations. GHSF Daily reached out to members of the Georgia media this week to get their quick observations about the new season and some of the more interesting teams, players and coaches they're following. This is what they said.
Ryne Dennis, Athens Banner-Herald
"Clarke Central running back O'Brien Barnett wasn't expected to contribute to the Gladiators' offense last season, but injuries forced him to be a much bigger part of the team than originally planned. Barnett turned out to be a stud, posting over 1,100 yards and 13 total touchdowns and now returns for his senior season."
Wynston Wilcox, The Augusta Chronicle
"Hephzibah is coming off an 8-3 record - a school record in wins. Head coach William Harrell is ready to take his team to historic heights for a second straight season, hoping to get at least nine wins and get a deep run in the playoffs. With defensive back Enoch Howard and tight end E'Shawn Mayes - two 2019 Dream 16 selections - returning for their senior years, the Rebels are optimistic."
Brian Carter, BLITZ Sports GA
"There may not be a more exciting show than the quarterback display in Region 8-AA, notably between the highly recruited QB Gunner Stockton at Rabun County and Union County's elite QB Pierson Allison. Both are dual-threat, next-level players who will put up gaudy numbers for sure, barring injury. There won't be a more interesting game than the regular-season finale between the two, which like last year, will almost certainly decide the region title."
Savannah Richardson, Brunswick News
"Brunswick High's starting quarterback, Anthony 'Ant' Mountain, released on his Twitter Monday that he has been cleared to play. Coach Sean Pender hasn't confirmed Mountain will start Friday night against Coffee, but his return is huge for this team mentally. Mountain is a true leader, and it's obvious the entire team loves him. His return is a huge momentum builder. Brunswick's on the cusp of making noise after a 3-7 season, and Mountain's their guy."
Patrick J. O'Shea, Cherokee Tribune
"Most high-level recruits make their bones during their junior seasons, so it should be fun watching Woodstock 2021 ATH David Daniel this fall. Daniel's profile blew up this spring and summer, taking him from an unranked prospect to the No. 2-ranked athlete in the country on 247sports.com. Don't be surprised if Daniel gets reps in Woodstock's spread passing attack as well."
Joshua Mixon, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
"The most interesting team here is Columbus. The Blue Devils won their first playoff game in 44 years last season and made the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs but must replace the majority of their starters. It's really unclear what to expect. They play Troup on Sept. 5, so we'll find out what they're made of fairly early. They've got a good running back/slot receiver named Tre Peterson who has offers from Yale and Navy. Look for him to have a big year.''
Emmalee Molay, Daily Citizen-News (Dalton)
"Dalton senior running back Jahmyr Gibbs is slated to improve on his breakout performance last season of nearly 1,500 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns. The elusive back committed to Georgia Tech in the offseason after receiving offers from numerous Division I programs. He's very quiet and does not really take in the attention like a lot of 'big-time' athletes do. Very, very humble."
Mark Brock, DeKalb County Schools Athletics
"DeKalb County has a lot of great players, with several getting preseason honors as the 19 teams prepare for their openers (17 this week). But probably the biggest part of football in DeKalb is the number of new coaches and second-year coaches. There are eight new coaches and two entering their second seasons. Cedar Grove, Chamblee, Cross Keys, Lakeside, Lithonia, McNair, Redan and Stone Mountain have new coaches from this time a year ago. Lee Hannah at Miller Grove and Vonnell Carter at Towers are in their second years. There is some excitement with numbers up at several of the programs under new coaches. Who knows how this will show up in wins, losses and playoff berths this season?"
Derrick Mahone, Douglas County Sentinel
"Douglas County junior Justin Franklin had no intentions of playing quarterback again on a full-time basis. The Tigers' staff was content in using him in a variety of ways on offense and as a starting defensive back. However, since none of the original candidates stepped up during spring drills, Franklin was asked to take over the role. He has the talent to be a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard passer. The former middle school MVP has several offers as an athlete."
Chris Beckham, Football Friday Night Radio Show (Valdosta)
"Irwin County's situation intrigues me. Fans in Ocilla think this could finally be their year to win it all, but with a top player, D.J. Lundy, temporarily out with injury and coach Buddy Nobles battling stomach cancer, that trek becomes tougher but still very possible."
Bill Murphy, Gainesville Times
"In Hall County, fans are really watching Shad Dabney, a junior at Riverside Military. He's a kid from Gainesville who is just scratching the surface of his potential. Dabney already holds scholarship offers for football and basketball from Arizona State."
David Friedlander, Gwinnett Daily Post
"Parkview might be the best team here in Gwinnett. I say might because Grayson, Archer, North Gwinnett, Buford, GAC, Dacula, Lanier and others are very, very good. But to me, the most intriguing could be Shiloh. The Generals haven't had a winning season since 2003 (and only one .500 season since) but have plenty of talent, like Wake Forest-committed DL Jasheen Davis and several other athletic college prospects like LB Isaac Dowling, WR Dakota Thomas and SS Paryce Taylor. And they have a new coach in Tino Ierulli, who had plenty of success at Palm Beach Central in Florida. They could be what Meadowcreek was when the Mustangs came out of nowhere a couple of years ago."
Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post
"What I'm most interested in is how the new Gwinnett head coaches fare, particularly at some of the county's top programs like Buford, Grayson and Mill Creek. It's rare to see coaching changes at those places, especially all in the same season. I think you'll see very smooth transitions at Buford and Mill Creek with longtime assistant coaches Bryant Appling and Josh Lovelady earning promotions. They're both great guys and will do well. I know less about Adam Carter at Grayson, but I know he has a lot of talent and I'm ready to see what kind of stamp he puts on the program. I've heard a lot of good things about Gwinnett's other new head coaches, Tino Ierulli at Shiloh and Cam Jones at Duluth. Those two schools play in Week 1, so we'll get a gauge on where they stand quickly."
Kevin Eckleberry, LaGrange News
"Callaway is ranked No. 1 in Class AA in part because of its gifted playmakers such as Tank Bigsby and Jacob Freeman. But the offensive line is a question mark. While two starters return, three graduated, including four-year starter Keiondre Jones, now at Auburn. 'We know we're not going to be as talented as we were last year,' left tackle Tate Johnson said after Friday's scrimmage. 'But we've embraced the fact that nobody thinks we're going to be as talented.' Well, almost nobody. Callaway won the scrimmage 48-7 over Starr's Mill.
Victor Kulkosky, The Leader Tribune (Fort Valley)
"After coming oh so close twice, the 2019 Trojans are hungry. With AJC Super 11 linebacker Sergio Allen leading, the defense has looked the stronger side so far. The offense isn't in sync yet, but PC always peaks late in the season. Nothing less than the title game will do."
John Bednarowski, Marietta Daily Journal
''One player I think will be fun to watch is McEachern quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior, who recently committed to Florida, could see his numbers skyrocket under new coach Franklin Stephens and offensive coordinator Derek Cook. Del Rio-Wilson has a pair of four-star receivers to throw to in Javon Baker and Dacari Collins, a three-star running back to hand off to in Jordon Simmons, and when things break down, Del Rio-Wilson is more than able to pick up his own yardage on the ground.''
E. Marcel Pourtout, North Fulton Neighbor
"Denmark won five contests in its first season of existence in 2018 under head coach Terry Crowder. The Danes welcome back an AJC Super 11 selection in senior wide receiver and Auburn commit Ze'Vian Capers. Denmark also has two impact transfers into the program in senior linebacker C.J. Ford from South Forsyth and junior quarterback Aaron McLaughlin, another Auburn commitment, who played for Buford in 2018."
Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News
"Kyle Hockman takes over at New Hampstead after an impressive 11-year run at McEachern, where he posted a record of 103-32, leading the Indians to the state semis three times. He is the fifth head coach for a Phoenix program that started in 2014, with a record of 22-29. It should be interesting to see how New Hampstead does after shocking Starr's Mill in the first round of the playoffs last season. Hockman's influence has been evident at early season workouts, and he has some talented athletes like Justin McKithen (committed to FAU) and highly recruited Sam Brown to work with. New Hampstead opens Thursday night against Jenkins.''
Michael A. Lough, The Sports Report of Central Georgia
"Rutland, located in south Macon, went 5-5 in its first football season, in 2003, under Bob Davis, son of legendary head coach Robert Davis. Progress? Well, the Hurricanes have yet to put together consecutive winning seasons and are trying to get past consecutive winless seasons. First-year head coach Rusty Easom, the former defensive coordinator at East Coweta, is in charge of a team on a 23-game losing streak that plays in a region with Peach County and Westside."
Pat Donahue, Thomasville Times-Enterprise
"Last year, Ronnie Baker helped lead the Cairo Syrupmakers to the third round of the Class AAAA playoffs. On Friday night, he'll lead the Thomasville Bulldogs in their season opener - against the Cairo Syrupmakers. Baker transferred during the offseason and stepped in to fill the hole left when Chad Mascoe left Thomasville after his freshman season for the IMG Academy."
Becky Taylor, Tifton Gazette
"Tift County is playing for something more this season. Wide receivers coach Anthony Bateman, the longest-tenured assistant on staff - and also the only man on the sidelines for all three of their boys basketball state titles - died suddenly Aug. 3. The support for him has been amazing. All Tift athletics are tributing him with #4theBaTe. Colquitt County reps sent a funeral wreath, among support shown by other programs, both in person and on Twitter. Thousands attended Bateman's funeral, which took place in Tift County High's gym."
Juston Lewis, The Valdosta Daily Times
"This year, I'm on the Lowndes High football beat. The most interesting aspect of this team is their potential. They've won 10 or more games the past three seasons. In 2017, they went undefeated in the regular season before bowing out to McEachern in the second round. Last year, they put together three playoff wins before losing to Milton, the 7A champions. Now, they face a daunting schedule that includes five schools that received rankings from High School Football America. If they get through that test, they'll be in contention for a state championship."
Scott Herpst, Walker County Messenger
"I'd say if there's one 'feel good' story to start the year, it's new Ridgeland head coach Kip Klein. Klein has been at Ridgeland for 25 years as an assistant coach and school administrator, and he gave up an assistant principal's job to finally get his chance to run the football program. Kip is a great guy, and a lot of folks all over the area are pulling for him."
Brett Fowler, Walton Tribune
"One of the biggest storylines in the state this season is what's happening with the public/private split in Class A. There's been talk that the state's private schools could leave the GHSA and form a new league with what's left of the schools in the GISA. For Walton County, that could present some problems. Loganville Christian Academy is scheduled to move up to the GHSA starting in the 2020-2021 school year, but that move could be put on hold. For George Walton Academy, leaving the GHSA would put the Bulldogs right back in the same league they left just 10 years ago."
Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.
About the Author
