Colquitt County coach says line of scrimmage is key for North Gwinnett clash
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Colquitt County coach Sean Calhoun, whose fifth-ranked Packers play at No. 8 North Gwinnett on Friday night. This is Calhoun’s fourth season in Moultrie. His first two teams were 13-1 and 12-1. The 2024 team finished 8-4 and won a third consecutive region title despite replacing 17 starters and turning the offense over to a promising freshman quarterback, Cohen Lawson.
1. Let’s take a look at the first game against Benedictine. What was that like for your team and for Josh Scroggins, the kicker who made the game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expired?
“The team was just ecstatic. Nobody gave us a chance all week. It was all about Benedictine and their 12 kids who have Power 4 offers and their other 300 kids who have all types of offers. All the talk was about the other team, and that’s fine, but our kids took that to heart. It’s just trying to earn some respect, and the only way to do that is to go out and play good football, and hopefully you win. So we were able to kick it through. Our team understood how hard of a game that was. In the fashion that we did is fantastic.
“Now with Scroggins, what an incredible story. The kid has never played football before. He’s our No. 1 singles in tennis. His dad has been a longtime coach for us. He does football and basketball, and we kind of started talking to him at the end of last season. For some reason, he’s kicked footballs before and soccer balls, and he wanted to come out. So, in spring we just kind of saw what he can do, and he showed a little promise. … In literally his first game ever, he’s 2-for-2 and hits a game winner with one second to go, and Benedictine called two timeouts to ice him. So to me, that’s a game that will always be memorable to me, but that’s one of those that he’ll remember forever. Also, his dad is our clock operator for home football games, too. So it’s just a really cool story.”
2. When you look at North Gwinnett, what do you see from the scouting report?
“When I look at an opponent, I always check out two things first. One, their coaching staff, and two, their players. Anytime you’re going up against an opponent that has good coaches and good players, you’re in for a big-time fight on Friday night. Also, I have a little back history with them. I’m a Gwinnett guy, so I know all about them, but I coached at Collins Hill High School for four years. Obviously North Gwinnett was in our region, very, very close in proximity. They were a big-time rival for us. I played them for four years and had some big-time slugfests there. Being at Colquitt County, we went up against them in the Corky Kell (Classic) one year, and then I was not here when we played them in the state championship game. So, we have some history with them too down here. I’ve got a little history with them, and it’s a program that knows how to win. When you go up against programs that know how to win, along with the first two things I said, with good coaches and good players, it’s always a tough game.”
3. Who is the key player on your team for this matchup against North Gwinnett?
“It’s hard not to say that we’ve got to have the better quarterback play. Just because I’m an ex-quarterback, I just think the quarterback makes you go. But again, it’s hard to just put everything on him. Outside of just a quarterback, I think it’s going to be the offensive and defensive lines. I think if North Gwinnett wins the line of scrimmage, they win the game. I think if we win the line of scrimmage, we win the game. Because I think both of those units are good on both sides of the ball, so it’s really hard for me to narrow it down to one guy. I will say this: We better know where No. 10 is for North Gwinnett (linebacker Jake Godfree), because that is one guy that is sideline to sideline, and it seems like he is in on just about every tackle.”
4. What have you seen your quarterback improve upon from last year to this season?
“Playing in Region 1 is difficult just to begin with. It doesn’t matter your age. Then when you come in and play as a ninth grader, like Cohen Lawson did last year, you know you’re going to take some lumps, and you’re going to take some things that you just can’t prepare for. You’ve got to fight the physical battle, but also the mental battle of it. He did some really good things as a ninth grader, and things that we knew that he had to improve on this offseason. He’s done a really, really good job of getting in the weight room and film study and just doing some things for his body and his mind. I thought he showed some flashes against Benedictine that showed him taking a little bit of growth. Obviously, if you run a spread-oriented offense, your quarterback makes you go. Hopefully Cohen can just continue to make some strides just with decision making, and we’ve got to take care of the ball. We don’t try to overcoach the quarterbacks, but you’ve got to make smart decisions.”
— Interview by GHSF Daily intern Dylan Clearfield
About the Author
Todd Holcomb has been a contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1985. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
