Hart County football coach details how team upset powerhouse Prince Avenue
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Hart County coach Cory Dickerson, whose team defeated Prince Avenue Christian — then the No. 2 team in Class 3A-A Private — 31-28 on Friday night. This is Dickerson’s fourth season as the Bulldogs’ coach. His team has beaten a top-10 opponent as an unranked team each of the past three seasons. It was No. 3 Monroe Area in 2024 and No. 10 Oconee County in 2023.
1. What were the exciting/decisive moments in the game? What gave your team the edge?
“We had a really big night from our junior quarterback, Kurt Curry, and junior running back, Faustino Rangel. They would be the first to tell you none of it would be possible without great blocking from the offensive line, tight ends and wide receivers. Kurt was 10-for-12 passing for 191 yards and threw for a touchdown. He had 12 rushes for 110 yards. Faustino rushed for 129 yards on 27 carries. With under a minute to go in the first half, Kurt connected with Zay Shealer for a 58-yard TD (for a 21-7 lead), but they returned the kickoff to make it 21-13 going into halftime. They received the ball the second half and tied it 21-21. Then Kurt was able to run for a 77-yard touchdown on our next possession. With seven minutes to go, German Franco made a 26-yard field goal to make it 31-21. They ran for a 77-yard touchdown to make it 31-28. We pinned them deep on a punt with just over two minutes left, and our senior safety Ramarcus Simpson intercepted a third-down pass at Prince Avenue’s 28-yard line to seal the victory.”
2. What was the game plan? And what did your team do that gave you the edge?
“Offensively, we wanted to establish the run and work our play action off of it. We wanted to give our quarterback options on most plays to take advantage of what we were given. We knew we had to stay on schedule and couldn’t get behind the chains. We were able to do that for many of our drives. Defensively, we knew we had to limit big plays and stop the run. They were able to capitalize on some explosives, but we were able to limit them just enough.”
3. You’ve been in every game. What signs had you seen from your team to make you feel you had a good shot?
“Despite our record, our players have shown up to work every single day. They never have stopped believing in themselves and each other. This comes from great leadership from our upperclassmen.”
4. Next is Hebron Christian, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A-A Private. What do you tell your players to prepare them for that challenge?
“We know that our region is going to be tough week in and week out. I believe our nonregion schedule has prepared us for that. We told our players that they have handled adversity well the past four weeks, and now they have to handle success the right way. As always, we will try to build off of what we have done well and correct the mistakes. We know that if we allow it, winning can cover up a lot, just like losing can expose a lot, so we try to approach each game with the same mindset despite the outcome of the previous week.”
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.
