Camden County Football
After 12 consecutive winning seasons, two in which Camden County went undefeated (2003 and 2008), coach Jeff Herron made the decision to leave Camden County for a head coaching position at Prince Avenue Christian in Athens. Even though Herron is gone, however, his legacy will live on at Camden County. The new head coach, Welton Coffey, was the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator under Herron.
There is no question Coffey has some big shoes to fill.
“We’re getting it done. There’s now question about that,” said Coffey. “The biggest thing here at Camden County High School is the size of the program. We’re just getting used to the numbers. We have about 180 (players) between ninth grade and seniors. That’s probably the biggest adjustment, but kids have done an outstanding job as well as the coaching staff.”
Camden County opens with perennial-power North Gwinnett in this year’s Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic. This colossal matchup will aid in Coffey’s evaluation of his team’s strengths and weaknesses against one of the best teams in Georgia.
For Coffey, a game is a game no matter what the stakes may be.
“It’s hard to explain how important it is, it’s a football game,” said Coffey. “We go out there to compete and to win. The most important thing is, because it’s a non-region game, we want to see where we are, like a scrimmage against great competition.”
North Gwinnett was 11-2 last season and lost only to the two state finalists: Lovejoy and Norcross.
Coffey has five starters returning on offense and five returning on defense. Last season under Herron, the Wing-T offense scored an average of 39 points and the defense only an average of 10 points per game. Coffey has no plans to change the offensive and defensive regimes from what Herron has done in the past.
“It’s been pretty good all these years, there’s no question about that,” said Coffey. “It may be a little bit different but the crust, the core, and the foundation of what we’re doing won’t change.”
In addition to defensive backs Kalvaraz Bessent and Chris Williams, who have both already committed to Alabama, lineman Trayvon Williams has received between 12 and 15 offers and A.J. Johnson is an FIU commit.
Coffey’s team will kick off their season in the Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic against North Gwinnett at the Georgia Dome on Aug. 24.
Off the Field
With 28 co-curricular activities, 23 varsity sports and newly-renovated athletic facilities, Camden County High School was listed in Newsweek’s Top 1600 Schools. It is located in southeast Georgia on the Florida border. The school provides curriculum for students to pursue a College Preparatory and Career Technology Preparatory degrees, and serves about 3,000 students between grades 9-12. Due to Camden County’s close proximity to Kings Bay Naval Base, the school offers a unique Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program, which gives students the opportunity to learn and experience military-related academics and training.
- It is one of only six Georgia public school districts to offer a College Preparatory curriculum and Career Technology Preparatory education.
- Provides the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program that allows the opportunity for students to learn and experience military-related academics and training, taught by former personnel of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
- The school is Listed in Newsweek's Top 1600 schools.
- Camden County has won seven Region Championships in Drama.
- It has met the Adequate Yearly Progress standard in all categories from 2004-present.
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