A year ago, Ware County made the decision to start four sophomores on the offensive line. That unit held its own and grew enough to help the Gators reach the second round of the playoffs, losing to Warner Robins on a last-minute play.
This year that group has reunited as juniors and is ready to be the focal point of a program that has become known and respected as one of the best in the state.
“They took their lumps at times last year,” Ware County coach Jason Strickland said. “It seemed like every week they had a four-star or five-star kid who was going to Georgia or Clemson on the other side of the line. But they battled through it.
“(In the opener) you could tell those guys had grown a lot. They’re stronger, they’re more confident and they’ve seen how it is to play under fire. They have a chance to be the bell cow for our team.”
That group is made up of Landon Smallwood (6-2, 265), Will Hines (5-10, 259), Cason Hall (6-1, 265) and Kyler Matthews (6-3, 260). They’re one reason the Gators are ranked No. 4 in Class 4A.
“And the thing is, when they came in as freshmen, they wanted to be offensive linemen,” Strickland said. “A lot of times kids want to play other positions, but they all wanted to play the offensive line.”
The line paved the way for a 382-yard night against then-Class 2A No. 2 Appling County in the 40-10 opening win.
Quarterback Luke Hooks, who threw for 1,867 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, passed for 172 yards and four touchdowns in the opener. He continues the tradition of strong quarterback play in a program that produced Thomas Castellanos (now at Boston College) and Niko Smith, who led the Gators to a state championship in 2022 and is now at Miami.
“Luke isn’t going to be anything but Luke Hooks,” Strickland said. “He killed himself in the weight room to get stronger and he is playing well.”
The Gators will be without versatile running back R.J. Boyd, who will miss the season with a medical issue. Boyd ran for 694 yards and 10 touchdowns and committed to NC State.
Ware County will have a great test on Friday at Class 6A No. 8 Coffee, which won the state championship in 2023. Coffee won last year’s game 28-5 when both teams played in the same region.
Other top games this weekend:
Benedictine at Buford: The schedule-makers didn’t do Benedictine any favors, starting the season against nationally ranked Rabun Gap and following it with a trip to Class 6A power Buford. It won’t help that the No. 5-ranked Cadets will be without offensive tackle Carlton Hall or defensive lineman Isaac Scott, who both sustained knee injuries in the opener. The BC offense, which produced only 182 yards of offense in the opener, will need to solve Buford’s talent-laden defense to flip the script.
Eastside at Hiram: No. 10 Eastside will try to keep its running game operating in high gear, while slowing the Hiram passing attack. Eastside ran for 260 yards in its 26-15 win over rival Newton, with Georgia Tech commit Jayden Barr rushing for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Hiram quarterback Ethan Latimore threw for 320 yards, completing 15 of 19, for three touchdowns in a 48-41 win over rival Paulding County.
Whitewater at Starr’s Mill: David Cooper won his debut as Starr’s Mill last week when the Panthers beat Northgate 35-14. Now comes one of those rivalry games that will get the attention of everyone in Fayette County. The teams have played each year since 2006, with Starr’s Mill leading 10-8. Starr’s Mill ended a two-game losing streak in the series with a 24-10 win last year. But Whitewater coach Chad Frazier needs one win to reach No. 100 for his career and would like nothing better than to do it against the program’s rival.
Mays at Hughes: It took Mays three days to beat Stephenson in the season opener, but the Raiders prevailed 19-12 in the storm-delayed contest. The Raiders showed plenty of big-play ability on offense behind strong-armed quarterback Jaylen Wyatt, elusive running back Kamari Johnson and sticky-handed receiver Clayton Coppock Jr. The Raiders will get a stiff test against a Class 5A No. 6 Hughes team that hammered Westlake 52-21 in the opener. Mays leads the series 5-4 but Hughes has won the last three games, including 62-12 in 2022, the last meeting.
North Oconee at Dalton: North Oconee will try to build on its defensive effort it showed in the 21-10 win over rival Oconee County in the opener. Maddox Brice led the Titans with 13 tackles, two sacks and an interception on defense and ran for a touchdown in the victory. Harrison Faulkner made his first start at QB, replacing the graduated Max Wilson, and threw for 104 yards. Dalton graduated 19 seniors from last year’s second-round playoff team – and lost veteran quarterback Ethan Long when he transferred to Adairsville to be with his father, the new offensive coordinator there. Among the top returners for Dalton is receiver Kendrix London, who had 833 receiving yards and nine touchdowns last season.
