Bishop Media Sports Network
Sharpened Spear?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After a very rough first year under Mike Norvell, the Florida State Seminoles looks to rebound behind UCF transfer quarterback McKenzie Milton.
Coach Norvell had a year to replenish the Noles’ roster with high profile transfers, and the Seminoles are hopeful for a substantial improvement over last year’s 3-6 record.
The transfer of star quarterback McKenzie Milton was the story of this offseason and it is a foregone conclusion that he’ll be the starter.
Milton was a Heisman contender at UCF, but he hasn’t played a game since sustaining a career threatening leg injury in 2018. A star in status may not return with star-level skill after something like that.
Due to some disastrous games in the 2020 season, Vegas does not think very highly of FSU, giving them just a 15.5% chance to win 6 games. With those odds, let’s take a look at their schedule:
Sept 6 vs Notre Dame: The Noles open the season on prime-time TV versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday night at 7:30. The home crowd should help the Noles play with a lot of energy, but the Fighting Irish have too much talent and will leave Tallahassee with a big win. ND 48 FSU 24.
Sept 11 vs Jacksonville State: The FCS Jacksonville State Gamecocks should be a win for FSU. Florida State has 3 games they must win if they want to be bowl eligible. This should be a walk in the park for the Noles. FSU 56 JS 13.
Sept 18 at Wake Forest: First road game of the season and FSU has more talent than Wake Forest. This is the first of a few toss up games for the Seminoles and should be a battle between McKenzie Milton and Sam Hartman, I anticipate a high scoring affair. FSU 48 Wake Forest 42
Sept 25 vs Louisville: The second of four total toss up games and a must win for the Noles. This was a tough outing for FSU last year, ending in a 32-point blowout. FSU should look at this as a revenge game. FSU 38 Louisville 23
Oct 2 vs Syracuse: If this was basketball, then there’s a need to be worried. This is football and this should be an easy win for the Noles. FSU 36 Syracuse 17
Oct 9 at North Carolina: Last year FSU shocked the Tar Heels at Doak Campbell Stadium, but either way I look at this game, it is not good for the Seminoles.
Sam Howell leads a high-powered North Carolina offense and the game will be played at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
This will be a respectful L for FSU, one that hopefully welcomes them back as a competitor in the ACC. North Carolina 44 FSU 20
Oct 23 vs UMass: The Seminoles face their second FBS team, UMass happened to go 0-4 last season. This will be a blowout Homecoming special. FSU 64 UMass 13
Oct 30 at Clemson: Oh-NO!! After last season’s COVID canceled game, Dabo will take it out on Norvell. The Noles will wish this year’s game was also canceled hours before kickoff. Clemson has too much Champion-tier talent and it will trash FSU’s game plan from start to end. Clemson 52 FSU 13
Nov 6 vs NC State: Another toss up game. Thayer Thomas and the Wolfpack travel to Tallahassee and hand the Seminoles another home loss. NC State 38 FSU 24
Nov 13 vs Miami: The Hurricanes have dominated the Seminoles in the last four seasons, and the trend will continue this season. The U comes to town and leaves with another no doubt victory. Miami 57 FSU 27
Nov 20 at Boston College: Game four of the four toss up games. Milton and the Noles are too much for the Eagles. FSU 38 Boston College 16
Nov 27 at Florida: This is probably one of the biggest rivalry matchups of the season. The Gators have more talent on both sides of the ball and will show FSU no mercy. Florida 58 FSU 24
Record: 6-6
The 2021 season will be a turning point for FSU. Can they meet, or exceed expectations?
I believe the ceiling for FSU is 8 wins and the floor is 4. McKenzie Milton is the key to the season. If he stays healthy, FSU can reach their ceiling, if QB1 is QB done, expect 4-5 wins.
Rocky Bottom
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
To say the Tennessee Volunteer football program has struggled recently is being kind. The program is downright awful at the moment.
Tennessee has not won the SEC East since 2007, and have not won an SEC Title since 1998. Since 2007, Florida and Georgia have won the SEC East five times each, Missouri twice, and South Carolina once.
Since 2007, Tennessee has gone through five head football coaches. Jeremy Pruitt was hired in 2018 and fired in 2020 and that experiment was a disaster.
Pruitt was fired for cause due to committing serious NCAA recruiting violations. The NCAA is in a current investigation of the Tennessee. Major NCAA sanctions are looming over the horizon. Nine other coaches and staff were fired as well after the internal investigation.
On the local front former Brunswick High School head football coach Larry Harold was one of the nine terminated after the Tennessee internal investigation.
Rumors of cash being handed out to players and recruits in fast food bags are some of the things you hear being tossed around in connection to the investigation.
Former head coach and AD Philip Fulmer was forced to resign as Athletic Director over the internal investigation and was not allowed to take part in the hiring of Pruitt’s replacement.
I know Tennessee legend Johnny Majors had to be smiling down from heaven on that one after then offensive coordinator Fulmer conspired to have Majors fired as head coach of the Vols back in 1992. Karma has no menu. You get served what you deserve eventually.
Josh Heupel was hired away from Central Florida to clean up the mess of a rotten internal football culture at Tennessee. Heupel will need time to rebuild this program.
The transfer portal has gutted the depth of the program. Hendon Hooker transferred in from Virginia Tech and he and Harrison Bailey look to compete for the starting QB job. Joe Milton also transferred from Michigan and could also compete for the QB job.
Cade Mays leads an offensive line that was brutal in pass protection in 2020. Heupel runs a pass happy offense so pass protection is the key.
On defense the talent at LB transferred. The defensive talent level is lacking. Heupel must develop a defense at Tennessee, which could be a major challenge as his defensive units at UCF ranked among the worst in the nation. Poor defensive play will get you fired in the SEC.
The rebuild at Tennessee won’t be easy at all with Alabama and Georgia recruiting at elite levels and taking top Tennessee high school talent annually. Tennessee must recruit Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia well to return to glory.
It may take a decade after looming NCAA sanctions wear off for Vol fans to get back if ever to the standard they were used to in the 1990’s.
Schedule/My Predictions: Projected Wins: Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech, South Carolina, South Alabama, Vanderbilt.
Projected Losses: Pittsburgh, Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia
Projected record 5-7 and 2-6 in the SEC.
Tennessee football seasons hinge on outcomes of the Alabama, Florida and Georgia games.
Tennessee records against those three this century:
Alabama: 5-16 and currently on a 14-game losing streak.
Florida: 4-17 and a current 4 game losing streak
Georgia: 6-15 and a current 4 game losing streak
Combined: 15-48
Since Tennessee’s last SEC Championship game appearance in 2007 the Vols are 36-70 in SEC play.
Tennessee has gone from one of the best programs in the conference to one of the worst in 13 years.
It’s not going to get better overnight Tennessee fans. The worst still may be yet to come once the NCAA gets finished with you.
Herons To Fly?
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At first glance, the 2020 season for the Brantley County Herons looks like it was a painful one.
The lone victory in their 1-9 campaign was a region win, and was enough to give the Herons a spot in the playoffs – something that Head Coach Geoff Cannon is understandably proud of.
“Before I got to Brantley, they had only made the playoffs twice in 50 years,” Coach Cannon explains. “We’ve now made it twice in the last two years. We have to build on that.”
And build they will. The 2021 Herons squad will have a lot of the same names on the roster, but according to the Coach, they won’t look like the same team.
“We’re returning a lot of guys. We were really young up-front last year, and most of those kids are back. We’re bigger, stronger, we hit the nutrition campaign really hard and our offseason weight program went really well.”
Who will be leading the Brantley County team on offense is still somewhat up in the air. Two-way player Kellen Middleton will see most of the snaps on both sides of the ball for the Herons this year, but rising sophomore Kirkland Cannon looks to be in the mix at signal caller as well.
“Kellen is an extremely gifted athlete, but he can’t come off the field,” explains Coach Cannon. “He’s going to play every snap on defense, he’s going to return kicks, he’s going to cover kicks. Once we put the pads on and scrimmage Vidalia, that will tell us what kind of gains we’ve made at the quarterback position to whether Kellen can move to slot receiver or running back and let Kirkland do some things. It will be interesting to see how they’ve developed. They’ve both had an outstanding summer. Kellen’s going to be out there somehow. If he’s not taking snaps, we’ll be throwing it to him or handing it off to him.”
Also, in the mix at Running Back will be second year player Mason Thomas, as well as a highly anticipated freshman Kendall Wright.
“(Kendall) really has a chance to be something special,” says the Coach. “Kendall is one of a bunch of rising freshmen kids that are going to see a healthy amount of Friday night playing time this year.”
As far as Brantley’s receivers go, there’s “a handful of them that are really getting the job done.” Look for WR/DB Brian Hiott to be another player that won’t be coming off the field. Greysen Guy is another second-year receiver that has “looked really good this summer.”
In addition to the slot receivers, the tight end group should make an impact as well. Expect Garrison Chester to show some growth in both blocking and catching this year.
On defense, Ryan Ratliffe will line up as the starting ILB, along with 2-year All-Region selection RJ Bryan. Little Michael Conner will start at OLB, but according to Coach Cannon, he’ll be coming in on some short yardage plays at RB as well.
Other starters will most likely include senior Brian Brantley, Nathan Willis (who will play some linebacker, some defensive back), and Jojo Steedley, who is coming back at DE.
Another 9th grader with high expectations, Carson Jacobsen is set to get some time on the defensive line.
Special Teams look to be different for the Herons this year. Coach Cannon reports that Brian Hiott took over kicking duties during spring practices.
“I’m looking forward to taking some chances in the kicking game, making special teams a true third segment of the game.”
Overall, Coach Cannon expects 2021 to be a much different year for the Herons than 2020.
“This group of kids is a bunch of fun to be around. They like each other, they like football, and they are a lot of fun to coach.”
“We play a tough schedule, but we should be a lot more competitive than we were last year. As bad as we were, there were still some games we should have won. We hope that with the character of this team, we’ll come out on top in those kinds of games this year.”
Red Devils
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors finished the 2020 season on a down note.
After a lopsided home loss to Langston Hughes in the 2nd round of the GHSA Playoffs, Terrors Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo had some rather pointed words to some unnamed players and parents.
Seven months later, Coach Hidalgo feels much more positive about his team.
“This is a different football team than what we had last year,” according to Coach Hidalgo. “These kids have been great to work with. We don’t have a lot of the issues that we dealt with last year. “Last year, I was frustrated because I felt like there were some people pulling us in opposite directions from where we needed to go. I think we got some of that stuff corrected. Our kids and parents are ready to go.”
One of those “ready to go” players in particular is newly minted starting Quarterback Tyler Devlin.
“(Tyler) is going to be really good,” beams the Head Coach. “I think when the dust has settled, he looks like he’s going to be a really special player at Glynn Academy. He has the bearing of a leader, leading by example.”
The rising Junior’s targets look to be in good shape as well. WR David Prince is “going to be a really good player” per Coach Hidalgo, but he won’t be the only one.
“Tyson Rooks coming over from the basketball team has a chance to be really special, and Jordan Johnson & Daniel Smiley both had a really good offseason.”
As a coach who has a reputation as a “run first” coach, Coach Hidalgo seems to be leaning towards a committee approach at RB this season.
“We feel like John Moody did some good things for us last year, same thing for Zech Ellis. Jackson Wakeland (who took a year off to focus on wrestling) is back and is really going to help us in the backfield.”
Coach Rock doesn’t seem concerned about the apparent lack of an obvious RB1.
“I like our running backs,” he said without hesitation. “I don’t think we really have a bellcow like we’ve had in the past, but we have some good solid players in the backfield.”
On the defensive side, the biggest question seems to be in the Linebacker stable.
“We’ve got kids right now that are competing for playing time at MLB,” replied the Coach when asked about Da’Vontae Lang. “(Da’Vontae) is one of them, and he’s got a chance to be really, really good, but you could say the same for Colin Fox, Eriq Cash, Peyton Parker, and Cab Cabiness. We just have to see who’s going to step up & win those jobs.”
There’s somewhat less concern in the defensive backfield, but still room for development.
“We feel good about our Cornerback situation. Tate Rhodes & Kannum Warren played a bunch for us last year at Safety, we feel like we need to develop some depth.
JT Givens and DJ Riley will have a chance to get out on the field and do some good things. I feel good about everything but our depth.”
On Special Teams, “there’s going to be some competition with the Field Goal kicking role,” speculates the Coach.
“Jonathan Sasser is really accurate, whereas Kody Arnold has a really big leg. We like both of those guys, but we have some young kickers that are really good, too. There’s going to be some competition.”
Coach Hidalgo has set some pretty high expectations in his career at Glynn Academy, and those high expectations are ones he welcomes.
“If the expectation isn’t to win the region championship and win the state championship, what do you do this for? Our goal is to go out and win a region championship every year. We’ve been fortunate enough to do that five of the seven years I’ve been here. Our plan is to go out & do that again this year.”
Returning Sting?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Wayne had a tough season in 2020 finishing with a 3-8 record. The Yellow Jackets ended up with the #4 seed in Region 1-AAAAA and pushed Jones County, a region champion, to the limit before falling 27-25 in the first round of the playoffs. Jones County made it to the final four last year.
One opposing coach this fall had this to say about Wayne “They won’t be decimated by injuries this year like last year and they are well coached. Wayne always has good talent”.
Another area coach had this to say “We have seen them over the summer and they have good skill people and they are big and physical like you always expect Wayne County to be”.
Ken Cribb enters his 5th season as head coach of Wayne County. The Yellow jackets have a 31-14 record during that time with a couple of region championships in 2017 and 2018.
Reclassification in 2020 put Wayne in a brutal AAAAA region that includes Coffee County, Ware County, Warner Robins, and Veterans High School.
Coffee, Ware and Warner Robins are three of the top AAAAA teams in the State and all 3 could be in the top 5 of the preseason rankings.
Improvement in 2021 has to begin on the defensive side of the ball where Wayne gave up 25 points per game last year and over 40 per game in two of their four region contests. If the defense can improve then the win totals will go up.
2021 Schedule/My Predictions:
8/21 @ Statesboro: The game will be played at Georgia Southern University as part of the Erk Russell Classic, I believe. Wayne has handled Statesboro over the past few years and will do so again in 2021. Jackets win a tight one.
8/27 vs Pierce: A defending state champion comes to Jaycee Stadium and gets beat by the home team. Do the power brokers in Jesup take notice or are they secretly flying in Nick Saban to resurrect the program? Jackets go to 2-0.
9/3 vs Richmond Hill: Wayne has beaten Richmond Hill recently and came close to doing so last year. Wayne goes to 3-0 with a big home win over the 7A playing in 6A Wildcats.
9/10 @ South Effingham: Jackets roll over the Mustangs. Wayne goes to 4-0.
9/16 @ Benedictine: Give me Benedictine at home in this one. Folks who know High School football in these parts understand why. Jackets drop to 4-1.
9/24 @ Appling: Rivalry game in Baxley. Appling is breaking in a new head coach and this one could go either way. Give me the Jackets in a tight one. Wayne goes to 5-1.
10/8 vs Veterans: Jackets at home should win this one. Wayne goes to 6-1 and clinches a playoff berth.
10/15 vs. Coffee: Coffee is coming off a huge home game with Ware the week before. Could they overlook the Jackets? I’m putting Coffee on upset alert, but they get it done over Wayne. Wayne serves notice around the state that they will not be an easy out come playoff time. Jackets drop to 6-2.
10/22 @ Warner Robins: Jackets are not ready for prime time on the road here. Drop to 6-3
11/5 @ Ware County: Ware is elite. Wayne finds that out in Memorial Stadium in Waycross. Jackets drop to 6-4 and enter the playoffs as a dangerous #4 seed from region 1-AAAAA.
Interesting Wayne County football facts. Wayne has 2 State Titles in 1954 and 1959.
John Donaldson is viewed as the best coach in Wayne County history with two state titles and five region titles in 18 seasons.
When Ken Cribb won back-to-back region titles in 2017 and 2018 the last Wayne County coach to accomplish that feat was Donaldson in 1976.
From 2017-19 Ken Cribb won 28 games. That is the best three year run in Wayne County football history. Wayne County plays in the best AAAAA region in the state of Georgia. Put that in perspective.
Arming The Ship
By: Buck Blanz
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers went 7-3 a year ago with their season ending in the first round of the playoffs against Clinch County 23-17.
The Buccaneers, after finishing the season with a 1-9 record in 2018, have made two consecutive state playoff appearances as they look to take the next step forward as a program.
What does that next step look like for the Buccaneers? Well, when I spoke to Head Coach Bradley Warren, he emphasized that they need to learn how to win ‘the big game’ as their team goal is “to go from good to great”.
Before Bradley Warren arrived at McIntosh County Academy, the football program seemed to be in disarray and didn’t have much determination and enthusiasm surrounding them.
However, since Coach Bradley Warren arrived at McIntosh County Academy, the football program has definitely seen promising progression from more areas than just one.
To start, Coach Warren has taken them to their first playoff appearances since the 2016 season and hoping to continue improvement. Also, with Warren’s double-slot offensive scheme, as well as how many players play both offense and defense, it allows for many, if not all, of his players to show their dynamic playing-making ability on both sides of the ball.
When I asked Coach Warren about who has impressed him the most throughout this offseason, without hesitation he answered with Austin Crosby.
The 6’1” 185-pound Senior from Darien, GA will be one of the Buccaneers most dynamic players all season long and is certainly a kid to keep tabs on.
Crosby plays quarterback, running back, as well as safety for the Buccaneers giving him many chances to showcase his versatility on the field as a top playmaker.
For the third straight season, the Buccaneers will open their season against two Glynn County powerhouses in (8/20) Glynn County and (8/27) Brunswick High, both of which are also from the much larger 6A GHSA classification and should prove to be their biggest test of the season.
The bright side of playing your toughest games early in the year is you will know what kind of team you have early, however, what is different about this season is how they will have both games played in the comfort of their own home stadium.
The Buccaneers have five of their first six games of the season scheduled to be home games, with their only away game being against Claxton, who finished third place right behind McIntosh County Academy in the region-3 standings a year ago.
McIntosh County Academy faces arguably their toughest test outside of Glynn County on October 15th, the Buccaneers must travel and face-off against the reigning region champs, the Metter High School Tigers, who made it to the final four before losing to Irwin County 44-10.
The Buccaneers will close out their regular season campaign with two road games against Portal, who forfeited a year ago, as well as Jenkins County who the Bucs beat 41-20 last season and should expect largely the same result.
Look out for Coach Bradley Warren and the Buccaneers led by Austin Crosby, as they look to take their program from “good to great”.
Pouncing Cats
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Camden County Wildcat football program underwent a metamorphosis this past offseason.
Bob Sphire resigned as Head Coach and Camden hired legend Jeff Herron to replace him. The Spread Offense becomes a thing of the past for Camden and they will re-institute the Wing-T Offense. You will also see less finesse play and more of a ‘smashmouth’ brand of football in Kingsland.
Sphire was coming off of a 5-6 season with the Wildcats. He took Camden to 3 playoff appearances during his 4-year tenure. Those 3 playoff appearances ended up all being losses in the first round to Walton, Marietta and Parkview, respectively.
Sphire was 23-20 during his time at Camden, but was 3-9 in the region. Sphire’s only wins in the region were against Tift County. He was 3-1 against the Blue Devils.
Sphire went 0-8 against region foes and powerhouses Lowndes and Colquitt in his time as head coach.
And so, the page turns and enters the Camden new coach, Jeff Herron.
Herron was the head coach at Camden from 2000-2012. During his tenure with the Wildcats, he won 12 straight region titles and 3 state championships.
The legendary coach returns to Camden with a career record of 312-54.
During Herron’s first stay in Kingsland, he had a record 154-18. At one point the Wildcats won 58 straight regular season games under Herron, which is a Georgia record.
Herron had the Wildcats ranked inside the top 25 nationally six different seasons and the Camden program was named the program of the decade in the state of Georgia in the 2000’s.
The Wildcats are going to get back to being a run-oriented team and will have Senior, Jamie Felix to lead the way at running back. Felix has been recruited by everyone that matters and will be the main weapon in Jeff Herron’s offense.
Camden will head over to TitleTown, USA to take on Valdosta in a scrimmage on August 13.
The Wildcats kickoff for real the next week on August 20th against Columbia at Chris Gilman Stadium in Kingsland.
Camden will host Beacon Hill (VA), Oakleaf (FL), Warner Robins, Colquitt and Lowndes. The Wildcats will pay visits to Glynn, Marietta, Coffee, and Tift.
My prediction is that Jeff Herron will be able to get the building blocks in place this season to make state title runs in the following two seasons. Look for Camden to finish 8-4 with a #2 seed in the region, a home playoff game in the first round and a playoff win.
Wolf Pack
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Buford Wolves are a powerhouse program in the state of Georgia since the new millennium started. The Wolves have won 13 state championships with only one coming before the year 2000 (1978).
After a drought of not winning a state championship since 2014, they won the 5A state title in 2019, finishing 14-1.
In 2020, Buford moved up to 6A and beat Lee County in the state title game. The Wolves (13-1) only lost the season opener to North Cobb, a 7A team.
Buford became the first team in GHSA history to win a state football championship in six different classifications. Buford has won titles at Class A, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAA and AAAAAA.
2019 was the first season for head coach Bryant Appling and he clearly knows how to win. They have the most talented team in the state, at any level. Buford has the most players ranked in the Georgia top 120 Class of 2022 recruits.
Isaiah ‘007’ Bond (5’10, 175 lbs.) is the highest ranked on the team as the No. 23 recruit in the state. He is a four-star wide receiver/corner back. He’s also an All-American in football and track. Bond is currently committed to Florida.
Safety Jake Pope (6’1, 190) is also a four-star recruit for the class of 2022 and ranked right behind Bond, No. 24. Some of the schools recruiting him are Alabama, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Ohio State and Arizona State.
Corner back Rylan Gandy (6’0, 170) is a three-star recruit and he’s committed to Pitt. This is a very talented secondary opposing teams have to deal with.
Linebacker VJ Payne (6’2, 180) is committed to South Carolina. There are more three-star recruits on the roster.
Safety Malik Spencer (6’2, 193) has committed to Michigan State.
Running back Victor Venn (5’9, 175) is committed to Colorado.
CJ Clinkscales is listed as an athlete but he plays running back and corner. He’s committed to Boston College.
Quarterback Ashton Daniels (6’3, 200) is a Stanford commit.
The season kicks off August 20th at North Cobb. The 7A Warriors won the game last year 28-14. I think this will be a close game but I give the advantage to North Cobb since they are from a higher classification.
Week 2 is against former region foe, Clarke Central (Athens) on the road. The Gladiators were 8-3 last season but lost the Buford matchup 47-0. Expect a similar result in 2021.
After an early bye week, Buford plays their first home game against Myers Park (Charlotte, NC). They advanced to the 4A state semifinals in 2020 but I don’t believe they can compete with Buford.
Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, FL) comes to town Week 4. They are a 3A team and were 8-2 last season. This might be a close game because Florida has very talented players. The rest of the season is region games after this.
The remaining region 8-AAAAAA opponents are Central Gwinnett, Habersham Central, Shiloh, Lanier, Winder-Barrow and Dacula.
In 2020, they beat their region opponents by a combined score of 257-24. They are far superior to the other teams in the region and they will easily repeat as region champs.
I expect Buford to go into the playoffs with a 9-1 record and repeat as state champions.
Knights Conquest
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After an unexpected trip to the state championship game last season, the Frederica Knights are looking to temper expectations for this season. “We’re rebuilding, but we’ve got some really talented kids,” says Head Coach Brandon Derrick.
Arguably the most talented young man on the roster is sophomore RB Jordan Triplett. The #1 freshman running back in the nation last year, “The River” Jordan has been busy this offseason, attending numerous football camps, including a tryout for the US National Team.
“Jordan will be bigger and better this year,” according to Coach Derrick. “He’s got great speed especially when someone’s chasing him. When he gets in the open field, he didn’t get run down one time last year.”
Hamp Thompson, who played back-up last year, will also see a lot more action.
“This year he’s gotta be ready to play,” said Derrick. “It’s going to be a new experience for him.”
Another big year is expected from Senior Quarterback Thomas Veal. After being unexpectedly thrust back into the starting lineup last year, Coach Derrick is counting on solid development and performance from the signal-caller.
“Veal has been pretty good (in camp). He’s going to be a bit more of a runner this year. He’s got sneaky speed and he showed it last year. I think he’s got a greater understanding of what we’re trying to do. Experience is going to help him.”
Of the returning offensive & defensive linemen, there will be some new assignments for the 2021 season. Rising Junior Sam Norris, who played last year at Guard, will be moving to center to replace the graduated Joshua Elliot.
Quite possibly the most notable addition to the 2021 squad comes to the DL in the form of a 5’10” 305lb Ashton Frankel. A senior who was in line to be a starter at 7A North Gwinnett High, Frankel will be lining up at Nose Tackle for Frederica. According to Coach Derrick, Ashton “has done a good job of coming in and fitting right in.”
While the OL and DL are major points of concern, the receiving corps seems to be in good shape.
“We’ll be okay at WR,” according to Coach Derrick. “We didn’t have flashy speed last year but were still able to average 100 yards a game and complete 60% of our passes because we knew what we were capable of doing. We’ll have to be very calculated this year.”
With rising senior Chase Schueneman transferring to Glynn Academy, the leadership mantle of the receivers falls on the capable shoulders of senior WR Bryce Reilly.
According to Coach Derrick, “Bryce has the experience; he’s a senior with four years of game time under his belt. He’s nursing a tweaked knee right know, but he’ll be good to go.
At the Tight End position, the job looks to belong once again to Jon Phillip Spiers. While he “may be moved to OT” according to the Coach, they’re “trying to keep him at TE as the slot guy.”
When asked who will be the big surprise this season, Coach Derrick points to either William Levy or sophomore Blake Holloway.
“Blake is going to be a big-time football player this year. He’s 6’3, he may wind up being a premium DE/OLB when it’s all said and done, but he’s so fast at CB and he’s good. He’s going to be a big target down the field with great hands. He and Bryce are going to be a great pair.”
Elsewhere on the defense, DT Mike Collier still hasn’t recovered from last year’s injury. The team is expecting him back around mid-season. In the meantime, senior MLB Jacob Aiken will definitely be the defensive anchor.
“We’re not going to be flying around, trying to go no huddle with everybody. We’re going to slow it down, more ball control/clock control,” says Coach Derrick. “Our kids understand where it’s at. It’ll be interesting.”
Gator Roll
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Ware County Gators finished the 2020 season with a 10-2 record. Those two losses came to Warner Robins and Cartersville each by 3 points. Those teams played for the 5A State Championship last fall.
Head Coach Jason Strickland begins his third season at Ware this fall with an overall record of 18-6 in his first two seasons.
When asked about what he likes about his 2021 football team the Head Gator offered “With the close calls last year against those two teams that beat us that ended up playing for the title showed our kids how close we are to being at that championship level. This team just feels different. I think we are one of the best 4-5 teams out there. Our kids have developed a culture of accountability and that has been a tone setter leading up this this season. Our kids feel like we are good enough to win it.”
On offense it all revolves around QB Thomas Castellanos who his coach calls a “Special, special kid”. “He can do anything on the football field. His best intangible is that he plays QB for us. He calls about 50% of the plays on Friday night, makes all of our protection calls, and he is just a natural leader.” Castellanos will play his college football at Central Florida next year.
Running back Cartevious Norton is set to have a banner senior season. “He is a kid I’m pulling hard for. By the end of the season, I think everyone will know who he is”.
Cameron Gonzalves is the lone returner on the offensive line, but Strickland thinks they will be bigger, stronger and more athletic than last year.
At WR James Daniels is an excellent route runner with great hands. Jarvis Hayes is the guy who can blow the top off a defense.
Malik Mitchell and Demetrius Baldwin will lead a defensive line that will rotate 7 players. “They will have to carry us until our linebacker group gets some game experience”.
Trey Hargrove returns at LB and will move to Mike. LJ Hall and Teshawn Norton will start in the secondary. Strickland says “We have good talent back there but we may need to simplify things to gain experience. I want these kids to play fast”.
Henry Bates a 4.0 student returns at kicker. “He is a great character kid who looks to kick at the next level”.
Strickland says the region is “brutal”. “Warner Robins won state. Coffee was a final four team last year, and Veterans really punched us in the mouth when we played them. Wayne has good talent and an excellent staff and was a team that was really decimated by injuries last year that should be much better this year.”
The schedule is difficult. “They might want to run that guy off around here who set that up” Strickland joked. “It will create some exciting Friday nights for us this fall”
Ware Schedule/My Predictions:
8/20 @ Cook: Gators win big on the road.
8/27 vs Bartram Trail (FL): Higher classification program from Florida comes to the Swamp. Bartram Trail is a good program but they go down to Ware.
9/3 vs Baldwin: Baldwin not physical enough in the trenches, Gators big.
9/10 vs Thomson: Proud program coming in for a beat down. Ware big once again.
9/17 @ Bainbridge: If the Gators drop a non-region game this could be it. I think this one is a classic and Ware wins a huge road game late say 34-30.
9/24 @ Benedictine: Only way Ware drops this is, if the Savannah Zebras are a factor in the game. Ware stays undefeated.
10/8 @ Coffee: Ware lost by two TD’s on their last journey to Jardine Stadium. Ware has Castellanos and Coffee does not. Ware in a war.
10/15 vs Warner Robins: Gators back home after traveling a combined 600 miles over South Georgia highways over the previous 3 weeks. These teams could meet again in the playoffs. Gators get revenge at home.
The Gators finish the regular season undefeated after beating Veterans and Wayne.
Look out for this football team. They are well coached, talented, athletic and most of all hungry. These Gators are dangerous folks.
