2020
FORSYTH CENTRAL
BULLDOGS
Football
ForsythCentralFootball.com
Contributors
Table of contents
SPORTS EDITOR
Team Previews
David Roberts droberts@forsythnews.com 770-205-8981 Twitter: @FCNDavidRoberts
CONTRIBUTOR McClain Baxley
PHOTOGRAPHER
Ben Hendren benhendren@outlook.com Instagram: benh_photography
ADVERTISING
Nathan Schutter Advertising Director marketing@forsythnews.com 770-205-8960
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Forsyth Central..............................................4 Denmark.........................................................6 Lambert..........................................................8 North Forsyth...............................................10 Pinecrest Academy......................................12 South Forsyth..............................................14 West Forsyth................................................18
Extras Cover story..................................................20 Preseason All-County.................................23 Record book................................................28
On the cover
Tracie Pike tpike@forsythnews.com
MANAGEMENT
Stephanie Woody Publisher swoody@forsythnews.com 770-205-8945 Brian Paglia Editor bpaglia@forysthnews.com 770-205-8970
Connect with us on social media @ForsythSports facebook.com/fcnsports Instagram: fcnsports
It’s no secret that Forsyth County’s talent pool has grown deeper since the turn of the century. Two county players are currently on an NFL roster, while dozens more are playing Division I football. With the next wave set to come into their own this season, we ask the question: Who’s next?
Fall 2020
2020 Pigskin preview | 3
forsyth central bulldogs
2020 schedule
Sept. 4 vs. Northview 7:30 p.m. Sept. 11 vs. Etowah 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Loganville 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Cambridge 7:30 p.m. *Oct. 2 vs. Gainesville 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 BYE *Oct. 16 at Denmark 7:30 p.m. *Oct. 23 vs. North Forsyth 7:30 p.m. *Oct. 30 vs. West Forsyth 7:30 p.m. *Nov. 6 at Lambert 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 BYE *Nov. 20 at South Forsyth 7:30 p.m. *Denotes Region 6-7A contest
2019 results
4-5 overall, 1-4 Region 5-7A W — Central 43, Chamblee 10 L — Cass 15, Central 7 W — Central 49, Lakeside 6 W — Central 49, Clarkston 0 L — North 29, Central 28 (2OT) L — West 22, Central 17 L — Milton 37, Central 7 L — South 21, Central 14 W — Central 29, Lambert 22
trophy case
First varsity season: 1955 Playoff appearances: 6 (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2018) Region titles: 3 (1996, 1997, 2000) State titles: 0
Head coach Frank Hepler
At Central: 14-25, fifth season Overall: 203-84, 27th season
David Roberts Forsyth County News
Forsyth Central is planning a return to the playoffs after falling short in 2019. Head coach Frank Hepler said the Bulldogs are especially deep this year, in talent and numbers.
Bulldogs eager to show off depth this season By David Roberts
droberts@forsythnews.com
Frank Hepler is excited about his team this season — perhaps as excited about any team he’s coached during his first four seasons at Forsyth Central. On paper, it seems the Bulldogs took a step back last year, finishing 4-5 a season after reaching the playoffs in for the first time since 2001. That seven-win campaign was a massive leap forward for a team that finished 0-10 in 2017. But four of Central’s five losses last year were one-score games, highlighted by a 29-28 double-overtime loss to North Forsyth to open region play, which triggered a four-game losing streak. “You know, they weren’t happy about our record last year,” Hepler
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said. “We played some teams tough and we were in every game. We had a chance, if you go back — and I’m not one of those guys — we could have been 8-1. We lose to West by five, we lose to South by seven, lose in double overtime. Man, it easily could have been 8-1.” Central lost 23 seniors to graduation, but Hepler estimates the Bulldogs had about 110 players out for summer workouts each day. “Once we were allowed to start working out — I feel like it was June 8 — man, I just felt like we just picked up where we left off. I really did,” Hepler said. “I think athletically we’re really good; I think attitude we’re great; now it just comes down to how you play.” Central’s offense begins up front, featuring a talented offen-
sive line and a trio of seniors who averaged at least five yards per carry last season in Bronson Landreth (122 carries, 606 yards, 8 touchdowns), Eli Ruis (90 carries, 566 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Solomon Gates (28 carries, 217 yards, 4 touchdowns). Bronson returns after starting all nine games at quarterback, completing 38 of 65 attempts for 497 yards and five touchdowns against one interception. “I think that’s the first time since we’ve been here to have the quarterback two years in a row,” Hepler said. “We’ve had a couple good quarterbacks here, but to have them two years in a row and know the system — and really three when you look at Bronson, because Bronson and Graham (Long) both started a bunch of See CENTRAL | 21
Fall 2020
Go Pinecrest Paladins!
PINECREST ACADEMY PALADINS 2020 FOOTBALL SCHEdULE
“everyone is very devoted to the team. Because we don’t have a lot of guys, everyone has to work more reps with less breaks at different positions, and I think that shows how much players care about the team and the program and how much we want to win. - Mark Metz, Pinecrest Senior
8/28
Harvester Christian
9/11
Hearts Academy
9/18
@ Johnsons Ferry Christian
9/25
@ Peachtree Academy
10/9
Lanier Christian
10/16
Dominion Christian
10/23
Horizon Christian
10/30
Fidelis Christian
11/6
@ Unity Christian
955 Peachtree Parkway | Cumming, Georgia 30041 | pinecrestacademy.org
denmark danes
2020 schedule
^Sept. 3 vs. Greater Atlanta Christian 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at Allatoona 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17 vs. Shiloh 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Lanier 7:30 p.m. *Oct. 2 at North Forsyth 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 BYE *Oct. 16 vs. Forsyth Central 7:30 p.m. *Oct. 23 at Lambert 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 BYE *Nov. 6 vs. South Forsyth 7:30 p.m. *Nov. 13 vs. Gainesville 7:30 p.m. *Nov. 20 at West Forsyth 7:30 p.m. ^Corky Kell Classic at Dacula High School *Denotes Region 6-7A contest
2019 results
7-3 overall, 4-2 Region 7-4A W — Denmark 41, Cherokee Bluff 0 W — Denmark 63, North Springs 63 W — Denmark 38, Dawson County 24 W — Denmark 58, Chestatee 0 W — Denmark 49, West Hall 0 L — Blessed Trinity 20, Denmark 19 L — Marist 37, Denmark 14 W — Denmark 28, White County 21 W — Denmark 34, Flowery Branch 14 L — Sandy Creek 42, Denmark 7
troPhy case
First varsity season: 2018 Playoff appearances: 1 (2019) Region titles: 0 State titles: 0
head coach Mike Palmieri
At Denmark: 0-0, first season Overall: 163-40, 16th season
David Roberts Forsyth County News
Denmark has a new coach and a new region, but the expectations are still the same for the Danes. For the first time since opening in 2018, Denmark will compete in a region with Forsyth County schools.
Danes hope to tame 7A in first year under Palmieri By David Roberts
droberts@forsythnews.com
It was toward the end of February when Denmark hired Mike Palmieri to be its next football coach. Palmieri would be tasked with replacing Terry Crowder, who coached the Danes in their first two seasons, even leading Denmark to the playoffs for the first time in 2019. On top of that, the Danes were scheduled to make the jump from Class 4A to Class 7A, the highest classification in the state. Palmieri had just met his players when the COVID-19 pandemic began breaking out, scrapping spring practice for the Danes and putting summer workouts – as well as the 2020 season – in jeopardy.
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Then, shortly after the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) allowed summer workouts to resume in June, Denmark halted practice because of a player who tested positive for the virus. The stop-and-go nature of this offseason is anything but n o r m a l , bu t Pa l m i e r i i s impressed with how his players handled it. “We’re pretty good, you know. I like where we’re at,” Palmieri said. “I was surprised at the work ethic, and how these kids want to work and they want to be coached. We’re excited about it. We’ve got a tough task ahead of us, jumping from a 4A schedule to a 7A schedule, but we’re confident.” The cupboard at Denmark is hardly bare for Palmieri, who won three state championships
at Mallard Creek (N.C.). Senior quarterback Aaron McLaughlin, previously an Auburn commit, flipped to North Carolina State in the offseason, while running back Devin duCille announced his commitment to Furman. McLaughlin injured his shoulder this summer, but the late start to the 2020 season could benefit the four-star recruit. Palmieri mentioned quarterbacks Jack Tomlinson and Daniel Fichtner as a couple of backups to McLaughlin, who completed 134 of 220 passes for 1,997 and 17 touchdowns last year. Perhaps the Danes’ greatest strength on offense is its running backs, a group that features duCille, senior Zach See DENMARK | 27
Fall 2020
Go Danes Go!!! #GreatDayToBeADane 2020
lambert longhorns
2020 schedule Sept. 4 at Centennial Sept. 11 vs. Lassiter Sept. 18 vs. Meadowcreek Sept. 25 at Duluth *Oct. 2 at South Forsyth Oct. 9 BYE *Oct. 16 at Gainesville *Oct. 23 vs. Denmark *Oct. 30 at North Forsyth *Nov. 6 vs. Forsyth Central *Nov. 13 vs. West Forsyth Nov. 20 BYE *Denotes Region 6-7A contest
2019 results
0-10 overall, 0-5 Region 5-7A L — Wheeler 42, Lambert 19 L — Chattahoochee 46, Lambert 28 L — Gainesville 55, Lambert 7 L — Peachtree Ridge 7, Lambert 0 L — Lanier 43, Lambert 6 L — South 42, Lambert 17 L — North 49, Lambert 21 L — West 33, Lambert 7 L — Milton 49, Lambert 0 L — Central 29, Lambert 22
trophy case
First varsity season: 2010 Playoff appearances: 6 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Region titles: 1 (2016) State titles: 0
Head coach Tommy Watson
At Lambert: 0-0, first season Overall: 23-38, seventh season
David Roberts Forsyth County News
Lambert took its lumps last season, but first-year coach Tommy Watson believes the Longhorns have what it takes to compete this year, especially on defense.
‘Deserve to win’: First-year coach Watson aims high By McClain Baxley
For the Forsyth County News
One of the things Tommy Watson noticed at Lambert was the amount of versatility and raw athleticism walking the halls. The Longhorns have won plenty of region, state and national championships across different sports, but only have one region championship on the gridiron. Watson planned to meet with players and coaches from other sports to try out for the football team to help compete for a region championship in his first year at the helm. With stops at Lowndes and Valdosta, he’s been around some of the best programs in the state. He knows talent when he sees it and knows the
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advantage having multi-sport athletes on the roster can provide. “We want our players playing basketball, playing baseball and running track,” Watson said. “Our coaches and players are going to support other programs and players.” Senior cornerback Nick Pasonski ran an 11.81 second 100-meter dash in February. Senior running back Robert Riddle won the region JV track and field championships in 2019 as a sophomore. Senior cornerback Jack Wise plays midfield for the lacrosse team. Though sport specialization is prevalent in high schoolers and youth across the country, Watson is working to get kids that want to and can play more than one sport. “I want a kid that’s playing
wideout or in the secondary that has been in the batter’s box with a 3-2 count in the bottom of the seventh down one run,” he said. “I want a kid to step up to the free-throw line in December losing by one with 5 seconds on the clock.” Watson convinced rising sophomore basketball player Niko Wilson to come play receiver for him, joining a group that Watson thinks can be one of the best in north Georgia. There’s four-star receiver Kojo Antwi, who had six touchdowns and 679 yards in 2019 to help earn offers from the top programs in the country. Fellow seniors Braden Bamburowski and Jackson Stewart provide experience and See LAMBERT | 24
Fall 2020
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north forsyth raiders
2020 schedule Sept. 4 vs. Alcovy Sept. 11 vs. Harrison ^Sept. 18 vs. Hapeville Charter Sept. 25 at Etowah *Oct. 2 vs. Denmark Oct. 9 BYE *Oct. 16 at West Forsyth *Oct. 23 at Forsyth Central *Oct. 30 vs. Lambert Nov. 6 BYE *Nov. 13 vs. South Forsyth *Nov. 20 at Gainesville ^Freedom Bowl at Milton High School *Denotes Region 6-7A contest
2019 results
7-5 overall, 3-2 Region 5-7A L — Cherokee 29, North 14 W — North 21, Gainesville 7 W — North 15, Northview 14 W — North 35, Kennesaw Mountain 3 L — Woodstock 14, North 13 W — North 29, Central 28 (2OT) W — North 49, Lambert 21 W — South 43, North 34 L — West 22, North 21 L — Milton 33, North 9 W — North 44, Brookwood 41 L — McEachern 42, North 14
troPhy case
First varsity season: 1994 Playoff appearances: 9 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2019) Region titles: 1 (2001) State titles: 0
head coach Robert Craft
At North: 19-24, fifth season Overall: 68-45, 11th season
David Roberts Forsyth County News
North Forsyth was the only county football team to win a playoff game last season, but the Raiders still aren’t satisfied.
Banner season has North eyeing another playoff run By David Roberts
droberts@forsythnews.com
If any team was equipped to endure a longer-than-expected offseason, it was North Forsyth. The Raiders were fresh off their most successful season in recent memory, winning seven games for the first time since 2013 and reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The way the Raiders did it, trailing Brookwood 34-9 at halftime before storming back to stun the Broncos 44-41, placed the team in North Forsyth lore forever. “This will be my 11th year as a head coach, and I’ve certainly never had an offseason that has ended like it has and kind of seen the ups and the downs of the offseason,” North
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head coach Robert Craft said. “Starting out in the winter, just like normal, prepping for spring practice, then the interruption of the quartantine and shutting everything down, then the hopes of spring practice maybe still coming and really kind of living week by week.” In addition to dealing with the fallout of COVID-19, chief among the Raiders’ to-do list is replacing wide receiver Nicky Dalmolin, who had one of the most productive careers in school history and is now playing at Duke. Dalmolin had 797 yards and 12 scores on 58 receptions, slashing school records for career receptions (171) and career receiving yards (2,068). His role on the offense will likely be shared among multiple players, according to Craft.
“We’ve got a lot of guys competing to fill that spot,” Craft said. “I don’t know that we’ve got a Nicky Dalmolin right now, which is OK. Sometimes being able to spread the ball around and get the guys – more people involved can be a good thing. He was certainly such a target for Brady (Meitz), played some defense and some special teams. We’re probably not going to replace him right away, but try to find some guys to really fill that. It’s not going to come I don’t think from one person. I think it’s going to have to be a couple guys stepping into those shoes.” One constant will be quarterback Brady Meitz, who took a notable step forward last year as a junior. See NORTH | 24
Fall 2020
NORTH FORSYTH FOOTBALL
RAIDER VALLEY www.northforsythfootball.com
Pinecrest Paladins
2020 schedule Aug. 28 vs. Harvester Christian Sept. 4 BYE Sept. 11 vs. Hearts Academy Sept. 18 at Johnson Ferry Christian Sept. 25 at Peachtree Academy Oct. 2 vs. Monsignor Donovan Oct. 9 vs. Lanier Christian Oct. 16 vs. Dominion Christian Oct. 23 vs. Horizon Christian Oct. 30 vs. Fideles Christian Nov. 6 at Unity Christian
2019 results
2-8 overall, 1-6 Region 6-1A Private L — Fellowship Christian 47, Pinecrest 14 L — Athens Christian 34, Pinecrest 13 L — Whitefield 27, Pinecrest 0 L — Walker 28, Pinecrest 7 L — Mount de Sales 50, Pinecrest 21 L — Mount Pisgah 28, Pinecrest 21 L — North 49, Lambert 21 L — St. Francis 48, Pinecrest 34 W — Pinecrest 55, King’s Ridge 0 L — Mount Paran 21, Pinecrest 14 W — Pinecrest 28, Mount Zion 7
troPhy case
First varsity season: 2004 Playoff appearances: 8 (2004*, 2005*, 2007*, 2008*, 2009*, 2014, 2015, 2016) Region titles: 3 (2007*, 2009*, 2015*) State titles: 0 *GISA school from 2004-09
head coach Shawn Coury
At Pinecrest: 0-0, first season Overall: 4-16, third season
David Roberts Forsyth County News
Pinecrest Academy will face a unique challenge this season, moving from GHSA 11-man football to GAPPS 8-man football.
Pinecrest looking for wins, no matter the opponent By David Roberts
droberts@forsythnews.com
Pinecrest Academy will look different this year. Gone is high-profile head coach Terance Mathis, off to play college football went Joey Kiernan (Birmingham Southern), Ethan Massey (Berry College) and Peter Haynes (Troy University), and the Paladins are taking a break from GHSA 11-man football. New head coach and athletic director Shawn Coury will guide the program’s foray into GAPPS 8-man football, a move the Paladins made after rostering just 18 players for the upcoming season. Still, despite the low numbers, Coury expects the Paladins to remain competi-
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tive. “You might say, ‘Well, you’re just a small team.’ Well yeah, we’re a small team with a bunch of hungry kids that want to do what they’re coached to do as hard as they possibly can,” Coury said. “To me, a small team in that sense still leads to being a successful team.” Massey caught 40 passes for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns last year in Pinecrest’s high-flying offense. This year, the Paladins will lean on a couple of players to replace that production. Junior Ryan Bartling will be one of the Paladins’ primary receivers. “Ryan’s really stepped up as a good leader,” Coury said. “His effort is great, he catches
really well, his routes are really good, so he can kind of be that target a little bit.” All-County basketball player Oscar Lynch will line up opposite Bartling and figures to play a critical role for the Paladins in his first year playing football. “Oscar Lynch, he’s traditionally a basketball player, so he’s coming out to play football for the first time, but he’s also 6-foot-5 and can run and has really good hands,” Coury said. “We can figure out how to teach him the football part because he’s such a good athlete. Again, he’s another kid who’s instantly picked up this game.” Multisport athletes will be a theme for Pinecrest this season.
Fall 2020
2020 roster No. Name
Year
No. Name
Year
No. Name
Year
1 2 3 4 5 9
12 11 10 11 12 9
10 11 13 14 15 17
11 11 9 10 11 10
20 21 28 51 70
10 11 11 10 9
Mark Metz Colin Brown Patrick Frain Ryan Bartling Alex Jeffords Luke Coury
State champion wrestler Mark Metz will play both sides of the football, chipping in as a slot receiver and a rover safety, Coury said. “Tough kid, phenomenal athlete,” Coury said of Metz. “So, we’ve got some new guys out to kind of help fill some of those big shoes that were left behind by the guys that left, because there are some big shoes to fill.” Coury feels confident that linebackers Brock Barbee and Alex Jeffords will lead the Paladins’ defense. “Brock Barbee and Alex Jeffords have kind of shown up in that linebacker position,” Coury said. “Like I said, it’s still pretty early, so we’re kind of figuring it out. But from a standpoint of understanding the linebacker part of it ... I think they’ll be just fine in those two inside positions.” Coury said that between Pinecrest’s expected 2021 returners and the amount of
William West Breckin Barbee Andrew Darlak Timothy Conklin Oscar Lynch John Olah
Brock Barbee Lewis Diaz John Stubbs Jackson McCray Hunter Ellis
eighth-graders on the middle school team, he expects the Paladins should be able to return to the GHSA following this season. “They do their schedule rotations one year at a time,” Coury said of GAPPS. “So, this is a year-to-year thing for us. If everything goes according to plan – and we’ll decide this next year – the idea is, we have 11 eighthgraders on the middle school team, and we’ll have 16 returners, so then we’ll have a roster of 27 instead of 18. Then we’re starting to make progress with the possibility of saying, ‘OK, we’ll play 8-man this year. And if 8-man is the best thing for us next year, we’ll do it again. But if we feel like we can play an 11-man non-region schedule, then we’ll try to do that.’ The ultimate goal, obviously, is when the next region cycle comes around in 2022, we’ll be right back on track and growing and building the program again.”
Ones to watch: Here are the top opposing players Forsyth players will face in 2020 By David Roberts
droberts@forsythnews.com
Forsyth County teams will face plenty of talent in Region 6-7A, but the state of the Georgia is loaded with future college players – and a few you’ll likely see on Sundays. Last year, South Forsyth faced Hillgrove and got an upclose look at current Clemson Tigers freshman Myles Murphy, a five-star recruit and the top defensive end in the entire country. Here are a few opposing players to watch this season: Addison Nichols (Greater Atlanta Christian) – Uncommitted, OT, 4-star When: Sept. 3 vs. Denmark in Corky Kell Classic The top player on this list, 247sports lists Nichols as the No. 8 junior in the state of Georgia. Nichols is 6-foot-5, 305-pounder who holds offers from many Power 5 schools,
Fall 2020
though he is reportedly warm on Ohio State and Tennessee. Nichols started at right tackle last season, helping the Spartans to a 12-2 record and a spot in the Class 3A Final Four. Greater Atlanta Christian racked up more than 5,000 yards of total offense last year, averaging 6 ½ yards per carry as a team. Zavier Carter (Hapeville Charter) – LSU, OLB, 4-star When: Sept. 18 vs. North Forsyth in Freedom Bowl Carter is one of a staggering 14 four-star recruits planning to head to Baton Rouge as part of LSU’s Class of 2021. Before then, Carter will face North Forsyth in the Freedom Bowl at Milton High School. Carter, who is 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds, is primarily an edge rusher and uses his athleticism to beat tackles who are often much heavier than him. Carter had 41 tackles for the Hornets a year ago, including See WATCH | 26
2020 Pigskin Preview | 13
South forsyth War Eagles
2020 schedule Sept. 4 vs. Roswell Sept. 11 at Cambridge Sept. 18 at Dawson County Sept. 25 vs. Central Gwinnett *Oct. 2 vs. Lambert Oct. 9 BYE Oct. 16 BYE *Oct. 23 at West Forsyth *Oct. 30 vs. Gainesville *Nov. 6 at Denmark *Nov. 13 at North Forsyth *Nov. 20 vs. Forsyth Central *Denotes Region 6-7A contest
2019 results
6-5 overall, 3-2 Region 5-7A W — South 34, Sprayberry 20 L — Blessed Trinity 34, South 31 W — South 32, Etowah 31 W — South 45, South Gwinnett 28 L — Hillgrove 42, South 19 W — South 42, Lambert 17 L — Milton 24, South 7 L — North 43, South 34 W — South 21, Central 14 W — South 14, West 10 L — Norcross 21, South 0
trophy case
First varsity season: 1991 Playoff appearances: 15 (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) Region titles: 3 (1997, 2015, 2017) State titles: 0
Head coach Jeff Arnette
At South: 63-46, 11th season Overall: 108-70-1, 18th season
David Roberts Forsyth County News
South Forsyth finished third in the region in 2019, reaching the playoffs for the sixth straight season, the longest streak in Forsyth County history.
South hopes to keep recordbreaking playoff streak alive By David Roberts
droberts@forsythnews.com
South Forsyth has been a model of consistency over the past six years, reaching the playoffs in every season since 2014. Provided the War Eagles get a chance to play this season, there’s reason to believe South can extend its streak to seven straight seasons in 2020. “We’re probably bringing back as much experience as I’ve ever had here -- this will be my 11th year,” South head coach Jeff Arnette said. “I think this is the most guys we’ve had coming back that got quarters in varsity games. That’s on offense, defense and special teams.” Despite losing a starting quarterback, a pair of outstand-
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ing receivers and the team’s leading tackler among others, Arnette believes his War Eagles are bringing back more than they lost. South returns Kyle Durham, a dual-threat quarterback who missed a chunk of his sophomore season because of a broken hand. When he was healthy last year, Durham completed 47 of 78 passes for 815 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions in five games. He also carried the ball 40 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns. “He’s gotten a lot bigger, a lot stronger. His arm’s a lot stronger (and) healthy,” Arnette said. “I feel like every day we go out there he gets a little more comfortable leading out there and doing what he does. I
think he can do great things for us. We’re excited about our quarterback position.” His biggest target -- literally -- will be 6-foot-7, 220-pound tight end Devin McGlockton, who was the 2019-20 Forsyth County News Basketball Player of the Year. South must replace the production of wide receivers Colby Cruz and Cameron Schurr, who combined to catch 91 passes for 1,588 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, but a big target such as McGlockton should help tremendously. “He’s gotten so much faster this year,” Arnette said of McGlockton. “That’s what I think people are going to be absolutely shocked about, is the amount of speed he picked up this offseason. You know,
Fall 2020
2020 roster No. Name
1 2 3 4 7 9 11 12 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 32
Year
Tre Green 12 Mitch Thompson 12 Julian Bolanos 12 Austin Uidel 11 Chris Nelson 10 Zachary Fischer 12 Ty Watkins 10 Kyle Durham 11 Evan Bridges 11 Cameron Cheeley 12 Shreyash Jha 12 Zach Hobson 11 Josh Pehrson 11 Cal Jacchia 11 Zach Romeo 11 Tighe McGilvery 11 Alex Han 12 Joshua Nelson 10 Devin McGlockton 12 Matthew Meersman 12 Michael Bergin 12 Owen Ressman 10 Zach Clark 10 Blaylen Lomax 11
Position
No. Name
Year
Position
No. Name
Year
Position
RB WR MLB/WR CB/RB QB/CB SS/WR QB QB CB CB FS,WR CB WR/SS MLB CB/WR CB/WR RB/MLB RB/CB TE/OLB WR/SS RB/MLB WR/S WR/OLB RB
34 35 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 47 47 48 48 49 50 52 53 54 57 58 59 60 61
11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 10 11 10 10 12 12 11 11 12 12 10 10 12
OLB K/P OLB/TE WR/CB TE/OLB MLB/OLB TE/OLB FB/MLB OLB/FB FB/MLB WR/FS SS/WR CB CB/RB OLB MLB/FB G/DE T G/NG DE DT DE/C/DT DT/NG/G DT
62 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 73 74 76 77 78 80 80 81 82 85 86
11 12 10 11 10 10 10 12 12 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 12 10 10 10
T G T/DE DT/NG T/G/DE T/G/DT G/T/DT G/DT T T/DT/DE T/DE/DT DE/G G/T/DE WR/SS WR/FS WR/S WR/DE WR/CB RB/MLB RB QB/RB OLB
Johnathan Haas Tyler Simpson Hayden Mock Andre McPhail Andrew Meersman Conner Futch Dylan Reid Cole Williams Ian Diaz Cade Yeager Mason Capers Eli Weems Sam Appelbaum Brady Lynn Jake Stine Tabor Fleming Bradley Hutcheson Mason Cooper Luke Sears Taft Hilton Thomas Butler Peter White Kristian Dawson Anthony Adside
catching the ball and doing all those things, blocking; he was really good last year, but I think his biggest improvement is in his speed. His hands are unbelievable. He’s always had that. I think people are going to be shocked with the speed that he’s increased in this offseason.” Senior Tre Green tied for the team lead with 12 touchdowns last season despite injuring his leg against Milton. In his first six games of the season, Green tallied 444 yards and 11 touchdowns on 99 carries, enjoying a season high 163 yards and three touchdowns against Lambert the week before his injury. “Tre Green ran the ball for us a ton last year. He wasn’t healthy the whole year, but when he was healthy, he was really good for us,” Arnette said. “He’s back, and we’ve got Gavin Morris back, who made a lot of plays for us.” Morris enjoyed a highly productive sophomore season on both sides of the ball, starting at linebacker and spelling Green in the backfield at times. South’s offensive line is anchored by a pair of AllCounty selections from a year ago in right tackle Ethan Patrick and Bryce Myers, who flashed his versatility at center and left guard in 2019. Senior Taft Hilton was also a first-team All-County player last year along South’s defensive line, racking up 49 tackles, including two tackles for loss, four sacks, nine QB hurries and forcing three fumbles. Arnette feels particularly confident in South’s See SOUTH | 29
Fall 2020
James Watson Braden Beecher Bay Robinson Sean Lupczynski Nathan Efobi Josh Felton Turner Healy Bryce Myers Ethan Patrick Nathaniel Tew Tyler Lang Jayden Nelson Brady Fogarty Brock Ferrell Alex Urias Colton Postema Justin Tyre Evan Michini Christian Wehman RJ Oquendo Elijah Pritchard Nicky Pergolini Luke Hammond
12
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west forsyth wolverines
2020 schedule ^Sept. 2 vs. Mays Sept. 11 at Cartersville Sept. 18 BYE Sept. 25 vs. Walton Oct. 2 at Mill Creek Oct. 9 BYE *Oct. 16 vs. North Forsyth *Oct. 23 vs. South Forsyth *Oct. 30 at Forsyth Central *Nov. 6 at Gainesville *Nov. 13 at Lambert *Nov. 20 vs. Denmark ^Corky Kell Classic at West Forsyth High School *Denotes Region 6-7A contest
2019 results
4-6 overall, 3-2 Region 5-7A L — Camden County 47, West 6 L — Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) 47, West 16 W — West 27, Peachtree Ridge 10 L — McCallie (Tenn.) 19, West 9 L — Milton 34, West 7 W — West 22, Central 17 W — West 33, Lambert 7 W — West 22, North 21 L — South 14, West 10 L — Parkview 35, West 17
West Forsyth is one of four Forsyth County schools with a new football coach, bringing in Dave Svehla to replace Shawn Cahill.
troPhy case
By McClain Baxley
First varsity season: 2008 Playoff appearances: 9 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) Region titles: 1 (2012) State titles: 0
head coach Dave Svehla
At South: 0-0, first season Overall: 49-41, ninth season
David Roberts Forsyth County News
West energized with new coach Svehla, top prospect Fairchild For the Forsyth County News
If everything goes right, the Dave Svehla era at West Forsyth will begin by playing Mays in the Corky Kell Classic. The date for the Wo l ve r i n e s ’ i n a u g u r a l appearance in the annual showcase of premiere teams from around Peach State is fluid, but the matchup against a Georgia powerhouse isn’t a one-time occasion in 2020. Instead, they play a nonregion schedule that features teams that have combined for 27 playoff wins since 2016, including two state championship victories, in Cartersville, Mays, Mill Creek and Walton. “Our guys are going to
18 | 2020 Pigskin Preview
have to come ready to play every week,” Svehla said. “They would anyway, but a lot of times you want to have a couple non-region games that are really going to challenge you.” The schedule was set when Svehla was still at Etowah High School, but he said that his players aren’t afraid of the challenge. He hopes by playing talented squads for four straight weeks, it will better prepare his team for region play. “We’re in the boat where we’re playing four really good teams,” Svehla said. “What it tells me is that regardless of how we come out of that, I will feel like our players have had their feet in the fire, so when we play teams in region that are
really good, it won’t be the first time playing a good football team.” To help navigate the demanding schedule, Svehla is relying on a strong foundation from West on both sides of the ball. In addition to teaching the playbook and working with his guys to prepare for the 2020 season, the head coach has had to return to basics by learning his players’ names and stories. “It’s been a challenge because we didn’t know on March 12th that would be the last time we’d see our kids for two, three months,” Svehla said. “The whole spring and first part of summer was spent See WEST | 30
Fall 2020
2020
WHO’S NEXT? Forsyth County witnessing golden age of football talent
File photo
Denmark wide receiver Ze’Vian Capers might be the most high-profile recruit to come out Forsyth County.
By David Roberts
droberts@forsythnews.com
Has there ever been a more exciting time for high school football in Forsyth County? Two years ago, North Forsyth alum Colby Gossett became the first player from the county taken in the NFL draft when the Minnesota Vikings drafted him with their sixth-round pick. Gossett bounced around from Minnesota to Arizona to New England before finding a home with the Cleveland Browns last September, getting promoted to the team’s active roster toward the end of the season. A quick search on Pro Football Reference shows that Gossett is the
20 | 2020 Pigskin Preview
first from Forsyth County to play in the NFL (though the typically trusty Pro Football Reference will also try to tell you Gossett is from “Cummings, Georgia”). It’s clear Forsyth County is still waiting for a player to put the area on the NFL’s proverbial map. It could still be Gossett. The Browns are currently set at left guard, but right guard was a revolving door for Cleveland in 2019. Gossett is one of five guards on the Browns’ roster, and it’s possible he could play his way into a starting gig. Lambert alum Trevon McSwain is another possibility. He was signed earlier this year by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent. McSwain, who transferred from
Lanier his senior year, played in all 12 games for Duke this season tallying 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss and four sacks at defensive tackle. McSwain, 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, is as quick as he is disruptive at defensive tackle, and while McSwain has a few inches on 2018 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, the two players share some of the same attributes. More recently, Forsyth County sent a handful of talented players to the next level this year, headlined by Auburn wide receiver Ze’Vian Capers, who is possibly the most coveted prospect in county history. Then there’s Nicky Dalmolin at See NEXT | 29
Fall 2020
2020 roster No. Name
2 *2 3 4 5 *5 6 7 8 9 *9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 *17 18 20 21 22 23 *23 24 *24 25 26
Year
Ryan Van uum 12 Aiden Manalastas 10 Payton Jeppson 12 Noah Chol 12 Bronson Landreth 12 Luis Salgado 10 Graham Long 12 Marcus Brown 11 Drew Mullvain 11 Caydin Mowen 12 Leo Ilic 10 Daniel Smith 10 Ricky Stever 12 Koby Balthazar 10 Braden Wudi 10 Devin Hill 12 Tyler Thompson 11 Andrew Schrimsher 10 Owen Hosonitz 12 Ty Jeter 10 Camden Yeager 10 Eli Ruis 12 Jake Stephens 12 Peyton Streko 10 Ben Warro 11 Jonathon Penalver 12 Nick Forrester 12 Ian Grimes 10 Solomon Gates 12 Amurae Anthony 10
Position
No. Name
BB/DB DB LB/RB WR/FS QB/DB DB QB/DB RB/DB QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB DE/OL TE/LB QB/DB TE/OLB DB QB RB/DB DE/WR WR/DB RB/OLB DB/WR RB/DB DB/WR RB LB/OL OLB RB/DB RB/DB
27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 *42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
FROM 4
Central games, and Ryan (van Uum) is still here.” Perhaps the Bulldogs’ biggest hole on offense is at wide receiver, where Hepler must replace current Berry College freshman Jake Bretz. Seniors Caydin Mowen (14 catches, 220 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Noah Chol (6 catches, 71 yards) present a couple of towering targets for Landreth, as both receivers stand well over 6 feet tall. “Caydin Mowen was one of the top touchdown-scorers last year in the county. So, Caydin and Noah at receiver,” Hepler said. “Graham can step out and play receiver. We’ve got a couple of young guys in Camden Yeager and Daniel Smith. We feel like we’ve got some skill kids, and we’re developing the offense into more of a modern-day offense.” Senior Canaan Clark committed during the summer to East Carolina, and
Fall 2020
Year
RJ Shaheen 11 Diego Tarquini 10 Patrick Haertel 11 Malachi Mcelroy 11 Fabian Martinez 12 John Martin Bennett 10 Camden Leak 11 Cole Brumbalow 11 Ashlee Rice 11 Emerson Wilkes 12 Garrett Northam 11 James Yarbourgh 11 Francesco Derosa 10 Aiden Meehan 10 Evan Morris 11 Nasair White 11 Dillon Skrowonski 11 Dawson Heim 11 Keegan Leboeuf 10 Daniel Perlman 11 Dalton Cummings 10 David Navarrete 10 Kemran Shakhmanov 11 Logan Andrews 12 Robbie Watson 11 Sullivan Eash 11 Toby Legerra 11 Cole McGlumphy 10 Nick Cribbs 12 Carson Leak 11
Position
No. Name
RB/ILB DB/RB RB/LB RB/LB K WR/DE LB DB/RB RB RB/LB DB/WR DB DB LB/BB DB DE/TE RB WR/DB LB/OL WR/DB LB/RB WR/DB OLB/RB OL/DL LB/OL OL/DL LB/BB DE/OL DL/OL LB
57 *57 58 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 68 70 71 72 74 75 76 77 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 89 90 93 99
Hepler expects more players along the Bulldogs’ line to follow. Junior Robby Watson, a 6-foot-3, 296pound center, graded out at 95 percent last season and did not allow a single sack. “On offensive line, we’re as big as we’ve ever been on offensive line, with (Canaan Clark) and (Brandyn) McMahon and (Nick) Cribbs and Robby Watson,” Hepler said. “Robby’s going to be a junior, but Robby’s going to get SEC offers. He’s 6-foot-6, 300 right now.” Hepler said many of those players will chip in on the defensive line, too. He expects sophomore Peyton Streko to continue as Central’s starting safety, while also seeing snaps in the offensive backfield. “That’s the luxury with the offense — the base offense. It’s pretty easy to learn,” Hepler said. “Now you just kind of tag things to spread it out a little bit, and it’s pretty simple, so it’s not like you have to study the playbook over and over and over because of the way Coach Cannon sets it up. So, it allows those guys to play both sides of the ball without being mentally drained. That lets them go out and
Year
Merek Moran 12 Noah Holt 10 Zac Redecker 12 Ben Whatley 12 Pablo Lora 10 Jay Wells 10 Harrison Gumbert 10 Eli Shumate 10 Jacob Riles 10 Andrew Carrizo 10 Josh Acevedo 10 Canaan Clark 12 Dane Burnett 12 A.J. Cannon 10 Dylan Snyder 12 Luc Gwinner 11 Brandon McMahon 12 Luke Sacchetti 10 Cade McGlumpy 12 Eli Chol 11 Rocco Stewart 11 Seth Smith 12 Tyler Bumpus 11 Austin McNeil 11 Jonathan Clapper 10 Zach Artz 10 Dominic Willi 11 Trey Richards 11 Brandon Gayton 11 Tyler Fisk 11
Position
LB OL/DL OL/DL DL/OL OL/DL DL/OL OL OL/DL OL/DL DL/OL OL/DL DL/OL DL/OL OL/DL OL OL OL OL/DL WR WR WR/DB WR K OLB/RB K WR/DB DE/TE K DE DE/TE
just play.” Central will lose a combined 144 total tackles between linebacker Brandon Redecker and defensive linemen Mitch Weber and Alex Szakacs graduating, but senior Nick Forrester figures to anchor the Bulldogs’ linebacking corps a season after collecting 59 total tackles and six tackles for loss. Hepler is particularly high on Central’s defensive secondary, a unit that features a mix of experience in senior Jake Stephens, Choal, Long and Mowin, along with Streko, who is following up a promising freshman campaign. “Marcus Brown will go over and play in the secondary — he was one of our slotbacks. He’ll play in the secondary with Strecko, with Noal Choal, and Caydin will play over there. Graham Long will play over there,” Hepler said. “We forget about Jake Stevens sometimes. He was our leading intercepter last year, and he’s steady. He’s not getting all the DI scholarship offers, but I think he had four, five interceptions last year. He just seems to find the ball.”
2020 Pigskin preview | 21
Forsyth County News Preseason All-County Team offense QB Aaron McLaughlin Denmark, Sr.
OL Ethan Patrick South Forsyth, Sr.
RB Tre Green South Forsyth, Sr.
OL Dylan Fairchild West Forsyth, Sr.
RB Jared Lucero North Forsyth, Sr.
OL Grayson Mains Lambert, Jr.
WR Kojo Antwi Lambert, Jr.
OL Bryce Myers South Forsyth, Sr.
WR Oscar Delp West Forsyth, Jr.
K Alex Wilson West Forsyth, Jr.
TE Devin McGlockton South Forsyth, Sr.
ATH Dee Crayton Denmark, So.
OL Robby Watson Forsyth Central, Jr.
defense
File photo
North Forsyth defensive back Jumel Lewis, left, deflects a pass away from West Forsyth receiver Oscar Delp during a game last season.
2020 Pigskin Preview | 22
DL Canaan Clark Forsyth Central, Sr.
LB Harrison Halder Denmark, Sr.
DL Max Bryant North Forsyth, Sr.
LB Alec Stephens South Forsyth, Sr.
DL Taft Hilton South Forsyth, Sr.
DB Justin Bradford Denmark, Jr.
DL Nick Cribbs Forsyth Central, Sr.
DB Jumel Lewis North Forsyth, Jr.
LB Harrison Peyton Lambert, Jr.
DB Peyton Streko Forsyth Central, So.
LB Patrick Corrigan North Forsyth, Jr.
DB Kobe Haynes West Forsyth, Sr.
Fall 2020
West Forsyth
Football
Jay Boatwright with SmaX Photography
SITTING: L-R Will Ross, Dalton Tjong, Drew Southern, Kyle Peterson, Alex Wilson, Jonathan Garbacz, Garrett Hickman STANDING: L-R Daba Fofana, Andrew Perez, Kobe Haynes, Joseph Satterfield, Ethan Casas, Dylan Ray, Joey Reznikov, Alex Steele, Emi Gonzalez, TJ Jennings BACK ROW: L-R Hudson Posey, Dylan Fairchild, Ethan Fairbairn NOT PICTURED: Thomas Dickman
2020
2020 roster No. Name
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Darren Guy Logan Wire Robert Riddle Brandon Jones Harrison Peyton Miller Bustamante Jack Wise Brennan Schneider Jake Johnson Tommy Morris Kojo Antwi
Year
11 12 12 10 11 12 12 11 11 10 11 Braden Bamburowski 12 James Tyre 10 Jack Stewart 12 Nicholas Pasonski 12 Ashton Smith 11 Aryan Talla 12 Ryan Cameron 10 James Li 12 Landry Cochran 10 Aidan Smith 12 Khalil Burgess 12 Davis Dobbs 11
Position
OLB, WR QB, WR, FS RB, CB WR, FS MLB, RB RB CB DT, FB MLB FS, WR WR, CB WR, TE QB WR, SS CB, WR QB, P QB DE, WR SS MLB, FB FS RB, FS CB, WR
FROM 8
Lambert speed to the position. Watson and the coaching staff will have to replace FCN All-County honorable mention quarterback Peyton Rich, but there are options. “That position is going to be a really
24 | 2020 Pigskin Preview
No. Name
25 26 27 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 52 53 55 56
Year
Alex Terry 12 Tre Drewery 12 Rex Aledia 12 Bradley Gabriel 10 Max Chapa Ponce 10 Sudarshan Dhanabalan 12 Joseph Tripp 10 Dawson Miller 11 Thomas Tattersall 12 Sharath Ragila 11 Emiliano Vazquez 11 Jhase Wint 10 Griffin Redmond 10 Caleb Scheaffer 12 Drake Smith 10 Avaneesh Subramaniam 10 Jaden Cambridge 12 Elijah Castillo 10 Matthew Taylor 12 Luke Stephens 10 Chap Cunningham 11 Brandon King 12 Tyler Van Treek 10
Position
No. Name
DE FS, WR FS SS K OLB SS, RB MLB MLB, FB RB, CB WR, CB FS OLB MLB MLB WR CB CB OLB T G NG DT
57 58 60 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 75 76 77 78 81 82 85 90 95 98 99
intriguing battle,” Watson said. “We’re excited. Everyone is dead even right now, and that’s what we told our kids to buy in to. No one has a starting position.” Seniors Aryan Talla, Logan Wire and junior Ashton Smith are three players Watson believes can push Lambert in the right direction. Smith started at junior varsity in 2019, Wire has the tools to play varsity quarterback and Talla knows the playbook the best. On the offensive line, Watson noticed their size. Six-foot-5, 265-pound junior offensive tackle Grayson Mains picked up offer from the University of Kansas over the summer. “I’m really excited about the offensive line,” Watson said. “I can think of six or seven of these guys that are just really big.” Like at wide receiver, the Longhorns have an experienced lineup in the backfield. Senior Robert Riddle is expected to return from an injury that held him out of most of the 2019 season and junior Nick Taylor. Discussing his defense puts a smile on Watson’s face, especially the linebacker core. At middle linebacker, Harrison Peyton notched 68 total tackles in 2019 and Thomas Tattersall had 57. “I think where we’re going to
Year
Grayson Mains 11 Matthew Russo 11 Jite Dievbiere 12 Riley Mitchamore 10 Sam Jones 10 Kyle Cunningham 10 Jake Hall 10 Brenden Ross 12 Ronit Parikh 10 Jack Racki 10 Arrison Cole 12 Branden Eivich 10 Likhith Vallabhaneni 10 Ethan Rattanakhom 10 Teada Friend 10 Xavier Couloute 10 Jack Nichols 10 Mike Giampapa 10 Steven Aguilar 10 Elijah Haughawout 11 Ryan Degyansky 10 Alex Mitchell 10
Position
T, DE C T C G, DT T C G T G, DE T G G NG G WR CB WR DT DE K, P K
make the biggest jump from at Lambert over the past five years is the way we play defense,” Watson said. “We have a kid named Harrison Peyton who I think it’s just a matter of time before he blows up on the recruiting trail.” There’s good experience in the defensive backfield, too. Senior safety Rex Aledia and Pasonski had a combined 78 tackles, seven pass deflections and two interceptions a year ago. Watson transitioned junior Darren Guy to defensive end. At linebacker in 2019, Guy had a team-high two sacks to go with his 35 total tackles and fumble recovery. Sophomore Max Chapa Ponce is expected to be the starting kicker again in 2020. Chapa Ponce, who also plays for the Lambert soccer team, made 90% of his PAT attempts and averaged 30.8 yards on kickoffs. Competing with Chapa Ponce is fellow sophomore Alex Mitchell who made 90% of his PAT attempts. Mitchell also converted a 29-yard field goal. Coming back from a winless season, Watson thought it might be a challenge to change the culture. Instead, the players have been willing to work. “Any time you get a new head coach, he wants to come in with his philosophy and get his culture down,” he said. “It wasn’t a hard sell. These kids are hungry, they want to win and they deserve to win.”
Fall 2020
2020 roster No. Name
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Year
Peyton Wagner 12 Garrett Achilles 11 Will Peltz 11 Jared Lucero 12 Mike Benjamin 12 Patrick Corrigan 11 Tucker Hartsfield 12 Logan Curry 10 Drew Aucoin 11 Bentley Wheeler 11 Brady Meitz 12 Jumel Lewis 11 Amari Ford 12 Austin Colon 12 West Roberts 10 Aaron Griffin 12 Ashton Green 10 James Pontius 12 Dylan Moody 11 Nick Ware 11 Caleb Bowen 10 Brandon Peoples 10 Lake Heffington 10 Tristan Graham 11 Kyle Hickman 11 Luke Droegemueller 10
Position
No. Name
Year
Position
No. Name
Year
Position
WR/DB WR/DB WR/K RB RB LB WR QB QB WR/DB QB DB WR RB/DB QB LB TE/LB WR/DB DB WR/DB RB/DB DB RB/LB RB/LB WR/K WR/DB
29 30 31 32 33 35 36 37 38 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63
12 10 12 11 10 10 10 10 12 10 10 12 11 12 12 11 12 10 11 11 11 11 10 10 11 11
DB RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB RB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB DB WR/DB WR/DB LB OL OL/DL OL/DL LB OL/DL OL/DL LB OL/DL OL/DL OL OL/DL OL/DL OL OL/DL
64 65 67 68 70 71 72 73 75 76 77 78 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 92 99
11 10 10 11 11 10 12 11 10 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 11 10 11 12 12 11
OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR WR TE/DE TE/DL TE/DE DB DE DE
FROM 10
North Meitz completed 180 of 304 passes for 2,105 yards and 22 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He also scored seven times on the ground. Craft has noted Meitz’s maturity off the field and counted his senior quarterback as one of the North players organizing group workouts when able. “Just his progression as a player, too, just over the last few years. I’ve just seen him continue to mature on the field,” Craft said. “The best compliment for Brady as a football player, looking back at last year, he played his best games in our biggest games. When we needed him the most and when he had to play for our team to be successful, he stepped up. As a coach, when you’ve got that coming back, you feel really excited about the upcoming year.”
Fall 2020
Cayce Aldridge Cole Leroy Chris Dixon David Adesina Mason Lawson Zach Shirley Reece Davis Gage Gilley Colin Blackwell William Verdirame Evin Ilkevich Carson Brown Greg Toll Noah Macias Dylan Lurie Matt Tucker Max Bryant Chris Herock Tate Watkins Bryar Wareham Jacob Kenyon Grant Lively Collin Miller Scott James JT Francis Eli Edwards
Sure enough, the best game of M e i t z ’s s e a s o n c a m e a g a i n s t Brookwood, when he completed 29 of 47 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns, with one interception. Meitz also rushed for a season-high 54 yards in the win, chipping in a touchdown on the ground. He was surgical in a pivotal region win against South Forsyth, completing 7 4 p e rcent
Eli Tompkins Kevin Parsons Hector Villeda Preston Bennett Damon Nowlin Colin Rigdon Stiegel Brock Tyler Partain Tanner Lucero Beau Meyers Elisha Samples Haris Mahmutovic JD Galligan Owen Tucker Gavin Busse Aiden Ruckh Jack Westbrook Kevin Frier Grayson Busse Aaron Redd Garrett Wiggins Jonah Sexton Riley Witt Josh Swearingen Dylan Lyerly
(17 for 23) of his passes for 316 yards and five scores. Running back Jared Lucero will be a senior this year after rushing for a team-high 868 yards and six touchdowns, while Craft plans to use junior Patrick Corrigan as a short-yardage back. “Patrick’s one of those guys that, when he gets down there close to the end zone, he’s hard to bring down by one guy,” Craft said. North’s defense last year was the best since Craft took over in 2016, judging by total points allowed. The Raiders surrendered just 288 points last season (24 points per game), the lowest mark since 2013, when North held its opponents to 19 points per game. North gave up an average of 31.5 points per game in Craft’s first three seasons. “That was an area probably over the past four years that we had to get better and better at,” Craft said. “Last year we felt like we really began to get See NORTH | 26
2020 Pigskin Preview | 25
FROM 25
North where we needed to, both personnelwise and just as a culture on defense.” Much of North’s strength in the front seven can be traced to a pair of returners in defensive lineman Max Bryant and Corrigan. Bryant had 48 tackles last season, including four tackles for loss, 1 1/2
sacks and five QB hurries. “I think to win in 7A football, it starts up front. You’ve got to be really good on the defensive line,” Craft said. “We return Max Bryant, who’s going to be a collegelevel football player. He was an AllRegion performer, a great leader on our team and a great leader on the defense specifically.” Corrigan led the team with 13 tackles for loss, tallying 69 total tackles and five sacks. He also had five QB hurries, an
interception a pass break-up a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. Along with recently graduated Jack Tucker, Corrigan led the Raiders’ linebacking corps in 2019. North offers plenty of experience in the defensive secondary, led by junior Jumel Lewis, who tied for the county lead in interceptions last season (5) and picked up an offer from the University of Tennessee, as well as seniors Austin Colon and Peyton Wagner.
FROM 13
Watch four sacks and a fumble recovery. Julian Nixon (Centennial) – Tennessee, WR, 4-star When: Sept. 4 vs. Lambert Lambert’s season opener will come against a team that finished winless in 2019, has a first-year coach and is anchored by a four-star wide receiver. Sound familiar? Nixon (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) has a bit more size than Lambert’s speedster, Kojo Antwi (6-foot-1, 185) and will immediately test Lambert’s secondary in Week 1. Nixon burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017, catching 51 passes for 754 yards and seven touchdowns before tearing his ACL the following season. Evan Slocum (Cartersville) – Wake Forest, S, 3-star When: Sept. 11 vs. West Forsyth A safety from football hotbed Cartersville, Slocum will actually be one of three former Hurricanes on the Demon Deacons’ defense next fall. Slocum did a little bit of everything as a junior, finishing as one of Cartersville’s leading rushers (413 yards, six touchdowns) and catching eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. He’s picked off five passes and made 142 tackles in the past two seasons. Slocum also had offers from Power Five teams Duke, Ole Miss and South Carolina. Christian Wingfield (Hapeville Charter) – Uncommitted, OT, 3-star When: Sept. 18 vs. North Forsyth in Freedom Bowl Another Hapeville Charter player, Wingfield played multiple tackle positions last season (left tackle, right tackle, defensive tackle) and retains plenty of athleticism despite his 6-foot-7, 270-pound frame. Wingfield will provide a challenge for North Forsyth’s front seven, as the Hornets have shown a propensity to pull Wingfield and use him to block in space. Wingfield does not have any offers listed. Bennett Christian (Allatoona) – Uncommitted, TE, 3-star When: Sept. 9 vs. Denmark Denmark’s schedule doesn’t get much easier in Week 2,
26 | 2020 Pigskin Preview
Photo courtesy The (Cartersville) Daily Tribune
Forsyth County teams will face a litany of promising prospects this season, including Cartersville senior Evan Slocum, a 3-star safety who is committed to Wake Forest.
as the Danes will hit the road and head to Acworth for a matchup against Allatoona, a team that reached the Class 6A state championship in 2019. Christian (6-foot-6, 235 pounds) is the son of Bill Christian, who played for Tennessee in the late 70s. Christian’s recruitment picked up this summer, and he will reportedly choose between Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee. Michael Fitzgerald (Roswell) – UMass, WR, 3-star When: Sept. 4 at South Forsyth Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound wide receiver, is expected to switch positions to quarterback in order to fill a need at the position. Fitzgerald committed to the University of Massachusetts and also had offers from Bryant, Gardner-Webb and North Alabama.
Fall 2020
2020 roster No. Name
Year
No. Name
Year
No. Name
Year
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
12 11 12 12 12 12 12 10 11 12 12 12 9 10 10 12 10 9 12
21 22 24 25 26 27 29 30 33 35 38 42 44 45 52 53 55 56 60
11 12 12 12 11 10 10 10 12 11 11 10 11 11 11 11 12 10 11
61 65 68 67 69 70 71 72 74 75 77 79 80 81 83 84 92
10 12 10 10 11 10 11 11 10 12 11 12 10 10 10 10 11
Teddy Davenport Kenon Dicks Casey Gunn Trey Patterson Andrew Harvey Azari Brown Devin duCille Dee Crayton Treston Jordan Harrison Halder Aaron McLaughlin Jake Swart Jacob Nelson Tre Jones Daniel Fichtner Ben Cripe Amon Williams Michael McClellan Jayden Pugh
FROM 6
Denmark Ogbogu and sophomore Dee Crayton. Ogbogu scored eight touchdowns last year and averaged more than eight yards per carry (49 carries, 403 yards), while adding two touchdowns as a freshman. duCille led the Danes in rushing in 2018 but missed last season after injuring his knee in the first game of the year. “I’m just really starting to get to know these guys, but he’s impressed me in just the way he comes to work every day,” Palmieri said of duCille. “He comes to work and you don’t hear him. He’s just leading by example. Devin’s a good leader in what we’re trying build in that locker room.” The departure of Auburn enrollee Ze’Vian Capers leaves a hole at wide receiver, one Palmieri e x p e c t s seniors Azari Brown, Teddy Davenport and C a s ey G u n n
Fall 2020
Hayden Fox Zach Bowen Zach Ogbogu Joshua Champ Colin Scott Che Ojarikre Anias Blackmon Austin DeCarlo Kaden Henley Lane Grayson McAndrew Okwei Holt Halder Nathan Wingard Asher West Hayden Songer Carson McArthur Manav Patel Joe Hibbard Samuel Lemos
will help fill. “Our receiving corps is pretty talented. We’ve got a good mixture,” Palmieri said. “We’ve got some young kids like Azari Brown, and we’ve got some kids like Teddy Davenport and Casey Gunn. W e have kids
Christian Johnson Nate Roche Christian Johnson Dhanush Annoji Dontrae Mann Nick Mykhalchuk Will Hequembourg Jack Madden Shamurud Umarov Aidan Whillock Jake Seubert Will Purdy William Hodges Kohl Yearwood Lake Thoman Aiden Brozena Trey Glymph
like that, but we’re still trying to figure out what they can and cannot do. This is a process trying to build.” Senior Will Purdy (6-foot-2, 265 pounds) will captain an offensive line that must replace Noah Mallard, as well as Dayne Shor, a four-star recruit who transferred to IMG Academy in Florida. On defense, senior defensive back Justin Bradford returns after tying for the county lead in interceptions (5) as a junior. Bradford committed in May to play at Troy University. The Danes must replace a trio of dynamic linebackers in CJ Ford (Elon), Nick Carozza (Au s t i n Pe a y ) a nd Z ach Burchfield. Senior Harrison Halder offers the most experience at the position after leading the team in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (6) last season. Originally slated for Class 6A, Denmark will almost assuredly be one of the smallest schools in the 7A classification this year. But Palmieri, who compiled a 139-34 record in 13 seasons at a Mallard Creek school that opened in 2007, knows this season is only the first step. “We have a lot of options,” Palmieri said. “We’re only as good as our twos and threes when you’re making these runs and trying to build a program. So, a lot of these kids are going to play for Denmark this year.”
2020 Pigskin Preview | 27
RECORD BOOK fcn players of the year
2001 – Offense: Justin Rickett, South Forsyth; Defense: Dusty Benefield, North Forsyth, Ben Schmotz, Forsyth Central; Athlete: Jonathan Douglas, North Forsyth. 2004 – Offense: Jamie Benjamin, South Forsyth; Defense: Mark Sibenaller, Forsyth Central; Player: Matt Miller, North Forsyth 2008 – Offense: Lance Baker, West Forsyth; Defense: Nathan Teter, West Forsyth 2009 – Offense: Ben Emert, West Forsyth; Defense: Quinton Riley, North Forsyth; Athlete: Steven Hester, North Forsyth 2010 – Offense: Joey Vicary, North Forsyth; Defense: Dustin Gayton, West Forsyth; Athlete: Joe Outlaw, South Forsyth 2011 – Offense: Jake Wieczorek, West Forsyth; Defense: Trevor Guthrie, West Forsyth 2012 – Offense: A.J. Erdely, West Forsyth; Defense: Mohamed Camara, West Forsyth 2013 – Offense: Hampton McConnell, West Forsyth; Defense: Zack Matthews, Lambert 2014 – Offense: Tyler LaFlamme, South Forsyth; Defense: Adison Schimmelpfennig, Lambert 2015 - Offense: Davis Shanley, South Forsyth; Defense: Cameron Kline, South Forsyth 2016 - Offense: Simon Holcomb, North Forsyth; Defense: Grant Torgerson, West Forsyth 2017 - Offense: Marcus Chatelain, Lambert; Defense: Ryan LaFlamme, South Forsyth 2018 - Offense: Ze’Vian Capers, Denmark; Defense: Jamal Camp, South Forsyth 2019 - Offense: Ze’Vian Capers, Denmark; Defense: Eli Orr, West Forsyth
most points in a single season Pts 486 484 461 386 386 380 375 372 369 368 365 365 361
Team Year Avg South 2015 37.4 West 2012 40.3 North 2001 32.9 Central 1997 32.2 West 2008 38.6 West 2011 29.2 South 2017 34.1 Lambert 2016 31.0 West 2013 33.5 West 2015 33.5 South 2016 33.2 South 2014 33.2 South 2001 27.8
Pts 353 351 346 341 326 324 323 311 308 307 306 302
28 | 2020 Pigskin preview
Team Year Avg Pinecrest 2015 29.4 Denmark 2019 35.1 South 1997 31.5 North 2000 28.4 South 2003 27.2 Central 1996 29.5 West 2016 29.4 South 1998 25.9 North 2017 28.0 North 2019 25.6 South 1996 27.8 South 2002 27.5
most points in a single game Pts Team 77 West 74 Forsyth County 70 West 66 West 64 Central 63 West 63 West 63 Central 63 Denmark 62 North 61 Denmark 59 Lambert 58 North 58 North 58 Denmark 57 South
Year 2008 1958 2011 2012 2018 2012 2012 2016 2019 2001 2018 2016 2017 2017 2019 2002 Fall 2020
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South linebacking corps, led by a talented pair of linebackers in Morris and senior Alec Stephens. Stephens produced 80 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, while Morris chipped in 37 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Morris also tied for the team lead in interceptions, returning one against West Forsyth for a touchdown. McGlockton also figures to be in the mix at linebacker after playing there the last three games in 2019, tallying 27 tackles and two tackles for a loss, including 14 total tackles against Forsyth Central. “They were just making fun of me because I didn’t let Devin start playing defense until Week 9 last year,” Arnette said. “Then he played three games and was one of our most productive players on defense. The thing about Devin is, you can’t play certain kids every play. You’d like to, and there are several up here that you’d like to do that with. But it’s a challenge for us as coaches to figure out when we can play them, where we can play them, because if we could, we’d play them every play, everywhere.” Julian Bolanos battled injuries his sophomore and junior years but appears healthy for his senior season and will also play a significant role at linebacker. South’s defensive secondary remains a work in progress, though Arnette is high on senior Zach Fischer: “I think he’s really coming into what he can be for us this year.” Senior Mitch Thompson was second on the team with 10 pass break-ups last season, but he’ll move to free safety, leaving a vacancy at cornerback, which is already without Cruz and his team-high 16 pass break-ups and two interceptions. “Corners is where we’ve got to have some guys step up,” Arnette said. “Mitch played corner, but we’re looking to move him to free safety, so the corner position is kind of our wide-open position. We’ll just have to see what happens there.” The War Eagles were originally scheduled to scrimmage North Gwinnett on Aug. 28, which would have given South a chance to match itself against one of the top teams in the
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Next Duke, Jordan Brunson at Virginia Tech, Kenneth Dicks at Wake Forest, Jalen Camp and Jamal Camp at Georgia Tech, Ben Bresnahan at Vanderbilt and Eli Huggins at Kansas State — all with a chance to ultimately reach the professional level. There’s another wave of potential stars after that, too, as
Fall 2020
state, but the GHSA moved Aug. 6 to cancel all preseason football scrimmages. “We always talk to our guys about improvising in every situation in games, and you’ve got to be ready to change on a dime. And boy, we’re getting a lot of that right now,” Arnette said. “I feel like the kids have reacted well to what we’re doing, I feel like the coaches have and I’m excited about the progress under the rules. Man, I just want to play football.” several high school players are landing high-profile offers. West Forsyth senior Dylan Fairchild is committed to the University of Georgia, while Lambert sophomore Kojo Antwi, also a four-star recruit, has a litany of offers from Power Five schools. Denmark senior Justin Bradford committed to Troy this summer, while North Forsyth sophomore Jumel Lewis landed an offer from Tennessee in January. The talent in Forsyth County is there. Expect it to reach the NFL soon.
2020 Pigskin Preview | 29
2020 roster No. Name
Year
Ht./Wt.
No. Name
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31
11 12 11 12 10 12 10 10 12 12 10 12 11 12 11 12 11 12 10 12 11 11 11 11 10 11 10 10 10
6’1” 220 6’0” 205 6’5” 220 5’11” 185 5’7” 140 5’6” 155
32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 63
Jay Helstone Emi Gonzalez Oscar Delp Drew Southern Peyton Sapp Thomas Dickman Jack Tomlinson Keegan Stover Kyle Peterson T.J. Jennings Jack Thomas Jonathan Garbacz Brandon Nyandoro Jaycen Harris Ashton Van Horn Dalton Tjong John Martin Will Ross William Orris Kobe Haynes Ethan Adamson Jazz Simpson Bryce Allen Conner Reidy Grey Brockman Cade Woodall Braylan Bull Brady Gillis Raleigh Herbert
6’3” 195 5’11” 210 5’9” 155 6’2” 170 5’11” 160 5’11” 150 5’7” 175 6’1” 185 5’11 180 6’2” 185 5’10” 145 5’10” 160 6’0” 200 6’1” 160 5’9” 135 5’11” 170 5’10” 160 5’11” 175 6’1” 180 5’10” 160 6’0” 185 6’1” 210
Riley McKee 10 Malachi Hutchinson 10 Daba Fofana 12 Garrett Hickman 12 Orrin Adotevi 11 Ryder Smith 10 Jacob Vaughn 10 Chris Nelson 11 Tyler Wentzel 10 Aiden Cook 10 Garth Stewart 11 Brody Sanderson 10 Hudson Posey 12 Elisha Nash 10 Lincoln Nelson 10 Jackson Mallcott 10 Alex Steele 12 Dylan Fairchild 12 William McAllister 11 Ben Holman 11 Aodhan Shields 10 Colin Lawrence 11 John Leonard 11 Ethan Casas 12 Riann Williams 11 Andrew Perez 12 Joseph Reznikov 12 Jaxon White 11 Peyton Wall 10
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West with coaches meeting with guys online and trying to teach a playbook.” On offense, quarterback Drew Southern is set to return after his 2019 season. Though the senior captain threw for 979 yards and six touchdowns, he also threw eight interceptions in the Wolverines 5-5 campaign. The rock on Svehla’s offense is senior running back Daba Fofana, who committed to the Naval Academy in July. “Daba is a great leader through his work ethic, his commitment to wanting to be great,” Svehla said. “He’s not afraid to lead players to make tough calls and call them out.” Fofana led the Wolverines in rushing last season, averaging 53.5 yards per game and reaching the endzone four times. He also led Forsyth County in punting, averaging 36.5 yards per punt with eight of them landing inside the 20-yard line. West will have to replace All-County receiver Casey Cowart, who led the team in
30 | 2020 Pigskin Preview
Year
Ht./Wt.
No. Name
Year
Ht./Wt.
5’10” 210 6’2” 195 5’8” 190 5’11” 195 5’9” 165 6’0” 250 5’9” 155 6’2” 185 5’6” 150 5’9” 175 5’11” 165 5’9” 160 6’3” 190 5’8” 140 5’8” 145 5’9” 140 6’1” 230 6’5” 295 6’3” 250 6’2” 205 6’3” 230 5’10” 190 6’4” 285 6’2” 270 5’8” 185 5’9” 235 6’2” 255 6’2” 210 5’9” 200
64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 84 85 86 88 89 90 92 94 95 96 97 99
10 10 10 11 11 10 10 12 10 10 10 10 12 10 11 10 10 11 10 10 10 10 12 11 11 12 11 11 10
5’10” 155 6’2” 205 6’4” 210 6’3” 275 6’0” 215 5’10” 215 5’10” 215 6’0” 230 6’3” 185 6’0” 180
Mateo Aguilar Cory Fitzhugh Dixon Musgrove Max Freeman Trevor Comer T.J. Putman Anthony Guaracino Joseph Satterfield Turner Bell Jack Duncan Hayden Meyers Connor Kelley Ethan Fairbairn Jace Kile Shawn Craig Aiden Fankhauser Mac Moore Cooper Johnson Matthew Sword Alex Tzevelekos Will Fulkerson Zack Hauck Dylan Ray Aryan Peri Taylor Robinson Alex Wilson Alex Valadez Palmer Nelson Ruth Talbot
5’10” 180 6’3” 270 6’4” 220 5’9” 150 5’10” 160 6’1” 160 6’4” 280 6’0” 200 5’9” 135 6’6” 175 6’2” 210 5’10” 140 5’7” 150 5’11” 180 5’10” 280 5’7” 140 5’10” 170
yards with 711 yards and eight touchdowns. Svehla will look to junior Oscar Delp who had 246 yards on just 15 receptions in 2019. Paving the way on the offensive line is 4-star offensive guard Dylan Fairchild, who committed to Georgia in May. Svehla’s defense is going to be relying on the play of two senior defensive backs in Kobe Haynes and Dalton Tjong. “Both of those kids are captains for us and had great offseasons,” Svehla said. “They’re really encouraging and smart. I’m really excited about seeing those guys play.” Tjong led the defense with five interceptions to go along with his 98 tackles, earning him First Team All-County honors. Haynes had 25 tackles and three passes deflected. Also in the defensive backfield is junior Bryce Allen who is coming off a two interception, 47 tackle sophomore season. In his first year on varsity, Allen earned Second Team All-County honors. There are parts to replace in all aspects of the game in Svehla’s first year at the helm, but with the help of a determined senior class, Svehla is confident about the challenges to come.
Fall 2020
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