Pigskin Preview 2019

Can this year’s teams keep their footing to the end?

PIGSKIN PrEVIEW 2019

INSIDE:

Season previews and rosters for 7 county teams

Toe the Line A successful football season is a balancing act of talent, choices and some luck.

Can this year’s teams keep their footing to the end?

DELICATE BALANCE A lot needs to go right for a football season to be special.

Will the ball bounce the right way for this year’s teams?

INSIDE: Season previews and rosters for 7 county teams

An FCNSPORTS publication | 2019 An FCNSPORTS publication

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Contributors Sports writer/CONTENT DIRECTOR David Almeda dalmeda@forsythnews.com 770-205-8975 Twitter: @Dave_Almeda PHOTOGRAPHER Ben Hendren benhendren@outlook.com Instagram: benh_photography SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Ian Frazer Cameron Adamczyk

Table of contents Team Previews Denmark................................................................6 Forsyth Central..........................................................8 Lambert...............................................................18 North Forsyth..........................................................20 South Forsyth..........................................................22 West Forsyth...........................................................26 Pinecrest Academy..................................................28

On the cover

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tracie Pike tpike@forsythnews.com PUBLISHER Stephanie Woody Publisher swoody@forsythnews.com 770-205-8945 editor Brian Paglia bpaglia@forsythnews.com 770-205-8976 Twitter: @BrianPaglia Advertising Nathan Schutter Advertising Director nschutter@forsythnews.com 770-205-8960 Stephanie McCabe Account Executive smcabe@forsythnews.com Deborah Darnell Account Executive ddarnell@forsythnews.com

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Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

A football season is a lot like keeping your balance. For any team to have a truly successful year, everything has to break just right: Not only does the talent have to be there, but those pieces have to mesh together well.

And even if you have the players to make a run, plays still need to work, people need to stay healthy, the ball needs to bounce your way and you can’t make too many mistakes. With every team throughout the magazine, you’ll see examples of just some of the factors that can make or break a season.

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Inside

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denmark danes

Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

Ready, set, go! Conditioning can make a big difference, and sometimes, nothing beats a good old fashioned sprint.

From left: Zach Burchfield, Ze’Vian Capers, Jordan Brunson, Nick Carozza and Aaron McLaughlin.

Danes battling sky-high expectations in second season

By David Almeda

dalmeda@forsythnews.com

Terry Crowder thought he’d done quite well.

After guiding Denmark’s football team through its inaugural season, he wasn’t wrong to feel that way. Playing a full varsity schedule with no seniors as part of perhaps the best region in Class 4A, the Danes ended 2018 with a respectable 5-5 record.

But the satisfaction of that accomplishment was quickly eclipsed by the remarkable successes that some of Denmark’s other athletic teams went on to have. Boys basketball made the state quarterfinals, and the baseball team made an improbable run to the state championship series.

All of a sudden, the pressure was right back on Crowder’s football team to deliver.

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| 2019

“We feel like now we have to make up some ground ourselves,” Crowder said right after taking the podium at this year’s Forsyth Sports Media Day. Thankfully for the Danes, they’ll not only return basically everyone from last year, but they’ve also added some new, high-profile names that they hope can help them take the next step to being a program that can compete deep into the playoffs.

“With the addition of some of the guys we got, we know they are big time college football guys,” Crowder said. “We know that they’re going to make us better, but the other (thing) you start going through is, last year it was low expectations for this football team, but this year it’s very high expectations. 5-5 ain’t even close to what we want to be this year.”

2019 SCHEDULE All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted Aug. 30 at Cherokee Bluff Sept. 6 vs North Springs Sept. 13 vs Forsyth Central Sept. 20 at Dawson County Sept. 27 vs Chestatee* Oct. 4 at West Hall* Oct. 11 at Blessed Trinity* Oct. 18 vs Marist* Oct. 25 at White County* Nov. 8 vs Flowery Branch* *Region 7-4A game

2019 roster No.

1 2 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

Name

Position

Teddy Davenport WR/DB Andres Harrada WR/DB Malachi Harris WR/DB Adonnis Tolbert WR/DE Andrew Harvey TE/LB Jordan Brunson RB/LB Devin duCille RB/LB CJ Ford RB/LB Manav Patel TE/LB Treston Jordan WR/DB Aaron McLaughlin QB Drew Clare QB/DB Jake Swart WR/DB Tyler Kloda WR/DB Justin Bradford WR/DB Casey Gunn WR/DB Ben Cripe WR/DB Dee Crayton RB/DB Josh Robinson WR/DB Marcus McFarlane RB/DB Kenon Dicks RB/DB Zach Bowen RB/LB Ze’Vian Capers WR/DB Asher West TE/DL Eli West TE/DL Matthew Cassandra RB/DB George Turnipseed RB/DB Zach Ogbogu RB/DB

Year

Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Jr.

Perhaps the biggest name to join the Denmark fold is junior quarterback Aaron McLaughlin, who transferred in from Buford after last season. He’d been a starter for the Wolves in each of his last two seasons, leading that team to a 21-5 overall record over that span. With a 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame and a powerful throwing arm, he’s a natural fit for Denmark’s spread offense. He recently committed to Auburn, and for Crowder, he’s one of the best fits for his offense since Timmy Byerly, who he coached during Chattahoochee’s state title run in 2010.

“He can run, his decision making is really good, so it’s just everything that you need,” Crowder said. “He picked up the offense really, really fast, the kids respect him and the thing that I loved about Aaron when he came in is he worked his way to that spot. He didn’t come in thinking it was given to him.

We’re grateful to have him, and we’re looking forward to seeing if we can’t make him better somehow, too.”

Also joining the Danes are a few names from around Forsyth County. Running back Jordan Brunson and linebacker CJ Ford transferred in from South Forsyth, and running back Zach Ogbogu joined the Danes from Lambert.

No.

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57

Name

JC Mauk TJ Wilson Aaron Scott Kaden Henley Michael Fazio Lane Grayson Zachariah Bell Colin Scott Hayden Fox Parker Hannon Zach Burchfield Jeremy Burchfield Robert Barbour Om Amin Nick Carozza Trey Patterson Juan Jimenez Justin Hunter Kolby McCoy Liam Beguiristain Nic Cimino Hunter Cole Harrison Halder Garrett Street Brayden Rouse Hayden Songer Arthur Marsden Chris Armenta

Position

WR/DB TE/DL RB/DB WR/DB QB/DB TE/LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB K TE/LB TE/LB RB/DB WR/DB TE/LB TE/LB K RB/DL RB/DB RB/DB OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL

Year

Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. So. So. So. So. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr.

Brunson, a Virginia Tech commit, led the War Eagles with 935 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns during his junior year.

Ford racked up 93 total tackles and 4.5 sacks for South in 2018.

The new additions don’t account for all of Denmark’s talent, though. Wide receiver and Auburn commit Ze’Vian Capers is returning for his senior year after leading the county with 1,182 yards and 11 touchdowns, as are standout linebackers Nick Carozza and Zach Burchfield.

Capers and Carozza had to play both ways last year, but the Danes feel like they have enough depth to avoid doing that again this year, which should help them feel more rested. With no bye weeks until November, that could be a nice boost.

With no seniors, Denmark was a team playing above its years last season. With so many expectations a year later, the Danes hope that experience can help them play at a level that can make them a legitimate threat.

“We looked good for (being) just juniors,” defensive lineman Arthur Marsden said. “We didn’t play like juniors — we played like seniors, I t h i n k . N ow t h a t w e ’r e a c t u a l l y seniors, I think we’re going to look real good.”

No.

59 60 61 62 63 65 66 67 69 70 71 72 74 75 77 79 80 81 83 84 85 87 88 89 92 94

Name

Evan Kloda Samuel Lemos Aiden Cowan Trey Garmon Alex Ehiemere Nate Roche Noah Mallard Dayne Shor Dontrae Mann Pratham Patel Will Hequembourg Jack Madden James Jenkins Dae Han Jake Seubert Will Purdy Kourtland Tolbert Jakob Barron Azari Brown Tyler Williams Eduardo Saenz Sam Lawrence McAndrew Okwei Michael Vinson Trey Glymph Nathan Wingard

Position

OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB K K WR/DB TE/DL K TE/DL

Year

Sr. So. So. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. Jr. So. Jr. So. Jr. So. So. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. So.

THE COACH Terry Crowder At Denmark: 5-5, second season Overall: 96-67, 16th season

2018 results 5-5 overall, 2-4 Region 7-4A Denmark 43, Cherokee Bluff 0 Denmark 39, North Springs 32 Denmark 7, Forsyth Central 3 Dawson County 38, Denmark 21 Denmark 61, Chestatee 47* West Hall 48, Denmark 27* Blessed Trinity 47, Denmark 6* Marist 57, Denmark 7* Denmark 28, White County 27* Flowery Branch 28, Denmark 19* *Region 7-4A game

TROPHY CASE First varsity season: 2018 Playoff appearances: none Region titles: none State titles: none 2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 7

forsyth central bulldogs

Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

Why so serious? With the grind of a long season, team chemistry is key, and taking some time to goof off can do wonders for that. From left: Mitch Weber, Solomon Gates, Jake Bretz and Alex Szakacs.

Bulldogs aim to build on best season in years

By Ian Frazer

For the Forsyth County News

With the benefit of hindsight, one of the Forsyth Central football team’s worst seasons doesn’t look too bad at all. In fact, Bulldogs head coach Frank Hepler can even look back on the 0-10 display in 2017 with a bit of fondness. “[The 2017 season] really was not a low point as far as what was going on in our program,” Hepler said. “It probably was, in my 26 years as a head coach, one of the best years that I had, personally. Being 0-10 — one, it humbles you. It makes you go back and look at what you’re doing.

And I got to see a bunch of young men fight and get better and try to win a game just to have it so they could say, ‘Man, we won a game this year.’”

That imaginary player is actually underselling the success Central experienced in 2018, which 8 | Pigskin preview

| 2019

wasn’t just a bounce-back, but also one of the best seasons the program had seen in two decades.

Some of the Bulldogs’ wins in non-region play came against overmatched opponents like Clarkston and Chamblee, but when it came to Region 5-7A action, Central’s wins against North Forsyth, South Forsyth and Lambert showed that the Bulldogs had reached the level of their county peers.

“Our school completely changed when we went from 0-10 to 7-3,” senior defensive lineman Alex Szakacs said. “Our whole team just felt better, getting that 0-10 off our back, coming back and having a great season like we did.”

And while that success was built on a deep group of seniors, especially on defense, they weren’t the only ones contributing, and Central looks to have the potential to replicate 2018’s success and possibly even improve in some areas.

2019 SCHEDULE All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted Aug. 23 vs Chamblee Sept. 6 at Cass Sept. 13 at Denmark Sept. 20 vs Lakeside-DeKalb Sept. 27 vs Clarkston Oct. 11 vs North Forsyth* Oct. 18 at West Forsyth* Oct. 25 vs Milton* Nov. 1 at South Forsyth* Nov. 8 vs Lambert* *Region 5-7A game

2019 roster No.

2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 35

Name

Position

Year

Ryan Van Uum QB/DB Jr. Branden Redecker LB Sr. Bronson Landreth QB/DB Jr. Mitch Weber DE Sr. Marcus Brown RB So. Nathan Nicholson RB Sr. Caydin Mowen DB/SB Jr. Garrison Carver WR Sr. Alex Szakacs DL Sr. Christian Odom K Sr. Drew Mullvain QB So. Issai Hernandez LB Sr. Tyler Thompson DB So. Graham Long QB Jr. Owen Hosonitz RB Jr. Cody McCarthy DB Sr. Carter Rodriguez DB Sr. Eli Ruis RB Jr. Jake Stephens DB Jr. Dylon Mattis DB Jr. Brandon Dover DB Sr. Tyler Sherman LB/K Sr. Solomon Gates RB Jr. Luis Algarin RB Sr. RJ Shaheen RB So. Payton Jeppson DB Jr. Riley Davison DB Sr. Alex Rosa RB Jr. Peyton Streko RB Fr. Camden Leak LB So. Andrew Bedora RB Jr. Conner Azar DB Sr.

One area that will certainly be different — and the Bulldogs hope more stable — will be quarterback. That was a spot that Central counted on to be senior-led in 2018, but when Hunter Cagle tore his ACL in the team’s scrimmage, sophomore Ryan Van Uum was thrust into duty. And when Van Uum got hurt midway through the season, Bronson Landreth, another sophomore, had to step up.

Those two quarterbacks are currently battling it out in practice, Hepler said, and there’s another junior, Graham Long, who’s also in the mix for snaps, giving the Bulldogs what Hepler termed a “three-headed monster.” But in the end, whoever ends up as the starter likely won’t have sole claim to the position.

“One of those three could be the starter, but you’re going to see the other two guys play a bunch also, which I think will also help us in the long run,” Hepler said. “Because in this offense, the quarterback does get nicked up sometimes.”

The Bulldogs plan to reprise their optionbased flexbone offense, Hepler said, perhaps with more emphasis on passing, and while multiple members of their big, experienced offensive line are gone to graduation, Hepler is looking to players like Luke Morrison and Marco Ramirez to give Central a more “athletic” line than 2018.

No.

36 37 38 39 40 41 42 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 52 53 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 69

Name

Emerson Wilkes Garrett Northam James Yarbourgh Matt Johnson Patrick Haertel Evan Morris Ashlee Rice Seth Smith Noah Chol Paulo Souza Daniel Perlman Isaac Brown Nolan Eash

Position

Year

RB Jr. DB So. DB So. DL Sr. LB So. DB So. RB So. WR Jr. RB Jr. LB Sr. DB So. LB Sr. DB Sr. Kemran Shakhmanov RB So. Max Manus WR Sr. Toby Legerra LB So. Nick Flynn LB Sr. Nick Forrester LB Jr. Nick Cribbs DL Jr. Carson Leak LB So. Merek Moran LB Jr. Zac Redecker LB Jr. Keegan LeBouf DL Fr. Inaki Otegui-Palladini OL Sr. Logan Andrews OL Jr. Ricky Bautista DL Jr. Darius Green OL Sr. Luc Gwinner OL So. Alex Cruzado OL Sr. Jason Garman OL Jr. Sullivan Eash DL So. Ricky Stever DE Jr.

No.

Name

70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 95 96 97 98 99

Canaan Clark DL Andreas Willi OL Robbie Watson OL Luke Morton OL Dylan Snyder OL Marco Ramierez OL/DL Brandyn McMahon OL Tyler Fisk DE Tyler Sheets OL/DL Bryan Tirado DL Kade McGlumphy WR Jake Bretz DB Rocco Stewart WR Eli Chol WR Cole Brumbalow WR Austin McNeil WR Devin Hill WR Robert Perry WR Dawson Hiem RB Dominic Willi LB Logan Sindoni DL Xavian McNealy WR Noah Schreiber DL Brandon Gayton DL Edouardo Villeda DE Ben Whatley DE Zach Jean Baptiste LB Chris Springer LB Max Johnson DL Fabian Martinez K

On the defensive line, Szakacs, a returning first team All-County honoree, and Nick Cribbs are expected to lead in the trenches, while Mitch Weber, who missed all of 2018 with a torn ACL after breaking out as a sophomore the previous year, could be one of the county’s most productive linebackers. Jake Bretz, who made a successful move into the secondary in the middle of the season, should be one of the Bulldogs’ leaders there after they lost Tristen Rose, the county leader in interceptions, to graduation.

One might wonder what Central’s next focus will be after the intoxicating feeling of constant improvement during the rebuild tapers off and many of the biggest goals have been accomplished. But Hepler sees no issue of where the program turns next — the playoffs aren’t going anywhere.

“They want to get back there again,” Hepler said. “You go to your favorite steakhouse and you have that steak and you want to go back there again. You’re not going to say, ‘Ah, I’m not going to go there — I’m going to have this yucky hamburger over here.’ No, man, you want to get back to that steakhouse. That’s kind of what it was for us this year.”

Position

Year

Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr.

THE COACH

Frank Hepler At Central: 10-20, fourth season Overall: 199-79, 26th season

2018 results 7-4 overall, 3-2 Region 5-7A Central 42, Chamblee 7 Central 24, Cass 12 Denmark 7, Central 3 Central 47, Lakeside-DeKalb 0 Central 64, Clarkston 0 Central 24, North 20* West 39, Central 0* Milton 30, Central 3* Central 26, South 21* Central 28, Lambert 27* Archer 56, Central 0** *Region 5-7A game **GHSA playoff game

TROPHY CASE

First varsity season: 1955 Playoff appearances: 6 (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2018) Region titles: 3 (1996, 1997, 2000) State titles: none 2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 9

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Balancing Act A variety of factors can make or break a season, as past and present county coaches can attest

Story by David Almeda Photo by Ben Hendren

12 | Pigskin Preview

| 2019

If you look at the times in my career (that) we’ve been in a deep playoff run, we’ve been healthy. You’ve got to find a way to stay healthy. I think any coach will tell you that. Those years that you’re more healthy than others, you’re going to have a better shot.”

— Head Coach Jeff Arnette, South Forsyth High School

A

dam Clack remembers his last “If you look at the times year as head coach at West in my career (that) we’ve Forsyth vividly, but not always been in a deep playoff run, fondly. we’ve been healthy,” His 2016 team was the best one he Arnette said. “You’ve got had during his three-year tenure to find a way to stay leading the Wolverines, finishing healthy. I think any coach with a 7-4 overall record. But even will tell you that. Those four years later, he still thinks years that you’re more about the missteps he took in leadhealthy than others, you’re ing that team, and the effect those missteps may have had on his playgoing to have a better ers. While the 2016 Wolverines shot.” made the playoffs, they fell in the For coaches, pressing first round, and to this day, he wonthe right buttons at the ders what could have been.

File photo right time can also make or “I felt like I made a really big mistake with the last team I had at West Adam Clack learned from his mistakes as former head break a season. For coach at West Forsyth to lead Milton High School to a state Clack’s state champion Forsyth, because I felt like I just Milton team, resting when title last year. pushed them too hard, too early,” they needed to was instruClack said. “It was a great group of boys — they loved to work. It’s kind of like a good sled dog: mental, even if it hurt in the short term. After starting the 2018 They’re not going to know when too much is too much.” season 3-0, the Eagles opted to take more of a breather during Now the head coach at Milton, Clack has made it a point to their bye week. Milton lost its next two games, but Clack doesn’t learn from that experience, and last year, his hindsight helped him regret the decision. lead the Eagles to a Class 7A state title. As Clack and every “In hindsight, it was one of those times where I feel like we Forsyth County coach knows so well, football is as much a game maybe came out a little flat, but for the long run, I think that was of chance as it is a game of talent. A successful season can be OK,” Clack said. “We needed to dial back.” such a delicate thing — so much can derail a once-promising Sometimes, though, plays in games or conditioning aren’t year, from missed plays to injuries to other factors that the casual everything. The strength of a team’s schedule could also have an onlooker wouldn’t always think about. impact on how successful an overall season is, and as the county’s North Forsyth certainly felt an unlucky streak last year, going 1-4 in games decided by four points or less. Forsyth Central is coaches recounted at this year’s Forsyth Sports Media Day, Class coming off their best season in almost two decades, but that came 7A football can be unpredictable. after an absolute low point on paper — an 0-10 season in 2017.

“I look at the board and I say, ‘Guys, we can go 0-10. We can Central’s problem that year wasn’t talent, though — it was luck, go 10-0, too,’” Lambert coach Louis Daniel said. “You just don’t or the lack of it. Their turnaround 2018 season was almost the know. It is just that highly competitive in 7A football.” opposite, which gave the Bulldogs an entirely new perspective.

Clack recalls his state championship group as having the most “It can be humbling at times,” Central coach Frank Hepler unique personality of any team he’s had, with plenty of characters said. “It can teach you some things at times. There’s six plays making the grind of a long playoff run more bearable. That colin that 0-10 year, we go 5-5 to 6-4, maybe 7-3. Same (thing) this year. The Denmark game, we’re inside the 5, what, five or lective personality can affect a team’s mindset, which is what ties six times. We could be 8-2. But then you turn around and you together the balancing act that is a high school football season. look at the North game, we lucked out there a couple of plays. When an unpredictable situation arises, keeping that strong mindYou look at the South game … (We) learned from the year set can make all the difference. before where we didn’t win the two overtime games where we “I think a season has a million little forks in the road, whether should have made some plays.” it’s, ‘Hey, you got real hot, how do you control them after a big But bad luck can extend beyond just the scope of a single game, with injuries to key players always threatening to derail win?’ or ‘Hey, you dropped a couple of games,’ or ‘Hey, you’ve kind of gotten in a little rut,’ or ‘You’re in a situation you’ve never once-promising seasons. To South Forsyth coach Jeff Arnette, been in before,’” Clack said. “I think we as a staff and as a team the coach presiding over the county’s longest active playoff managed our mindset so well, stayed in the moment and just kept streak, keeping players on the field has been a must, as the taking it one day at a time.”

War Eagles learned last year.

2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 13

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Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

He jumped! A mistake on the line or in the open field can be the difference between a win and a loss, and for Lambert’s Drew Surio, Daniel Park, Brendan Bibb and Anthony Newton, limiting those will be one of the keys to making it back to the playoffs.

Longhorns looking to end a two-year playoff drought

By Cameron Adamczyk

For the Forsyth County News

The recent struggles of Lambert’s football team have not been a secret. Over the past two seasons, the Longhorns have failed to make the state playoffs, have one total region win and find themselves far from being a perennial Region 5-7A powerhouse.

But a razor-thin margin exists in the highest classification and especially in the region.

Even in the seasons where Lambert has won region championships, the scores were tight

18 | Pigskin preview

| 2019

and the games come down to just a few possessions. Lambert’s Louis Daniel knows that’s what comes with the territory.

“You can say it’s a drought, but two years ago we win the region and we go 6-4,” Daniel said. “We could have easily been 10-0 or 9-1 that year, we could have very easily been 3-7 or 2-8 that year. Sometimes, for whatever the reason is, the ball will bounce your way.”

Turnovers were something that plagued the Longhorns in 2018. Lambert gave the ball away in most of their region games, sometimes multiple times a game.

2019 SCHEDULE

All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted Aug. 23 at Wheeler Aug. 30 at Chattahoochee Sept. 6 vs Gainesville Sept. 13 vs Peachtree Ridge Sept. 27 at Lanier Oct. 11 at South Forsyth* Oct. 18 vs North Forsyth* Oct. 25 vs West Forsyth* Nov. 1 vs Milton* Nov. 8 at Forsyth Central* *Region 5-7A game

2019 roster No.

Name

1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

TJ Mathis Jr. Logan Wire Nalan Annadurai Caleb Scheaffer Anthony Newton Peyton Rich Kaalum Jones Darren Guy Tyler Gackeler Kojo Antwi

Position

Year

RB/LB Sr. QB Jr. TE/LB Sr. WR/DE Jr. WR/DB Sr. QB Sr. TE/LB Sr. WR/LB So. WR/DB So. WR/DB So. Braden Bamburowski WR/DB Jr. Drew Surio TE/LB Sr. Jack Stewart WR/DB Jr. Ethan Thibodeaux TE/LB Sr. Ashton Smith QB So. Jackson Wise WR/DB Jr. Aryan Talla QB Jr. Davis Templeton WR/DB So. James Li WR/DB Jr. Jackson Miller WR/LB Jr. Aidan Smith WR/DB Jr. Jake Johnson TE/LB So. Davis Dobbs WR/DB So.

“We turned the ball over a little bit last year, and we lost the majority of our games being right there — a 13 or 14-point deficit,” Daniel said. “One turnover can sometimes be a 14-point swing.”

Lambert’s closest game of the season, a 28-27 overtime loss to Forsyth Central, was a perfect example, with the Longhorns turning the ball over twice in the first half.

Limiting those mistakes in 2019 will be a key to turning around their struggles.

Even though the 2018 season ended with Lambert finishing 0-5 in the region and 3-7 overall, there is a lot of optimism heading into 2019. One of the biggest reasons for that is senior quarterback Peyton Rich. He heads into the season with two years of varsity starts under his belt.

Early in the program’s history, Lambert often experimented with starting quarterbacks from a younger age. But as the program has gotten older, the Longhorns have tried to use more experienced players to lead their offense. Rich has been an exception, getting his first start during region play of his sophomore year. Rich had some ups, throwing for 1,744 yards and 13 touchdown in 2018, but he’s also had some downs, pairing those numbers with 15 interceptions. Every throw he’s made was a learning experience.

“I probably was very nervous most of the games (in my sophomore year),” Rich said.

“I probably thought I couldn’t make most

Year

No.

RB/LB So. WR/DB Jr. WR/DB Jr. WR/DB So. RB/LB So. Sudarshan Dhanabalan RB/DB Jr. Nick Taylor RB/LB So. Robert Riddle RB/DB Jr. Chase Bombard RB/LB Jr. Thomas Tattersall TE/LB Jr. Sharath Ragila WR/DB So. Emiliano Vazquez WR/DB So. Jyjuan Davis WR/DB So. Maximilian Proels TE/DL Sr. Dawson Miller WR/DB So. Camden Sagues TE/DL Sr. Josh Muillininx OL/DL Jr. Bennett Shoemaker OL/DL Sr. Brian Pickering OL/DL Sr. Chap Cunningham OL/DL So. Kade Bullard OL/DL Sr. Brandon King OL/DL Jr. Joao Moreira OL/DL Jr.

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 69 70 72 74 76 78 79 85 88

No.

Name

25 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 42 44 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56

Harrison Peyton Tre Drewery Rex Aledia Ben Godwin Wills Anderson

Position

of the throws but now that I’m older, I feel like I’m much more experienced.”

Like most seasons, Lambert is losing some of their key pieces on both sides of the ball. They lose their top four tacklers on the defensive side, and their top three all-purpose yards leaders on the offensive side. Despite that, Daniel remains excited about the players he is bringing in for the 2019 season.

“The parts to the car are just sitting on the garage floor,” he said. “You haven’t put them on yet, but you’re excited to get it together, see what it’s going to look like.”

One of those pieces is rising senior and three-year starter Anthony Newton.

Newton was a force in the secondary last season, being tasked with shutting down the opponent’s best receivers every week.

“I just feel like we’re a faster team this year,” Newton said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys coming up that are ready to play and I just think that we’re a faster group that’s ready to fly around and get to it.”

Lambert’s goal is clear: Get to the state playoffs. While Daniel didn’t want to call it a drought, two seasons in a row of going home early can’t sit well with the team.

Behind an experienced quarterback and fast defense, this Lambert team hopes stop the drought at two years.

Name

Position

Year

Grayson Mains OL/DL So. Matthew Russo OL/DL So. Harrison Stang OL/DL Sr. Jite Dievbiere OL/DL Jr. Justin Schneider OL/DL Sr. Robert Morales OL/DL Sr. Will Wood OL/DL Sr. Daniel Park OL/DL Sr. Paul Kim OL/DL Sr. Elijah Haughawout OL/DL So. Brennan Schneider OL/DL So. Brendan Bibb OL/DL Sr. Ross Mitchamore OL/DL Sr. Noel Lacayo OL/DL So. Arrison Cole OL/DL Jr. Jorren Vanderzanden OL/DL Sr. Chaniel Lee OL/DL Jr. Jacob Keenan WR/LB Sr. Nick Pasonski WR/DB Jr.

THE COACH Louis Daniel At Lambert: 28-26, sixth season Overall: 28-26, sixth season

2018 results 3-7 overall, 0-5 Region 5-7A Wheeler 28, Lambert 14 Lambert 42, Chattahoochee 14 Lambert 16, Gainesville 15 Lambert 7, Peachtree Ridge 0 Lanier 30, Lambert 16 South 27, Lambert 10* North 28, Lambert 14* West 31, Lambert 16* Milton 57, Lambert 7* Central 28, Lambert 27* *Region 5-7A game

TROPHY CASE First varsity season: 2010 Playoff appearances: 6 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Region titles: 1 (2016) State titles: none

2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 19

NORTH FORSYTH RAIDERS

Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

Football is a war of attrition, and working in the weight room to be stronger than your opponent is paramount. As a senior, Nicky Dalmolin will be one of the Raiders’ strongholds, but Jack Tucker, Brady Meitz and Tyler Cunningham will be working to make a difference as well.

Raiders hoping for a less snakebitten 2019

By David Almeda

dalmeda@forsythnews.com

North Forsyth head coach Robert Craft does everything he can to keep a positive attitude.

After the kind of year his team just experienced, that’s probably for the best. The Raiders played five games decided by four points or less in 2018, and North came away with just a 1-4 mark in those games. Close losses to Forsyth Central and South Forsyth ultimately resulted in the Raiders missing the playoffs with a 3-7 overall record. Time and time again, luck just didn’t seem to fall in North’s favor, with missed field goals and other close plays that made the difference.

“If you play long enough, you’re going to go through years like that where you think, ‘Man, this is kind of bad luck,” Craft said.

20 | Pigskin preview

| 2019

“Not everything goes your way, but for us as coaches, as adults, what a great lesson for these guys in their maturity and development to say, ‘Hey man, this is life. That’s what’s going to happen.’”

But as valuable as learning those lessons might be, they still can’t quite serve as a substitute for the thrill of victory. North hopes that after a year being unlucky, the pendulum can swing the other way. The Raiders will have plenty of talent this fall to help make that happen, but they will also look quite different with some new names in key positions.

Unlike previous seasons under Craft, the defense appears to be the strongest unit that North will trot out this year, with 12 players who started at least one game last year returning to that side of the ball. Senior linebacker Jack Tucker will be a key piece of that, coming back for his senior season after

2019 SCHEDULE

All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted Aug. 23 at Cherokee Aug. 30 vs Gainesville Sept. 6 at Northview Sept. 20 vs Kennesaw Mountain Sept. 27 vs Woodstock Oct. 11 at Forsyth Central* Oct. 18 at Lambert* Oct. 25 vs South Forsyth* Nov. 1 vs West Forsyth* Nov. 8 at Milton* *Region 5-7A game

2019 roster No.

1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Name

Peyton Wagner Garrett Achilles Tyler Cunningham Jared Lucero Jalavis Wilson Patrick Corrigan Tucker Hartsfield Nicky Dalmolin Drew Aucoin Tyler Hogan Brady Meitz Jumel Lewis Miles Hartsfield Austin Colon Elisha Samples Amari Ford Colin Blackwell Will Peltz Khai Russell Nick Ware Anthony Herock Trystan Davis Jacob Musulman Tristan Graham August Watkins Brandon Neely Giovanni Gomez Bentley Wheeler

Position

DB WR DB RB WR LB WR WR QB LB QB DB DB DB TE WR DB K DB WR TE DB DB RB RB DB DB DB

Year

Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. So.

leading North with 63 total tackles.

Sam Thompkins and Max Bryant will be impact players on the defensive line, and in the secondary, Tyler Cunningham, Miles Hartsfield and Austin Colon will look to make some of the plays the Raiders sorely needed last year.

“With coach (Chris) Wagner coming back to be the new defensive coordinator, our mindset is hard mouth football,” Hartsfield said. “We need more turnovers than we (had) last year and that’s what’s going to make us win those four-point games.”

On offense, it’s a much different story. North has just one returner there, but it’s a very important one: Duke commit Nicky Dalmolin, one of the county’s best wide receivers who totaled 514 yards on 47 catches last year. With the kind of talent and experience he brings, North will be looking to utilize Dalmolin in any way they can, and not just as a receiver.

“When you’ve got No. 9 on that side of the ball, you feel great,” Craft said. “That’s where it starts.”

At quarterback, the Raiders will turn to junior Brady Meitz, who will

No.

31 32 33 34 35 36 39 41 42 43 45 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

Name

Chris Dixon Jacob Durant Mike Benjamin Tucker Todd Cade Constable Zack McKinzie Thomas Howell Dylan Moody Matt Tucker Aaron Griffin Riley Smith Jack Tucker Kyle Hickman Greg Toll Noah Macias Dylan Lurie Carson Brown Max Bryant Chris Herock Dylan Lyerly Bryar Wareham Will Barton Grant Lively Justin Decker Josh Monroe JT Francis Eli Edwards Samuel Tompkins

Position

DB WR RB TE RB TE LB DB LB LB TE LB WR OL DL DL LB DL DL DL DL OL DL DL OL OL DL DL

be protected by a young and inexperienced offensive line. With all-new receivers and tailbacks around him, North’s offense may have some growing up to do, but the Raiders are excited to see what they’re capable of in game situations.

“We’ve had a lot of seniors in some areas on offense, and for us as a coaching staff, it’s exciting to see these guys who have really worked hard behind (starters),” Craft said.

“Now, here’s their chance. They’ve all earned the opportunity to go play.”

Throughout the offseason, the Raiders have focused on doing the work in the weight room and on the field to make sure that they can generate the extra plays they need. North has already turned the page on 2018, but hopes that the lessons it brought can help bring about the necessary push to get back to the playoffs.

“Last year was last year, and these guys certainly know what success is,” Craft said. “(They) know how to work towards success and they’ve done that for the last seven months in preparation for what August brings.”

Year

Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. So. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr.

No.

65 66 67 68 70 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 92

Name

Position

Zachary Allison OL Jonathan Rodriguez OL Eli Tompkins OL Preston Bennett OL Haris Mahmutovic DL Stiegel Brock OL Lukas Swygman OL Mason Butcher OL Austin Kimbarl OL Beau Meyers OL Justin Chavez OL Jacob Kenyon DL Caleb Crozier DB Joshua Sexton WR Jackson Rosebush WR Josh Grindle TE Cayce Aldridge DB Andrew Crozier DB Grayson Busse WR Aaron Redd TE Ben Ostaszewski TE Jonah Sexton TE Josh Swearingen K

Year

Sr. So. So. So. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. Jr.

THE COACH Robert Craft At North: 12-19, fourth season Overall: 61-40, 10th season

2018 results 3-7 overall, 1-4 Region 5-7A Cherokee 18, North 16 North 24, Gainesville 21 North 42, Northview 21 Kennesaw Mountain 48, North 47 Woodstock 38, North 21 Central 24, North 20* North 28, Lambert 14* South 35, North 34* West 35, North 14* Milton 49, North 23* *Region 5-7A game

TROPHY CASE First varsity season: 1994 Playoff appearances: 9 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017) Region titles: 1 (2001) State titles: none

2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 21

SOUTH FORSYTH WAR EAGLES

Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

With little time left and everything on the line, one kick through the uprights can be all it takes … just don’t miss. From left: Cameron Schurr, Colby Cruz, Keegan Toner and Jax Weaver.

War Eagles working to keep county’s longest playoff streak intact

By Cameron Adamczyk

For the Forsyth County News

The mark of a good football program can be measured in many ways. If you ask almost any coach what they would love to be, it is consistent, and South’s football program has been the image of consistency within the county.

The War Eagles’ head coach, Jeff Arnette, is entering his 10th season with the team, which makes him the longest tenured coach in Region 5-7A. Season after season, they churn out Division I level talent. They have been invited to the Corky Kell Classic twice, and they hold the county’s longest active state playoff streak.

South did not have its most impressive season 22 | Pigskin preview

| 2019

last year, though. They finished 5-6 overall with a 2-3 region record, but it was good enough to edge their way to another state playoff berth. Two of their region losses were tight games, but victories over North Forsyth and Lambert kept their streak alive.

Despite making the state playoffs, the firstround loss to Grayson that followed did not sit well with the team.

“We didn’t feel good about how last year ended,” said Arnette. “That just makes us want to get out on the field more. It fueled our offseason.”

This offseason’s burning question was who was going to replace 2018 starting quarterback Drew Morris, whose dual threat abilities fit the

2019 SCHEDULE All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted Aug. 23 vs Sprayberry Aug. 30 vs Blessed Trinity Sept. 6 at Etowah Sept. 13 at South Gwinnett Sept. 27 vs Hillgrove Oct. 11 vs Lambert* Oct. 18 at Milton* Oct. 25 at North Forsyth* Nov. 1 vs Forsyth Central* Nov. 8 at West Forsyth* *Region 5-7A game

2019 roster No.

Name

Position

Year

No.

Name

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Tre’von Green Mitch Thompson Julian Bolanos Nicky Pergolini Brandon Law Zach Fischer Colby Cruz Gavin Morris Jax Weaver Cameron Schurr Kyle Durham Alec Stephens Jyi’Qez Green Evan Bridges Cameron Cheeley William Geiling Joe Slott Austin Uidel Josh Pehrson Keegan Toner Josh Green Chase Calloway Bryce Connelly Brett Morlanne Peyton Ray Devin McGlockton

RB/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB TE/LB WR/DB QB RB/LB RB/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB QB WR/DB WR/DB FB/LB WR/DB WR/DB FB/LB RB/LB TE/LB TE/LB

Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr.

29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 38 40 41 42 43 44 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58

Matthew Meersman WR/DB Michael Bergin FB/LB Alex Han RB/LB Blaylen Lomax RB/DB Harrison Coleman TE/LB Jonathan Haas WR/LB Lee Troutman LB/RB Zach Romeo WR/DB Clay Walsh WR/DB Ian Diaz FB/LB Dylan Malissa FB/DL Preston Underwood TE/LB Matthew Daise FB/LB Cade Yeager FB/LB Tighe McGilvery WR/DB Mason Capers WR/DB Sam Appelbaum WR/DB Tabor Fleming OL/DL Ryan McClary OL/DL Bradley Hutcheson OL/DL Mason Cooper OL/DL Luke Sears OL/DL Ian O’Dowd OL/DL Allan Reyes OL/DL Taft Hilton OL/DL Thomas Butler OL/DL

mold that many South Forsyth quarterbacks have had throughout Arnette’s tenure. Morris threw for 1,155 yards and nine touchdowns while also running for 652 yards and seven touchdowns.

The quarterback question still largely remains unanswered, though. Arnette didn’t commit to naming a starter at this year’s Forsyth Sports Media Day, but senior Joe Slott and sophomore Kyle Durham are both vying for the job.

Another question mark heading into the season is the competition at running back. South’s offense has not been afraid to use multiple backs in the past, and this season could see something similar with Trey Green, Gavin Morris, and Brett Morlanne all having opportunities to try for the starting job.

One area of the offense that does not have a lot of questions is the receiving core. South has had some impressive wide receivers come through their program, most notably current Georgia Tech wide receiver Jalen Camp. But for Arnette, this group is different than any he’s seen before.

“We’ve had some good receivers, but we’ve never had this many this good,” said Arnette.

“We’re super fortunate there … The whole group is so much faster and stronger than they were last year, but I think the key to that receiving corps is the confidence that they’re showing.”

The returning group features three of their top yards leaders last season, Cameron Shurr,

Position

Year

No.

Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. Sr. So. So. So. Sr. Sr. So. So. So. So. So. Jr. So. Jr. So. So. So. Sr. Jr. Jr.

59 61

Position

Year

Brennan Hudson

OL/DL

So.

Anthony Adside

OL/DL

Jr.

62

James Watson

OL/DL

So.

63

Braden Beecher

OL/DL

Jr.

64

James Fehr

OL/DL

Sr.

65

Sean Donnelly

OL/DL

Jr.

69

Derek Newsome

OL/DL

Sr.

70

Bryce Myers

OL/DL

Jr.

71

Jack Sullivan

OL/DL

So.

72

Luke Hammond

OL/DL

So.

73

Ethan Patrick

OL/DL

Jr.

74

Nathaniel Tew

OL/DL

So.

77

Bryce Cockfield

OL/DL

Sr.

81

Cal Jacchia

TE/LB

So.

82

Justin Tyre

TE/DE

So.

84

Zach Hobson

WR/DB So.

85

Jonathan Ireland

TE/LB

Sr.

87

Shreyash Jha

TE/DB

Jr.

88

Ben Harvey

TE/DE

So.

98

Willan Botta

K

Sr.

Colby Cruz, and Mitch Thompson, amongst others. Schurr led the War Eagles with 315 yards and four touchdowns last year, while Cruz and Thompson racked up 304 and 212 yard, respectively.

An area of emphasis for every position on the field has been depth. South was riddled with injuries last season, and Arnette wants to make sure that the possibility of players being out doesn’t lower the ceiling on this team’s season.

“Our focus all offseason has been getting guys prepared, building depth,” Arnette said.

“Unfortunately things happen, and we lost a lot of kids last year to injury and I don’t feel like we were as prepared as we should have been.”

On the defensive side, South promoted Ross Walker to take over as defensive coordinator. Walker has been on staff for five seasons working as the special teams coordinator and defensive back coach. Both of South’s leading tacklers last season are gone, most notably defensive end Jamal Camp, who is now at Georgia Tech with his brother Jalen. The War Eagles will look to senior linebackers Jax Weaver and Keegan Toner to help fill the voids left in the defense.

South has proven time and again that they are a leader in the region. This season they enter with a lot of questions, but the War Eagles hope that just like they’ve done year after year, they can answer them.

Name

THE COACH Jeff Arnette At South: 57-41, 10th season Overall: 102-65-1, 17th season

2018 results 5-6 overall, 2-3 Region 5-7A South 26, Sprayberry 6 Blessed Trinity 35, South 6 South 36, Etowah 14 South 21, South Gwinnett 7 Hillgrove 36, South 14 South 27, Lambert 10* Milton 35, South 21* South 35, North 34* Central 26, South 21* West 24, South 14* Grayson 38, South 6** *Region 5-7A game ** GHSA Playoff game

TROPHY CASE First varsity season: 1991 Playoff appearances: 14 (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Region titles: 3 (1997, 2015, 2017) State titles: none

2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 23

West Forsyth

Football

2019

Go Pinecrest Paladins!

PINECREST ACADEMY PALADINS 2019 FOOTBALL SCHEdULE

“We see our teammates in class and around the halls constantly; therefore we have a chance to hold each other accountable in the classroom, on the field, and outside of school. This teaches us how to push each other and work together to accomplish our goals.”

- Tony Novo, Pinecrest Junior

8/16 9/6 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/11 10/18 10/25 11/1 11/8

Scrimmage @ Riverside Military Academy @ Fellowship Christian School Athens Christian School (Turf Field Ribbon Cutting) Whitefield Academy The Walker School @ Mount de Sales Academy @ Mount Pisgah Christian School @ St. Francis School Kings Ridge Christian School (Homecoming) @ Mount Paran Christian School Crossover Game (Senior Night)

955 Peachtree Parkway | Cumming, Georgia 30041 | pinecrestacademy.org

WEST FORSYTH WOLVERINES

Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

It’s loose! It’s not uncommon for a timely fumble or interception to spell a team’s triumph … or its demise. From left: Eli Orr, Jack Hughes, Dylan Fairchild and Blake Whitfield.

Wolverines looking to take next leap forward

By Ian Frazer

For the Forsyth County News

When Shawn Cahill heard nothing, that’s when he knew.

The West Forsyth football team had been assigned a gym to get dressed and prepared for their second-round state playoff game at North Gwinnett last year, and when Cahill walks into those pregame situations, he’s usually greeted with a cacophony of excited noise.

But this time there was silence.

“Right then I thought to myself, ‘It’s in their head, that this is North Gwinnett right now,’” Cahill said.

There are some programs that just happen to carry the kind of weight and reputation that precedes whatever they’ve actually got on the gridiron, and North Gwinnett is one of them, which was further proved by the Bulldogs’ 41-7 win that 26 | Pigskin preview

| 2019

night. West Forsyth, right now, is not.

But the Wolverines and Cahill, now in his third season leading the program, continue to press on towards that dream. They aren’t without significant holes and question marks due to graduation, but West also has the quantity of returning talent, especially on defense, to make them a threat to any region opponent this year.

On defense, the leadership and production will likely emanate from the linebacker spot. West returns its two leading tacklers from 2018 in Eli Orr and Jack Hughes, both seniors. Orr is the middle linebacker and the less spectacular player of the two, with just one tackle for loss last season, while Hughes had 12, including seven sacks and 10 quarterback hurries.

And while six graduated senior defensive linemen, including Lehigh signee Mikhari Sibblis, are out the door for the Wolverines, they do have one of the most intriguing unproven talents in

2019 SCHEDULE All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted Aug. 23 vs Camden County Aug. 30 at Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) Sept. 13 at Roswell Sept. 20 vs Peachtree Ridge Sept. 27 vs McCallie (Tenn.)

Oct. 11 vs Milton* Oct. 18 vs Forsyth Central* Oct. 25 at Lambert* Nov. 1 at North Forsyth* Nov. 8 vs South Forsyth* *Region 5-7A game

2019 roster No.

Name

Position

Year

No.

Name

Position

Year

No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Jay Hellstone Zack Webster Bryce Allen Oscar Delp Drew Southern Tiernan Pepple Casey Cowart Luke Nordin Matthew Wright Jack Hughes McCay Kirley Blake Whitfield Jonathan Garbacz Eli Orr Jacyn Harris Ashton Van Horn Dalton Tjong John Martin TJ Jennings Myles Blythe Kobe Haynes Ethan Adamson Rhett Williams Thomas Greschner Brandon Nyandoro Richie Mohr

LB RB DB WR QB RB WR LB DB LB LB QB QB LB DB QB DB WR WR DB LB DB ATH DB WR LS

So. So. So. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr.

27 28 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 42 43 44 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57

John Mark Harter Jake Lewis Tyler Norr Alex Alvarado Thomas Dickman Wesley Clark Daba Fofana Connor Reidy Orrin Adotevi Emi Gonzalez Garth Stewart Chris Nelson Ronnie Lopez Sam Skipper Kyle Peterson Hudson Posey Robert Bain Jocef-Diego Garza Alex Steele Dylan Fairchild Aiden Phillips Owen Swonger Trevor Comer Arad Yavarain John Leonard Ethan Casas

DB ATH LB RB ATH RB/LB RB DB DB RB DB LB LB DL DL LB LB LB OL DL/OL DL OL OL OL OL OL

Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. So. Jr.

58 59 60 61 62 67 71 72 74 77 78 81 82 84 85 87 91 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Dylan Fairchild, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound junior who’s experienced more high-profile success as a heavyweight wrestler so far. Fairchild was a rare sight last year, playing in five games and recording 12 tackles, but he picked up an offer from South Carolina this offseason, a sign of his vast potential.

“This year is really his time to step up,” Orr said. “He’s going to be seeing a lot of snaps on defense and offense, and it’s pretty fun having him in front of me on the d-line.

He takes up some space.”

The plan to have Fairchild on both offense and defense is part of a wider theme for how West uses its most talented players. The Wolverines did that last year with Sibblis, Stephon Bland, Abraham Camara and more, and they plan to do the same now with Fairchild, Orr, Hughes and advanced sophomores like Zach Webster and Oscar Delp.

The plan is to be strategic about it, though, putting play counts on those players on either side of the ball early on to try to limit fatigue. That isn’t the only way in which Cahill plans to be a bit more cautious and conservative. It was during a win, against Peachtree Ridge, that one of his main miscalculations became clear.

“I don’t think I did a very good job last year of taking care of our kids in the early

preseason,” Cahill said. “… Even though we won the game (against Peachtree Ridge), I felt like we were really tired, because we had gone through the summer knowing we were going to have this schedule in front of us and getting ready for Camden, getting ready for Hewitt and Roswell and everybody else … We were pushing hard with our kids to get them to try to get to this level of who we were going to play.”

So Cahill and his staff have taken a step back in practice intensity, and they’ll be working as much during the season as before it to keep their players fresher for when the region play — the games that really matter — start up.

And that relates back to the schedule, in a way. Part of the North Gwinnett loss came down to injuries and fatigue, which West is hoping to fix, but by continually sending the Wolverines against teams with cachet and history — Roswell, Camden County and the like — they hope to get to a point where doing so is academic. “(That) is one of the reasons we put that schedule together: So we can say, ‘Look, you’ve played a team just as good as this or better, and you played them right to the end,’” Cahill said. “So the name on the jersey of who we’re playing does not matter.”

Name

Position

Spencer Bovenizer DL Garrett Hickman DL Colin Lawrence ATH Joseph Reznikov OL Micah Bealer OL Max Freeman OL Austin Christian OL Jonathan Burr OL Walker Mull OL Will Slaughter OL Ethan Fairburn OL Lance Corcimiglia WR Mack Park TE Cooper Johnson TE Luke Heindl TE Cade Woodall TE Matt Anthony DL William McCallister DL Taylor Robinson K Alex Wilson DL Alex Valadez DL Dylan Ray DL Fernando Machuca K Jonathan Sanchez DL

Year

Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. Jr. So. Sr.

THE COACH Shawn Cahill At West: 13-10, third season Overall: 13-10, third season

2018 results 6-6 overall, 4-1 Region 5-7A Camden County 27, West 20 Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) 38, West 30 Roswell 21, West 17 West 28, Peachtree Ridge 7 McCallie (Tenn.) 31, West 14 Milton 41, West 0* West 39, Central 0* West 31, Lambert 16* West 35, North 14* West 24, South 14* West 35, Newton 3** North Gwinnett 41, West 7** *Region 5-7A game **GHSA Playoff game

TROPHY CASE First varsity season: 2008 Playoff appearances: 8 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Region titles: 1 (2012) State titles: none 2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 27

PINECREST ACADEMY PALADINS

Ben Hendren Forsyth County News

Football is hard work, so sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to take a breather. From left: Tony Novo, Bill Bear, Bryce Balthaser, Peter Haynes and Matthew Del Bazo.

New-look Paladins eyeing another year of improvement

By Cameron Adamczyk

For the Forsyth County News

Pinecrest Academy is not like the other football programs in the county.

They are the only 1A school, meaning their roster of players is shallow in numbers. They have a former NFL Pro Bowler leading their team, and they c o n s t a n t l y h ave t o a d a p t a r o u n d almost all of their players playing on both sides of the field.

What sets them apart also makes them one of the more intriguing teams to watch. When head coach Terance Mathis took over three seasons ago, Pinecrest was infamous for their triple

28 | Pigskin preview

| 2019

option style of play. Coming from the NFL, Mathis implemented his own style of offense, one that looks more familiar to that of the other county schools. The adjustment was difficult, as the Paladins went winless in their 2017 campaign. But last year, the adjustments began to look justified, as they finished 4-6 overall and 3-4 in their region.

But the things that set them apart also make it increasingly difficult to sustain success. Pinecrest only has around 30 players on their roster for the upcoming season. They have to replace quarterback Ryan Difazio and running back Patrick Sullivan, both of

2019 SCHEDULE All games 7:30 p.m. unless noted Sept. 6 at Fellowship Christian* Sept. 13 vs Athens Christian Sept. 20 vs Whitefield Academy* Sept. 27 vs Walker* Oct. 4 at Mount de Sales Oct. 11 at Mount Pisgah* Oct. 18 at St. Francis* Oct. 25 vs King’s Ridge* Nov. 1 at Mount Paran Christian* Nov. 8 Region 6-1A crossover *Region 5-7A game

2019 roster No.

Name

Position

Year

3 Bryce Balthaser QB/DB Jr. 5 Sean McCabe QB/DB Fr. 8 Colin Brown P/K/WR/D So. 10 Breckin Barbee DB/WR So. 11 Ethan Massey WR/DB Sr. 12 Lewis Diaz K/DB So. 15 Sawyer Huffstetler DB/WR Sr. 20 Max Austin DB/WR Sr. 21 Jackson McCray WR/DB Fr. 24 Nick Bohn LB/TE So. 25 Ryan Bartling RB/LB So. 28 John Stubbs TE/DE So. 30 Jay Black WR/DB So. 34 Zack Novo OL/DL So.

which were pivotal parts in making the transition from triple option to a spread style of play.

At quarterback, the Paladins will turn to junior Bryce Balthaser. He was the JV starter last season, giving him some experience playing in the offensive scheme. While he did get JV starts, it still remains to be seen how well he can transition into varsity competition. Mathis remains optimistic about their offensive outlook despite the inexperience. “(Balthaser is) really, really, really green at quarterback so we’re going to do some things differently to make sure he’s successful,” Mathis said.

“That’s one thing you learn from playing around all different levels and being around different coaches. You can have the best system out there, but if you don’t have the players to run that system, you’re not going to be successful.”

Similarly, junior Tony Novo takes over at tailback. Novo did not get many reps at the varsity level last season, but Mathis likes his talent and potential. On the defensive side of the ball, Pinecrest notably had Tim Lewis serve as their defensive coordinator in 2018. Lewis was another high-profile name with NFL experience that was added to the staff last season. Lewis played in the NFL himself, but he also served as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants for multiple seasons. Lewis left the staff for the 2019 season, but the effect he brought to the

No.

Name

Position

Year

41 Jesus Villareal LB/RB Jr. 42 Tony Novo RB/LB Jr. 44 Alex Jeffords RB/LB Jr. 50 Peter Haynes OL/DL Sr. 51 Michael Soukup OL/DL So. 52 Joey Kiernan OL/DL Sr. 55 Alex Massey OL/DL Jr. Tristan Vanderverran OL/DL So. 56 63 Matthew Del Bazo OL/DL Sr. 71 William Bradford OL/DL Jr. 75 Bill Bear OL/DL Sr. Christian Wesemeyer TE/DE So. 83

team can still be felt.

“Coach Lewis is very thorough,” Senior defensive back and receiver Sawyer Huffstetler said. “We’ll have a meeting on defense and we’ll only go over Cover 3 the whole time. And he goes exactly where every single person’s supposed to be standing, before the ball’s snapped, when the play’s happening and after. So all the stuff he’s taught us throughout the last year has really stuck with us.”

Pinecrest brings back their leading tackler from last season, Joey Kiernan.

He will be the obvious leader on the defensive side. With so many of Pinecrest’s defensive playmakers from last season graduated, Kiernan’s senior leadership will be paramount to finding success.

After last season, Mathis feels that Pinecrest has established a new culture. The coaching staff is filled with people who have played at the highest level. They have a system that feels more modern and dynamic. They bordered on the state playoffs last season, and seeing that three of their losses were within one possession, it’s clear that their expectations have also realigned.

“The standard has been set,” Mathis said. “We know what to expect. I feel like it’s not ‘Poor little Pinecrest’ anymore. I think people know what we’re going to bring every Friday night…

We have much respect for our opponents, but we don’t fear them.”

THE COACH Terance Mathis At Pinecrest: 5-16, third season Overall: 5-16, third season

2018 results 4-6 overall, 3-4 Region 6-1A Fellowship Christian 48, Pinecrest 30* Mount de Sales 21, Pinecrest 16 Pinecrest 33, Athens Christian 6 Whitefield Academy 20, Pinecrest 6* Pinecrest 37, Walker 30* Pinecrest 21, Mount Pisgah 10* St. Francis 20, Pinecrest 16* Pinecrest 21, King’s Ridge 12* Mount Paran 14, Pinecrest 7* Trion 40, Pinecrest 13 *Region 6-1A, Div. B game

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: none *GISA **GHSA

2019

| PIGSKIN PREVIEW | 29

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