ITG Next South Georgia October/November 2023 Magazine

Valdosta High Boys Basketball Team Ready to Roll Noel Dean Addresses ‘Toxic’ Tift County Situation:

‘This Is Nuts’

Dougherty Defender Maurice Davis Takes Care of Business On and Off Field

OCT/NOV 2023

Warner Robins vs. Northside 2023: Head Coaches Weigh in on Rivalry Game

ITG Next | 1

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Contributors Publisher Mark Dykes Editor Anna Limoges Copy Editors Phil Jones Anna Limoges Allen Allnoch Graphic Design Mandy Rodriguez Player Profile Photography Sean Perry Feature Photography Brandon Pham Sean Perry Jycobi Williams Andrea Heflin Feature Writers Phil Jones Advertising/Marketing Mark Dykes mark@itgnext.com

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Feature Stories 6

GHSA Welcomes NIL to Georgia High School Athletics

8

Warner Robins vs. Northside 2023: Head Coaches Weigh in on Rivalry Game

14

Dougherty Defender Maurice Davis Takes Care of Business On and Off Field

19

Heze Kent: Brunswick High’s Towering Titan

21

Valdosta High Boys Basketball Team Ready to Roll

25

Lowndes Softball Player Camden Anders Voted Georgia Female Athlete of the Month for October 2023

27

4 Questions With Crisp County Football Coach Lawrence Smith

30

4 Questions With Loren Maxwell of the Maxwell Ratings

35

Coach Mark Wilson Cures Bacon County Woes

39

Berrien Football Standout Josiah Davis Voted Georgia Male Athlete of the Month for October 2023

43

Noel Dean Addresses ‘Toxic’ Tift County Situation: ‘This Is Nuts’

Player Profile: 13 Dallas Brooks | Lowndes

GHSA Welcomes NIL to Georgia High School Athletics Written by: Phil Jones

6 | itgnext.com

Following the GHSA’s recent decision to allow Georgia high school student athletes to benefit monetarily from the use of their name, image, and likeness, many fans, coaches and others aligned with high school athletics have voiced their opinion, mostly against the new NIL rule benefitting the players.

To many, NIL will have a mostly negative effect on Georgia high school athletics and its student-athlete participants.

But in a recent interview with Dr. Robin Hines, the GHSA executive director contended that many of those fears and concerns are largely unfounded. And I couldn’t agree more.

Dr Hines told ITG Next that he and the GHSA did their due diligence in benchmarking against all other state associations that allow NIL deals with potential benefit available to their student-athletes.

“I’ve looked at every other state association’s rules and how they are doing things, so we went into this vote with a ton of information,” Hines said.

The GHSA executive director said everyone, whether they are a student or not, and whether they participate in athletics or not, owns their own name, image, and likeness, and has a right to benefit from that. Participation in athletics shouldn’t make a difference.

“It’s as simple as this,” Hine said. “The whole thing is based on the premise of everyone’s individual right to publicity, and there’s three things with regards to publicity, and that’s name, image, and likeness.

Hines did, however, acknowledge one major difference: “While every individual owns their own name, image and likeness, they do

not own the intellectual property of the state association, or the local school or school district, therefore there can be no mention of that individual’s school, their uniform, footage, etcetera.

It has to be independent of all that.”

The overwhelming attitude has been against NIL deals in high school athletics, and Hines said he believes there’s a good explanation for the opposition.

“When most people hear ‘NIL,’ they think of the NCAA and what that has become,” Hines said. “They didn’t deal with that for a long time, and it just became this thing that got bigger and bigger. It just happened to the NCAA, and they were finally forced to deal with it.”

In becoming the 31st state association to approve NIL, it’s clear the GHSA also decided to deal with it in Georgia high school athletics, but with a much more proactive approach than the NCAA, and with the benefit of seeing what has worked within other states’ NIL agreements.

Armed with that information, Hines and the GHSA have put into place several restrictions and precautions that should avoid many of the perceived pitfalls that many feel will occur with NIL. “Under our rules, you can’t be pictured in your uniform, or use footage from a game or practice, or any other mention of your school, mascot, period,” Hines said. “By having these guardrails in place, we feel that there won’t be a lot of problems. I don’t think it’s going to be as prevalent as a lot of people are making it out to be.”

I agree. I think the GHSA has approached this about as well as they could have. Let’s relax and let this play out.

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Warner Robins vs. Northside 2023: Head Coaches Weigh in on Rivalry Game Written by: Phil Jones | Photography by: ITG Next Archive

In one of the greatest rivalries in Georgia high school football, Northside Warner Robins and Warner Robins faced off for the 57th time in the series on September 1. Just when it looked as if Northside was going to end a six-game win streak by the Demons in the storied classic, Warner Robins stormed back with a second-half surge to win the rivalry game 39-35.

“Northside vs. Warner Robins is the best rivalry in the state,” Northside head coach 8 | itgnext.com

Ben Bailey told ITG Next following the game. “It just doesn't get any better than this game. It’s great for the fans, the players, and the community.”

Warner Robins head coach Shane Sams agreed: “This is such a special game, and this one in particular was definitely one to be at,” Sams said on the Wednesday after the game.

“There’s not many games like this anywhere in the country.”

Regardless of what happened in previous years between these

two programs, nothing really mattered going into this one.

Warner Robins and Northside entered the 2023 rivalry matchup with new head coaches who were hired in the offseason, and both coaches seemed well-prepared for the rivalry game.

“We told our kids to get ready for them,” Sams said. “Northside had gotten off to a great start to the season. We knew they were going to come in with a ton of momentum and it was not going to be easy, es-

pecially early on. And it wasn’t, so we kept reminding them to just ‘weather the storm.’”

Sams was right. It was Bailey’s Northside squad that came out of the locker room with a blazing fast start and seized control over Warner Robins in the first half of the rivalry game. They scored the first touchdown of the game to take an early lead, and despite a self-inflicted miscue, the Eagles were able to seize momentum in the first two quarters, taking a commanding 21-5 lead into the half

behind a balanced offensive game plan.

According to Bailey, everything was going just as his staff had drawn it up.

“We started just like we wanted to,” Bailey said. “We had a great game plan for their offense and actually held them to just three points.” (The other two points came on a safety that occurred against the Eagles’ punt team.)

Sams said he wasn’t at all surprised by what had transpired in the first half: “We knew it was going to be a challenge with them com-

ing in undefeated and playing well.”

Despite Sams’ team facing a deficit of more than two touchdowns, he felt the Demons were poised for a comeback.

“Even though we were down, I felt like physically we were winning the lines of scrimmage, and our defense was playing well,” he said. “It was just a few mistakes that had put us in a hole, and I felt like if we could correct those things, that we’d be OK.” There was also the proverbial “halftime adjustment” by Sams that would change the game. It was a QB change that Sams said the team had not necessarily planned for, but which he felt was necessary.

“Chase [Reece, the Demons’ starting QB]

came into the game a little banged up, and we could see that he was struggling a bit, so when we got the ball back late in the first half, we decided to put Judd into the game and see what happened,” Sams said.

Judd is Judd Anderson, a Miami commit who had just transferred to Warner Robins from Jones County earlier in the week. His play at the end of the first half was good enough to convince Sams to start him in the third quarter.

Anderson tossed a TD pass to Isiah Canion with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter for the Demons’ first points of the 2nd half. However, Northside would come right back less than a minute later with its own TD to go back up by 17 points, 28-11.

ITG Next | 9

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Bailey said the change in QBs forced his Northside defense to make some adjustments, too.

“When they brought in a new quarterback, that completely changed our game plan and what we were doing defensively,” the Northside coach said.

But, according to Sams, after Anderson threw an interception with less than 30 seconds left in the third quarter, his defense told their head coach not to worry.

“We threw that INT and we were down 2811, but my defensive guys came up to me and said, ‘Coach, don’t worry we got this,” Sams recalled.

The momentum changed completely when Warner Robins scored 21 points in just over a four-minute span at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter to take their first lead of the game.

Northside responded with a TD to regain the lead 35-32, but a late 80-yard drive by the Demons offense with Anderson at the controls led to a TD with less than 2 minutes remaining to give Warner Robins the comeback victory, 3935.

Bailey said he thought his team still had a chance to win it right up to the end.

“Even when they went up, our guys didn’t quit,” he said.

“We came right back with a TD, but then 10 | itgnext.com

they ended up scoring right there at the end of the game.”

Bailey said it was hard to find much of anything about his team that he wasn’t pleased with.

“For the most part I thought we played well,” Bailey said. “We made mistakes in the special teams game that cost us. There’s no hiding that.”

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Northside rivalry game highlights and behindthe-scenes video from both teams at ITG Next Georgia.

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PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS

Dougherty Defender Maurice Davis Takes Care of Business On and Off Field Written by: Phil Jones | Photography by: Brandon Pham

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Maurice Davis is good. The Dougherty High senior defensive end is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, and most of the notable recruiting services also have him rated as one of the top edge rushers in high school football. The 6-foot, 5-inch, 215-pound senior received offers from Ole Miss, Louisville, and South Florida, and he recently decided he would attend Mississippi following this season. He is projected to play outside linebacker at the collegiate level, according to Dougherty head coach Uyl Joyner.

Yes, Maurice Davis is a very good player for Dougherty. But Joyner said that wasn’t always the case. Joyner recalled a time before he joined the staff at the Albany school, when he was an assistant coach at Carver-Columbus and the Tigers were preparing to play the Trojans.

“We were getting ready to play against Dougherty, and Maurice was a 10th grader,” Joyner said of Davis. “We were watching film of Dougherty, and Maurice jumped out

at us. He was very raw, very wild, and playing without much focus and discipline. He was not playing the run very well, and he was trying to pass rush on every down.”

Joyner said he and his fellow Carver coaches decided to use the talented yet erratic young player’s weaknesses in their offensive game plan approach.

“We used that against him,” said Joyner.

Since then, Davis has worked hard on

improving the technical part of his game, which has made him a complete player two years later.

“Maurice has grown with his maturity, and he plays with a lot more discipline, but he did not lose that motor that makes him such a great player,” Joyner

said of the improvements Davis has made since that 10th-grade season. “Maurice and I were just talking about that, and joking about that [Carver]

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game. I told him how wild he was, but he’s not that same player. He’s much more well-rounded now.”

Davis has improved his game through hard work over these past two seasons. That work ethic, Joyner said, sets him apart from everyone else.

“Maurice is probably the hardest-working kid in our program,” Joyner said.

“You don’t have to worry about getting him ready. He gives it to you everyday.”

Davis has certainly given it his all every day for the past two seasons, along with

the first half of his senior season. Heading into the 2023 campaign, Davis had racked up 91 tackles, including 20 tackles for loss and 9 sacks.

He also had an interception. Through the first five games of this season, Davis had 5 sacks and 12 tackles, plus 3 pass

breakups. That gives him 14 sacks and 103 total tackles.

As good as Davis is on the field, his head coach said he also takes care of his business in the classroom, too.

“I used to always check behind him for his grades, then I began to realize that I don’t have to do that

every day now,” Joyner said. “Maurice is on

top of everything. He handles his business.”

ITG Next | 17

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Heze Kent:

Brunswick High’s Towering Titan Written by: Phil Jones | Photography by: Sean Perry

Brunswick head football coach Garrett Grady remembers the first time he saw Hezekiah Kent, also known as Heze.

“I first saw Heze in middle school, and it was on the basketball court,” Grady recalls. “I remember being very impressed with his athletic ability for such a big guy.”

Grady was hoping he would see this young middle schooler again, but on a football field. He got his wish.

“He came to one of our morning [football] workouts, and our coaching staff was in awe of him and how talented he was,” Grady says. “This big kid can really play. He’s really special.”

Kent, a sophomore, plays tight end for coach Grady’s Pirates. And at 6 feet, 6 inches tall and 265 pounds, he continues to play basketball, too.

“Heze can move his feet really well for a big guy, and he runs well,” Grady says. “He’s a very talented athlete.”

Kent enjoys basketball, but it’s football that is his primary sport, and the one that’s commanding tons of attention from college recruiters. Grady says Kent has attracted the attention of several major college programs, and he has more than 20 Division 1 offers in hand so far.

Despite Kent’s incredible talent and ability, Grady and the Pirates coaching staff have eased him into the lineup, as this is his first year of playing full-time.

“Last season as a freshman, we played him a few snaps as a tight end,” says Grady. “But his role within our program has continued to grow just as Heze has, so we have used him a lot more.”

Grady adds that Kent now plays “the majority of every snap on offense as well as our special teams, too.”

In addition to lining up as the team’s starting tight end, Kent is being used as a Wildcat quarterback in certain situations, and according to Grady, it has been very effective against defensive fronts.

“Opposing defenses get tired of trying to tackle a 6-foot, 6-inch, 270-pound quarternback,” Grady says.

So far this season, Kent has 34 carries for 244 yards and 2 TDs running out of the Wildcat formation. From his tight end spot, the tall talented sophomore has 9 catches for 156 yards receiving and 1 TD. His rushing average is 7.1 yards per carry and he is averaging 17.3 yards per catch.

But his head coach says the stats only tell part of the story of Kent’s contributions.

“Heze makes a huge impact in ways that you don’t necessarily measure,” Grady says. “His run blocking has been great, and just his presence when he’s on the field really gives opposing defenses another thing to worry about.”

Grady says the Pirates’ plans for Kent eventually include using him on defense.

“We are repping him on the defensive line during practice, but he hasn’t played in an actual game on defense,” Grady says. “It’s coming. We plan to play him on defense next season.”

Grady went on to compare his Brunswick standout to one of the state’s most dominant defensive linemen: “Heze is very comparable to Vic Burley,” Grady says, referring to the former Warner Robins defensive lineman and current Clemson Tigers defender.

It turns out that Heze comes from an athletic family, and they are tall, too. His mother, Octoria Williams, played basketball. His cousin is Camden County standout DE/TE Alysis Williams, who also is 6 feet, 6 inches, and weighs 265 pounds. Kent also has a sister who is a cheerleader at Glynn Academy.

Grady says it is a joy to simply be around a player and student like Heze.

“I’m just fortunate to have the opportunity to coach a young man like Heze Kent,” the Brunswick coach says.

ITG Next | 19

The Valdosta High School boys basketball team still has a few weeks until their season kicks off with a scrimmage against Houston County – followed by their inaugural Titletown Tip-Off Classic Tournament that will see Valdosta host the best of the best basketball talent in Georgia on Nov. 18 – but head coach James Lee wouldn’t mind one bit if the season started today. After listening to Lee describe the

talented team that will take the floor this year, you can understand the excitement from the ‘Cats boys head hoops coach.

“We have a lot of guys that can really create for themselves and for others too,” Lee said. “Our offense can really shoot it well and can work well with the pick-n-roll. Our offense is going to be very versatile this year, and that will be a transition from the style of team we have had the

last two seasons, when we were a defensive juggernaut.”

Lee said that his depth should provide the ‘Cats with an advantage, especially as the season turns from the traditional, non-region holiday schedule into region play.

“We plan to play 1011 guys every night, and every one of them can contribute,” Lee said.

Among the returning starters from last year will be Region 1-7A Defensive Player

of the Year Israel “Izzy” Jenrette.

“Israel led Georgia Class 7A in blocks last year with an average of 3.6 blocks per game and is blossoming into one of the best big men in the state,” Lee said of the 6-foot-10 senior.

According to Lee, Jenrette already has several Division I offers and will certainly be entertaining even more this season.

The floor leader for Valdosta will be junior

PG Jabari Williams. A First Team All-Region selection last season, Williams was also named Newcomer of the Year in Region 1-7A as a freshman.

Lee called Williams “one of the best point guards in the state.”

Guard Eric Love will be returning, and Lee said the sophomore is expected to make an impact with Valdosta this season.

“Prep Hoops has Eric ranked as one of the top sophomores in

Valdosta High Boys Basketball Team Ready to Roll Written by: Phil Jones Photography by: Sean Perry

ITG Next | 21

the state heading into the 2023-2024 season, and I feel like he’s gonna have a huge year for us,” Lee said.

Grant Jackson is a 6-foot-6 PF who Lee said is beginning to master all three key areas on the court.

“Grant shoots the 3 and rebounds really well and has become a very versatile defender,” Lee said.

Thomas University and Albany State have each shown quite a bit of interest in the senior.

David Albritton had an especially productive offseason, and Lee said he hopes that the 6-foot-4 combo guard takes that momentum gained this summer into his senior year.

“David led us in scoring this summer [in the SOWEGA Summer League], and I am looking for him to continue that this season,” Lee said.

Daylin Dixon is a former Wildcat who is coming home for his senior season. The SG left Valdosta following his freshman season and has attended Brookwood High School the past two seasons, but Lee said Dixon moved back with his family to Valdosta this summer.

“We are definitely happy to have him come back home for his senior season,” Lee said. “He’ll fit in nicely with our team.”

22 | itgnext.com

Rounding out the core of the ‘Cats lineup is senior guard Chase Holmes.

“Chase is a really smart guard who will give us some good minutes this season,” Lee said.

“Those are our top guys, but we have a lot of guys that will see the court this year. I am excited to get things started.”

Lee will be leading the Wildcats basketball program for the second straight season after taking over last season. He is in his 11th season as a basketball coach and joined the Valdosta basketball staff in 2018. He served as an assistant under former head coach Darrell Lockhardt for a season before taking over the team last season. Lee led the ‘Cats into the state playoffs as the No. 2 seed from Region 1-7A, taking them to the Class 7A Sweet 16, where they fell to Grayson.

ITG Next wishes Lee and the entire Valdosta boys basketball team the best during their upcoming season.

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Lowndes Softball Player Camden Anders Voted Georgia Female Athlete of the Month for October 2023 Written by: Phil Jones Photography by: Jycobi Williams

Congratulations to our October 2023 ITG Next Georgia Female Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance, Camden Anders. The Lowndes High softball player received the most votes to capture the award. Anders was one of four nominees chosen from hundreds of deserving athletes around the state for their outstanding performance, dedication, and impact to their team. The other nominees were Logan Wiley (Alpharetta volleyball), Bailey Bartlett (Oconee County volleyball), and Jada Savage (East Coweta softball).

Anders, a senior left-handed pitcher, has been a major force for head coach Stewart Thomas and the Vikettes. She joined Lowndes softball last season and is a major reason for the team’s success in 2022 and 2023. Last season, Anders helped Lowndes reach the Class 7A “Sweet 16” of the state playoffs, and she was an All Region 1-7A First Team selection as a junior. She topped off that stellar season by being selected to play in the GACA All-Star game as one of the top 40 juniors in the state, then committing to Georgia Tech, where she’ll attend school and continue her softball career at the collegiate level for the Yellow Jackets.

This season, Anders has been a big part of Lowndes’ 10-1 region record,

good enough for the region title and No. 1 seed heading into the state playoffs.

With one regular-season game remaining at the time of this writing, Lowndes is 18-6 overall and set to host a first-round playoff game with Archer.

Anders is a force both in the circle and at the plate for the Lowndes softball team.

She broke the school’s single-season record of 185 strikeouts, previously held by current Arkansas All-American Rylin Hedgecock. Anders has recorded 10 shutouts so far this year, including a no-hitter.

She has a 1.63 ERA and has allowed just a .182 batting average against (BAA).

At the plate, Anders is batting .507 with 5 HRs and 25 RBI. She has scored 9 runs and has walked 14 times in 83 plate appearances, with only 4 strikeouts.

In addition to her Lowndes career, Anders plays travel ball with the HotShots National ATL team, who she helped lead to championship finishes at PGF State, a fifthplace finish at the Triple Crown Nationals (Championship Bracket), and a top-10 finish at Atlanta Legacy Invitational.

“Camden has been a force to be reckoned with, within the circle and lineup for the last two years,” Thomas said. “She is a bulldog in the circle and believes that

she can get anyone out at any time. That confidence comes not only from her successes, but from the hours of work that she has poured into becoming a great pitcher. I am super proud of her and can’t wait to see what her future holds for her at Georgia Tech.”

Anders has a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the Lowndes High School Athletic Leadership Council and Committee.

Anders comes from a sports family. She is the daughter of Lowndes assistant football coach Ashley Anders and Sheri Anders, who were both college athletes at the University of Arkansas Monticello. Coach Anders played baseball, and Sheri was just inducted into the Mississippi Delta Sports Hall of Fame for her outstanding performance in basketball and softball at USM. Anders has a brother, Cade, who played high school football for Tift County and now plays collegiately at Duke. Her sister, Mary Alex, is a sports reporter for CBS and has worked at Sports Illustrated while also interning at the SEC Network.

ITG Next | 25

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4 Questions With Crisp County Football Coach Lawrence Smith

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Written by: Phil Jones | Photography by: Sean Perry

Crisp County head football coach Lawrence Smith is in his second season with the Cougars. Smith has an extensive football background as a player and a coach at the high school, collegiate, and professional level. He enjoyed a successful career as an offensive lineman at Tennessee State, which led him to a professional career. Coach Smith played for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe), and Nashville Kats (Arena League) before retiring.

Smith was part of the successful Cedar Grove High football program as offensive line coach and offensive coordinator after helping launch the football program at St. Francis High School and spending two seasons as head coach at that Fulton County school.

He has been at Crisp County for a total of three seasons, serving as the team’s offensive coordinator for a year before being promoted to head coach. We visited with Coach Smith prior to broadcasting the Cougars’ October 13 game against Carver Columbus.

Q: Coach Smith, thanks for joining us! First of all, we are excited about featuring the Cougars in our ITG Next Game of the Week. This will be our first look at your Crisp County football team, as well as Carver Columbus. What can we and fans watching the game expect from your team in terms of the type of offense and Candace Usry, FNP-C defense you run?

A: Defensively you can with S U expect R G I CtoAsee L us A play S S O C Ihigh A T enerE S gy, multiple fronts, and constantly attacking. Offensively, you can expect to see us in multiple formations and getting the ball to our playmakers in space. Lots of zone action, and deep shots when ne e to better serve you is at the heart of our general surgery services. available. eatment options in a large variety of surgery needs for children and adults.

Q: You guys are playing well, with a 4-3 record as we get ready for yourWITH game thisDAweek against Carver Columbus. They enter IC SURGERY THE VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM the game at 2-0 in the region, undefeated and on top of the reCordele • 229-273-9050 • www.CrispRegional.org gion standings. Your team is 3-3 with a 1-1 region mark, so this

SE TO HOME

is obviously a huge game – maybe the biggest for you since you took over as the Crisp County football coach. I asked earlier about your team; now I’d like to know about your opponent. What can your Cougars expect from Coach Pierre Coffey’s squad in this one, and how different are the teams from last year when they won this matchup?

A: Expect a really well-coached team with really good players who play to win. They have a good combination of size and speed on both sides of the ball. I think differences are this year they are playing at a higher level than they were at this time last year. I also feel like we are doing a lot of things better than this time last year, especially understanding our players better as a staff and our young men understanding their jobs and our expectations.

Q: Which players have emerged as team leaders for your Crisp County football team so far? Who will you be counting on this week and for each game the rest of the way?

A: RB/DB CJ Jones, LB Omarion Young, LB/RB KJ Merrell, and LB Marterius Glover have all been great leaders on and off the field for us this season.

Q: I’m always interested to know the impact and involvement head coaches have with the feeder programs that will eventually make up the varsity squad that plays under the Friday night lights.

How closely do you work with the middle school and junior varsity coaches?

A: That is something I make sure I am heavily involved in. Our JV team practices with our varsity daily. My wife, who is an educator at Crisp County Primary, and I are usually present at every home middle school game, as well as the youth feeder games that are local to the area. I want those young players and their parents to know they are the future of what this program will be.

ITG Next | 27

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4 Questions With Loren Maxwell of the Maxwell Ratings Written by: Phil Jones | Photo submitted by Loren Maxwell Photography by: Jycobi Williams and Grayson Lewis

Loren Maxwell is a freelance sports analyst and a columnist with the Atlanta Journal- Constitution, and you have more than likely seen and read his statistical breakdowns, projections, and rankings, known as the Maxwell Ratings, in the AJC and in Todd Holcomb’s newsletter, the Georgia High School Football Daily.

Loren is the creator of the Maxwell Ratings, which include preseason projections, as well as weekly projections; both appear in the AJC and GHSF Daily.

Loren also is the founder of the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, which offers historical data and information for games, players and teams in the state. He now manages similar historical sites dedicated to Arkansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee high school football.

Loren’s educational background includes an MBA from the University of Cincinnati and an MPA from Bowie State University. Let’s hear more about how 30 | itgnext.com

Loren uses the magic of statistical analysis and historical data to project how many games your favorite team could win this year, or if your team has any chance of winning its region and making the playoffs.

Q:

Loren, thanks so much for agreeing to

join us for this week’s 4 Questions segment.

While most people reading this have likely seen your Maxwell Ratings, can you tell us exactly what it means and what can the average fan take from the ratings?

A:

The Maxwell Ratings are the best mathematical explanation for what we see on the field after taking into account each team’s historical performance and their current season performance. The mathematical basis of the model, known as maximum likelihood, is a common approach taken in many other industries, such as the medical industry, busi-

ness operations, etc., and I've only adopted it for this purpose.

Each team is a variable in the model with a particular value (their rating), and each game is an equation in the model with a result (Team A score - Team B score = margin of victory). It’s possible to determine how likely that result is, given the ratings of the teams.

As games are played, the program calculates the likelihood of each outcome based on the current set of ratings, totals that likelihood for the entire season, and then adjusts the rating of each team up or down to increase that total likelihood. Once none of the ratings can be adjusted up or down to improve the total likelihood for the season, the maximum likelihood has been found and the ratings are finalized. This represents the best mathematical explanation for the season.

This can sometimes lead to counterintuitive results since many fans focus on the out-

come of a specific game or a small set of games, but the program has the advantage of considering all games at once when determining the rating for each team. However, a football game has many random events, so while the ratings may say a particular outcome is most likely, of course many other outcomes could occur.

Q:

Have you always had a love and interest in high school football, and how did the Maxwell Ratings idea originate exactly?

A:

Actually my main interest has always been college football, which I started to follow in the 1980s when I was a teenager. At that time I’d get USA Today and follow Jeff Sagarin’s college football ratings. However, I grew up in Athens and went to Clarke Central High School, and in the 1980s we had one of the premier football programs in the state, if not the nation. At the time the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published all the scores and schedules of the high school football

teams on Sunday, so the data was easily available, and so I started to play around with different ideas to emulate Sagarin’s ratings for Georgia high school football.

Today I’d be embarrassed by those early attempts at the ratings, but as I tried different things and got more educated in math, I eventually took several large steps toward the model I use now, which I would argue based on the college football ratings is superior to Sagarin’s, my childhood idol!

Q:

Let me switch over to the Georgia High

School Football Historians Association. How did that come about?

A:

I did a 22-year career in the Air Force and have lived in several different statesand in Europe. That’s mainly why my interest in Georgia high school football has varied, because most of that time was before the internet and I could not easily access information about what was going on in the state. I remember being surprised to find out Clarke Central had played in the 1992 state championship game about a year after it happened.

However by November 2003, the internet had started to make it somewhat possible to track current events and to also connect with others who had similar interests. So while I was stationed for the Air Force in New Jersey, I reached out to around 30 folks who were reporters or had websites centered on Georgia high school football and suggested creating the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

The response was largely positive and we built a good collection of people to help get the organizaITG Next | 31

tion off the ground. I cannot possibly present a comprehensive list of the many valuable contributors, but Bobby Hodges built our first website, which was instrumental in really establishing our presence.

Early on Todd Holcomb of the AJC did a large amount of the initial score entry, along with Becky Taylor, Steve Slay, Don Fendley, and Ira Kirkpatrick doing a huge amount of research on everything from the polls to the coaches to all-star games, etc.

Due to several deployments in the 2000s, I became largely uninvolved with the organization, and it’s a testament to the other volunteers that they were able to not just keep everything running, but make a huge amount of progress filling in the history of the state.

After I retired from active duty in 2012, Bobby turned the site over to me and I have been managing it ever since, to include adding Tennessee from Josh Easter’s former site, South Carolina from Dave Pickren’s former site, and Arkansas with the help of Rich Sanders. I also have plans to eventually add more states with the help of David Parker of the Alabama and Mississippi sites and anyone else who might step forward to assist.

32 | itgnext.com

Q:

The Maxwell Ratings is all about the data, and I love it, as do most fans of Georgia high school football.

However, I have always wanted to ask you about the fact that a team’s personnel, as in players lost to graduation, returning starters,etc., do not factor in at all in your preseason rankings. I find that interesting. Is that simply a factor not measurable in your current methodology?

Have you ever considered finding a way to perhaps include such critical information in future rankings?

A:

Factoring in a team’s personnel presents some significant challenges, not the least of which is the difficulty in getting that data, if it even exists, especially for lower-classification teams.

Additionally, if I had that data and were to factor in returning starters, then there would be additional questions to resolve, such as how I should treat a season-ending injury to a returning starter once the season begins or whether a backup is as good as the starter or whether the bench is two or three deep in certain positions, etc.

I think those questions at the high school level are largely unanswerable because of

the lack of data, and even if the data were available and were accounted for, I’m not convinced it would tell us significantly more than the historical performance of the team itself already does.

I could see a much stronger argument for factoring in coaches, which is easier to determine, and for many there would even be some historical data, but again, I’m not sure the return on the effort would be worth it above just using a team’s historical performance. However, the preseason ratings diminish fairly quickly in the model anyway, so that essentially by the fourth game its impact is almost non-existent.

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Coach Mark Wilson Cures Bacon County Woes Written by: Phil Jones | Photography by: Andrea Heflin

Following a 7-4 season in 2017, Bacon County football began a fiveyear slump that saw the team win just nine games from 2018-2022. The Red Raiders’ best record during that stretch was in 2020, when they finished 5-5. So, with Bacon County at 4-2 through the first six weeks of the 2023 campaign, you can understand why fans are excited about their football team again.

“The morale is better, the numbers are up, and the players have really bought in to a new way of doing things,” said Bacon County Touchdown Club president Heath Carver.

Carver credits second-year head coach Mark Wilson as the man responsible for the turnaround.

“Coach Wilson and his staff came in last season, and you could see the team starting to turn

the corner,” Carver said.

“The players' attitude and mindset began to change. He really implemented a blue-collar, workhorse mentality within the program, on the field and in the weight room, and it has made a huge difference.”

Following the 2021 season, Bacon County announced that it would seek a new head football coach, and Carver was part of the search committee that interviewed interested candidates. He says this search felt different compared to past efforts to find the right man for the job.

“The [Bacon County School District] administration had whittled it down to a handful of candidates, and during a weekend, each candidate had to go before several different committees,” Carver said. “I had never seen us do anything like ITG Next | 35

that before. They really did their due diligence with this search process.”

Without disclosing any specific candidates, Carver said the search process was thorough, and it attracted several well-known coaches who were interested in the Red Raiders position.

“There were some names, I’ll say that,” he acknowledged.

In the end, it was Wilson who was hired, and so far, it appears Bacon County has found the right guy.

Wilson has already led the Red Raiders to more wins than they had in the last two seasons combined. What has he done to get things turned around in Alma?

The coach said much of the credit should go to the players and the community itself.

“I always felt like this could be a good place,” Wilson told ITG Next.

“This community has been very supportive, and they take care of our kids.”

Wilson added that his message at Bacon County is a straightforward approach that includes a lot of hard work on the field and in the weight room.

“I’m old-school, and I believe in letting the kids know right up front that we are going to work ’em hard, but we’re going to love ’em, too,” he said.

“That’s the message my coaches and I try to get through to the kids, and they see it. They know where we need to be and where we need to get to.”

Carver and Wilson agree that Bacon County’s improvement starts on the defensive side of the ball.

“We are averaging right at 270 pounds across the defensive line, and they are all seniors,” said Wilson.

“That’s where we are 36 | itgnext.com

setting the tone, up front with those guys.”

That front four includes defensive tackle Terrell Edmond, who is the strongest player on the team, according to Wilson. The next level of the defense includes the team’s leading tackler, junior linebacker Aki Brown.

“Aki has long hair and reminds us of [former Pittsburgh Steeler] Troy Polamalu,” Carver said.

Wilson said the secondary is the least experienced unit on the defensive side: “We have some really young guys playing back there, and they have taken their lumps.”

Wilson’s offense is a “Shotgun Wing,” with junior Knox Ledbetter lined up at quarterback. The second-year starter has rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown, and he has completed almost half of his passes (18-of-34) for 267 yards and another score. The Red Raiders rushing attack features two junior RBs, Travion Richardson and DeAthony Green, who have combined for 963 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Bacon County’s remaining games are against Pelham, Brooks, and Irwin County. With the Red Raiders of old, that might have meant an 0-3 finish and a “wait ’til next year” air of resignation, but this year Irwin and Brooks are in a rebuilding mode, and Pelham is a game Bacon can win.

Indeed, this isn’t the same old Bacon County, and now the Red Raiders have the chance to prove it. According to Carver, the program has never won a region championship. Could this be the year they finally break through? This Bacon team sure seems to have the sizzle to get it done.

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Congratulations to our October 2023 ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance, Josiah Davis. The Berrien High football player was one of four nominees chosen for the award. The other deserving nominees were Reece Fountain (Rome), Favian Williford (Apalachee), and Jayreon “JJ” Campbell (McEachern). All received votes, but in the end it was the Berrien special teams standout who came away with the most votes and the award.

Davis is in his final season with the Rebels, and in addition to his football prowess, he also excels at basketball and track for Berrien. But it’s his football abilities that have attracted the attention of fans across the state and have resulted in him winning our Athlete of the Month award.

Davis has also attracted the attention of college recruiters everywhere, including Florida, where he is committed and is projected to play defensive back.

Davis turned heads last season when he returned with 7 kickoff returns for touchdowns out of only 12 chances. According to Berrien head coach Ken Eldridge, who has been coaching high school football for more than three decades, Davis is the best kickoff returner he’s ever coached, and that includes at least one really big name who played under Eldridge when he was the head coach at Coffee. Chances are you have heard of him.

“Joe is a better kickoff return man than Tyreek Hill,” Eldridge said of the former Trojans standout who has gone on to become one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, first with the Kansas City Chiefs and now with the Miami Dolphins.

Eldridge said Davis is not a one-dimensional player: “Josiah plays everywhere for us. He lines up at quarterback, running back, slot receiver, and on defense he plays safety and cornerback for us. Josiah is also our punter and is on our kickoff team [kicking to opponents].”

Eldridge said opponents no longer kick to Davis because of his reputation for being able to return kickoffs through a team of 11 players.

“Josiah has such great vision and sees the field as good as anyone,” the veteran coach said.

“It takes a special player to do what he has been able to accomplish with his kickoff returns.”

Davis has rushed 66 times for 404 yards and 8 TDs through his first 5 games of 2023. As the team's QB, he has completed 16 of 35 pass attempts for 2 TDs. He has no kickoff returns for TDs but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been effective.

“His teammates have three kickoff returns for TDs in our first five games,” Eldridge said. “So by not kicking to Josiah, that’s giving his teammates an opportunity to return kicks, and they are taking advantage of that.”

Berrien Football Standout Josiah Davis Voted Georgia Male Athlete of the Month for October 2023 Written by: Phil Jones Photo submitted by Josiah Davis

ITG Next | 39

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After serving the past two seasons as the Tift County head football coach, Noel Dean has decided that his third season will be his last. In a letter to the Tift County School District last week, Dean indicated that he would not seek to renew his contract, and that this would be his final season as the Blue Devils head coach.

Following the release of that letter, Dean appeared on his weekly ITG Next Georgia podcast, where he was candid about the events that led to his decision.

“It became appar-

ent to me that with some of the things that had gone on in our community in the last week and a half, I have some folks who had not expressed the truth on some things, and it was impacting my family,” Dean said during the podcast.

Dean was mostly referring to a petition, started by a handful of parents of Tift County players, that has circulated throughout the community, seeking signatures in support of removing Dean from his coaching duties.

“Things have become so confronta-

tional, that it has just got to the point where it’s so toxic,” Dean said.

Dean said that at the recent homecoming parade, there were insults and name calling directed at members of his family, namely his wife.

“My wife was yelled at and screamed at during the homecoming parade, and at the [ homecoming game that followed the parade against Florida’s Gadsden County],” Davis said, his frustration evident. “My wife is the sweetest and quietest person I know.”

Ironically, Tift County would win that game

Noel Dean Addresses ‘Toxic’ Tift County Situation: ‘This Is Nuts’ Written by: Phil Jones Photography by: Eric Vinson

ITG Next | 43

in a 17-0 shutout, the Blue Devils’ best performance of the season. But, according to Dean, the win did nothing to quiet his critics.

Instead, it seemed to make things worse.

“After the win Friday night, they just doubled down,” he said. “This is just nuts. My wife and I deserve better.”

The embattled coach has stated that he wants to finish out the season in support of his players, especially the seniors on the Tift roster.

“I didn’t want people thinking I’m resigning, because I’m not,” Dean said. “I’m simply not renewing my contract, because I want to finish out this season with these seniors.

When you love kids, as we have grown to love these kids, and have helped them get better with their academic success, I want to continue coaching them.

My focus is on finishing this season with these seniors. I decided to come to Tifton not because I needed a job but because I wanted to help these kids.”

Dean said that he didn’t see any other way to silence his critics than to leave, but that he wanted to do it on his terms.

“I’m trying to end the distractions for some that are coming after me, so I’ll go away, but I want to finish out what we started with these seniors,” he said.

44 | itgnext.com

When Dean was hired, Tift County had finished 5-15 in the previous two seasons (2019-20), including a combined 0-6 in region play. In his first season, Dean led Tift County to a 6-5 record, which included their first region victory in two seasons, a 20-14 win over Camden County. The Blue Devils finished as the No. 3 seed in Region 1-7A, which put them into the state playoffs, where they lost 28-14 at Marietta.

Last season, Tift County fell to 1-9 and was winless in region play. Through the first five games this season, Tift is 1-4, with region play beginning Friday night against Northside Warner Robins.

Dean hopes these final few weeks will bring some civility among Blue Devils fans and supporters, regardless of how they feel about the head coach.

“Maybe we can start acting like Jesus would want us to act, and just take care of and focus on these kids,” he said.

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