Friday Night Lights. West Georgia Woman Magazine 2022 Football Preview. by West Georgia Woman Magazine/Angel Media, LLC

football preview BOWDON •BREMEN CARROLLTON • CENTRAL HARALSON COUNTY • HEARD COUNTY HOLY GROUND • MOUNT ZION TEMPLE VILLA RICA • UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA Complimentary W West Georgia Woman Magazine TM FEATURING: 2022 WEST GEORGIA

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4 CONTENTS W West Georgia Woman Magazine TM 1822 Haralson County is hopeful to build off historic campaign this fall. 40 Villa Rica is rolling off one of its best seasons in over two decades. HIGH SCHOOL 1106 UWGTEMPLEMTHOLYHEARDHARALSONCENTRALCARROLLTONBREMENBOWDONCOUNTYCOUNTYGROUNDZION4336323027221814 COLLEGE AUGUST 2022 VOLUME 2 FALL FOOTBALL PREVIEW 02WGW SPORTS Call or email us today to advertise in our 2023 Spring Sports sales@westgeorgiawoman.com404.502.0251Preview! VILLA RICA40 Central Seeking Third Straight Postseason Berth

5 Finding our voice. Knowing our value. Making a difference. TM Volume 2 August 2022 WGW Sports: Fall Football Preview West Georgia Woman is a voice for and about the women (and, some times, men) who live, work and play in West Georgia. Our mission is to engage, inspire, and cultivate a cohesive community for all women in West Georgia by sharing our hopes, our dreams and ourThislives.magazine would not be pos sible without the inclusion of our ad vertisers. Please be sure to show your support by doing business with these VIP’s (very important partners) so we will be able to continue to share with you our stories about amazing West GeorgiaPleasewomen!besure to tell them we sent you! Inspiring women wanted. Do you know an interesting woman who should be on the cover of West Georgia Woman? Is there a special project or organization you would like us to feature in our magazine? Let us know! Email your suggestions to features@westgeorgiawoman.com. Share your special events. Send your upcoming events calendar@westgeorgiawoman.comto: Need to advertise? Email: Sales@westgeorgiawoman.com Call 404.502.0251 The views, opinions, positions or strat egies expressed by the contributing authors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Angel Media, LLC., West Georgia Woman magazine or any employee thereof. Angel Media, LLC. makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information in this publication and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Mail correspondence to: West Georgia Woman Magazine P.O. Box Carrollton,2782GA 30112 We welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact us: (404) Online:502-0251www.westgeorgiawoman.com Follow us! @WestGaWoman Need a copy? Get yours from our racks at Kroger, Publix, Smith Brothers Supply Compa ny, Southern Home and Ranch Center, Food Depot and 4 a.m. Coffee Roasters (Maple Street) and the Tanner Health System Medical Pavilion in Carrollton; Piggly Wiggly in Bowdon, Franklin and Tallapoosa; Thriftown in Bremen; Kro ger in Cedartown; The Little Giant Gro cery in Sargent; Fabiano’s Pizzaria, Leaf and Bean Coffee, Food Outlet (Temple Ave.) and Kroger (Bullsboro Drive and Newnan Crossings Blvd. locations) in Newnan; Tanner Health System's Villa Med and Villa West Office Buildings in Villa Rica; The Marathon in New Georgia; Kroger on Fairburn Road (Hospital Drive) and Highway 5 in Douglasville; Food Depot and Brickhouse Grille in LaGrange; Universal Fitness in Hiram; WM Grocery and Chuckwagon Steak house in Roanoke and WM Grocery in Wedowee, Al. We have them in larger quantities at Publix (Bullsbor ough Drive), Lee-King and Thompson pharmacies in Newnan, the Apothecary Shoppe in Douglasville and the Vitamin Shoppe in Hiram, Publix at Mirror Lake, CVS in Bowdon as well as hundreds of other retail locations and medical offices in 18 cities covering nine counties in West Georgia and East Alabama All submissions will be included as space is available. West Georgia Woman reserves the right to reject or edit any submissions that are not in compliance with our editorial policy. If you wish to have your submission returned, please include a self ad dressed stamped envelope along with your submission. West Georgia Woman is a monthly publication of Angel Media, LLC. All contents of this issue are copyright 2022. West Georgia Woman magazine, its logo and “Finding our voice. Know ing our value. Making a difference,” are trademarks of Angel Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Print or online reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Advertising Sales Sales@westgeorgiawoman.com Football Preview Editorial/ Editor Corey Cusick Football Preview Photographer and Graphic Design Zachary Zachary@westgeorgiawoman.comDailey Copy Editor Shala shala@westgeorgiawoman.comHainer Publisher/Editor Angela angela@westgeorgiawoman.comDailey This publication is dedicated in loving memory of Tristan Alexander Brooks May 15, 1993 – September 17, 2015

Red Devils Dialed In For Region 3-Peat

Bowdon, which will compete in Region 7-A of Class A’s Division II, is one of only three teams in the league – joined by Mount Zion and Christian Heritage – so everybody has already secured a state playoff berth prior to even kicking off the season.Before the Red Devils begin game-planning for late October/early November games, they’ll face a steady diet of quality competition when the sun is still beating down come kickoff, opening with back-to-back home dates against Manchester and Central and a rivalry rumble at Bremen on Sept. 2.

Bowdon returns key contributors from last year’s title squad The Bowdon High School football team will have quite the wait before it can officially begin its pursuit of a region title three-peat this fall, so the focus is to get as battle-tested as possible between now and then.

“It’s going to be a challenge because I think Manchester is a top-five team and Central is as talented as they’ve been in a long time. They’ve got a couple of Division I players. It’s going to be really tough on us,” Fendley said. “So we’re going to know early where we’re at.”

“Our expectation is to three-peat, go win another region title and host a playoff game and try to get into Game 13 somehow,” Fendley

11/0410/2810/2110/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/19

date Opponent vs. Manchester vs. Central at Bremen at Tattnall Square vs.OPENvs.atvs.atatOPENTempleSt.FrancisForestParkChristianHeritage*PikeLiberalArts(Ala.)MountZion*

Of course, there is plenty of business to attend to before any postseason talk can commence, and that takes off right from the get-go.

It all leads up to the final stretch of the regular season, where the No. 1 priority is getting a top seed and securing home-field advantage heading into the Fendleyplayoffs.noted that even though it’s a much smaller region this year, it doesn’t mean the other two teams are just going to roll over for the Red Devils.

*Indicates Region 7-A Division II contest

“The biggest thing with not having many (region) teams, it makes it hard to go out and find football games because your games end up being against top-10 teams or higher classification teams. That’s what we’ve got in front of us,” Fendley said. “Our biggest thing is can we get better all year and not get anybody hurt come Games 9, 10 and 11?”

In doing so, fifth-year Red Devil head coach Rich Fendley put together a formidable schedule for his veteran ballclub, which returns pretty much the entire line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, along with a four-year starter and Division I recruit at quarterback.

Needless to say, expectations are high in ‘The Friendly City’ for a potential deep run in the Division II Class A state playoffs in 2022.

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8 said. “With those expectations, our kids have to know that the last region title was won by the 2021 team. Not this football team right now. It’s a totally different dynamic group, a totally different family unit type of group. They have to figure out and establish who they are as a football team. Nothing is given to you. They’re going to have to go out and earn it. Those expectations are still the same. How we get there may be a little bit different.”

Returning to lead the charge offensively is senior and four-year starter Robert McNeal under center. The Division I recruit has enjoyed tremendous success through his first three years at Bowdon, but remains hungry for even bigger and better things in 2022.

“The game has gotten much slower for me. I’m used to it now. Being the No. 1 guy on the team means a lot. It holds a lot of accountability for myself to get these guys going and when they’re down, pick them up,” McNeal said. “I feel like that’s my responsibility, and I’m glad to be the guy to do it.”

Another form of leadership for Bowdon comes in the trenches, as it nearly has a return in full from a year ago with veterans such as Aiden Nunn, Asher Christopher, Mason Bailey, Quay Calloway, Adam Stone and Bhrett Wiggins, all back and bigger following a busy offseason in the weight“We’reroom.looking pretty good up front,” said Wiggins, who won a state thischampionshipweightliftingforBowdonpastspring.“Defensively, our secondary is flying around and, of course, we can hit pretty dadgum hard on the line. We have all seniors coming back, so we’re going to have a lot of fun Bailey is also fired up about what the Red Devils can achieve this fall, a season he’s been waiting for since he started playing football.

“I’m very excited about the team that we have out here. We’ve been busting our tails in the weight room and out here on the field, watching a ton of

And with the bond these guys have developed through the years , the Red Devils truly believe 2022 can be a special one. “It’s amazing. We’re a family out here and everybody's brothers. I know Friday night when I walk out on this field, I have my brothers’ back and I know they have mine,” Bailey said.

film to get ready for our opponents,” Bailey said. “We’ve got, what I would say, the best coaching staff in Georgia here. So we’re going to come to play every Friday night. We’ll be prepared and ready to Bowdon,go.”which reached the second round of the state playoffs last season, has aspirations to be one of the state title contenders in 2022. In order for that to happen, the Red Devils will have to remain resilient and ready for anything and everything that will be thrown their way.

“You know that adversity is going to hit over the course of a game, a season, and I would love to see us bounce back from it,” Bailey said. “There’s going to be a play where a receiver drops a touchdown pass or the O-line misses a block. We’ve just got to hit the reset button and go to the next play.”

WGW Bowdon Red Devils Roster No. 1 Kaiden Prothro No. 2 Dylan Atkins No. 3 Mason Daniel No. 4 Chris Wyatt No. 5 Berkley Perkins No. 6 Jackson Truitt No. 7 Luke Windom No. 8 Javarius Glen No. 9 Asher Christopher No. 10 Isaiah Lay No. 11 Robert McNeal No. 12 Will Rainwater No. 13 JaMichael Jones No. 14 Keilan Prothro No. 15 Cameron Holloway No. 16 Jack South No. 17 Zander Langley No. 18 Patrick Bright No. 19 Jacob Williams No. 21 Kentrez Lay No. 22 Luke Truitt No. 24 Jordan Beasley No. 25 Flow Anduaku No. 26 Landon Morgan No. 27 Leland Sprewell No. 28 Hayden Windom No. 29 Josiah Freeman No. 30 Jaylin Cook No. 31 Marcus Harper No. 32 Leyton Hernandez No. 34 Aaron Rodgers No. 35 Jaxson Jones No. 38 Eli Mays No. 40 Sawyer Smith No. 41 Sam Hart No. 42 Mason Lovvorn No. 43 Austin Crumbley No. 44 Jaxon Ledbetter No. 48 Brandon Jones No. 49 Hayden Bill No. 50 Skylar Young No. 51 Elijah Jones No. 52 Jackson Edwards No. 54 Quay Calloway No. 55 Trey Short No. 56 Austin Stephens No. 57 Mason Bailey No. 58 Stewart Powell No. 59 Brayden Swafford No. 60 George Walters No. 61 Adam Stone No. 62 Colby Wiggins No. 63 Phisher Perkins No. 64 Hunter Kendrick No. 65 Aiden Nunn No. 66 Daivon Houston No. 67 Jamerson Mercer No. 68 Jason Anariba No. 69 Brody Lee No. 70 Jesse Summerville No. 71 Mason Richie No. 72 Colby Stanford No. 73 Xavier Simmons No. 74 Alex Rubio No. 75 Blayton Marroquin No. 76 Bhrett Wiggins No. 77 Billy Bassett No. 78 Pressley Kidd No. 79 Kyle Keyser

carrollemc.com 770-832-3552

Bremen going big upon bump to AAA in 2022 my whole life. I always asked Coach Russell to let me run the ball and I was always told I was too fat. He came up to me this year and said, ‘You’re going to play some fullback. You better not mess it up,’”

Nothing To Sweatt For Blue Devils

“I’ve been an O-lineman my whole life. I always asked Coach Russell to let me run the ball and I was always told I was too fat. He came up to me this year and said, ‘You’re going to play some fullback. You

SweattUponrecalled.doinghis homework when it came to personnel and scheming up an offense for the 2022 brand of Blue Devil football, Russell kept coming back to the same conclusion, and it was officially confirmed following a morning of ‘Devil Games’ this past summer.“Wewere running pro shuttles, and (Sweatt) started whipping everybody. I mean, he was out-running our skill guys,” Russell said. “I called our offensive coordinator, coach Tim Hanegan, and our co-OC, Sam Robison, and I said, ‘One of y’all is going to love me for this and one of y’all is going to hate me. But I think Sweatt needs to play fullback.’”Oneofthe reasons Russell adopted this particular scheme vs. Haralson County at Coahulla Creek* contest

et’s just give the big fella the dadgum football.’ It may not be exactly word-for-word how Davis Russell officially coined one of the major offseason moves for the Bremen High School football team entering the 2022 campaign, but it is And the end result is the

Following an open date after the three nonregion contests, the Blue Devils begin the playoff push on Sept. 16 with a long road trip to Gordon Lee, while Ridgeland, Ringgold, LaFayette, Coahulla Creek, Adairsville and LFO round out the remaining region opponents.

seasonopenslinebacker.MIKESophomoreJonahHatchettandjuniorDylanHueywillstartatsafety.Brementhewithabang, rivals in a threeweek stretch, traveling to Franklin to face Heard County in the 2022 kickoff on Aug. 19, hosting Haralson County on Aug. 26 and rumbling with the Red Devils of Bowdon on Sept. 2 at Redding Field.

“Our quarterback is going to be a great player. He’s 15 years old. He’s a lefty who can throw a baseball 88 miles an hour. He’s a really good player. Going to be outstanding. In three years, he’s going to be the talk of this whole place,” Russell said.

“It’s always fun playing those guys because everyone comes and it’s a packed house every time,” Price said. “It’s just a great environment to play in.”

For the Blue Devil players, they couldn’t think of a better way to ramp up the energy upon opening a new season.

12 had to do with the Blue Devil offensive front, which primarily consists of smaller, quicker guys manning the line of scrimmage.

“It’s not that hard when you’ve got Cayden Sweatt to give the ball to. If you miss a read, you’re still probably getting five yards,” Price said. “You can’t go wrong with him getting the ball. I’m really thankful to have that Defensively,option.”theBlue Devils are deep in the secondary, while Pearson and Greenhaw will work the edges with Cam O’Neal and Sweatt on the D-line and Folsom at

Parr Folsom and Trent McPherson round out the Blue Devil backfield, along with Sweatt bringing his size and physicality to the group.

Coming off a frustrating 5-6 finish last year –marking the first sub-.500 season for Russell at Bremen – the Blue Devils got back to the basics

“He’s going to be our next Division I player and next Division I offensive lineman, in my opinion,” Russell said. “He’s going to be a phenomenal player.”Under center, Bremen is handing signal-caller duties to another sophomore, Aiden Price, a star southpaw hurler for the Blue Devil baseball team during the spring.

Under the GHSA’s latest reclassification cycle, Bremen is moving back up to Class AAA this fall and landed in Region 6-AAA, an eight-team field composed of north Georgia programs.

Bremen is expected to feature returnees Evan Brown, Barrett Greenhaw, and Doc Pearson on the O-line, along with newcomers Logan Mann and Watson Hembry at the guard slots.

“You’re talking about three really good teams, three really big rivals, three really big stages. I mean, it’s going to be a packed house and huge games,” Russell said. “And we’ve got a lot of kids without a ton of experience. So throwing them into that early on, I think that’s going to help them be ready come time to make that playoff push.”

Price, who emerged as the top candidate for the starting quarterback position over the summer, is confident the offense will be clicking on all cylinders as the season gets into swing.

An up-and-comer that Russell really raves about is center Cole Norred, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound sophomore who has the potential to become one of the top linemen across the entire area.

The Blue Devil seniors certainly want to bounce back in a major way this fall, and this group is confident it can get the job done.

13 this offseason and built back that brotherly bond that it takes to be successful.

“Our team is really tough this year. We’ve got the chemistry. I’ve grown up with these guys my whole life. They’re my best friends. I think this is the year,” Sweatt said. WGW Bremen Blue Devils Roster

“We hit the reset button in February. People think when you have a bad football season you do more football. We did less,” Russell said. “We started focusing on being great teammates, being great people, being great leaders, being great workers or being uncommon. That’s our thing this year. We’re going to be uncommon. We’re going to be real with one another. This is the most fun summer I’ve ever been a part of. This team is an ultimate team, and that’s what we’ve always won with at Bremen. We’ve won with tough, hard-nosed kids who get after it and don’t want to let their teammates down. We got away from that in some spots, and we’re not going to let that happen again.”

No. 1 Aiden Price No. 1 Adam Chapman No. 2 Dylan Huey No. 3 Wyatt Mathis-Kline No. 4 Brody Barrow No. 5 Jaishaun Jones No. 6 Parr Folsom No. 7 Carson Kimball No. 8 Andrew Muldoon No. 9 Cam O’Neal No. 10 Justin Faulkner No. 11 Owen Millans No. 12 AJ Sanders No. 13 Zach Burns No. 14 Ayden Haney No. 15 Rhett Pearson No. 16 Kaden Wigley No. 17 Micah Harper No. 18 Chase Palmer No. 19 Luke Bridges No. 20 Jamal Stevenson No. 21 Peyton Messer No. 22 Trent McPherson No. 23 Deese Miller No. 24 Zyler Crane No. 25 Cole Pruitt No. 26 Brayden Overbey No. 27 Cayden Sweatt No. 28 Thomas Mann No. 29 Eli Karr No. 30 Taylor Henderson No. 31 Dee Patterson No. 32 Ryder Hanes No. 33 Jonah Hatchett No. 34 Canton Thompson No. 35 Barrett Greenhaw No. 36 Lanier Aldridge No. 38 Mitchell Perren No. 39 Xander Rojo No. 40 Kane Williams No. 47 Chris Nixon No. 48 Conlan Braun No. 50 Evan Brown No. 51 Blake Wiggins No. 52 Brady Degenova No. 53 Logan Mann No. 54 Justin Eleton No. 55 Landon Olivares No. 56 Doc Pearson No. 57 Turner Greenhaw No. 58 Watson Hembree No. 59 Shepherd Hodge No. 60 Luke Clayton No. 61 Zeke Haney No. 63 Grant Waldo No. 65 Cole Norred No. 67 Landon Parker No. 68 Jagger Patterson No. 70 Conner Rayburn No. 71 Ben Causey No. 75 Gavin Queen No. 76 Jack Bearden No. 77 Landon Boyd No. 78 Kohlton Henderson No. 81 Nate Armas No. 85 Samuel Skinner No. 88 Russell Tolleson www.daileylifephoto.wordpress.com Life is Beautiful, Let’s Capture it. @DaileyLifePhotography 404.444.9072 Dailey PhotographyLife Scheduledaileylifephotography@gmail.comyourseniorportraitphotosessiontoday! Zachary Dailey, photographer for West Georgia Woman Magazine

“It’s just about priority. About what’s important. For us, it’s learning what it means to be a champion and trying to be a champion every day,” King said. “Champions don’t get distracted by noise and chatter and senseless talk. Our goal is to go 1-0 each day, whether that’s in the classroom, weight room, on the practice field. We’re just going to focus on the things that we can control.”

“He’s been able to establish everything he wants to establish, and that’s what I think is making us stronger,” noted senior wideout Takare Lipscomb, who committed to Arkansas State in early August.

second year leading the Carrollton program, King has been able to lay the foundation to where it’s all about taking the next step up. The Trojan players have taken notice.

Trojans Embracing The Expectations 11/0410/2810/2110/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/19 date Opponent at Gadsden City (Ala.) at South Paulding vs. Rome at Villa Rica vs. Jenkins vs. OPENvs.atatvs.OPENHillgroveEastCoweta*Pebblebrook*Westlake*Campbell* *Indicates Region 2-AAAAAAA contest Carrollton not allowing outside noise to be a factor this fall

ne year removed from a trip to the state semifinals, coupled with one of the most anticipated quarterback debuts in program history, has the energy level booming in and around Grisham Stadium entering the 2022 campaign.

And what King and Co. can control is handling their business as best as possible since the end of lastNowseason.inhis

“Last year, we were all learning the playbook, and this year, we’ve got it down pat. Everyone has everything down pat and we’re ready to keep it rolling.”Lipscomb is one of several weapons in the Trojan arsenal this fall, joined by fellow play-makers Bryce Hicks, Kiyun Cofer, Jordan White, Seth Childers, Caleb Odom, Jake Thompson and Jamun Evans, amongHicksothers.proved to be an all-around asset for the Carrollton offense last season, and King is looking for even more ways to utilize his skill set during his junior season.“Bryce is probably our best football player right now,” King said. “He can play slot receiver, running back, corner, safety, nickel. It doesn’t matter where

The Carrollton High School football team is making the climb to the highest classification in the GHSA as a AAAAAAA program this fall, and it does so with second-year head coach Joey King unveiling the No. 1-ranked quarterback in the nation for the Class of 2026 in freshman phenom Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis.Sowhile this has created a tremendous amount of hype – both locally and beyond – King noted that the Trojan coaching staff has remained focused on the task at hand and isn’t going to allow any outside noise get in the way of the ultimate goal.

But Lewis takes it all in stride, and is simply focused on finally hitting the field as a high-schooler and the opportunity to help lead his team to a state

“Of course, it’s in my head because of all the hype or whatever. But at the end of the day, I’m just going to be the best that I can be,” Lewis said. “I’m never

ST W U S TROJAN ATHLETICS

And, of course, then there’s Lewis. His ability and maturity speaks for itself, as the national spotlight hasn’t slowed his incredible rise –racking up Under Armour and Adidas All-American and National Player of the Year accolades last year

Already receiving offers from a slew of elite collegiate programs – including Georgia and Alabama – the attention and pressure could become overwhelming for most high school freshmen.

On the line of scrimmage, Rodriguez Sims will serve as a focal point for the Trojan front, and he’s ready to make his senior season last as long as “It’s really special to try to lead this team to where we want to go,” Sims said. “It’s amazing how quick it flies by. But now I’m here as a leader with this team, and we’re locked in for the long haul.”

64 Byron

Carrollton Trojans Roster No. 1 Kelvin Hill No. 2 Takare Lipscomb No. 3 Bryce Hicks No. 4 Myles Butler No. 4 Malik Kemp No. 5 Jadyn Thompson No. 6 Montreze Smith

37 Jamie Henderson

On the other side of the ball, the Trojan linebackers are expected to serve as the strength of the defense in 2022, fueled by seniors Myles Butler and Michael Braden and juniors Brodie Bradburn and Montreze Smith.Inthe secondary, juniors Kelvin Hill and Keshun Johnson, along with sophomore Marshun Horton, are centerpieces with senior Jay Farmer anchoring the defensive line.

Kendrick

30 Jamun Evans

12 Montrique Glenn

29 Tucker Waldrop

68 Jabari

23 Kameron McClure No. 24 Zion Cooley

16 Maddox Monsour

So even though he’s just a freshman, King and the Trojan coaches are throwing quite a bit at the young gun-slinger and seeing what sticks.

14 Jacambi Bailey

69 Antwon

45 Jay Farmer

34 Xavier Powell

11 Marshun Horton

15 Seth Childers

25 Jace Black

43 Malachi Kemp

44 Landon Wolf

61 Andrew

78 Godgift

31 Tim Mullins

32 Brodie Bradburn

“With Trevor, there’s nothing that I could have done that could have prepared me for all that we went through together, just from the attention and juggling schedules and all that kind of stuff. I definitely think it helped, coaching the No. 1 prospect in the country, the No. 1 draft pick,” King said.“A lot has happened at a quicker pace for Julian

19 Ryan Mosley

Entering their first season in the state’s highest classification, the Trojans have their work cut out for them, and they expect to be battle-tested early and often by the time they reach Region 2-AAAAAAA action.Carrollton hits the road for a border battle at Gadsden City (Ala.) in the 2022 kickoff on Aug. 19, followed by a road trip to South Paulding and the No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Miles No. Wren No. Jaiden Hamilton No. Walker No. No. Lee No. RJ Sizemore No. Kason Christian No. Jones No. Ayers No. Javin Walton No. Nelson No. Vaughan No. Dumas No. Mateo Wells No. Caleb Walton No. Dudley No. 79 Johnson No. 80 Matthew Butler No. 81 Lonnie Parker No. 82 Connor Stephens No. 83 Javez Allen No. 84 Jacob Russell No. 86 Ben Parker No. 87 Jordan White No. 89 Glenn-Reece Ellison No. 93 Christian Kelley No. 94 Jabari Elder No. 96 Robert Salhab No. 97 Jacob Ricks No. 98 Jordan Carter No. 99 Marcus Cirius too worried about it.” King is no stranger to coaching high-profile prep quarterbacks, as he and Trevor Lawrence enjoyed quite the run during their time together at Cartersville.Thefuture national champion at Clemson and No. 1 selection in the 2021 NFL Draft guided the Purple Hurricanes to back-to-back 15-0, state championship seasons under King’s watch, which proved to be an eye-opening experience for both coach and player.

62 Brantley Colquitt

48 Zaylen Cruyer No. 49 Jamir Russell No. 51 Jacob Levy No. 52 Zykie Helton

73 Joshua

40 Sebastian Vargas

53 Enrique Diaz-Colo No.rado54 Malykie Vickvers

13 Caleb Odom

7 Kiyun Cofer

22 Nathan Bhony

39 Kadan Spratling

74 Julius

“From a talent standpoint, he’s head and shoulders above most people in his classification. And then the thing about him, he’s cerebral, too,” King said. “He hasn’t had a problem with anything we’ve tried to do. He gets it, he understands it.”

46 Freddy Perez

“The biggest thing is we want relentless pursuit to the ball,” King said. “I think we’re going to be faster defensively than we were last year – up front and on the perimeter.”

58 Nick

21 Quin Ackey

10 Julian Lewis

8 Michael Braden No. 9 Keshun Johnson

71 Luke

38 Jay Hagan

55 Rodriguez Sims

36 Kameron Thornton

27 Andrew Albertus

35 Antonio Cromartie

than it did with him. That’s a tribute to social media presence that’s picked up over the years. They’ve been seeing him play ball since he was little. But it’s definitely prepared us, and something they value in our relationship is that I’ve been through that fire before and can kind of guide him along the way.”

56 Tarrell

home opener on Sept. 2 against Rome. The Trojans trek to local rival Villa Rica in Week 4 and wrap up the non-region schedule with back-to-back home dates against Jenkins and Hillgrove.

“We want to win a state championship each and every year. That’s going to be our goal,” King said. “They haven’t done it since 1998, so we’re still going to talk about it, fight for it. One of the things the offseason has done, it’s allowed those roots to grow deeper and stronger. One of the things you do when you come in and take a new job, you try to get that culture that you want. Our kids have done a phenomenal job of embracing it Year 1 and really growing in the confines of Year 2.”

WGW

It all leads up to a league slate that features East Coweta, Pebblebrook, Westlake and Campbell.Alleyes will be on a region title in 2022, and from there it’s the same postseason pursuit as every year for the Black and Gold.

“There’s some juggernauts on that thing. Gadsden City is going to be tough. It gives us an opportunity to travel to another state and play. They’re big up front and have some really talented athletes on the back end,” King said. “Then we still play Rome, still play South Paulding. Those were two teams we were in a three-way tie with for a region championship last year. It’s not slouches out there.”

ollowing back-to-back state playoff appearances, the Central High School football team enters a new league landscape in 2022, but the goal remains the same.

The Lions also bring back junior quarterback Devan Powell, who earned his stripes starting as an underclassmen last fall.

“He’s a year older, so, obviously, you feel like he’s going to have a better year. Not that last year was a bad year, by any means. But when you’re a sophomore starting quarterback, it’s different,” Smiley said. “He’s got a lot of weapons, and it’s going to be our job to help him navigate through that and try to get these guys the football and keep it in Devan’s hands, too. He’s got big-play capability, just like all of these guys … Devan’s going to be a big piece to the puzzle, and I think he’s going to have a breakout year this year.”

The Lions did receive some difficult news upon learning that running back Cam Bolton is likely out for the season due to a knee injury, leaving the workload for the trio of junior Ty Brewer, sophomore Josh Johnson and freshman Jonaz Walton in the backfield, as Walton brings his electric speed and play-making ability up to the varsity level this fall while Brewer is more of the bruiser of the three, and Johnson can do a little of both for the Lion attack.

“That says a lot when you’ve got guys who have been in the thick of things. They’ve experienced Friday nights. They’ve experienced the highs, experienced the lows,” Smiley said. “So I expect this group to know how to navigate through that this upcoming season and win a close ballgame that we probably should have won last Central,year.”which finished in fourth place in Region 7-AAAA last season, will also receive a boost by the return of senior standout Kameron Edge, as the senior linebacker/receiver and Division I recruit is back and healthy for 2022.

Central Seeking Third Straight Postseason Berth

Not only does sixth-year Lion head coach Darius Smiley and Co. expect to be one of the four teams still standing from Region 7-AAAA come November, but they want to be in the hunt for a league crown and opportunity to host in the postseason.Andwith 19 returning starters in the fold – 9 on offense and 10 on defense – it should go a long way toward Central having an opportunity to reach those aspirations.

Defensively, the personnel shouldn’t look much different for the Lions in 2022, but the coaches

Lions Locked In For Playoff Push 11/0410/2810/2110/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/19 date Opponent vs. Redan at Bowdon at OPENvs.atOPENvs.vs.HamptonMcIntoshNorthgateCedartown*Sonoraville* at Southeast Whitfield* vs. Northwest Witfield* vs. Heritage* *Indicates Region 7-AAAA contest

This cage is my home

Central returns just two coaches on the defensive side of the ball from the previous year, as the most notable shake-up stems from former Lion defensive coordinator Cory Nix taking the head coaching job at Temple this offseason.

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“These guys haven’t shied away from anything or any opponent, and I think that says a lot about their confidence in themselves, their teammates and us as coaches and what we’re trying to do,” Smiley said.

barking out instructions from the sidelines will nearly be a complete overhaul.

Through their summer sessions and 7-on-7 workouts, the Lions gained confidence during the offseason upon competing against some of the premier programs in the Peach State.

The Lions promoted former Central Middle School head coach Nathan Horsley to defensive coordinator and brought in former Bowdon High School defensive coordinator Ty Runels to serve as outside linebackers coach as two of the major offseason moves.

“With everything we’ve done this summer, we feel really confident about this team,” Swain said.

Please contact Cowens@carrollcountyga.com for more information.

The defense is expected to once again be led by senior safety Vicari Swain, along with Edge and Brewer at linebacker, and senior defensive end JuliuzSwain,Walton.who announced his verbal commitment to the University of South Carolina on Aug. 12, feels the defense – and entire team – is ready to take the next step up this fall and make Lion Valley proud.

20 LEARN MORE to EARN MORE! www.westgatech.edu As set forth in its student catalog, West Georgia Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, genetic information, disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam Era, or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law) The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non discrimination policies: Equity (Title IX) Coordinator, Dean of Students, 770 537 5722, 176 Murphy Campus Blvd., Waco, GA 30182. ADA (Section 504) coordinator is V.P. of Administrative Services, 678.664.0533, 401 Adamson Square, Carrollton, GA 30117. 50+tways o 50+K

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Central has its first open date of the season prior to getting into the region grind, kicking off the 7-AAAA slate at two-time defending region champion Cedartown, which reached the state quarterfinals last season, on Sept. 30. The remainder of the league consists of Sonoraville, Southeast Whitfield, Northwest Whitfield and Heritage.

“We’ve had a great summer and guys are buying into what we’re trying to do. I feel very confident about this group.” WGW

21 Central Lions Roster No. 1 Devan Powell No. 2 Cameron Bolton No. 2 JR Harris No. 3 Kameron Edge No. 4 Vicari Swain No. 5 Jonaz Walton No. 6 Luke Worley No. 7 Andrew Sheffield No. 8 Isaiah McMichael No. 9 Josh Johnson No. 10 Jonah Wilson No. 11 Zyleigh Person No. 12 Griffin Bass No. 13 Aiden Relthford No. 14 Rhett Nelson No. 15 David Irby No. 16 Wil Morris No. 17 Dylan McKnight No. 18 Jarell Long No. 19 Ty Murray No. 20 Juliuz Walton No. 21 Ty Brewer No. 22 Zaylend Person No. 23 De’Carlos Williams No. 24 Antravian Thomas No. 25 Manny Palmer No. 26 Avery Tanner No. 27 Cade Morehead No. 28 Nate Horsley No. 29 Atticus Rooks No. 30 Maddox Lanier No. 31 Jayelen White No. 32 NaZell Mitchell No. 33 Cameron Cochran No. 35 Logan Birdsley No. 37 Owen Gordon No. 38 Eric Moore No. 39 Karious Evans No. 40 Tyson Rochester No. 41 Jayden Brooks No. 42 Jasiah North No. 43 Micah Lachance No. 44 Tyler Rochester No. 45 Keelan Harris No. 46 Jesse Shope No. 47 Cameron Johnson No. 48 Levi Irby No. 49 Jerry Chandler No. 50 Mason Shoemake No. 51 Kampris Bailey No. 52 Mason Richardson No. 53 Landon Lohr No. 54 Cole Williams No. 55 Eli Summerville No. 56 Jayden Thomasson No. 57 Jacob Wilburn No. 58 Everett Fitts No. 60 Cameron Noland No. 62 Malaki Massey No. 63 Spencer Barr No. 64 Gavyn Seay No. 66 Logan Paschal No. 67 Ben Smith No. 68 Aaron Carena No. 69 Caiden Kitchings No. 70 Ben Hobbs No. 71 Damon Finley No. 72 Hayden Gammon No. 74 Andres Garcia No. 75 Tray Hodges No. 76 Jonathan Watts No. 77 Kameron More No.head78 Cody Dukes No. 81 Aaron Randall No. 82 Andrew Walker No. 83 Jai Delaney No. 84 Braidyn Hutcheson No. 85 Chandler Morris No. 86 Melvin Johnson No. 87 Joseph Spooner No. 88 Walker Altman No. 90 Jaleel Heard No. 97 Cole Burns No. 99 Rafael Guevara

Juliuz Walton echoed that sentiment, noting how he’s hopeful the summer will serve as a springboard into a prosperous fall campaign. “We feel strong about the practices been doing over the summer. We’ve been playing against all these AAAAAA schools, competing in team camps and 7-on-7s. It really showed us who we could be,” Juliuz Walton said.

“We tried to put together a tough, non-region schedule that’s going to allow us to go out and compete, but also be able to get ready for the region schedule,” Smiley said.

The Lions rattle off a five-game, five-week nonregion slate before they begin their playoff push, opening with Redan on Aug. 19 at Roy Richards Memorial Stadium before a trip to Bowdon on Aug. 26, a road game at Hampton and back-to-back home dates with McIntosh and Northgate.

The Lions play three of their five region games at home, including the final two of the regular season. Northwest Whitfield was the No. 2 seed out of Region 7-AAAA last year and reached the second round of the state playoffs.

“It is a tough region, but I feel like we’re one of the top teams in the region. I feel like there are some people who are counting us out, but I feel like these guys are going to prove a lot of people wrong based on how they’ve prepared this offseason and also this summer,” Smiley said.

Sheppard sizzled and sliced his way into school and state record books as one of Georgia’s top alltime, single-season rushers prior to passing the torch to Hyatt over the past few seasons to officially put Haralson County football on the map as a program to reckon with in Class AA.

“We said a few years ago that we’d never be able to replace Treylon Sheppard. Then we got Clay Hyatt. People say we’re not going to replace him. So maybe it’s an opportunity for somebody else to step up and make a name for themselves in our program,” Peavey said.

Rebels Reload For RegionNewRun Haralson

11/0410/2810/2110/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/19 date Opponent vs. Rabun County at atvs.OPENvs.atvs.atatvs.OPENBremenMaryPersonsUpson-LeeNorthMurray*GordonCentral*Rockmart*Model*MurrayCounty*FanninCounty* *Indicates Region 7-AA contest

season.CountyforplayoffandchampionshipregionstatevictoryHaralsonfootballlast hopeful to build off historic campaign this fall

Now the task facing the 2022 Rebel squad is maintaining that level of success and standing tall upon taking every opponent’s best shot when the lights shine bright on Friday night.

For the Rebel upperclassmen, winning is now Treylon Sheppard … Clay Hyatt … So, who’s next?That’s the million dollar question in Haralson County these days: Does Scott Peavey have another ace up his sleeve heading into the 2022 fall campaign?Thesixth-year Rebel head football coach is either sporting a strong poker face or he’s not bluffing that it’s going to take a collective effort to fill the shoes of two of the most prolific play-makersinprogramhistoryontheheels of the first

More importantly, the Rebels are focused on continuing to make a name for Haralson County football, something Peavey has proven instrumental in building during his second stint in Tallapoosa. After inching closer and closer to program history over the past few years, Haralson County delivered last fall behind its first-ever region crown and state playoff victory.

23 something that is expected, and this year’s senior class understands what it’s taken to reach this point.

“It’s going to be a difficult task for us. We went from a really good region to another really good region. There’s three region champions in there,” Peavey said. “The other thing is, North Murray was also a region champion not too long ago. There’s a lot of really good football coaches in that region. So it’s going to be a difficult challenge, for sure.”

The Rebels will compete against the likes of Rockmart, Model, North Murray, Gordon Central, Murray County and Fannin County in the seventeam 7-AA, but they believe they have what it takes to remain at the top in 2022. Rockmart, Fannin County and Haralson County all won their respective regions last year, as Rockmart has not suffered a region loss since 2016, while Fannin County is the twotime defending region champions in 7-AA. Rockmart played in Region 6-AAA the past two seasons.

“It took us a while to get over the hump and find a way to win a playoff game and all those things,” Peavey said. “These guys have seen it. They’ve seen what it’s like to work hard. They’ve seen what it takes for us to be successful. So I think they’ve got a better advantage of what those previous teams had. But they’ve got to defend the success that those previous teams had because our schedule is brutal.”Leaving one loaded region for another this year – from Region 5-AA to 7-AA – things don’t get any easier in pursuit of a secondstraight league crown.

“It’ll be tough, but I think we’ll be ready for it,” noted HC senior offensive lineman Benny Senior middle linebacker/offensive lineman Michael Hyatt, the younger brother of Clay Hyatt, is also excited about coming into a new season where all eyes will be on the Rebels.

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No. 2 Luke Armstrong No. 3 Holden Davis No. 4 Champ Cash No. 5 Jacob Key No. 6 Jacob Rodriguez No. 7 Tucker Wade No. 8 Haldyn Williams No. 9 Jared Rodriguez No. 10 Bowen Estes No. 11 Paxton Ray No. 14 Caden Hughes No. 15 Zeke Salmon No. 16 Jacob Lankford No. 17 Kael Whiddon No. 18 Hunter Hulsey No. 19 Judd Estes No. 20 Kael Whiddon No. 21 Dylan Frazier No. 22 Andrew Buchanan No. 23 Sam Patterson No. 24 Sky Rutherford No. 25 Hunter Ballew No. 26 Avery McAdams No. 27 Branson Williams No. 28 Keegan Wein No. 29 Jason Groves No. 30 Ethan Bell No. 31 Bryson Boswell No. 32 Caleb Hughes No. 33 Zach Sanders No. 34 David Whitton No. 35 Bryden Boswell No. 36 Kyle Bacon No. 40 Frankie Patino No. 41 Eli Rider No. 42 Cohen Synowiec No. 43 Tyler Troy No. 44 Jaxson Cohran No. 45 Dane Kimball No. 49 Eli Barfield No. 50 David Bruce No. 51 Luke Johnson No. 52 Jacob Kilgore No. 53 Nick Mote No. 54 Michael Hyatt No. 55 Luke Edwards No. 56 Issac Lankford No. 57 Logan Hicks No. 58 Jakob Starling No. 59 Matthew Craig No. 60 Riley Pennington No. 61 Ethan Easterwood No. 62 Seth Thompson No. 63 Waller Ward No. 64 Will Hardeman No. 65 Josh Jackson No. 66 Nathan Pitts No. 67 Cole Holcombe No. 68 Brody Salyers No. 69 Dylan Cirel No. 71 Benny Parker No. 72 Tyler Montgomery No. 73 Jacob Kimball No. 74 Gavin Edwards No. 75 Wesley Downs No. 76 Jacob Dupree No. 77 Jayse Turner No. 78 Gabe Wallace No. 79 Zach Mason No. 80 Gavin Robinson No. 81 Juan Martinez No. 82 Nathaniel Allen No. 85 Garrett Kress No. 86 Carson Carroll No. 88 Chase Southerland Haralson County Rebels Roster

The Rebels return several all-region performers

Nobody works harder than him. Nobody. He’s there every day and he grinds. I’m excited about him being our quarterback.”

“We’re going to have that target on our back, and there’s not really much we can do about it besides run the ball like we always do,” Hyatt said. “We’ve just got to give that thing to our running back and let him Haldyngo.”Williams

“He was a really good JV quarterback. He’s just got to be him. The problem is, he’s following a guy with such a great legacy. And that’s OK, too,” Peavey said. “We talked to him a lot about, ‘Just be you. Don’t let anybody talk you into trying to be Clay Hyatt or anybody else.’ He was 13-1 as a JV quarterback. So I feel really good about him.

“It’s been real fun coming into a winning program. I’ve always had fun playing with this team and growing up with these guys,” Michael Hyatt said. “Coming in and winning that region title was really a big step for our program.”

is taking over at quarterback for the Rebels, coming in with big shoes to fill after the departure of the all-state performer Hyatt.

WGW

Peavey understands Williams brings a different skill set to the position than his predecessor, and he wants the first-year varsity starter to play to his talents and not let any outside noise stand in the way of doing his job.

from a season ago in senior linebacker Jared Rodriguez, senior offensive lineman Brody Salyers, senior tight end Jacob Rodriguez, junior tailback Caden Hughes, junior defensive back Holden Davis and junior offensive lineman Dane Kimball. The Rebels open the season on Aug. 19 at home against Rabun County before a rivalry bout at Bremen on Aug. 26. From there, HC takes on a pair of Class AAA programs in Mary Persons and UpsonLee before the 7-AA grind kicks off on Sept. 23 at North Murray. So as the Rebels focus on a region title repeat in 2022, they understand it’s a new season and there’s a new challenge on the horizon.

*Indicates Region 4-A Contest for the last six or seven years. So now we feel that if somebody beats us, it’s apples-to-apples. You tip your hat to them and you go on about that. We’re excited for the opportunities to play in towns and cities our size.”

Braves Launch Into New Landscape 11/0410/2810/2010/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/19 date Opponent atOPENvs.BremenPikeLiberal Arts at vs.LamaratatOPENvs.Crawfordatatvs.RabunCallawayCountyClarkstonMcintoshCounty*MountZionTemple*County*

Lasseter noted how it was arguably the toughest schedule Heard County had lined up against throughout his 18 years at the school, as 11 of the 12 teams the Braves played reached the playoffs, featuring five region champions and six teams that punched their ticket to the state quarterfinals or better.

Heard County shooting to extend playoff streak at Class A level

“I think the biggest thing we should benefit from is the overall depth of the programs. We’ve been one of the smallest double-A teams

The Braves finished 6-6 last season and reached the second round of the state playoffs, undertaking a slew of opponents who proved to be perennial powers week-in and week-out.

“The top of every classification is good. There’s a lot of times where people get lost in that. But when you get to the top-eight, top-12 teams in every classification, no matter what size they are, they can play with most people,” Lasseter said.

The Braves will toe the line against some of those foes again this year, just without any postseason pressure on the line. Heard County fans will still enjoy rivalry romps with Bremen and Callaway in the non-region schedule, along with a home date against Rabun County – which Following a long and successful run at the Class AA level – highlighted by a state championship in 2018 – Heard County High School is primed for the competitive landscape of Class A football this fall.Fresh off grinding through the gauntlet of Region 5-AA in his first season at the helm, second-year Brave head coach Shane Lasseter believes the change in classification will serve his ballclub well as it moves forward in pursuit of an 18th straight state playoff appearance in 2022.

Green, who is a junior, should be a household name in the west Georgia area before all is said and done with his prep career.

“He’s going to be a really special player. He’s got that D-I ability,” Lasseter said. “We’ve had a few players in the past where we’ve been very fortunate, and he’s one of those who is a great athlete, works extremely hard and it’s just about time for him to burst on the scene.”

Huey Jr., along with the entire Heard County football team and seasonenterscommunity,thewith a heavy heart this expectsHunter.teammate,brotherhisdeaththefollowingfalltragicofyoungerandLasseterHuey Jr. to

28 has reached the state quarterfinals or better in each of the past seven seasons – at Staples Stadium on Sept. 16. HC opens the season by hosting Bremen on Aug. 19, followed by an open week, a trip across the state line to Pike Liberal Arts and then the Pulpwood Classic against the Cavaliers on Sept. 9 in Hogansville.“Wewant to keep that rivalry, competitive spirit going. But at the same time, you don’t have those implications of the region and what it holds at the end,” Lasseter said. The Braves wrap up the non-region slate against Class AAAA Clarkston and Class AAAAA McIntosh before diving into the league digs on Oct. 7 versus Crawford County.

There will be several new faces landing lead roles this fall, most notably on the line of scrimmage as Heard County only returns one starter in the trenches.“Sothat’s our key. We’ve always been built around good linemen, and so we’re trying to get them going,” Lasseter said. “But we do have some good skillLeadingkids.”

the corps of skill players is Division I prospect and junior Antwon Carter, while senior Mon Jordan and sophomore Dereon Pearson also provide plenty of forfirepowerfirst-year starter Todd Huey, Jr. under aboutreally“Wecenter.feelgoodour backfield. We’ve got three notedBowie.”andLJreceiversreallygotthat.goodwethose“BetweenLasseterbacks,”goodsaid.three,feelreallyaboutWe’vesomegoodwith(Green)NathanLasseterhow

29 Heard County Braves Roster No. 2 LJ Green No. 4 Caleb Sweet No. 5 Nathan Bowie No. 6 Mon Jordan No. 7 Dereon Person No. 8 RoRo Edmondson No. 9 Jack Banks No. 10 Bradford Hadley No. 11 Messiah Williams No. 12 Knox Israel No. 13 River White No. 14 Shaun Swofford No. 15 Rashaud Burden No. 16 Todd Huey, Jr. No. 17 Caden Barno No. 18 Qua Nelson No. 19 Slade Parmer No. 20 Nathan Allen No. 21 Cole Tyus No. 22 Max Lasseter No. 23 Antwon Carter No. 24 Tyler Lasseter No. 25 Carter Coleman No. 26 Jordan Henderson No. 28 Logan Parmer No. 30 Brandon Clark No. 31 Eli Lawson No. 33 Daniel Woodson No. 34 Mack Googe No. 35 Hayden Holliday No. 37 Ronny Marlow No. 38 Jayden Moreland No. 39 Keith Steele No. 40 Wesley Windom No. 41 Hunter Huey No. 42 Antonio Heath No. 43 John Micheal Cook No. 45 Nathan McClellan No. 47 Logan Miller No. 48 Jeremiah Eubanks No. 50 Jack Japour No. 52 Sammy Holliday No. 53 CJ Allen No. 54 Noah Davis No. 55 Marcos Garcia No. 56 Riley Chapman No. 57 Blake Oldham No. 58 Hunter Logan No. 59 Drew Betts No. 60 Triston Noles No. 61 Landon Stone No. 62 RJ Noles No. 64 DJ Cook No. 65 Luke Meacham No. 66 Tommy Googe No. 67 Miguel Tejas No. 68 Samuel Rivers No. 69 Camden Cosper No. 70 Bradley Marsh No. 72 Brody Ogles No. 73 Lane Muller No. 74 Jemer Jacobs No. 75 Braden Scoggins No. 76 Trenten Morgan No. 77 Jack Goss No. 79 Luke Miller No. 85 Austin McEntyre No. 88 Matthew Walker Dredyn Alexander Dagan Dover Angel Gabino AJ Brangan rise to the occasion and serve as a catalyst for the HC offensive attack. And, hopefully, football can provide an outlet for the Huey family to rally around as they continue to mourn the loss of Hunter, who was entering his freshman season this fall. Huey Jr. honored his brother by wearing his jersey in the Braves’ preseason scrimmage against Bowdon, which came just three days after Hunter passed“Hueyaway.Jr.has been in our program since he’s been in rec ball. He’s just a really tough kid. A really gritty kid. He’s not that true, natural quarterback. He’s just a winner,” Lasseter said. “He’s been our backup quarterback throughout his time. He’s been a starting (linebacker) for us. He’s worked really hard in the offseason, and he’s the lead guy.”

On the defensive side of the ball, it’s another gritty guy that Lasseter knows quite well – his nephew, Tyler Lasseter – that will take the reins as the alpha dog.

WGW

“He has that respect factor from all of his teammates because he plays a certain way. To be playing in that kind of region (last year) and with those types of opponents is impressive considering he weighs only 160 pounds. He has 237 career tackles going into his senior year. That’s a lot of dadgum tackles out of somebody who weighs 160 pounds,” Lasseter said. “If he stays on pace right there, he’ll be a top-five all-time Heard County tackler.”Along with Crawford County, Lamar County and Temple round out the Region 4-A combatants, as Lasseter labeled Lamar County the preseason favorite behind University of Georgia commit and senior tailback/linebacker CJ Allen. Of course, there are paper champions and true champions, and the Braves are focused on becoming the latter of that equation at the end of the regular season.It’ssomething the HC seniors have long awaited during a tumultuous past few years.

“It’s very special. It almost doesn’t feel real. Our class, we had to go through the COVID situation. So it came up a lot faster for a lot of us,” Jordan said. “It really doesn’t feel real, but it’s here now. So we’ve got to make the best of it.”

“The history of Holy Ground football is so rich. Coach (Jamie) Perry did an outstanding job starting the program. We had a great run from 2013 with that first state championship all the way up until 2018. Even the years that they didn’t win it, they still made it to the state championship,” recalled Boykin, who was an assistant for three years at Holy Ground under Perry.

“I told these kids going into last season, 'Y'all

The Stallions hit the field throughout the regular season as a Region 1 program in the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS) 8-Man Football League. From there, HG would need to win three games in the state playoffs to capture the state championship.

11/0410/2810/2110/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/1908/12 date Opponent at Central Christian atvs.atatOPENvs.atvs.vs.vs.atOPENLafayetteVidaliaNewCreationCrossPointePraiseAcademyUnityNathanaelGreeneHeartsAcademyTrinityChristianKingsway

Gridiron Gang Back At Holy Ground

In the Stallions’ 48-34 season-opening win against Central Christian on Aug. 12, Farmer The gridiron gang is back in the game at Holy Ground Baptist Academy. Following a brief hiatus due to low numbers, the Stallions have returned to the playing field — and did so under a familiar face with former assistant Reshard Boykin taking the reins of the program as the HG head man.

The Stallions return Wyatt Farmer and Daniel Buchanan as cornerstones of the squad this year, while Chapel Hill transfer Justice Washburn is also expected to serve as a key contributor.

are going to take your bumps and bruises for what we did in the past.’ But I told them that this year, it’s a little bit of a revenge tour for us. We took our bumps and bruises last year, and now we’re looking to give them.”

Stallions reunite for return to 8-man football in Roopville

Additionally, freshman Kyler Williams was selected to play in the Dream All-American Bowl in Texas this past summer and should also be a major fixture in the team’s outlook.

The Stallions were actually back in action last year and are now motoring full-speed ahead toward a playoff resurgence under the secondyear head coach following a 4-6 campaign in 2021.

So following a sub.500 season back on the gridiron grind last fall, the Stallions are ready to stampede back toward the top of the state in 2022.

The front line should serve as another vital factor toward delivering victories on Friday night.

“I want to go at least 7-3 or 8-2, realistically, and make the playoffs and have a shot of making it into the state championship,” Boykin said. WGW

“With the talent that we have this year, I feel that we can start airing it out a little bit more and keeping people a whole lot more honest than what they were,” Boykin said. “They would have all eight (defenders) in the box and just keep eight in the box. With us doing that, I feel like we’ll be able to get a lot of things accomplished this year.”

“We’ve made some changes and moved some people from tight end to guard in hopes of cutting down the rushing off the edges,” Boykin said. “Last year was a teaching situation for us, but I don’t like to lose even playing hopscotch with my little girl. So it’s just about making adjustments.”

accounted for seven HG touchdowns – six on the ground and one receiving – to start the season on a positive note. A run-heavy team in past years, Boykin said the Stallions have the potential to open up the passing attack in 2022, as they competed in several 5-on-5 camps – the equivalent of 7-on-7 sessions for 11-man football –over the summer.

31 Holy Ground Roster No. 1 Truett Warren No. 3 Wyatt Farmer No. 5 Justice Washburn No. 8 Samuel Wood No. 9 Andrew Runels No. 10 Daniel Buchanan No. 11 Kane Jones No. 12 Brody Pritchett No. 45 Ben Lakeman No. 61 Seth Patterson No. 64 Blake Grizzard No. 65 Kyler Williams No. 72 Elijah Strickland No. 81 Caden Hurston

Avery Lepard anchors the offensive line at left tackle as the graybeard of that unit.

Shoulder The Load

he Mount Zion High School football team hung its hat on a veteran presence in the trenches upon returning to the postseason in 2021, but the tables have turned heading into a new year.

“We’ve got two young guards and a brand new center and right tackle that we’re going to

MZ leaning on veteran play-makers to take charge this fall Eagle Skill Eager To

MZ graduated one four-year starter and a pair of three-year starters on the line of scrimmage, meaning skill stalwarts such as senior Swiss Army knife Malachi Ackles will likely be needed to perform well at all of his positions, as he can line up in four on offense and three different spots on defense.“Welost a lot of linemen, but we return a lot of skill. Our line has to come together as we get into the season, but I feel like we have the talent to go deep in the playoffs,” Ackles said. “Whatever they need and wherever they need me, I’m going to get it done.”

Junior Stanley Cross is back under center after winning the starting job last year as a sophomore, and he’s getting some in-house competition from another promising signal-caller in Alex Zelaya, who can also serve as a weapon at running back or receiver.

Along with Ackles back in the nest, the Eagles also return running back Sherrod Montgomery and fullback Kevin Berrios in the backfield.

Gordon noted how it’s been fun to watch both players compete for the job, adding he is confident that each guy can be effective running the offense.

The Eagles rise into 2022 deep in the skill department, and sixth-year MZ head coach Brad Gordon is hopeful those play-makers can shoulder the load as the new linemen get brought up to speed over the course of the campaign.

11/0410/2810/2010/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0108/2608/19

date Opponent vs. Cleburne County (Ala.) vs. Greenville at atvs.vs.OPENatatvs.atOPENJordanBrookstoneJasperCountyMountPisgahMountVernonHeardCountyChristianHeritage*Bowdon* contest

“We’re doing a little bit of a gun package this year and an under-center package,” Gordon said. “We’re asking a lot out of that quarterback position. (Cross) has done a good job for us, and Alex is pushing for reps at that spot, too. It’s good to have a competition because competition makes everybody better.”

*Indicates Region 7-A

“We did all this reclassification stuff trying to get away from the private schools, and now all we’re doing is playing private schools because we’ve only got two region games. It seems like our whole non-region schedule is private schools,” Gordon said. “But we start off with Cleburne County and they’ve got a good football program. We’re excited and can maybe start a little border war with Heflin if we can continue it on.”One concern for the MZ maestro, especially early in the season, is depth during those steamy nights where heat is an opponent in itself.“We’re going to have to roll people in and out. If we wear them out in the first half, we’re not going to have them in the fourth quarter,” Gordon said. “We’ve got to do a good job as a coaching staff to make sure we don’t run them ragged right off the returnedget-go.”TheEaglestothe Class A state playoffs last year following a one-year hiatus and the focus is to have success beyond Game 10 this year, hopefully with some home-cookin’ come postseason play.“Our goal this year is to have a home playoff game. The last few years, we’ve gone on the road and it hasn’t worked out too well,” Gordon said. “We play better here in the friendly confines, so we’re hoping to have some home playoff games this year.” WGW

“We’ve got to keep working hard in the weight room. I feel like if we put that same work and effort out of the field, we’ll make it past the first round and can go deep in the playoffs,” Denney said.

33 Mount Zion Eagles Roster No. 1 Stanley Cross No. 2 Malachi Ackles No. 3 Carlos Randall No. 4 Nathan Buchanan No. 5 Alex Zelaya No. 6 Preston Denney No. 7 Jerry Terrell No. 8 Kevin Berrios No. 9 Sherrod Montgomery No. 10 Daniel Entrabartlo No. 12 Javarion Watkins No. 13 Tyler Hurston No. 15 Uriah Acord No. 16 Brison Alexander No. 17 Zandyr Novak No. 18 Hayden Young No. 19 Damian Sanders No. 21 Justin Carr No. 22 Alan Esquivel Agustin No. 24 Jayden Ackey No. 25 Zack Bearden No. 26 Carter Cook No. 28 Nathan Hollis No. 32 Hayden Cornwell No. 40 Caleb Pryor No. 42 Ryan Bearden No. 43 Jeremiah Rutledge No. 44 Jose DeLuna No. 50 Kannon Crane No. 51 Avery Lepard No. 52 Walter Myers No. 56 James Chastain No. 57 Caleb Pryor No. 58 Blake Lipscomb No. 60 Avery Weldon No. 62 Aidan Spradlin No. 63 Joseph Flotz No. 64 Joshua Johnson No. 67 Brody Stewart No. 68 Anthony Carlisle No. 70 Dillon Bearden No. 72 Brady Denney No. 74 Dom Nicolosi No. 75 Charles Culver do by committee for right now,” Gordon said. “We’re still kind of figuring out who is the best fit.”

Defensively, the secondary is expected to be a strong suit with the same skill players on offense shoring up the back of the defense. Eagle defensive coordinator Justin Joyner also returns senior Preston Denney at outside linebacker along with Nathan Buchanan, and Aidan Spradlin at middle linebacker.

“We’re pretty much intact with what we had last year (in the secondary). We’ve got some linebackers back and we’re hoping to have some leadership out of that group,” Joyner said. “We’re replacing a lot of defensive linemen. So defensive line-wise, I’m hoping that we can step up and grow as the season goes and create some depth. If we can create some depth, I think we’ll be OK going forward.”

Denney is excited to enter his senior season as a leader on defense and believes MZ will bring a physicality that opponents will have to be ready for each and every Friday night.

MZ, which scrimmaged Temple and Bremen during the preseason, kicks off the year in a border battle against Cleburne County (Ala.) at Eagle Stadium before hosting Greenville on Aug. 26. With only two region games on the slate following reclassification, Gordon didn’t exactly get to schedule things the way he wanted. Even so, the Eagles should get battletested prior to Region 7-A play with dates against Jordan, Brookstone, Mount Pisgah, Mount Vernon and Heard County leading up to lateseason league showdowns with Christian Heritage and Bowdon.

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A Season Of Change In Tigertown

11/0410/2810/2110/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/19 date Opponent at Pike County vs. Christian Heritage at Chattooga at Lumpkin County vs. Pepperell vs. Bowdon vs. vs.vs.OPENatOPENMidtownLamarCounty*HeardCounty*CrawfordCounty* Region 4-A Division I contest

This is actually the second stint for Nix at Temple, as he was in Tigertown briefly as an assistant before landing his first head coaching opportunity at Gordon Central in 2017.

*Indicates

New head coach, new region represents fresh start for Temple

he work commute for Cory Nix got much shorter this school year.

“I mean, there’s a lot to it. It’s simple things. I’ve

The first-year Temple High School head football coach literally just has to trek across the street from his house each morning to go about his business – be it in the hallways, weight room or playing field at THS.

Following four years serving as a defensive coordinator at fellow Carroll County Schools Villa Rica and Central, respectively, Nix noted that he felt as though he couldn’t pass up a second opportunity to become a head coach after the Temple position opened with the retirement of former head coach Scotty Ward this past offseason.

lived across the street from the high school for three years. I knew the administration there, the principal there. I knew a lot of the teachers, I knew a lot of the community. So that was the easy part of that,” Nix said. “The second part, I knew what Temple could be … I feel like the things that I’m good at can put this thing to the next level.”

Much has changed since then – for both Nix and Temple football – and the focus now is on programbuilding, with new assisstants Evan Hochstelter and Rick Dyer also playing an integral role.

As the Tigers shift to a Wing-T attack offensively this fall, Vaughn, who was named the Region 5-AA Offensive Player in 2021, will be asked to shoulder a heavy load with a young cast of playmakers around him.

“He’s a special talent. We’ve got big plans for him. We’re going to run him, we’re going to throw the ball with him. We’re going to do a lot of different things,” Nix said. “I told the school that just offered him, GardnerWebb, that he could be a D-I wide receiver, he could be a D-I defensive back and, obviously, he can play quarterback. But you’re talking about a kid who likes to compete, likes to get after it. When he comes onto that football field, everything just clicks.”Forhis part, Vaughn understands there will be some growing pains for the younger players, but he is confident he can help bring them up to the speed of playing under the Friday night lights.

“I will be the first to tell you that we are young. But I do have talent, I do have skill players. They don’t have as much experience on a Friday

Although 2021 proved to be a tough year overall, one bright spot was the play of star quarterback Cam Vaughn, who recently received his first collegiate offer from Gardner-Webb.

The Tigers finished 1-7 last season and bid adieu to Region 5-AA as they move into Division I of Class A under reclassification and will compete in Region 4-A alongside Heard County, Crawford County and Lamar County. Nix believes it will serve his ballclub well moving forward, especially fielding an extremely young squad in 2022.

“We’re a lot younger than last year. But we have a lot of talent,” Vaughn said. “It makes me step up a lot because I’ve got to show them the way. They aren’t really used to the varsity level yet. My part in that will be big this year.”

While there are still some unknowns entering the fall campaign, as far as who is going to step up as play-makers alongside Vaughn, the Tigers do have experience returning in the form of fullback Freddy Watkins and wing back Tristan Vaughn, a pair of all-region performers a season ago, along with sophomore back CJ Gray. Nix has also been impressed by the play of sophomore Cason McAnallen.

“I feel really, really good about moving out of that powerhouse region,” Nix said. “That was a really, really tough region to be a part of. I think Scotty Ward did an awesome job with what he had. He definitely had several good years.”

“If we go in with our minds right, we should be able to make a big run,” Vaughn said. WGW

“We have a lot of young players, so I want to see the experience develop and we can have a mature mindset by the time we get to region and the playoffs,” Coleman said.

Coleman stressed how the non-region schedule is going to be critical for some of the younger Tiger players to get mentally and physically ready for the stretch run of the regular season.

And even though they are young, the Tigers are confident they can make some noise this fall and kick off the Nix era in proper fashion.

After playing three of their first four games away from Rogers Stadium, Temple wraps up the nonregion schedule with a three-game homestand against Pepperell, Bowdon and Midtown to close out the month of September.

38 Temple Tigers Roster No. 1 JD Penson No. 2 Chase Washington No. 3 CJ Gray No. 4 Cam Vaughn No. 5 Cason McAnallen No. 6 Jamie Zawada No. 7 Jackson Gribben No. 8 Dilon McCoy No. 10 Braderick Bennett No. 11 Trey Clark No. 12 Tez Scott No. 13 Abraham Kight No. 14 McClann Metayer No. 15 Tay Alls No. 16 Manny Watkins No. 17 Kevin Cortes No. 18 Jay Dobbs No. 19 Jaiden McDaniel No. 20 Nick Hullaby No. 21 Mason Summerville No. 22 Zackery Gilbert No. 23 Tristan Vaughn No. 24 Ayden Conner No. 25 Twon David No. 26 Darius McGee No. 27 Aaron Cummings No. 28 Norr’ieon Whitaker No. 29 Beckham Tull No. 30 Jadyn McClaude No. 31 Aundre David No. 32 Will Dorsey No. 33 Michael Gilbert No. 34 Nehemiah Dorsey No. 38 Kade Parker No. 40 Gatlin Jacobs No. 42 Freddy Watkins No. 44 Willie Edwards No. 50 Patrick Tripp No. 51 Andon Flotz No. 53 Jaylon Hubbard No. 54 Chris Guzman No. 55 Zeke Bartee No. 56 Austin Speer No. 59 Damien Little No. 60 Kavon Coleman No. 65 Aiden Carroll No. 66 Ethan Chancey No. 68 Lejaden Sims No. 72 Michael Helfrich No. 74 Ryan Self No. 78 PJ Lee No. 79 Daniel Long No. 80 Rasheem Farrell No. 84 Keegan Tieman night,” Nix said. “We’re talking freshmen and sophomores and a sprinkle of juniors. My sophomore class, golly, I can’t tell you how talented they Defensively,are.”the Tigers return the hard-hitting Watkins at linebacker, while McAnallen is another force in the middle of the Temple defense. Tristan Vaughn and Cam Vaughn are also key pieces to the Tiger secondary. Nix is also fired up about the potential of sophomore safety McClann Metayer, who more than held his own over the summer against some of the premier programs in the Peach State.

Coleman spotlights one of the returning senior defensive leaders on the front line, and he’s looking forward to a reset this fall following a frustrating finish in 2021 where the ball simply didn’t bounce the Tigers way for the majority of the season. “I feel really great about it. I’m very confident in my team, my brothers around me,” Coleman said. The Tigers open the season with a long road trip to Pike County on Aug. 19, marking the first of seven games in seven weeks to open the season, including the home opener on Aug. 26 against Christian Heritage.

“We played against several AAAAAAA schools in an OTA – Creekview, Lassiter – he came downhill and did not care how big the kid was or whatever and took his dadgum head off,” NixKavonsaid.

Following what is certain to be a much-needed open date, the Tigers roll into region play in midOctober with a trip to Lamar County .

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Of course, reaching the state quarterfinals and winning the first region championship since 1998 at a football-hungry school and community will do that for you. And that’s just what Villa Rica did during Barron’s first year in charge, culminating in the veteran head coach being named the AJC Class AAAAA Coach of the Year. More importantly to the VR coaching staff and administration, it brings stability to a proud program that has endured a mind-boggling coaching carousel over the past decade.

Wildcats welcome Winning Attitude

Of all the positive changes the Villa Rica High School football program unleashed over the past year and a half, it’s the No. 1 thing that stands out to the second-year Wildcat head coach upon taking aim at the 2022 season. Barron said it’s night and day from where Wildcat football was when he took the job – with the first preseason scrimmage of this fall serving as a perfect example.

“We made a lot of mistakes and weren’t really good anywhere. The difference between this team now and a year ago, is that a year ago, they would be pointing fingers at each other, yelling, maybe throwing a helmet. This time this year, the attitude has been good,” Barron said. “Nobody panicked. Everybody took ownership. Nobody was pointing fingers. That’s definitely a step in the right direction for us.”

VR rolling off one of its best seasons in over two decades region championship. State quarterfinals. Class AAAAA Coach of the Year. And so with the excitement of a complete gridiron and cultural overhaul still abuzz entering a new campaign, the buzzword for Tim Barron is simple – attitude.

11/0410/2810/2110/1410/0709/3009/2309/1609/0909/0208/2608/19 date Opponent atOPENAnniston (Ala.) vs. Northgate vs. Carrollton vs. Tri-Cities* at Banneker* at Lithia Springs* at Chapel Hill* at OPENvs.vs.Mays*Creekside*MaynardJackson* *Indicates Region 5-AAAAA contest

“The kids are at a different place mentally right now than they were a year ago,” Barron said. “That’s what we’re most proud of. At the end of the day, you either got dudes or you don’t. But are you teaching them the right things? Are the kids listening to you and are they learning? And the product on the field, does it represent the community in the right way? And that’s the product we want to put out there.”

As for the 2022 product, Barron noted how it was still very much a work-in-progress as of early August, but he has no doubt that the potential is there for another memorable fall in the City of Gold.The talents headlining the skill positions offensively will predominantly be first-time starters at the varsity level. What they have working in their favor is an experienced offensive

“He’s been working really, really hard. He’s gotten better every week. He’s working not just when we’ve been practicing, but when he’s on his own, he’s working to get better,” Barron said. “His mindset and his attitude is in a really good place.” Herrera expects the VR offense to provide even more fireworks this fall, and he isn’t allowing any outside noise to deter his ballclub from having a championship-caliber campaign.

“Some people say, ‘Oh, you run a hybrid Wing-T and you barely pass and it’s hard to win in a Wing-T.’ I think our rushing attack will open up things and with everything all of our good, smart coaches put

“There’s a couple of guys that it’s going to take two or three games for them to really get comfortable, but we think by region time, the O-line can be a strong suit for us,” Barron said.

Senior defensive tackle Dontavious Pounds is also fired up for the opportunity to mix it up in the trenches as an emerging leader for the Villa Rica D-line.“We’re not going to back down. We’re a tough team. We’re going to play all four quarters like it’s is now

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41 front, anchored by senior tackle Jatavius Shivers, a University of South Carolina commit.

Under center, senior Jake Herrera is taking the reins of the offense, and Barron said he delivered a tremendous showing this summer knowing that it was his position to lose.

“Each and every week, we’re always running something new and we’re adding stuff to it everyDefensively,day.” the Wildcats return just two starters in secondary stalwarts Jaquess Dunson and Micah Alba, Jr.

Even so, the Wildcats expect to be fast and physical on the defensive side of the ball with a slew of up-and-coming talents ready to shine under the Friday night“Fromlights.now until region play, I feel that we’re going to be physical and it will help us out once we get there,” Dunson said. “I feel really good about everything. The games that we play every week, they’re going to prepare us for the long run. Every game we’re just going to get better.”

together, I think we can go pretty deep in the playoffs,” Herrera said.

VR hits the road for a border battle with Anniston (Ala.) on Aug. 26 before back-to-back home dates against Northgate and Carrollton leading into the league schedule. After wrapping up a three-game homestand in the region opener against Tri-Cities on Sept. 16, Villa Rica ventures on a four-game road stretch against Banneker, Lithia Springs, Chapel Hill and Mays, respectively, before closing out the region and regular-season schedule at home against Creekside and Maynard Jackson.

Regardless of when and where, Barron doesn’t anticipate anything coming easy in this region as VR zeroes in on a repeat title run.

“Creekside has got some cats that can play. Lithia returns a lot of players. From top to bottom, the region is going to be a heck of a lot tougher,” Barron said. “Compared to last year’s region, it is apples-to-oranges. You’ve got to be ready to play every week.” WGW

The scheduling gods provided an interesting slate for the Cats in 2022, as their open weeks fall on Week 1 and the final week of the regular season, meaning they’ll play 10 games in 10 consecutive weeks, seven of which are Region 5-AAAAA contests.Italso features a roller-coaster run of home-andaway swings.

42 Villa Rica Wildcats Roster No. 1 Terry Sylva No. 2 Caiden Reed No. 3 Isaiah Johnson No. 4 Davajay Foster No. 5 Jaiden Terry No. 6 Quess Dunson No. 7 Anthony Ndiaye No. 8 Raf Lawson No. 9 Carson Nalley No. 10 Cooper McClain No. 11 Chayton Hurley No. 12 Devon Barnes No. 13 Daimon Smith No. 14 Jake Herrera No. 15 Will Wallace No. 16 Adrian Wiley No. 17 Christian Gomez No. 18 Sumo Hair No. 19 Omereo Potts No. 20 Jace Radford No. 21 Xavier McCullough No. 22 Jeremiah Fuller No. 23 Kaleb Stephens-Neal No. 24 Micah Alba, Jr. No. 25 Kaleb Aker No. 26 Malaki Williams No. 27 King Swint No. 28 Nolan Alba No. 31 Hayden Bentley No. 33 Caleb Terrell No. 36 Nasiah Coles No. 38 Nathaniel Shelton No. 39 Chris Copeland No. 42 Dezmond Drummonds No. 44 Jaylen Carter No. 50 Ricky Kilpatrick No. 51 Austin Presley No. 52 Tyler Adcock No. 53 Jacob Musgrove No. 54 Dalton Harrison No. 55 Dontavious Pounds No. 56 Bo Adcock No. 57 Jaden Dean No. 58 Sawyer Daniell No. 59 Jaden Clayton No. 60 Delontiz Daniel No. 65 Hudson Hyneman No. 66 Lawson Aycock No. 67 Andrew Martin No. 68 Braddock Vohun No. 70 Jeremiah Stevens No. 72 Noah Grace No. 73 Landin Mathis No. 74 Riley Miller No. 75 Jonathan Dinkins No. 76 Charles Ferguson No. 77 Jatavius Shivers No. 79 Dawson Dean No. 83 Nick Lampron No. 84 Michael Stewart No. 85 Tyson Brown No. 86 Luke Rutledge No. 88 Jadiah Smith No. 91 Christopher Melendez No. 97 Javonne Cook Pounds said. “It doesn’t matter about who’s in front of us. It matters about what we do, our assignments. As long as we do that, we’ll be just fine against anybody we play.”

Wolves Primed For National Prominence West Georgia ranked No. 12 in country in preseason poll 11/1211/0510/2910/2210/1510/0810/0109/2409/1709/1009/01 date Opponent vs. Carson-Newman, 7 p.m. at Morehouse, 6 p.m. atOPENWest Alabama*, 3 p.m. vs. Mississippi College*, 6 p.m. vs. West Florida*, 6 p.m. at North Greenville*, 1 p.m. vs. Valdosta State*, 6 p.m. vs. Shorter*, 6 p.m. at Delta State*, 3 p.m. at North Greenville*, 12:30 p.m. *Indicates Gulf South Conference contest Photos by Josh Cato/UWG Athletics

On the defensive side of the ball, the Wolves had a pair of preseason All-GSC selections in senior

“I think we’re going to be absolutely crazy on offense this year. Harrison is just amazing. He can put the ball anywhere. We’re going to keep him up, keep him off the ground and protect him and make plays on offense,” Donaldson said.

44 As one of three nationally ranked programs from the Gulf South Conference in the preseason polls, the University of West Georgia football team has its eyes on the ultimate prize in 2022.

One of the most experienced position groups for West Georgia this fall puts a spotlight on the big fellas up front offensively, featuring sophomore center David Bodden, who earned Second-Team All-GSC honors last fall as a freshman, along with senior Austin Donaldson, as two of the key cogs in the trenches.

Veterandefensively.UWGhead coach David Dean has also been pleased with the chemistry from this group over the course of fall camp heading toward the season opener versus CarsonNewman on Sept. 1 at University Stadium.

Donaldson is confident the O-line can set the tone for an electric season for senior quarterback Harrison Frost and the UWG offensive attack.

Frost, who emerged late on the scene prior to the 2021 season as a Mercer transfer, completed 304of-475 attempts for 3,618 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions last year, and Dean believes the senior signal-caller has the stage set for an even more impressive encore this fall.

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The Wolves, who finished 9-3 last year and reached the second round of the Division II NCAA Playoffs, return quality experience on both sides of the ball with the potential to be an explosive unit on offense and a stifling squad

“This is a really fun group to coach. They come out every day with a lot of energy and a lot of excitement. It makes our job easy, because we don’t have to push a lot of buttons to get them going,” Dean said. “As a coach, that’s something that’s always exciting and they’re excited about the season.”

“He’s a guy that’s very smart. With what he was able to do last year, we’re able to put more on him,” Dean said. “He’s going to make a lot more decisions for us on the field. For us, from a calling standpoint in the game, it is a little bit easier to try to give him a couple of scenarios and he puts us in the best situation. He’s a great coach on the field. He knows what the protections are, he knows the runs, he knows the routes. So he can make corrections out there on the field, which is invaluable for us as a coaching staff.”

“YouSaturday.bettergo out and play. It doesn’t matter if defensive lineman Marzavion Dix and sophomore safety Deontae Overstreet, as both also earned AllGSC nods following the 2021 campaign. With some new talents starting on the D-line this fall, Dix expects the West Georgia front to be a force for opposing offenses to deal with week-in and week-out.“Ifeellike the D-line can be pretty dominant. We’ve got a lot of seniors and a lot of depth. I think depth is what’s really going to help us out this year,” DixThesaid.Wolves, who also return senior All-GSC long snapper Joe Skinner – a Carrollton High School product – will lean on experience as they bring up to speed several younger players who are looking to make their own impact in 2022.

“Carson-Newman is going to be a good football team. Last year I think we caught them in a cycle where they weren’t playing as well. I think they’re going to change that and they’re going to be a much better football team,” Dean said. “(Morehouse is) doing a great job recruiting. We’ve faced them a lot in recruiting this year, and they’re bringing in a lot of really good football players. I think both teams are going to be very, very improved. It’s going to do nothing but help us get ready for our conference.”

45 matchups during those first two weeks before getting into the Gulf South grinder.

The other two nationally ranked opponents in the GSC – No. 2 Valdosta State and No. 11 West Florida – both come to Carrollton this season, with the Wolves hosting the Blazers on Oct. 8 and the Argonauts on Oct. 22. Even though UWG was among the top-three picks in the GSC Preseason Poll, Dean stressed that all eight teams are capable of upending any one on any given

The Wolves have an open date between the non-conference and GSC slate, starting their championship drive with a road trip to West Alabama on Sept. 24.

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“That’s going to help us as we move along. We’ve still got a long way before we open up, so if we can keep those guys working in that manner with that type of experience and leadership, it’s going to do nothing but help us,” Dean said.

West Georgia opens the season in a Thursday night throwdown against Carson-Newman on Sept. 1 and wraps up the non-conference schedule with a trip to Atlanta to face Morehouse the following week on Sept. 10. Dean anticipates a pair of tough

The Wolves understand they’re going to face highlevel competition every week in conference play, but it’s something they embrace upon looking to make 2022 a memorable one at University Stadium.“Ithink we stack up pretty well. I think we’ll come out on top, as long as we do what we’ve got to do,” Dix said. “I don’t think it’s about anyone else but us. If we do what we’ve got to do, we’ll come out as the top dog of the conference this year.”And it all starts in just a few weeks under the Thursday night lights on the UWG campus to kick off another highly somepeoplewillhavefootball.seasonanticipatedofWestGeorgia“I’mhopingthatwe’llalotofstudentsthatcomeoutandalotofthatarehungryforcollegefootball.That will be the first start before the big Labor Day weekend of college football,” Dean said. “So hopefully a lot of folks will come out and watch us play on a Thursday night and get a good feel of live football. The students will be here, so hopefully the students will come out and get a feel of what college football is all about.”

WGW

46 No. 1 Jaeven West No. 2 Antoine Davis No. 4 Christian Royalston No. 6 Pate Hogan No. 8 Harrison Frost No. 8 Mason Huntley No. 8 LaPerion Perry No. 9 Ben Whitlock No. 10 Zay Britt No. 11 Za’Tarious Anderson No. 12 Scooter Risper No. 13 Tay Huff No. 16 Terrill Cole No. 17 Ben Fortson No. 18 Anthony Polite No. 19 Braxton McPherson No. 21 Devin Edwards No. 21 MJ Latimer No. 22 Yaqym Lowery No. 22 Rajaez Mosley No. 23 Deontae Overstreet No. 25 Camyen Feagins No. 26 Davin Bryant No. 26 Jalin Sheppard No. 27 Kadarius Satterwhite No. 28 Semaje Banks No. 28 Brandon Brown No. 29 Andrew Dyer No. 29 Devontae Mathews No. 31 Ashaud Roberson No. 32 Ethan Todorovich No. 33 JB Carlisle No. 35 Ghetti Brown No. 39 Brandon Booker No. 39 Michael Elliott No. 39 Owen May No. 41 Amos Dahn No. 44 Hayden Wells No. 45 Keondre Williams No. 46 Walt Hawthorne No. 47 Jalen Brown No. 47 Marcus Gray No. 53 Shahin O’Neal No. 54 Parker Gibbs No. 55 Trey Lovelace No. 56 Malcolm Mercer No. 57 Jalen Moore No. 58 John Quinn No. 59 Tripp Miller No. 60 Brandon Pippen No. 61 Connor Howard No. 62 Cade Fox No. 64 David Bodden No. 65 Jevin Stevens No. 67 Austin Donaldson No. 69 Derrick McFerrien No. 70 Sam Regina No. 72 Kyree Jones No. 73 James Wade No. 76 Bailey Cannady No. 78 Marvin Jones No. 80 Marcus Brown No. 80 Joe Skinner No. 81 Jacob Pinch No. 82 Judah Johnson III No. 83 Isaiah Lancaster No. 83 Tre Williams No. 86 Jerry Mays No. 87 Mason Yost No. 88 Cameron Cobb West Georgia Wolves Roster No. 88 Reed Reagin No. 89 Trey Wiggins III No. 91 Marzavion Dix No. 92 Allen Johnson No. 93 Zach Obi No. 94 Jalon Miller No. 96 Raymone Devezin No. 99 Brock Pellegrino Simeon Askew Palmer Bachelder Ronnie Blackmon Tilil JelenMasonDesmondClaySethTraevonIyanTyrunaiKeithMikialCamTreSekouFestusZionCooperJuliusDariusRobertJayJaxtonCameranMarquiseBlackwellBridgesBrownCarsonCarterCarterClarkCobbsCoreyCustisDaviesDioubateDouglasEdwardsFourneyHarrisHayesHinkleHintonHodgesHyattJohnsonJohnsonLee Raymond CarsonTristonXyreEricBrynenClayDerrickMykelEliMicahKalebJalynnMalakaiNickJadenTreBradynQuayJeremyCameronJoelAnthonyXavierJaylenMarquezVictorMichaelExavierBrandonReillyMontaviousCentaviousBlaylenDemetriceLewisLoftonLomaxLoweMartinMasonMathisMcDowellMerriweatherOkaforPartee-CrumpPriesterRobinsonRochesterRoseSmithSmithSmithSorrowSpearmanStanleySturmTaftTarverThompsonThurmanTompkinsTubbsVonHubbardWaltersWilkinsWilliamsJr.WilsonWynnYancy you’re playing the No. 1 or No. 8 team. Anybody can knock anybody off, and that’s been proven year after year after year,” Dean said. “It’s going to be a deal where every week you’ve got to be ready to play.”

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