The 2017 Catoosa/Walker County Football Dream Team Offense

Cole Kibler may not have been a familiar name to many in the northwest Georgia area when he took over the quarterbacking duties at Ringgold as a sophomore, but it didn’t take the strong-armed Tiger long to introduce himself to folks (and opposing defenses) in the area.

He threw for over 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns that season, while rushing for over 600 yards and eight more scores. And after another stellar season this past fall a junior, Kibler has begun the process of introducing himself to others around the state as well.

Kibler went 158-of264 in the air for 2,686 yards and 22 more TD passes against just seven picks, ending the year with a quarterback rating of 111.1.

Those numbers were good enough to earn him Class AAA All-State honorable mention status by the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and, today, they are good enough to pick up Catoosa County Offensive Player of the Year honors as well.

“It feels great,” Kibler said of winning the award. “I’ve worked hard in my time at Ringgold, so to know I’ve been picked means a lot to me.”

Kibler’s dynamic sophomore numbers were remarkable when you consider that he played most of the season with an injured shoulder. He said there were mornings after games when he could hardly move his arm.

“I was really banged up, so it was a much different feeling to be healthy (this past season),” he explained. “I didn’t feel as bad waking up on Saturday mornings and I played with more confidence in my arm knowing I could make more throws.”

Kibler made a lot of throws for the Tigers this past fall, but he said one performance was alone at the top of his list.

In an Oct. 6 home win over Murray County, he broke the Ringgold school single-game passing record with 495 yards in a 54-28 victory. That outing came almost exactly one year to the day he threw for 427 yards against the Indians.

His 495 yards was one of the top singlegame totals of the year for any quarterback in the state and ranks in the top 20 among all-time Georgia high school performances.

“That one really stands out,” he said. “It’s cool to see my name on a list with guys like (Lassiter’s) Hudson Mason and (Gainesville’s) Deshaun Watson.”

Already one of approximately 60 players in Georgia high school history who have surpassed 5,000 career passing yards, Kibler believes 8,000 career yards is an attainable goal, considering how many offensive weapons the Tigers will bring back for his senior year.

However, he said one of the main goals for 2018 is finding a way to make up for the disappointment of last season’s .500 record.

“We lost four of our five games by a (combined) total of nine points,” he lamented. “We were just a few points from being 9-1 instead of 5-5 and it’s heartbreaking when you are that close. We just have to find a way to come together and win those games late because we’d love to play more than 10 games next year.

“We have to keep striving for perfection, working hard and keep doing what we can do to get over the brink and fulfill our potential.”

Ringgold head coach Robert Akins said he has “very high expectations” for his soon-to-be senior signalcaller.

“He’s the type of player that as he goes, we go,” Akins said. “If he is playing well, the team is playing well, so we’re very dependent on him to do well.

“I think he’s going to have a good year next year, regardless of who we have around him because he’s the type of player that just makes other people better.”