Changes come to Cedartown youth football
League shift coming up, coaches needed for teams
In a press release posted on Facebook on May 26, Bulldog football Head Coach Jamie Abrams announced that Cedartown’s feeder programs will be joining new leagues.
“Our goal as a football program is to prepare our players for the high school program beginning at the recreation level while increasing participation,” said Abrams. “With this goal in mind, we are aligning our programs at all levels: Recreation, Middle School, and High School.”
Kindergarten and first-graders will play flag football at the Cedartown Recreation Department. Second-through fifth-graders will compete in the Cobb Football League, while sixth- through eighth-graders will play in the Georgia Middle School Athletic Association.
Along with these changes, Abrams also announced that each grade level will now have their own football team. Each grade level will compete against other teams of the same grade level in their corresponding league.
“From here on out, if a player wants to play football they will be playing for their grade level’s football team,” said Abrams. “So if a second-grader wants to play football, they’re going to be playing for the Cedartown second-grade team in the Cobb Football League.”
Cedartown and Rockmart, who were powerhouses in multiple sports, were forced out of the Floyd County Athletic Association following the 2019-20 school year. Abrams explained that he was aware of this ordeal when accepting the CHS job.
“They made the situation clear during the job interview,” stated Abrams. “Truth be told, I didn’t think it’d be as difficult to join a middle school football league. We were in talks with other leagues, but in the end we decided on the GMSAA.”
The Georgia Middle School Athletic Association will be a definite step-up in competition from the Floyd County Athletic Association. If projections hold true, Cedartown will likely be competing against the likes of Rome, Hiram, and Paulding County.
“The GMSAA is a league where we can play somewhat local teams and still have a full schedule. Plus, there is no doubt it’ll be strong competition,” said Abrams. “We decided to join the Cobb Football League for the same reasons.”
Members of the Cobb Football League include Cobb County Schools, City of Roswell/Fulton County Schools, Marietta City Schools, and Paulding County Schools.