QB battle big question for ’21 Yellow Jackets
Rockmart football has been blessed in recent years with star quarterbacks. In Biff Parson’s first two seasons, he had the uber-reliable Dylan Bailey under center. The last two seasons, it’s been Javin Whatley, the agile Swiss army knife, leading the charge for the Yellow Jacket offense.
However, after Whatley’s graduation, what will the future hold for RHS?
Head coach Biff Parson says the team is still trying to figure out who the 2021 Yellow Jackets are.
“For us, and it feels like this every year, it’s focusing on what our team identity is going to be. I think every year you look for a group, and it’s normally seniors by default, to make this their team and create their own identity within their group,” Parson said. “So you push them to be more vocal, to lead by example, do the right things, and approach talking to their teammates the right way.
“We’re trying to see which direction we’re going. First of all, we’ve got to win the locker room. Those guys have to believe in each other and be the best teammates they can possibly be,” Parson said.
“Talent is, obviously, nice to have and we’re blessed to
have talent… but the biggest thing we stress is character — the guys that you don’t have to worry about — and we’ve got them. We’ve got some high-character kids who are going to show up every day, not put their head down, and work.”
The 2020 Rockmart football team continued the success that has been present in each year of the Parson era. After a narrow loss at Rome in the season opener, the Yellow Jackets rattled off nine consecutive victories to claim the Region 6-3A title, won a first-round playoff matchup, and qualified for the Sweet 16 before an overtime loss to Cedar Grove ended their 9-2 season.
And while it is true fans will not see Javin Whatley on the field for Rockmart this fall, it does not mean that the sky is falling on the east side of Polk County. Instead, it presents the opportunity for a new, young playmaker to have a breakout season.
“That’s the elephant in the room, the elephant in the community. Everybody wants to know what life is like without Javin Whatley. That’s the reality and it comes with the territory when you lose such a special player that he was for us the last four years,” Parson said. “But to replace a Javin Whatley is impossible because we don’t have a Javin Whatley. We can’t create a Javin Whatley.”
Parson listed senior Mason Phillips and sophomores JD Davis and Calliyon Thompson as the three gunslingers duking it out in a quarterback competition. “Each of those guys are talented and bring different things to the table that help us on offense,” Parson said.
The schedule perfectly lines up for Rockmart, as the Jackets had two preseason scrimmages and will have two non-region games prior to their Region 6-3A opener against Coahulla Creek on Sept. 10.
“I’m glad we’ve got two scrimmages and two really, really tough opponents in the first two games,” Parson said. “As we get into our eight-game region schedule we’ll feel comfortable to either have one come out on top, or we develop a rotation with multiple guys that continues to make our offense go fast.”
Although there is a question mark at quarterback, the rest of the offense for Rockmart is pretty much already penciled in.
Parson mentioned that the staff feels comfortable rotating in seven offensive linemen throughout the start of the season. Several tailbacks return, including juniors Lanear McCrary and JoJo Haynes and senior Keyshaun McCullough.
The Jackets bring back two very experienced receivers in junior Dennis Sims and senior Jakari Clark who will help the quarterback play. Grant Lisk should be a reliable target at tight end as well.