Seems like old times: Gordon Lee drops back to Class 1A
Everything old is suddenly seeming like new again for the Gordon Lee Trojans.
After two years of playing as a Class 2A team (for the first time in school history), reclassification has dropped the Navy-andWhite back down to the familiar Class 1A level and realignment has placed them right back in the same region where they spent so many consecutive seasons.
Most of the opponents will also be familiar. Darlington will be dropping with Gordon Lee back one classification and the two teams will join old Region 6 standbys — Christian Heritage, Mt. Zion and Trion — in the region’s “A” subregion.
Another old rival, Bowdon, is back in Region 6 after several seasons in Region 5 and North Cobb Christian — who has played in Region 6 for several years — will finally play a region football schedule for the first time in school history in 2016.
The “B” subregion will include seven schools that Gordon Lee has limited familiarity with in athletics over the past decade — Fellowship Christian, King’s Ridge, Mt. Paran, Mt. Pisgah, St. Francis, Walker and Whitefield Academy — while Pinecrest Academy is just in its third season as a card-carrying Region 6 member.
Here’s a quick look at the Trojans’ subregion opponents and the opponents Gordon Lee may have to face in their 10th game, which could serve as a possible region playoff game. Bowdon Red Devils Head Coach: Robert Andrews Last Year: 6-6 overall, 3-2 in Region 5-2A
After 241 wins in 27 seasons as head coach, Dwight Hochstetler was replaced by Robert Andrews last fall and the new boss managed a 6-6 mark, including a playoff win. The Red Devils, as usual, will have a strong running game, led by senior Tay Sheppard and sophomore Aaron Beasley, who combined for just under 2,000 yards last fall. Senior Dylan Raymond is moving from receiver to quarterback in case last year’s starter Cason Parmer won’t be able to play to due medical reasons.
Up front on defense, Bowdon took a hit with the graduation of C.J. Brewer, who signed with Coastal Carolina. Linebacker Jake Gilley will try and take up the slack in Brewer’s absence, while Beasley, Sheppard and Raymond will give the Devils a solid secondary to rebuild around.
Christian Heritage Lions Head Coach: Jay Poag Last Year: 6-6 overall, 2-2 in Region 6-1A
To say it’s been an interesting nine months for the Lions is something of a understatement. Christian Heritage advanced to the Class 1A Private School playoffs, beating Athens Academy in Round 1, 22-14, and putting a huge scare into state finalist Aquinas before falling, 28-27. Then in the off-season, head coach Preston Poag left to take over the same post at North Murray and his brother Jay was tabbed to take over his brother’s spot.
The coaching change had a ripple effect on the Lions, who saw three key players transfer to Dalton High. Brandon Poag, the coach’s son, will replace 3,000-yard producer Tyson Cooper under center and Lions are hopeful that senior athlete Wesley Hagan and others can make up for all the lost offensive production that will now be wearing Redand-White.
Darlington Tigers Head Coach: Tommy Atha Last Year: 10-1 overall, 6-0 in Region 7-2A
The Tigers, a playoff mainstay under Atha in Class 1A, kept rolling during their two-year run in Class 2A. They won Region 7 twice in a row, but also saw their seasons abruptly come to an end in the postseason. After a loss to No. 4 seed WashingtonWilkes in 2014, they ran up against a buzzsaw in eventual state champ Pace Academy in last year’s opener, getting shutout, 31-0, after winning all 10 of their games during the year.
The Tigers will lose some significant talent on offense, but return junior Tijai Whatley and senior Elijah McKoy, who teamed for over 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns a year ago. Seniors Mason Tant and Cameron Evans are battling for the starting quarterback job, while Jacob Hunt, Elijah Ball and Burt Michael Tidwell will give Darlington a solid front four on defense.
Mt.Zion-Carroll Eagles Head Coach: Keith Holloway Last Year: 8-4 overall, 3-2 in Region 6-1A
Keith Holloway has engineered back-toback eight wins cam- paigns, marking the first time in nearly 25 years that a Mt. Zion team has put together consecutive winning seasons, and it’s the most wins in a two-year span since the Eagles started playing football in 1956. They even stunned perennial power Lincoln County, 10-7, in the first round last year before bowing out to evental state semifinalist, ECI, 34-31.
The Eagles will have to replace leading tackler Mozell Anderson III and linemen Ben Sizemore and Antonio Brown, but the team returns a wealth of talent in the skill positions. Quarterback Jordan Akin threw for over 650 yards last year, while running backs Jace Jordan (1,068 yards, 11 TD’s) and Richard Farley (811 yards, 6 TD’s) are a dangerous onetwo punch out of the backfield.
N. Cobb Christian Eagles Head Coach: Jake Sorg Last Year: 6-4 overall, non-region schedule
After compiling a 12-18 record in three years against non-region competition, head coach Scott Ryle left North Cobb Christian to take a head coaching job back home in Texas. The Eagles then plucked Sorg out of Florida to take over the post. The Eagles went from 1-9 to 5-5 to 6-4 in the past three seasons, but now will be eligible for the GHSA state playoffs as they get set to face a region schedule for the first time.
The first order of business will be to find a replacement for graduated quarterback Jalen Damper with Lee Cunningham as the likely heir. Mark Watson should see plenty of touches at tailback, while Hunter Titus, Reese Parke and James Bitner give the Eagles a solid trio of linebackers to build the defense around.
Trion Bulldogs Head Coach: Justin Brown Last Year: 8-4 overall, 2-2 in Region 6-1A
Brown got Trion back to the postseason in 2015 after back-toback 5-5 seasons. They lost just three times in the regular season, all coming to playoff participants (Pinecrest Academy, Mt. Zion-Carroll, Mt. Paran Christian) and all three by a combined 14 points with one loss coming in overtime. They blasted Turner County, 40-6, in the opening round before a 21-0 loss to eventual state champion Irwin County.
However, several starters were lost due to graduation and the Bulldogs will face something of a rebuilding job this fall. Junior Jarrett Gill is back at quarterback, while senior Jarrett Pierce and junior Logan Blevins will get their share of the load on offense. Evan Walker is a solid wideout, but new faces will have to step up on defense if the Bulldogs plan to content for a state playoff spot.
The Paladins had a quick rise from a threewin season in 2004 to an 11-2 campaign just three years later under the program’s founder, Bob Lord. However, FCS hasn’t been able to recapture the magic since. They have had three 2-8 seasons since 2009 and they have failed to win more than five games at any time in the past eight years.
That could change this season as several key players return to a team that saw four of their losses come by a touchdown or less. Jack Hardin is back for his senior year at quarterback and running backs Andrew Johnson and Andrew Minkert are reliable in the backfield. Defensive end Ethan Minkert and tackle Zach Murray will be standouts on the defensive side of the ball.
King's Ridge Christian Tigers Head Coach: Jimmy Chupp Last Year: 1-9 overall, 1-4 in Region 6-1A
The Tigers, who didn’t play a full 10game schedule until 2010, appeared at one point to be on their way toward becoming a playoff contender. However, after hovering around the .500 mark for a few years, the Purple-and-White have stumbled to backto-back 1-9 seasons. The school made a move in the off-season by hiring Jimmy Chupp, who was previously at Greater Atlanta Christian from 1999-2007 and amassed an 89-24 record with a Class 2A state runnerup finish in 2002.
Reid Martin, a senior, will line up under center and he will have a more veteran line blocking for him in 2016 as seniors Kyle Brown and Wyatt McMahon, along with juniors Phillip Trainor and Parker Lefton will pave the way. Many of those lineman will play both ways, while Lawson Hill and Orion Caldwell, a pair of