Free for all: Cartersville's depature leaves 6-4A wide open

There are only two differences when it comes the region LaFayette and Ridgeland played in last season and the one they will compete in for 2016.

The first is that the region has a new designation. Realignment now has the region formerly known as 7-4A getting a new moniker as Region 6-4A. That change alone won’t any have impact of who emerges as the region champion and who are the other three teams to make the playoffs later this fall.

The second change, however, absolutely will.

The region now has just seven teams instead of eight as Cartersville has been shipped to Region 5.

That means for LaFayette, Ridgeland, and the other five teams that remain in the region, the 2016 season promises to be a wideopen battle for the four state playoff berths and the region title with the Canes — last year’s region and state champs — out of the picture.

Here’s a look at the other five squads that will be jockeying for position with the Ramblers and Panthers once region play begins in September.

Gilmer Bobcats Head Coach: Jason Galt Last Year: 4-6 overall, 3-4 in Region 7-4A

The biggest news for the Bobcats came in the offseason after Zach Grage stepped down as head coach in Ellijay after just one season to take the same job in Thomasville. Enter Galt, who had six solid seasons at Dutchtown, but went just 10-21 in three seasons at North Forsyth before landing the Gilmer job.

Galt has something of a rebuilding job on his hands as the Bobcats graduated tailback Russell Cochran and athlete Thaddeus Bowers, who had over 1,000 all-purpose yards a year ago. On defense, they will also have to replace the likes of defensive end Lucas Bramlett and middle linebacker Noble Zuchslag.

However, David Smith returns under center after seeing plenty of action as a freshman, while senior Cagle Griffin will be counted on to fill the hole at the running back spot. Senior Kell Kiker will be a go-to player at receiver and in the secondary.

Big Levi Seabolt and Nathan Fitzgerald will give Gilmer senior leadership on both sides of the trenches, while senior Austin Lacy will bring pressure off the edge in the defenisve front four. Senior Kamron Engler will try to take up the slack left by Zuchslag’s graduation.

Heritage Generals Head Coach: E.K. Slaughter Last Year: 4-6 overall, 2-5 in Region 7-4A

The Generals looked well on their way to earning the school’s first playoff berth in football last season after starting the year 4-2. However, they finished the season with four straight losses — three coming to playoff teams — before a season-ending 29-27 loss to Gilmer, a team who was eliminated from the playoffs after losing in the final mini-game playoff to Ridgeland the Monday after the season ended.

Like all the teams in the region, Heritage saw some key players depart due to graduation, but the core of the squad remains intact, led by senior quarterback Corbee Wilson. A three-year starter, Wilson threw for 2,213 yards and 18 touchdowns in the Generals’ spread attack and could put up even better numbers this time around.

Wilson’s main offensive weapons will be senior receiver Trent Kiniry (34 rec., 553 yds., 6 TD's) and junior Luke Grant (46 rec., 909 yds., 7 TD's). Junior Lavarius Hood will see the bulk of the carries at the tailback spot, while 270pound senior fullback Tanner Nance is a load and a change of pace out of the backfield. Juniors Zach Scott and Zach Goins will help pave the way up front.

Heritage is shifting from a 4-3 look to a 3-4 look on defense to take advantage of a wealth of talent at the linebacker spot, including Hood, junior Noah Keaton and sophomore Jeffrey Curtis. Nance had three sacks and 18 tackles for loss last year, while junior Zaine Burton recorded eight sacks and 24 tackles for loss off the edge. Another junior, Blake Bryan, will add to an experienced, though somewhat undersized, secondary.

Northwest Bruins Head Coach: Josh Robinson Last Year: 7-4 overall, 5-2 in Region 7-4A

The Bruins qualified for the postseason last year, only to see their season come to a disappointing and abrupt end with a 28-27 home loss to Grady in the opening round. Northwest should have one of the top offenses in all of Region 6-4A this season, with several returning skill players, but Robinson will have to find replacements for eight starters on defense.

Northwest will have arguably the top returning quarterback in the region in junior Luke Shiftlett, who spent the spring and summer making a name for himself at passing camps and who is already getting offers from lower-tier conference Division I schools. He threw for 1,573 yards and 19 TD's against just three picks in 2015 and picked up 358 more yards and six more scores on the ground.

Senior wideouts Will Blanchard (45 rec., 855 yds., 8 TD's) and Jay Jones (41 rec., 508 yds., 10 TD's) will give Shiflett plenty of options, while senior Devonte Dunn, junior Sebastian Orozco and sophomore Dominique Sistrunk will shoulder some of the load on the ground. Up front, the name of senior Garrett Ford is also beginning to pop up on college radars.

Defense is where the Bruins could be vunerable, at least early on, as they try to replace the likes of Austin Morrison, Cyrus Addison and Cameron Heard. Junior Tanner Floyd will give them a pass rush off the end, while senior Chase Blackwell is the team’s most experienced linebacker. John Conner and Hunter Reece will add depth at the position. In the secondary, senior Tanner Boyd will look to help Jones lock things down.

Pickens Dragons Head Coach: Chris Parker Last Year: 8-3 overall, 5-2 in Region 7-4A

Steadily and per- haps somewhat quietly, Chris Parker is turning the Dragons into winners. He has averaged nearly seven wins a season over his four years in Jasper and last year, he went 8-3 for the second consecutive season. However, the 2015 campaign would come to a close with a 42-17 loss to powerhouse Marist in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.

Parker’s challenge for the fall will be to retool the passing game. Gone is 1,000 all-purpose yard, dual-threat quarterback Marcus Byrd and his three top receivers from a season ago — Zack Hermann, Hunter Golden and Dillon Gasaway. On defense, he’ll also have to replace linebacker Kyle West, who was among the team leaders in tackles.

Until the passing game gets back off the ground, defenses will likely key in on senior running Chris Pittman, although the bruising 215-pounder is more than equipped to take on the task. He’s coming off a 1,335-yard, 18-touchdown season in 2015, and he’ll have fellow seniors Zayne Burtz and Nick Southern leading the way for him up front.

But it might not take the passing game long to recover as junior Jacob Brumby, the younger brother of former Dragons’ quarterback Tanner Brumby, has also been making waves on the spring camp circuit and he’ll still have senior William Wotring on the outside. On defense, senior Alex Pittman will team with Burtz, Southern and others along the frontline, while junior Dylan Huffman will be counted on in the secondary. Southeast Raiders Head Coach: Sean Gray Last Year: 5-5 overall, 3-4 in Region 7-4A

Coming off the first-ever state playoff berth in the program’s 40-year history in 2014, the Raiders began the 2015 season with a high hopes and high expectations. They got a shot in the arm with a 4-2 start to the season, including their first win over rival Northwest since 1992.

But Southeast would drop three of their last four games before limping into a mini-playoff for the fourth and final state berth. They would lose in the opening mini-game to Gilmer, ending their season with a .500 record.

The focus in the offseason has been in the weight room, where many of the Raiders have added size and strength. They will bring back junior quarterback Landon Eaton, who took over under center midway through last season, but graduated playmakers, like Colter Faith, Tyler Brown, Quez Fields and Britt Hasty, will be hard to replace. Senior Cody Gillean will get a chance to run the ball, while senior receivers Lucas Grant and Taylor Shirah will be counted on to spread out the defense in the passing game.

In the trenches, senior Jacob Cloer will try to fill the big shoes left behind by 2015 7-4A Lineman of the Year, Noah Ramsey. On defense, senior Gillean will patrol in the middle, while juniors Caleb Smith and Luke Johns will try to pressure opposing quarterbacks from their defenisve end spots.