Region 6-AAA: Defense could be key for a Rockmart repeat
Despite moving up from Class AA, many felt Rockmart would be the team to beat once the new-look Region 6-AAA began play for the first time in the 2020 season and the experts were proven right as the Jackets continued their recent dominance.
In the past five seasons under head coach Biff Parson — all of which have seen them win at least nine games — Rockmart has a gaudy 52-10 overall record and a 34-1 mark against region opposition. That lone loss came on Oct. 14, 2016 against Pepperell (31-10) and since that night, the Jackets have claimed 32 consecutive region wins and made it to the second round of the state playoffs five straight times, including a state runner-up finish in 2018.
Not bad for a program that was 8-23 in the three seasons before Parson’s arrival.
In fact, since that loss to Pepperell five years ago, only two region opponents have stayed with 14 points of the Jackets. Pepperell lost 56-42 in the rematch in 2017 and North Murray put a scare into Rockmart last fall before dropping a 49-42 decision. In that 32-game region streak, the Jackets have held 25 opponents to 14 points or less and pitched 12 shutouts.
Rockmart has some key personnel to replace this fall, most notably star quarterback/athlete Javin Whatley, a two-time All-State selection, but is still loaded with athletes and playmakers.
So if Rockmart does finally see its four-year region title streak come to a close in 2021, which team will be the one to end it?
Consider Ringgold and North Murray among the top contenders to the throne.
The Tigers, who have never won a region football championship in its history, have a plethora of starters back from a team that jumped from 0-10 in 2019 to 5-5 in 2020 and many of those players are multi-year starters. Then there are the Mountaineers, who will bring back arguably the top quarterback-receiver duo in the region, but will need to shore up a defense that gave up just shy of 30 points a game last season.
Sonoraville has productive skill players and numerous starters back on offense and defense, but will be breaking in a new quarterback. LaFayette, fresh off its first playoff appearance in 27 years, has a new coach and their share of athletes, but is also replacing one of the top running backs in the league, while — like Sonoraville — Adairsville has solid skill kids and dependable defensive starters, but will also be trotting out a new signal-caller behind an offensive line that is short on experience.
A extra year’s worth of experience, some coaching changes and new offensive schemes should make Coahulla Creek and LFO a couple of intriguing teams to keep an eye on, while Murray County will be depending heavily on new faces after suffering big-time graduation losses.
With more in-depth previews of LaFayette, LFO and Ringgold found elsewhere in this edition, here’s a closer look at the other six teams that will be fighting for the four playoff spots come early November.
ADAIRSVILLE TIGERS
2020 record: 6-4 overall,
5-2 region
Head coach: Eric Bishop (9th season, 52-36 overall)
Adairsville was something of a surprise a year ago as the Tigers emerged from the region battles to earn the No. 2 seed for the state playoffs out of 6-AAA. However, if they are going to make a run at dethroning Rockmart this fall, they will have to get production from a new quarterback.
With the graduation of dependable, multi-year starter Conner Crunkleton, the starting job under center will fall to either junior Chris Roper or sophomore Jonathan Gough. But while that competition should be a good one, Adairsville has a known commodity in the backfield in senior running back Eli Agnew, who rushed for over 700 yards last fall. The passing game will also welcome the return of senior Evan Sanders, who at 6-3 will pose matchup problems for most cornerbacks he goes up against.
On defense, Adairsville will have one of the best in senior linebacker Tokyo Gordon, who was one of the region leaders in tackles per game a year ago. He will get help from rising sophomore Reece Alexander. In the secondary, Agnew and Roper will lead the way, while senior Isaac Lindley will give the Tigers another solid cornerback.
The question marks for the Green-and-Gold this season will be in the trenches where experience and depth are very limited on both sides
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of the ball. Senior Tipton Worthington and sophomore Bobby Campbell will be counted on to provide blocking and protection,
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while undersized senior Andrew Beckrow will offer up some senior leadership on the defensive line.
2020 record:
2-8 overall, 1-7 region
Head coach: Danny Wilson
(2nd season, 2-8 overall) Throughout its relatively brief history as a school, Coahulla Creek has seen lots of its individual sports programs begin to make names for themselves. In just the 2020-2021 school year alone, the girls’ softball and basketball teams were ranked among the top five in the state and the boys’ soccer team went on to earn its first-ever state championship.
The football team has yet to taste that level of success, but if you’re looking for a team in Region 6-AAA to take a big step forward this year, the Colts might just be that team.
Head coach Danny Wilson has numerous starters back on offense, including junior quarterback Kace Kinnamon, who will be a big part of the Colts offense and who will handle the punting chores. Senior Justin Baker and junior tight end Robbie Wiggins will give Kinnamon targets in the passing game, while junior fullback/H-back Will Douglas will provide extra blocking for junior tailback Aiden Patterson, as will senior linemen Will Bates, Andrew Elsenrath, Kobe Tankersley and Teague Bickford.
The Colts also have six starters back from a defensive unit that ranked fifth in the region in points allowed a year ago. Junior defensive end Thailin Young will be counted on to anchor the front four, while junior Manny Dominguez received honorable mention honors last year at safety. One more name that will have a big impact is assistant Vic Grider, the former South Pittsburg (Tenn.) head coach, who has reunited with Wilson in Varnell.
MURRAY COUNTY INDIANS 2020 record:
4-6 overall, 3-5 region
Head coach: Chad Brewer (9th season, 23-56 overall)
It’s been 15 years since the Indians last made the state playoffs and if the Greenand-White are to end that streak in 2021, they will need plenty of new faces to pick up the slack.
Murray County lost a big senior class to graduation, which included five All-Region players. Included on that list were quarterback Kaleb Jones and running back Davis Redwine. Together, the duo accounted for over 1,300 rushing yards last fall.
Senior Tyson Leonard will likely be the starter under center, while several more seniors are hoping to have an impact on the offensive side of the ball this year. That list features running backs Taylor Carrell and Darryl Carpenter, linemen Colby Gonzalez, Josue Reynoso and Cody Faulknor, tight end Caleb Peden and punter Jonathan Leon.
On defense, seniors Eddie Love and Bryson Cassell, along with junior Eli Hope, will anchor up front with senior linebackers Cameron Hunter and Carson Gordon, who will help round out the front seven. In the backfield, seniors Drew Carter and Cody Dunn will be counted on for leadership.
Other names to know include juniors Noah Densmore, Aaron Flood, Eli Stanley, Chase Jarvis and Christopher Hernandez and sophomores Judah Woodall, Gage Whitener and Gage Winkler, who will fill in some of the gaps on offense and defense.
NORTH MURRAY MOUNTAINEERS 2020 record:
6-4 overall, 6-2 region
Head coach: Preston Poag (10th season, 34-60 overall) Despite graduating a large senior class that earned the
school’s first region championship in 2019, North Murray had enough left in the tank to get back to the playoffs for a fifth straight year last fall, earning the No. 3 seed out of the region, and chances are that despite a few key graduation losses, the Mountaineers are on track to continue their postseason streak.
In a region already known for high-scoring offenses, the Mountaineers’ passing game just might be the best in all of 6-AAA this fall. Junior quarterback Seth Griffin was a first-team All-Region pick last year after throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and accounting for 33 touchdowns. His top target will be 6-4 senior receiver Michael McDade, a second-team AllRegion selection a year ago, who stands to make an even bigger impact this year. Also look for junior Jadyn Rice, an outstanding athlete, to make plays this fall.
Playmakers D’ante Tidwell and Cade Petty will be missed this season, but senior running back Noah Lunsford will be looking to take up the slack behind an offensive line led by 6-3, 280-pound senior center Austin Johnson and junior Carson Manis. Johnson and Manis are two of four returning starters up
front for the Black-and-Gold.
On defense, Johnson and junior Carson Gibson will anchor the front four, while North Murray will depend on a pair of senior linebackers in Ethan Dempsey and Devin Hunte. Sophomore Judson Petty will lead the way in the Mountaineers’ secondary, while North Murray has a weapon on special teams in senior kicker Owen Hannah.
ROCKMART YELLOW JACKETS
2020 record: 9-2 overall,
7-0 region
Head coach: Biff Parson (6th season, 52-10 overall)
In its first season in the new configuration, Region 6-AAA earned a reputation for high-powered offenses. Six of the nine teams in the region averaged over 25 points a game last year, while five of those six topped 30 or more every Friday night. Of course, that also meant that defenses struggled to stop the opposition. Seven of the nine teams in the region gave up 25 points or more per game and every team in the region allowed no fewer than 310 yards each game... except one.
Rockmart, who came into the region as the preseason favorite, proved to be the team to beat. The Jackets won the region by averaging 40.9 points a game on offense, while giving up a league-low 18.2 on defense and holding opposing offenses to just 213 yards a game, nearly 100 yards less than its next closest competitor.
And despite some big-time graduation losses, the Jackets will be the favorites again. A new quarterback must be found, but there is plenty of firepower on offense with senior athlete Keyshawn McCollough and senior wideout Jakari Clark.
However, it’s on defense where Rockmart should have a major advantage this fall. Senior All-Region first team linebackers Daquan Banks and Terrion Webb are back, as are senior defensive back Deidric Gibson and junior defensive back Dennis Sims, who were also first team AllRegion picks a year ago. Senior Tae Middlebrooks and junior Hugo Rangel will anchor the lines and the Jackets have a weapon in junior Julian “Jo Jo” Haynes, who has already collected an offer from Mississippi thanks to his 4.4 speed.
SONORAVILLE PHOENIX
2020 record: 5-5 overall,
3-5 region
Head coach: Denver Pate (5th season, 18-23 overall)
Perhaps no team in Region 6-AAA was tougher to figure out last year than Sonoraville. The Red-and-Black looked like region contenders some weeks, but struggled mightily in others. A three-game winning streak gave them an overall 5-5 record, but they came up short of the postseason.
However, if they can find some consistency, and a new starting quarterback, there’s no reason to believe the Firebirds won’t be smack dab in the middle of the playoff chase in 2021.
The defense is primed to take a step forward this fall as six of its front seven starters are back. Senior Davon Jones, junior Dawson Young and sophomore Skylar Brown will line up along the front, while an extremely solid linebacker corps, featuring senior Jebb Knight and juniors Tristin Mullins and Zach McAfee, will provide support in the middle.
On offense, the Phoenix will return a number of starters on the line, including seniors Jaxx Knight, Brenden Miller, Draven Peppers and McCoy Deal. Junior Zach Lyles accounted for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago, while senior Nick Beddington and junior Brant Bryant give the Phoenix two top-flight pass catchers. The name to know might just be sophomore Jaxon Pate, who will inherit the quarterbacking duties from standout Brady Lackey, who has moved on to the college game.