Sports

Southwest Georgia prep football officially returns

Derek Barichello

The Dougherty County High School football team stretched and counted out each

callisthenic Friday in one solidified, booming voice.

Then a coach's whistle sounded and the Trojans knew it was time for conditioning as they prepared to hop aboard the pain train.

In a line, players ran several 10-yard sprints to the playful taunting of their coaches.

While this classic football scene took place, nearly a dozen fans from the community leaned up against the brick fieldhouse watching, swatting gnats along with words.

"Who's bigger? Who's smaller? Who looks faster? Will he fill in? Who's going to be tough this year?" Flew the questions.

And the scene was no different at Albany High School as both GHSA schools spent Friday practicing for the first time of the 2008 season.

That same resounding whistle could be heard through the arching live oaks on Society Avenue as people walking through the neighborhood stopped and peeked between the holes in the fence to catch a glimpse of this year's Indians.

Coach Reggie Mitchell, wearing a straw hat with the letters A-H-S emblazoned in orange, ran from drill to drill enthusiastically, stopping briefly after each post run by one of his assistants to give his players more instruction.

Then, on command of his whistle, his Indians dropped whatever they were doing, came together and broke off into something new.

Add both scenes together, and it meant only one thing: High School football was back!

On Friday, GHSA teams all across the state officially started practice, while GISA teams began the five-month journey earlier this week.

This is my first year at The Herald, and this is my first year covering Georgia high school football - and now I finally get to see what all the fuss is about.

Ever since I tasted my first sweet tea and cleaned my first plate at Pearly's, everybody in Albany has been telling me the same thing: "Just you wait until football season - that's when the real fun starts."

Upon hearing of the thousands of fans who showed up for Worth County's spring game; coupled with the thousands that are bound to show up at any of the area's stadiums on any given Friday night this fall; the fact that the South has football in the spring; the names of local players that have gone on to play major college football and the pride each town takes in their program, I'm starting to understand exactly what they meant.

And with the practice season officially starting Friday, and as I prepare my visits to area schools during the next three weeks, I find myself eagerly awaiting game time this fall to see just how the story lines of our now 24 area teams (we've added three to our coverage package this year) will play out.

Questions surround the city schools, like, can Westover find repeat success after coming off its best season ever? Or can Monroe surprise some folks in what appears to be a rebuilding season? Will this be the year for Albany to finally get a win after two consecutive 0-10 seasons? And just how much will re-alignment affect Dougherty High?

Deerfield-Windsor appears primed to make another run at a GISA AAA state title, while Sherwood Christian Academy figures to have more success now that it's moved down to a better-suited AA class.

Lee County and Americus-Sumter -- both beneficiaries of an automatic playoff bid in previous years thanks to a four-team region - will now have to finish in the top four of an expanded nine-team conference to earn a berth.

Expectations, meanwhile, have reached new heights in Worth County. With 14 starters returning on both sides of the ball from a Rams team that last year caught fire and pulled off a huge upset of No. 1 seed Burke County in the first round of the playoffs, it makes you wonder just how far they can go this year?

However, the Rams are not the only ones bringing back a core group as Mitchell County and Southwest Georgia Academy return the majority of their starters and both will be ones to watch.

For other schools, the story is how they will replace last year's departed stars.

What will it be like without Georgia's third-leading career rusher Chris Clay at Randolph-Clay? It's a similiar story at Terrell Academy after losing Keaton Icard and and Brett Shiver for Westwood. How will those guys be replaced?

This year, The Herald is adding Seminole County and Miller County (back) to its coverage area, while Baconton Charter is fielding a team for the first time in school history. The Indians will do their best to replace Bacarri Rambo, who signed with Georgia, presenting another pair of big shoes to fill, while Miller County will try to return to its prominence in the 1990s.

It will be interesting to see how Baconton's inaugural season plays out, or how Pelham's new coach Jim Morrell will fair in his first season.

Speaking of first seasons, Peach State coaching legend Ed Pilcher moves across town from Thomas County Central to Bainbridge and hopes to continue what last year's

one-and-done coach Ricky Woods started in leading the Bearcats to the postseason.

In other coaching changes, Mitchell County is now headed by two interim coaches as last year's coach David Ward goes back to school.

Then there are the numerous coaches in their second year: Dougherty's Charles Flowers, SCA's Ted "Rock" Knapp, Americus-Sumter's Mark Wilson and Randolph-Southern's Tim Goodin.

How will their teams fare now they are settled in?

For some schools, it was a near-miss in 2007. Calhoun County just missed the playoffs by one game, and those in Edison hope it's in the cards for the Cougars this year. As for Terrell County, coach William Huff will try and turn around a 4-6 season from a year ago.

Already the first day of practice and so many questions.

I guess the only question left now is when's the first game? That'd be Aug. 23: Cairo at Bainbridge.

That's the part I can't wait for.

More Sports>>