Four downs with Worth County football

SYLVESTER — The 2017 season was an anomaly for Worth County.

A program that had winning seasons in each of the three seasons prior to last year, Worth County posted its first 0-10 campaign in program history.

Ben Simmons, who was brought in to replace Jason Tone after two successful seasons at Turner County, departed following the 0-10 season and subsequently joined Valdosta’s coaching staff. Athletics director Frankie Carroll, a former head coach at Pelham and at Madison County in Florida, is coaching the team on an interim basis.

Here are four questions for Carroll and the Rams, who return to their traditional wing-T offense this season after working out of the spread last year:

1. What will Worth County bring to the table this fall?

With just eight seniors, Worth County will have one of the youngest teams in the area.

Carroll said the majority of the roster is made up of ninth-graders and sophomores. He said he likes the effort and the enthusiasm they bring, especially with the changes Carroll and his staff have made during the offseason.

“The kids have really worked hard, and they have a lot of energy,” Carroll said. “We’re very young, but that’s not a bad thing because of the enthusiasm they bring. We’re trying to build something new.”

2. How important is the switch back to the wing-T?

Worth County ran the wing-T for several years under Tone and previous head coaches. While the Rams haven’t won a region title since 1989, they did average seven wins per season from 2014-16, scoring 403 points in 2015 and 343 points in 2016.

Simmons brought a spread offense to Worth County last season, and the Rams managed to score just 125 points, the program’s lowest total in 16 years.

The wing-T returns under Carroll and first-year offensive coordinator Colby Hartzog, who moved to Worth County from Daleville, Alabama.

“With the kind of kids we have, we have to go back to that,” Carroll said. “Run a ball-control offense and keep it away from (the opposition).”

3. How does the drop to four teams in GHSA Region 1-3A affect region play?

By GHSA rule, a region with four teams is allotted just three playoff spots. The fourth spot normally allotted to that region is awarded to the winner of a pool that includes that region’s fourth-place team and the fifth-place teams from the other seven regions in the classification.

Since the at-large pool is determined by power ranking points, the race to the postseason, in the case of Region 1-3A, doesn’t solely come down to region games anymore.

Former Region 1-3A member Dougherty moves into Region 1-4A this fall as part of the GHSA’s mid-cycle realignment. That leaves just Worth County, Monroe, Crisp County and Cook in Region 1-3A, making the region one of two four-team regions in the state (Region 1-7A being the other).

“You prefer to have more teams in your region since it makes scheduling tough,” Carroll said. “But it makes every game important, not just region games.”

4. Who are some players who might have breakout seasons this year?

Gavosky Peterson, Sr. DL/TE: “He could have a real good season,” Carroll said. “He’s really strong, started as a freshman. He missed eight games last year to injury, but he could be a force. He moves well.”

Tay McCullough, Sr. LB/RB: “He had a good season last year. He’s been in the program four years, and he is familiar with the (wing-T) offense.”

Montavious Buford, Sr. RB: “He has a lot of speed, and he’s really strong and has shown a lot in the weight room. The offense suits him well.”