Young Falcons ready to grow up

FLOWERY BRANCH - Flowery Branch football coach Lee Shaw says it's time for his team to grow up.

And he thought of no better way than for his young Falcons to knock off North Hall in their opener Friday night at home.

"We're not the same young team we were last year. These guys are a year older and we're looking to put the fact that we're a new school behind us. We're looking to win games," he said. "(North Hall) is a big challenge for us but I think we'll be competitive and if we execute our plan I expect to have a chance."

The signs for a possible breakthrough into the win column came when the Falcons beat Franklin County in a scrimmage last month and took Habersham Central to the final possession before losing.

"That showed the kids that they were making progress and fired them up. We made some mistakes but we've been working hard and fixing those things," Shaw said.

The defense will be the key for Flowery Branch. They gave up 370 points last year and Shaw says they have to do better to have any chance of pulling out a win.

"We've been emphasizing defense since the first day we got here and I like what I see so far," he said. "Offensively we're probably not going to a powerhouse so we have to be able to stop people."

Seniors Roshad Randolph, Brian Smith, Nick Schnepper and junior Corey Drew - all linebackers - return to give the Falcons a good corp for its eight-man front alignment.

"Those guys have really stepped up so far during practice. They've been hitting people in the mouth during scrimmages. It should be a strength for us," Shaw said.

On offense, Matt Jones returns at quarterback to run a wishbone attack. Fullback Andy Espinosa and running backs Rhodes Berry and Whitney Watkins give the Falcons a good stable of runners.

"Matt was thrown into the fire last year but seems to be understanding what to do better this year and has made tremendous improvement," Shaw said. "Andy has been playing great so far and we're looking for big things from him.

"We'll need to control the ball and tempo better this year and not turn the ball over. If we can do that, and with the improvement of our defense, we should be to win a game, or two, or who knows."

Shaw, however, is quick to temper some of the obvious signs of excitement when it comes to placing too high of expectations.

"We have to be careful because we also don't want to set ourselves up for something that may not be attainable. That would work counter to what we're trying to accomplish," he said.

"But I know we're going to be more competitive this year. That I can guarantee."