There are just 33 days remaining until the kickoff of the 2023 high school football season. But make no mistake, preparations for the upcoming campaign got underway months ago. And teams throughout northeast Georgia already are in full countdown mode.
With that in mind, we spent the last couple of weeks catching up with programs around our area to get a feel for how spring practice went, how the summer is going, and what coaches believe the fall will look like. Our "Two-a-Days" series honors those old-school grinding sessions that lead us out of summer and into fall, asking each area coach two key questions about the state of their respective programs.
Over the next two weeks, AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night will get you prepped for the start of gridiron action with responses from coaches throughout northeast Georgia.
(Teams run in alphabetical order)...
BANKS COUNTY
The Leopards are coming off their best season since 2017, finishing 5-5. However, injuries derailed a 4-0 start as they missed out on the playoffs by a game. Sixth-year head coach Jay Reid thinks that adversity, and the fact several underclassmen got crucial playing time, could be the key ingredients in what he hopes will be a playoff push.
We caught up with Reid to see how things stand in the heat of the summer and see if they have answered some of their bigger question marks.
QUESTION: It looks like y’all have a pretty good quarterback battle going on between Kolby Watson and Clay Smith. How is that shaping up as we get closer to the fall practices?
A: Both of these young men possess talents and both are good players. There is a bit of a difference in their styles as Kolby is more of a traditional pocket passer and Clay is a dual threat but they both bring a lot to the table. I would expect for both of them to get snaps at the position as we will be prepared with packages for both. It has been good to see them work together and compete against each other since the winter. Iron sharpens iron and the two of them have really come a long way.
Q: Y’all graduated Ander Shockley, who had two tremendous seasons out of the backfield. Early talk has Aucy Jacobs, who saw some action last year, as the heir-apparent. You now have Banks County legend and former NFL player Terry Allen [Minnesota, Washington, Baltimore] coaching the running backs. What has he brought to the table and how much will he help the overall run game this season?
A: Aucy will certainly get a good number of carries. He’s a good back with great vision and balance. We’ve got several other guys that will see some touches but we know Aucy is capable of carrying the load. Coach Allen has been an excellent addition to our staff. Our staff has evolved a great deal and we’ve got a lot of experience among us but more importantly I really like the chemistry we have going. Coach Allen brings energy and a great amount of knowledge and you will definitely be able to see his addition to our run game. He also has an awesome talent as a mentor of young people and I have thoroughly enjoyed developing our relationship.
- Up Next in Two-a-Days: BUFORD
