HEAD COACH: Stuart Cunningham ♦ RECORD: First season (14-27 overall) ♦ 2022 RECORD: 2-8 ♦ REGION: 8-4A
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The War Eagles will look different this season.
Stuart Cunningham, who was hired to take the helm of the program after long-time head coach Shaun Conley retired after last season, is bringing a different approach.
Over the last eight seasons, the War Eagles’ offensive identity has been the spread offense. Now, Cunningham is installing the wing-T offense, and there have been some growing pains over the summer.
“Overall, it’s going good,” Cunningham said about the installation. “We just don’t transition from throwing to running like I think we should right now.
Josh Kermode, who completed 147 of 245 passes for 1,961 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, returns at quarterback.
Cunningham said Kermode is settling into the new system.
“When he throws a good ball, he throws it better than anybody,” he said. “He’s working on his timing with his receivers, but overall he’s working hard at it.”
Senior Sazo Dollyhigh and junior Ben Plemons have emerged as the top tailbacks in the offense. Juniors Bryan Silguero, Hector Espinoza, and senior Jason Granados will also get some carries.
Cunningham said the offensive line will be the biggest key to the overall offensive production.
“The offensive line has to be our strong point,” he said. “We’re getting pretty decent on our inside runs. We are working on getting better on our outside run plays.”
Across the front, seniors Nate Brazier and Alex Contreras and junior Gabe Mejia are returning starters. Junior Ulisses Arellano and sophomores Blake Migalla and Hayden Sullens are also vying for time.
Juniors Deacon Wilson and Caysen Goss are at tight end. Seniors Beau Edwards, Ely Raines and juniors Gadiel Sanchez, Charlie Bradshaw, Edwin Rodriguez and Cameron Davidenko will compete for the wide receiver positions.
Defensively, the War Eagles have also experienced growing pains over the summer. Cunningham said they must be more flexible when shifting from a three-man front to a four-man.
“We really need to be more flexible than we are,” he said. “We’re struggling to go from the 4-3 to the 3-4 right now.
Brazier and Dollyhigh have stepped up on the line, and Plemmons, Siguero, Goss and Granados are solid at linebacker.
However, the secondary is a work in progress.
“We’re not deep at corner, so it’s been a wide-open competition,” Cunningham said.
Raines, Bradshaw and Rodriguez are competing at corner, while Espinoza has moved from linebacker to safety.
“It’s been key this summer,” Cunningham said about developing the defense. “I think they can be a solid defense. We’ve just got to make sure our two-way players are equipped to play two ways.”
GRADUATION STINGS
The War Eagles lost five on defense, DL Luis Jordan, DL Triston Minor, DL Ethan Clark, DB Zarius Burch and DB Elijah Pruitt. On offense, they’ll replace OL Daniel Zaleta, OL Jordan, WR Christian Jarrard and RB Adriel Vargas. Cunningham also will have to replace punter David Diaz.
THE WING-T IN SARDIS?
Cunningham says they’ll run a scoring offense based out of the wing-T. It won’t be strictly wing-T, but many of the hard-to-defend wing-T principles will be used both under center and in the shotgun.
“Being a defensive guy for so long, I’ve kind of got a pretty good idea of what’s hard for a defense to stop. So, we plan on doing all those things that are very hard to stop. Some of those things will be under center, and some will be in the gun.”
A MULTIPLE DEFENSE
With Cunningham’s defensive background, he brings an aggressive attitude to that side of the ball. The War Eagles will base out of a four-man front but will show multiple fronts from time to time. It’s been all fundamental work over the summer for the War Eagles. Cunningham said the work can be monotonous, but it’ll pay off once the season begins.
“If I’m worried about our linebackers being too aggressive and the secondary guys being too physical, worry about my defensive line playing too hard and lasting three plays, then I think we’ll be OK. If I’m not worried about those three things, then we’re in trouble.”
TEAM CHEMISTRY IS STRONG
Cunningham has already said his team is going to play for each other – be unselfish. He’s seen that already this summer. He also said his players like each other and are getting along well.
BUT THERE ARE QUESTIONS
Cunningham said even though team chemistry is strong, they need to find vocal leaders on the field. As far as position questions, they continue working to develop the secondary. He also said he wonders how this team will respond to adversity during the season.
CAN THE WAR EAGLES MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?
The War Eagles have only two non-region games to get ready for a brutal Region 8-4A schedule. Cunningham said the first game at Hebron Christian will be a barometer of how well the team is progressing. After a week off, they’ll host White County before opening region play at East Hall. If the War Eagles expect to make a run at the playoffs, a four-game stretch in the second half of the slate, with games against North Hall, Cedar Shoals, East Forsyth and Walnut Grove, will be crucial. However, Cunningham believes the region has a lot of parity and says a playoff spot could come down to a tiebreaker.
“It’s a gauntlet for sure – one of the largest regions in the state with a lot of good coaches,” he said. “But I think we might have a bunch of teams tied. I don’t know who it will be. I won’t over-predict, but I think we can compete. There’s a lot of parity, but we should read up on our tiebreakers.”
WHAT’S TRENDING?
As far as Xs and Os, everything is new at Chestatee, which means there are enough growing pains to fill up several 55-gallon barrels. If the War Eagles can get the wing-T offense clicking, solidify the defense and find some leadership, the outcome of this season could be better than expected.
