HEAD COACH: Sid Maxwell, 9th season ♦ CAREER RECORD: 191-114, 29 seasons ♦ 2022 RECORD: 8-3, Class 3A first round ♦ REGION: 7-3A
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Last season, the offense was under construction. This season, it’s the defense.
The Tigers used an aggressive, lockdown defense to propel them to their second region championship and an eighth straight playoff berth last season.
But in 2023, only three starters return from a defense that allowed just eight points per game in region play – 18 overall, leaving head coach Sid Maxwell with a lot of questions.
“Right now, it’s just about how much we want to focus on doing our job on defense,” he said. “I tell them all the time that it’s important for them to find a way. If it’s not, you’ll make an excuse. So, we’ll see if they’re going to find a way or make an excuse.”
Maxwell used the summer to work on his team. They only attended one padded camp, the rest of the time; they worked on themselves.
“It’s a journey,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces, and more importantly, we’ve been trying to teach them where to go.”
Senior linebacker Alex Stewart (52 tackles) and senior defensive linemen Anthony Garcia and senior Colton Schutte are the three returners on defense, leaving the staff to find new players across the board.
Braden Crane will get some time at defensive end and outside linebacker, and seniors Nathan Fillingame and Simeon Welch are penciled in upfront.
At linebacker, juniors Zach Cruz and Banks Hickman, sophomore Owen Wooten and seniors Christian Byars and Julian Pressley, in some combination, will join Stewart.
In the secondary, seniors Jack McCarthy, Sawyer Bearden and juniors Preston Banister and Luke Smith will rotate at the corner. Juniors Chat Burnett and Declan Rhodes will see time at safety.
As for the offense, the Tigers return seven starters, including most of the offensive line. The Tigers’ O-Line could be one of the biggest in the area.
“It’s probably the strength of our football team,” Maxwell said. “The guys have worked hard all summer and have continued to improve. Line-wise, we look good coming out of the huddle.
Welch, 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, and sophomore Krew Moledor, 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, are back at tackle. Senior Briggs Weaver, 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, will anchor the line at center, and Garcia, 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, and senior Trenton Martinez, 6-foot-2, 260 pounds, will man the guard positions.
Schutte, Fillingame and Crane will see time at tight end.
The Tigers lost the entire backfield to graduation. Junior Luke Smith has emerged as a starter at running back.
“We have no true running backs, so we’ve been working on development,” Maxwell said. “Right now, Luke has the edge. He’s not big, but he’s a pretty shifty back.”
Junior Davis Glass returns at quarterback and has shown improvement since his first season as a starter in 2022. He was 51-of-108 passing for 931 yards and a touchdown and added another 210 yards rushing last season.
Davis has improved at quarterback,” Maxwell said. “I feel like they’ve made strides in the right direction. He looks a lot more relaxed than he did last year. He’ll have the chance to keep growing as a junior.”
Senior Dom Leblanc returns as the team’s leading target at wide receiver. He hauled in 28 passes for 553 yards and five touchdowns last season. Bearden and McCarthy also will step in at wideout this season.
“I’m excited that they’re all back, but at the same time, I’m leery of the fact that even though they’re back, they didn’t do a whole lot last year,” Maxwell said about the offense. “So, I’m cautiously optimistic that we will continue to improve, and it will be the driving force for us to build a football team around just like our defense was last year.”
GRADUATION STINGS
The Tigers lost several playmakers from last year, including OL/DL Cade Adams, OL/DL Kevin Haymond, RB/LB Kade Moledor, WR Doug Pagel, LB Kenny Nelson, DB Cruse Matheson, LB Matt Bennett, DL Ian Costley.
OFFENSE HAS EXPLOSIVE POTENTIAL?
The Tigers return seven to the starting rotation on offense, including quarter Davis Glass. It’s his second season at the helm of the offense, and Maxwell says he’s getting more comfortable every day. They’ll run a spread attack but will need to find a rushing attack for it to be balanced. Right now, Luke Smith has taken the lead at running back. With the experienced offensive line up front, Smith and Davis should have plenty of time to make a play.
DEFENSE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS
The Tigers will be a multiple defense and will have eight new players on the defensive side of the ball this year, which means a boatload of growing pains. Regardless, Maxwell wants his unit to be aggressive, fly around the field, and, as he says, “do a good job of getting after it.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE IS HUGE
The offensive line averages 300 pounds and returns all but two starters from last season. Maxwell says the unit has the potential to be the strong point of the team.
"They have the potential to be the strong point of the team,” Maxwell said. “They have the ability to do that. We’ve got a lot of guys that can contribute if they grow up, and we can keep the same standard that we’ve had in the past.
BUT THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS
Several questions are swirling around this Tiger team. Maxwell specifically mentioned depth. He said they will have several playing on both sides of the ball. They’ll also break in a new running back and have seven new players on defense.
COULD THE PLAYOFF STREAK END?
The Tigers have a difficult non-region slate, with games against Jackson County, Lambert, North Hall and Stephens County. It’ll be baptism by fire for most of the defense. How they hold up during non-region play could be a sign of what is to come during region. The Tigers can point to a Week 7 match-up at home against White County as a pivotal game in their quest for another region title. On the flip side, if the Tigers’ defense doesn’t jell together, they could be buying tickets to a playoff game.
“It all depends on how we come along,” Maxwell said. “It’s going to be a tractor pull for us because everybody has gotten better in the region.”
WHAT’S TRENDING
The Tigers are looking for an identity on defense. They lost seven full-time starters on that side of the ball and still have several questions about production. Offensively, they have the pieces to be explosive, but finding a rushing attack behind the experienced offensive line is crucial. However, it all boils down to defense. If that doesn’t come together, it could be a long season in Dawsonville.
