HEAD COACH: Tommy Jones, 6th season ♦ CAREER RECORD: 91-92, 18th season ♦ 2022 SEASON: 3-7 ♦ REGION: 8-4A
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Bears were close to getting over the graduation hangover last season.
Five of their seven losses were by a combined 15 points, while four were by a field goal or less.
Head coach Tommy Jones knew there would be growing pains after losing a senior class that led the program to back-to-back region titles and two playoff appearances.
The team has grown and built depth after facing adversity last season, and Jones has been focused on the details.
“The tone of our offseason has been to find ways to make that little difference up,” Jones said. “We want to make sure that the standard of the culture we have built here is improving day in and day out.”
The Bears have a solid nucleus returning, including quarterback Asher Wilson, but will have to find more production from an offense that averaged 23 points per game last season.
“Asher Wilson returns at quarterback, and he’s had a really strong offseason, doing everything we have asked him to do,” Jones said. “KT Thompson had an excellent year for us last year as a sophomore receiver. We will be a little new at running back. Last year was running back by committee, and we anticipate that being the case again this year with Connor Hulsey, Connor Griffin and Rylan Ackerman being the three main guys.”
The offense will be run-based, leaning heavily on the trio of running backs to carry the load, but the offensive line will also be tasked with handling the pressures of the opposing defenses.
“Our tight end, Ryan Graves, is back after a year of injury last season,” Jones said. “(All-AccessWDUN first-teamer) Caleb Williford, Parker Waldrop, Noah Davis, Will Hanson and Aiden Willis will all return on the line. Those six all have a considerable amount of experience and will be a huge key to what we are able to do offensively.”
Defensively, the Bears are returning several faces from last year’s team.
“We’re going to be sound defensively and get lined up to play football well, whether out of an odd or an even front,” Jones said. “Nathan Richardson was our nose tackle last season and is back for us, as is Jack Hamilton. We have Connor Griffin back, who led our team last year in tackles, as an inside linebacker, and we feel he will set the tone for us on that side of the football.”
GRADUATION STINGS
The Bears lost a handful of key players to graduation, including OL/DL Jacob Benjamin, ATH Max Eubanks, WR/CB Jhace Justice, and LB Carter Daum.
STAYING AHEAD OF THE STICKS
The Bears will look to keep the run game as the base. To complement the running game, the play-action pass will be key to moving the ball downfield as the Bears look to stay ahead of the sticks.
“Asher Wilson returns at quarterback, and he’s had a really strong offseason, doing everything we have asked him to do. KT Thompson had an excellent year for us last year as a sophomore receiver. We will be a little new at running back. Last year was running back by committee, and we anticipate that being the case again this year with Connor Hulsey, Connor Griffin and Ryan Ackerman being the three main guys.”
A SOUND DEFENSE
The Bears will be sound defensively, ensuring they get lined up and pick their spots to pressure opposing offenses. The secondary group will have the most experienced returnees on that side of the football.
“Coach Chris Griffin has been our defensive coordinator since we’ve been here, so having that consistency and several All-Region guys returning on that side of the football is huge for us. We want to make sure we are doing our jobs first and foremost, but be aggressive when the opportunity presents itself.”
THE STRENGTHS
The defense will be the calling card of Cherokee Bluff football in 2023. The defense should prove stingy, with All-Region returnees in KT Thompson and Connor Griffin leading the charge alongside Logan Holmes, Landon Kemp and Tyler Underwood.
BUT THERE ARE QUESTIONS
Jones's biggest questions are at running back and depth at cornerback and linebacker.
"We've got guys that have carried the ball and got some reps; they're just unproven," he said. "Defensively, we have some guys that played a good bit, but depth is an issue."
THE SCHEDULE
While all games are important for the Bears, you have to zero in on the North Hall matchup on September 27 in what has become one of the more anticipated rivalries on the schedule each year. Also imperative to the success of the season will be the Region 8-4A opener against Madison County.
“Everyone in the region is going to be good. We are going to have to do what we do and make sure we control our game and how we react to adversity that we face.”
Bo Wilson contributed to this story.
