When the 52nd edition of the North Hall-White County rivalry kicks off on Friday, all the questions will fly out the window.
Forget that both teams are still feverishly working toward solutions on both sides of the ball; one of Northeast Georgia's oldest rivalries will come alive at The Brickyard for the high school football season opener. You can hear the game live on FM 102.9 WDUN and stream it at AccessWDUN.com.
The Trojans have been ironing out the kinks everywhere but most importantly on defense. The offense is in good hands with Tanner March back in the saddle at quarterback, a young but solid offensive line, and several key receivers and running backs returning in the second season of coach Sean Pender's spread offense.
Pender said he has used the spring scrimmage against West Hall and the fall scrimmage against Flowery Branch as a learning tool.
"Hopefully, we've improved dramatically [since the scrimmages]," Pender said. "We've seen a lot of things that we needed to fix that you don't ever really get to see until you put pads on. Some things about us were exploited, which needed to be exploited to see where we were and give us a true evaluation of ourselves. We've made a lot of good adjustments, so I'm hoping those adjustments show up on Friday night."
White County also has defensive questions, especially up front and in the secondary; however, coach Chad Bennett saw an improvement in his defense against East Forsyth in last week's preseason game.
"East Forsyth had the big linemen back, they had the running back and just really proud of how we played defense, how physical we were, and how well we tackled," he said.
Last season, the two rivals had to wait out a 90-minute lightning delay in Cleveland, and White County, who recovered a fumble and interception for touchdowns, beat the Trojans, 35-14, to break the Trojans' two-game win streak.
The Trojans return Tanner Marsh at quarterback, along with Tate Ruth, Parker Carlton and Dalton Hulsey at running back. Marsh's top targets will be Ryals Puryear, Korben Sosebee and Walker Davis.
Bennett says slowing down the explosiveness of the Trojans' offense will be key.
"Their quarterback is back and has a year of experience," Bennett said. "I think he's playing really good football. You can tell he has way more confidence, and he's a dual-threat guy; he's a big guy. So, you know, very concerned about containing him. Can we keep him in the pocket? Can we eliminate his scrambles? Can we tackle him when they have some design quarterback runs? All of those are concerns that I have going into the game. They also have a couple of big-play receivers, and they like to throw the home-run stuff. And so, you know, making sure our secondary gets their eyes where they're supposed to and not let people behind them."
White County also has the potential to hit the big play, behind returning starter Tripp Nix at quarterback, and a solid receiver group -- Casen Duvall, Cam Wilson, Von'dre Nelson and Gaines Clark. They also return running back Ryan Fowler, who had over 120 total yards of offense last season against the Trojans.
Pender knows the Warriors want to throw the ball, but he stressed slowing the rushing attack is key.
"You got to stop the run even though they're a passing game," he said. "They have a good mobile quarterback that can hurt you. So we've got to contain their quarterback. We got to make sure we don't give them free plays. We have to make sure whatever they get, they earn, you know, make them pay tax on what they're doing."
ABOUT THE RIVALRY
Series record: 25-25-1
Longest win streak: 16 North Hall, 1988-2009
From 1960 to 1977, North Hall and White County played each other every year, with the Warriors winning all but three of those contests. The two rivals played on and off in the 1980s, six times. White County was 4-2, but it was the 1988 game that totally flipped the series in the Trojans' favor.
Since the 2010 season, the Warriors have won seven of the last 13, and rolled past North Hall last season at home, 35-14.
WHITE COUNTY at NORTH HALL
Records: Warriors (0-0, Region 7-3A); Trojans (0-0, Region 8-4A)
Where: The Brickyard, Gainesville
Time: 7:30 p.m.
The Statisticals: The series is tied once again at 25-25. White County won 35-14 in 2022 in Cleveland. The teams have split the last 12 meetings. But the Warriors have won 3 of the last 4 at The Brickyard since 20014.
What to watch for: Points, lots of points. Both defenses are rebuilding, and it has been a work in progress over the summer for both teams. The Warriors were torched in a spring game by Flowery Branch while the Trojans also got blitzed by the Falcons in their spring game two weeks ago. Both offenses have playmakers aplenty and should be explosive, so whichever defensive unit can make a key stop could be the difference.
