Bobby Jones

TIFTON — South Georgians are ready for high school football.

The excitement for the start of the season was evident Saturday morning at the Tiftarea YMCA Regional Community Events Center for the annual Kickoff to Men’s Health. After a morning of health screenings and talks, a full house stuck around to listen to six area coaches preview the upcoming season.

Leroy Hood of Turner County, Erik Soliday of Tiftarea Academy, Ashley Anders of Tift County, Buddy Nobles of Irwin County, Tucker Pruitt of Fitzgerald and Bobby Jones of Cook all recapped 2017 and discussed what was next for their players, staff and on their schedules for 2018. Chris Beckham served as the emcee.

All of the schools represented Saturday made the state playoffs a year ago. Irwin County reached the Class A public finals, Tift was a quarterfinalist and Cook reached the second round. Turner, Fitzgerald and Tiftarea were all eliminated in the first round. Many have some kind of action within the week. Tift has its Soap Bowl and Fitzgerald scrimmages Coffee Friday. Irwin has a scrimmage Saturday at home against Brooks County.

Coaches seemed just as eager as fans to kick off, though Pruitt said he would “be fine with another month of July” for preparations.

The 2017 season was Hood’s first ever as a head coach.

“I just hung on to the wheel,” he said of his experience. Turner, which went 6-5 in his inaugural campaign, returns not just experience for Hood in the role, but also with the players. He said there were nine offensive and nine defensive starters back on the field for the Rebels.

Unfortunately, the returning starters do not include Tyler Moore, Turner’s quarterback and cornerback extraordinaire. Admitting it would be hard to replace a player of Moore’s calibre, Hood said the squad should be OK at the position. “A lot of guys in the stable,” he said.

Hood highlighted several players who should make an impact for the Rebels, among them linemen Zion Blackshear and Quevan Lawson. Lawson, he said, would be getting some playing time at tight end.

Turner hosts Berrien in an Aug. 10 scrimmage game. The Rebels start the season with Worth County, which went winless in 2017. Three of their first four games will be at Alan Hobby Field.

Next up was Soliday, a first-year man at Tiftarea, but the individual with the most head coaching experience on stage Saturday.

Soliday, who won a pair of state championships with the former Americus High, admitted he was still learning about schools in the Georgia Independent School Association. This is his first year at a school in the league, but said he didn’t expect much of an adjustment.

“Football’s football,” Soliday said.

Though the Panthers won’t be deep at many positions, he praised his players for their efforts during the summer. “They’ve worked their tails off,” he said.

Under previous head coach Tully Payne, Tiftarea reached the playoffs two straight years, but fell in the first round each time. Soliday said he had a goal of winning the state title.

Among the top players for Tiftarea will be Spence Massey, Logan Crosson, Casen Royal, Render Robbins, Adam McKinney, Jayk Sailer and Bo Cunningham. He estimated there were 30 players on the roster.

Anders’ team, at 11-2, had its best season in a decade in 2017, reaching the state quarterfinals in Class AAAAAAA.

Praising senior leadership for its role last year, he said his 27 seniors this year had an excellent summer.

After losing all-time stat leaders Griffin Collier and Rashod Bateman, Anders said than 1,300-yard running back Mike Jones was being asked “to do that and then some.” Four players are competing for Collier’s spot. Bateman’s role has seemingly been embraced by Jameson Turner.

Defense is expected to be Tift’s strong suit, with a very large defensive line and a bevy of talented linebackers. Heavily-recruited Austin Williams will anchor the offensive line.

The Blue Devils scrimmage Lee County, then start a regular schedule with Warner Robins and Valdosta in consecutive weeks. Anders likes his schedules tough and that the area is able to provide it for him.

“No better football on the planet than South Georgia,” he said.

Irwin County tasted heartbreak in 2017, falling to Clinch County in the state finals. It was the third time in four years the Indians were defeated in the championship game.

Nobles is looking for them to be back in the finals this year, though they “may have to change the woman we’re dancing [with].”

Unfortunately, Irwin has already had one major setback.

Davion Pollard tore his ACL during a drill Thursday and is out for the season. Jyquez Marshall is injured, too, but may be ready to return in six weeks.

The Indians are thankfully deeper than most Class A schools, with 70 on the roster. Sixty-seven made all summer practices, which earns them a reward of free cleats.

“You’d think I bought them a Cadillac,” said Nobles.

Javon Stanley (defensive back) and D.J. Lundy (running back/linebacker) will be prominent players. Zach Smith takes over at quarterback after missing nearly all of 2017.

Irwin’s scrimmages are Aug. 4 against Brooks County and Aug. 10 against Worth County.

Fitzgerald is one of the state’s most feared and heralded programs, but could not get fully going last year and ended with a 4-7 record. That is sticking with Pruitt and company.

“We have 4-7 signs everywhere,” he said.

“It’s been a long offseason in Fitzgerald,” he said. “It started too quickly.”

Like Hood, Pruitt is in his second season as a head coach. Pruitt, too, believes he brings more to the that role this year.

Most of Fitzgerald’s squad will play offense and defense. Starting quarterback Justin Reliford will additionally be in the secondary, as will backup Kody Krause. Pruitt said he “may strategically play both of them” at quarterback.

Despite accidentally tossing his notes with the remnants of his breakfast Saturday morning, Pruitt effortlessly rattled off the names of most of his roster. Among the names returning are Len Spivey, Jay Reaves, Quantavious Pugh, Damien Devine, Ethan Gordon, Mario Clark, Tony Duffie, Dee Harper and Nate Henderson.

“A big key for us is staying injury-free,” said Pruitt. Quarterback James Graham, a Georgia Tech signee at the end of the 2017 season, missed most games a year ago with injuries. Pruitt said it was not an excuse for the overall record.

The Purple Hurricane play a single scrimmage against Coffee Aug. 3, then skip a week before traveling to Alma to meet Bacon County in the season opener.

Jones said he was slightly nervous about the season.

A Cook coach for his entire educational career, this is his fourth season in charge.

“No one’s made it past year four,” he said.

The last Hornets coach to make it to his fifth year was Neal Rumble, who led Cook from 1995-99. There was possibly some fears on Jones’ part that he would even make it to a fourth year after an 0-4 start. Cook then rallied to win six of their next seven and finished 6-6.

Cook’s spark came in the fourth loss, a 40-34 decision against a loaded Thomasville. “The first night our offense started clicking,” Jones said.

After winning in the first round of the Class AAA state tournament, Cook lost a 35-34 decision to Jenkins after Jones elected to go for a two-point conversion late. If he had it to do over again, Jones said he would make the same call.

Defensive end Trey Smith is the most recruited Cook player currently on roster. Kenneth Mathis will be a big-time player as well.

Jones also expressed during the preview a desire to go back to six classifications, an option mentioned in the past year at a the Georgia High School Association executive committee meeting. There are currently seven classifications.

With smaller regions and a need to find more non-region opponents, he said, “It’s busted up some longtime rivalries.”

Cook will scrimmage Lanier County.

Every coach made sure to praise his family for support.

Soliday joked he was married 31 years “because of football.” Within six months of the season ending, he said wife was ready for the next season to get started. Jones said he has “a true coach’s wife.”

Religion featured in the previews, too.

Nobles said he did not deserve what he has gotten. Pruitt and Jones echoed his sentiments.

Following speeches by coaches, Beckham announced door prize winners as well as the schools winning the Fan Friendzy contest. In an expanded contest, Turner County won third place and $150 for its booster club, Tiftarea Academy won second and $300 and Tift County won first and $500.