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Micah Green Forsyth County News
West Forsyth rising senior Joey Congrove was one of the county’s best defensive backs last season, but this summer he’s preparing to spend more time
at running back to help the Wolverines battle for a region championship.
the ears when the 2016
season kicks off.
Congrove and the other
rising seniors have heard
the message loud and
clear—they don’t just
want to be good again
(West has gone 7-4, 6-4
and 7-4 in the last three
seasons). They want to be
great.
That’s why Congrove,
who finished third on the
team in tackles with 62
and defended a team
leading 13 passes last
season, with one intercep
tion, is spending the off
season learning a new
position—running back.
He’s also repositioning
himself in the locker
room, making sure to
build camaraderie
between the upperclass
men and younger players.
“In the past years each
class has kind of been in
their own little bubble,”
Congrove said. “It’s got
ten better each year, but
we’ve got leaders this
year on both sides, on and
off the field. A bunch of
seniors are offering spec
tacular leadership—more
so than it has been in the
past.
FROM 1B
Grind
We have to eat right,”
Congrove said. “We’ve
got a new weight-lifting
coach too who has
brought a lot to the table
and helped us out getting
stronger. We’ve been
working harder than I've
ever seen us work.” :
This season, in more
ways than one, things will
be different. Congrove
got a taste of football
glory last season when
the Wolverines upset
eventual region champion
South Forsyth, 38-34,
after an unbelievable
comeback. And yet, the
Wolverines finished third
in Region 6-AAAAAA,
then fell in a blowout in
the first round of the
playoffs against Peachtree
Ridge.
Balancing big wins and
tough losses, West head
coach Adam Clack want
ed to make sure his team
would be in top condi
tion, but also prepared
more than ever between
Falcons’ Jones embracing
bigger leadership role
spot to draft the former
Alabama star, and Jones
has been worth the risk.
He’s coming off his first
All-Pro season and third
trip to the Pro Bowl, but
this is his first offseason
without White, who was
released in March and
replaced by free agent
Mohamed Sanu.
“For me it’s different
because he’s not there, but
for the other guys I'm
keeping it the same way
just like if he was there,”
Jones said. “Everything
he taught me I can relate
to those guys in the room
as far as coaching each
other and letting them
understand the game bet
ter.
Jones’ first order of
business has been helping
Sanu assimilate to offen
sive coordinator Kyle
Shanahan’s zone-blocking
scheme.
Jones put up big num
bers in his first season
under Shanahan. His 136
catches for 1,871 yards
By George Henry
The Associated Press
FLOWERY BRANCH
— It took six years for
Julio Jones to become the
leader of the Atlanta
Falcons’ receiving group.
But with his close
friend Roddy White no
longer on the team, Jones
has become the guy
everyone looks to for
advice.
He’s quick to pass
along what White, who
owns most of the team’s
receiving records, always
talked about.
“Roddy took me under
his wing from the start,
saying to just come in
here and do what you do,”
Jones said at minicamp
Wednesday. “Just do your
job. Don’t try to be some
body else. Just be you and
everything else will take
care of itself.”
Jones arrived in 2011
with high expectations.
The Falcons traded up
from the 27th to the sixth
is a busy year as he pre
pares to find out where
he’ll take his next step.
“Getting a college offer
is something I’ve been
working hard for a long
time,” Congrove said.
“It’s kind of a weight off
my shoulders, now that 1
can quit worrying about
that as much, but it’s
motivation to keep going,
to keep working, and I
know a lot of kids will be
“Getting to be with the
team and have a chance
to make that bond, that’s
what makes a team great.
It’s what pushes us to the
next level.”
Congrove has received
mentorship learning run
ning back from last year’s
top carrier Grant
Torgerson, who is train
ing more as a linebacker.
“He’s a three-year vet
eran and he’s been great
helping me out. He wants
me to get better, I can go
to him for everything.
Getting a new position is
definitely a challenge but
my coaches and team
mates are helping me get
ready for it,” Congrove
said. “Having everyone
learning more than one
position is going to be a
great strength.”
Even though Congrove
might rack up more car
ries and touchdowns than
pass breakups in 2016,
he’s still showed enough
athleticism to gain atten
tion of college coaches.
On June 7 he received his
first college offer from
Stetson—it’s a non-schol
arship spot, but the start
of what Congrove hopes
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receiving each ranked as
the second-best single
season in NFL history.
Sanu will need to be
patient. White’s targets
dropped off last season as
pass plays were mostly
tailored for quarterback
Matt Ryan to look first for
Jones, second for running
back Devonta Freeman
and third for tight end
Jacob Tamme.
White and Shanahan
didn’t clash with each
other, but they disagreed.
Opportunities will come
Sanu’s way. He’s just not
going to be the featured
guy, a role he’s already
accustomed to after play
ing second option in
Cincinnati to Bengals star
AJ. Green.
“Communication is
very, very high on our
board and one of the big
things we needed to fix,”
Jones said. “That’s the
thing now. We can talk
about everything among
each other and the coach
es as well.”
ForsythNews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS |
getting offers soon so
that’s a big part of it.
Everyone is working for
that.”
With future offers in
mind, Congrove realizes
that the more versatile he
is, the better.
“I've been working on
my speed a lot. I've got
ten my strength up way
more than it has ever
been. I'm more well
rounded this year than I
51 ATHLETES
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ever have been, and I
hope it pays off,”
Congrove said. “It’s a lot
of working out, working
out muscles I never have
before.”
Still, the mindset of
Congrove is where the
most change is occurring.
“This is a big year,”
Congrove said. “We fully
expect to be region
champs.”
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