Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2017
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3B
Jackson Co. at Prince Ave., Friday, 7 p.m.
Panther coach looking forward to scrimmage test
By Ben Munro
Jackson County contin
ues to move through the
items on its preseason
check list, it has transi
tioned to padded practices
and held its annual picture
day. Now it’s on to playing
someone else.
The Panthers will do just
that this Friday when they
scrimmage Prince Avenue
on the road at 7 p.m. The
Class A Athens-area pri
vate school powerhouse is
coming off of a 12-1 sea
son in 2016.
“I like playing some
good teams early on.” said
coach Brandon Worley
during Jackson County’s
picture day session this
past Friday. “It gives us a
good look at what we’re
capable of doing and where
we need to improve. Some
of those areas that need
improvement get shown
really quickly when you
play good teams.”
Worley, whose team
opens the season Aug. 18
at home against Banks
County, is particularly
interested in seeing how
his experienced offensive
line holds up against the
Wolverines, a state quar
terfinals team in Class
A-Private last year.
“Definitely the offensive
line, because we’ve got a
lot of guys coming back
and we’ve got a lot of
guys looking to fill some
depth behind those guys,”
Worley said. “We’re real
ly looking forward to get
ting some second-string
guys some reps and see
how well they get the job
done.”
Jackson County looks to
have an improved receiv
ing corps this season. A
scrimmage game with
nothing on the line will
allow the Panthers to take
more risks in the passing
game to give those receiv
ers a test.
“You tend to be, I guess,
a little bit more aggressive
(in a scrimmage) and do
some things you wouldn’t
normally do on a Friday
night,” Worley said.
Three quarters of Fri
day’s scrimmage are des
ignated for varsity players
while the fourth quarter
will be reserved for junior
varsity players. Special
teams will not be live.
Friday’s scrimmage is
yet another indication that
the football season is basi
cally here.
“It will be exciting, just
like it was (last) week
to get the pads.” Worley
said. “The kids definitely
cheered last Monday when
we got the pads.”
GETTING PREPPED
New East Jackson coach Scott Wilkins directs
his Eagle team at practice on Monday.
Photo by Ben Munro
East Jackson at
Social Circle, Friday, 7 p.m.
Preseason game
provides Eagles
a chance to
build momentum
By Ben Munro
East Jackson’s scrim
mage win last year over
Social Circle helped
jump start a 4-6 season
for the Eagle program, its
best showing since 2009.
Fast forward one year,
and the Eagles again
hope this game can serve
as a springboard for bet
ter things to come.
“We came back to win
last year in the scrim
mage against Social
Circle,” said first-year
coach Scott Wilkins, who
served as offensive coor
dinator last year before
being promoted to head
coach this year. “I think
our guys looked at each
other and then looked at
themselves in the mirror
and said ‘hey, we can be
pretty good.”
East Jackson will
scrimmage Social Circle
on the road Friday at 7
p.m. Wilkins, who took
the Eagle head-coaching
post after former coach
Christian Hunnicutt left
for Grayson, said this
scrimmage game will
have similar importance
to last year’s.
“It’s going to be real
important for us because
we are building,” Wilkins
said.
Social Circle is coming
off a 3-7 season last year.
Other than what they’ve
heard about Social Cir
cle from 7-on-7 passing
competitions, the Eagle
coaches have minimal
information over the
Red Skins. But Wilkins
expects Chad Estes’ team
will be well-prepared.
“His guys are always
going to be well-coached,
and they’re going to play
hard,” said Wilkins, add
ing that he’s known Estes
since coaching against
him while Wilkins was at
Cedar Shoals and Estes
at Salem.
Wilkins said the scrim
mage will provide a mea
suring stick to determine
how far along the pro
gram is with its offensive
and defensive schemes.
On the offensive side
of the ball. East Jackson
plans to throw the ball
more this season and will
put that philosophy to the
test on Friday. Wilkins
said seeing how the pass
ing attack fares against
an actual opponent will
be beneficial.
“Our defense can just
about read what we’re
going to do — there’s not
an element of surprise
there,” he said. “When
you’re practicing, you’re
practicing, You’re work
ing on certain things.
Sometimes deception is
not one of them.”
The coach also said his
players are looking for
ward to simply lining up
against someone else.
“Because they’re get
ting tired of hitting each
other,” Wilkins said.
The team moved to
full-padded practices last
Monday.
“Practices have been
productive so far,”
Wilkins said. “Again,
you’re taking steps. It is
a process ... The idea is
to take baby steps for
ward.”
East Jackson opens the
season Aug. 18 at home
at 7:30 p.m. against
Hebron Christian Acad
emy.
Jefferson at Clarke Central, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Dragons to scrimmage improved
and talented Gladiator program
By Ben Munro
Jefferson offered the
first glimpse of how it
would look under new
coach Gene Cathcart back
in May with a spring
scrimmage win over Lake-
side-Atlanta.
Cathcart’s Dragons
are set for another dress
rehearsal Thursday.
Jefferson will travel to
Clarke Central for a 7 p.m.
scrimmage in advance
of their Aug. 18 opener
against Discovery.
“You know they’re
going to be athletic, and
you know it’s a place
where football is very
important.” Cathcart said
of Clarke Central. “It will
be a good challenge for us
and we’re excited to see
how our kids respond and
how we compete when we
go over there.”
Clarke Central boasts
one of the top football tra
ditions in the state. Includ
ing the time the school
was known as Athens
High School (pre-1970),
the program has 737 vic
tories and six state titles.
The Gladiators are coming
off a 7-5 season in 2016.
Jefferson scrimmaged
the Gladiators last year
and won 52-10 but Clarke
Central went on to have a
solid season, reaching the
second round of the Class
5A playoffs under first-
year coach David Perno.
“Certainly. they
improved as much as any
team around from the time
we scrimmaged them to
becoming a playoff team
later in the year,” Cath
cart said. “Coach (David)
Perno and his staff did an
outstanding job.”
Gladiator quarterback
Jack Mangel threw for
over 2,100 yards last year.
Clarke Central also fea
tures a 1,000-yard back
in Jonathan Sewell. Cath
cart said Jefferson will
be scrimmaging one of
the teams favored to win
Region 8-5A.
“It’s certainly a team
that’s got several key
prospects at several key
positions,” he said. “The
RUNNING TO THE OUTSIDE
Jefferson’s Donsha Gaither carries the ball on a sweep during practice on
Monday. The Dragons will face Clark Central on Thursday in a scrimmage.
Photo by Ben Munro
quarterback’s reputation
proceeds him. There’s
never going to be a short
age of athletes at Clarke
Central.”
Jefferson coaches will
keep a close eye on the
lines of scrimmage in
this exhibition after los
ing key personnel on both
sides from last year, as
well as the progression
of the passing game as
the team seeks a more
balanced offensive attack.
Cathcart added that
many starting jobs “are
certainly still wide open.”
“What we as a coach
ing staff will do is use
the scrimmage as a study
guide to whose perfor
mance dictated, when
you study it, that they
deserved to be at the top
of the depth chart going
into the first game at this
position or that position.”
he said.
The format for the
scrimmage will likely
allow three quarters for
older players and one
quarter for younger play
ers.
“I think both teams will
probably be very excited
to have an opportunity to
play someone else,” Cath
cart said. “It just shows
you that we’re just a week
or so away from doing it
for real. The excitement
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as the season draws near.
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