Football Preview: Trion short on depth but not skill

If Trion can stay healthy, the Bulldogs coach believes the team could surprise some folks.

TRION, Ga. — David Humphreys has every reason to play the poor-mouth card. After all, the Trion coach is about to start the season with seven new offensive starters and eight on defense.

Instead, Humphreys is telling the Bulldogs there’s no reason they shouldn’t be fighting for a postseason berth come late October.

“I’ll be very upset if we don’t contend for the playoffs,” he said. “The early games are nonregion games, so we can use them to grow up and get ready for the meat of our schedule, and I fully expect this team to improve considerably as we go on.

“I’m a lot more excited now that I’m on the field than I was in May when I was more concerned with what we didn’t have. The work ethic in this group is phenomenal. There are some guys on this football team that have not played a lot, and this year is a great opportunity for them.”

Humphreys tempers his enthusiasm by admitting the Bulldogs’ depth is thin. Not only are there 15 new starters, but most of the players will be going both ways, so injuries could be a big factor.

“Injuries decimated us last year,” said Humphreys, whose 2010 team started 6-1 before the injury bug hit hard. “If we lose kids this year, we might struggle to win two games, but if things break right we could surprise some people.”

The Bulldogs aren’t lacking talent. Led by two-way linemen Trevor Flanigan (6-foot-4, 260) and Iman Wooten (6-2, 260), the team will be physical up front. The return of speedy running back Blayton Bethune from injury will help the offense, while wide receiver and defensive back Heath Ivester will be a playmaker on both sides of the ball.

Flanigan, an All-North Georgia selection last year, has accepted a leadership role on the young team. Like his coach, he sees a group that could surprise.

“Last year we had a lot of seniors and few positions open, so we were trying to perfect everything in camp,” said Flanigan, who recently committed to Bill Curry and Georgia State University. “This year we have to grow up, mature and learn how to hit people, but if we do we’ll be good.”

MEMORY LANE

Though Trion has a rich football history — the 1974 team owns the area’s last state title — few teams are as beloved as the 2003 version. Those Bulldogs featured three 1,000-yard rushers in Daniel Blevins, Chris Chapman and Cory Day and going into a state semifinal had scored 61, 48, 54, 35 and 51 points in their previous five games.

Among the regular-season wins was a 37-30 defeat of Calhoun, the Jackets’ only regular-season loss. The 51-36 quarterfinal win over Dooly County included over 1,100 yards of total offense in freezing temperatures. But it was the next week at the Georgia Dome that folks still talk about.

The Bulldogs faced mighty Lincoln County and in the first half found themselves shell-shocked, down by three touchdowns. Instead of accepting defeat, however, the Bulldogs scored three consecutive touchdowns to take the lead as the huge Trion following lit up the Dome. The Cinderella story would not have a happy ending, though, as Lincoln scored in the final minute to win 28-24.

“The biggest thing is that we never gave up,” said Dean Hollis, a current assistant coach who’s been with the program for 25 years. “We went in at halftime and everybody was focused on what we needed to do instead of being down. In the second half we showed what Trion was all about. The electricity in the stadium was something else.”

Hollis, like most Trion fans, would like to replay the final few minutes.

“To be honest with you, I’m not over it yet,” he said. “It’s hard to think about it. Right down to the last play they had a chance.”