Ringgold running back Ty Jones heads for the end zone.Region 6-AAA North // Don Patterson Field, 29 Tiger Trail, Ringgold, GA 30736
At the helm
Robert Akins
(65-41 in 10 years here; 292-136-1 overall)
Heroes assemble!
The Tigers return 8 off., 8 def. starters.
Super powers
Few teams in the state return as much offensive firepower as a team that averaged nearly 40 points per game last season. Junior QB Cole Kibler has dynamic WR Andre Tarver (6-2, 195) at his disposal as well as bruising RB Ty Jones (6-1, 212) and 6-foot-3 TE Drake Starks. Rangy, fast WR Pete Brower (6-3, 195), a brother of graduated WR Mac Brower, slides into the starting lineup.
Possible kryptonite
The defense should be improved, but until it shows it on the field, it's a question mark after a season in which the Tigers were pushed around up front and victimized on several game-turning deep completions. Health will also be a key, notably with the team's two-way starters.
Spidey sense tingling
As coach Robert Akins said, a 5-5 season that ended with a two-overtime loss to Sonoraville in a make-or-break region play-in game has the Tigers very motivated. With so much offensive firepower back and with a revamped defense, this team expects at the very least to make the playoffs.
Here I come to save the day!
Tarver, still just a junior, is the headliner, a player who has more than 2,000 receiving yards in his career and someone Akins said is even better on defense at OLB. The most important player is two-way lineman Bucky Williams (6-2, 282), while RB/OLB Jones and ILB Noah Keaton are also indispensable.
Up, up and away!
Houston White has a very realistic view of his new job. Charged with turning around the Tigers' defense, the veteran assistant coach sees an opportunity for something special as part of a team expected to score points in bunches.
He knows the Ringgold defense doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be better than the one that gave up 30 or more points in eight of 10 games a year ago. White has changed the scheme, going to a more aggressive 3-4 alignment, but it is another area where he wants to see the most improvement.
"What I wanted to bring to the defensive side of the game is a different culture," he said. "When we built the playbook together, we wanted to get our kids to be excited to play. You have to set the tone.
Culture is No. 1, technique and fundamentals are No. 2 and scheme is No. 3. If you don't care about each other and have a good attitude, it doesn't matter where you're lined up."
The talent, as Akins and White noted, is there. Akins called the team's LBs "exceptional," and it's a group White plans to turn loose. Headhunters Dalton Green and Keaton will man the inside spots as Jones and the ultra-athletic Tarver use their speed and size to rush the QB at times while also cleaning up from sideline to sideline.
"We've got all the pieces in place to be good," Akins said. "We had to change some things defensively, and what Houston brings is a lot of energy. He loves the game and has been around it a long time. He knows what to do in every situation, and the kids are loving what he's doing."
2016 Results
Aug. 19 NW Whitfield lost, 49-24
Aug. 26 Heritage won, 40-34 (OT)
Sep. 2 Fannin County won, 49-30
Sep. 16 Adairsville lost, 48-34
Sep. 23 Sonoraville lost, 42-21
Sep. 30 Lakeview-Fort O won, 62-20
Oct. 7 Murray County lost, 45-40
Oct. 14 North Murray won, 27-21
Oct. 28 Coahulla Creek won, 54-6
Nov. 4 Sonoraville lost, 38-35 (2OT)
5-5, 3-1 Region 6-AAA North
2017 Schedule
(All times 7:30 Eastern)
Aug. 18 at Northwest Whitfield
Aug. 25 at Heritage
Sep. 1 Fannin County
Sep. 15 Adairsville
Sep. 22 at Sonoraville
Sep. 29 at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe
Oct. 6 Murray County
Oct. 13 at North Murray
Oct. 27 Coahulla Creek
Nov. 3 region play-in
Region 6-AAA games in bold