Region 6A-A // Clarence Blevins Field at Sam R. McCain Stadium, Bulldog Blvd./Central Ave., Trion GA 30753
At the helm
Justin Brown
(33-22 in five years here and overall)
Heroes assemble!
The Bulldogs return 7 off., 7 def. starters.
Super powers
QB Jarret Gill and LB Logan Blevins are three-year starters for the Bulldogs. Brown said that Gill has a good command of the offense and that Blevins is the "quarterback of the defense." The success of the team likely will start with the success of these two.
Possible kryptonite
Like many other Class A schools, Trion will struggle with depth. For the Bulldogs this year that is most notable in the secondary and at LB. Besides two-way player Blevins, they are limited in LB experience.
Spidey sense tingling
There are a lot of guys having to play both ways, and something Brown and his staff are looking to do throughout the 2017 season is get additional players some reps to help maintain the health of those two-way players and prepare for the future.
Here I come to save the day!
Look for big things from Cole Phillips throughout his senior season. While the 6-foot, 205-pound RB/S was not a threat on offense in the 2016 season, Brown is expecting a breakout season from Phillips on both offense and defense.
Up, up and away!
Having a handful of seasoned Friday night players is a welcomed bonus for the Bulldogs as they begin the 2017 season. Returning seven starters on both sides of the ball with a good portion at key positions such as Gill at QB, Blevins at LB and Tanner Railey and Cole Phillips at RB and S has been a few years in the making for Trion.
"(Experience) is definitely a luxury that we didn't have last year," Brown said. "Last year we were bringing back three starters on each side, and we didn't have a lot of guys with a lot of Friday night experience, so it was kind of getting them out there and letting them learn on the run."
Trion still managed to make it to the playoffs with a lot of individual talent, and things look pretty good with most of that talent returning this year.
"That was a big worry last year, was inexperience, but this year that's one problem that we don't feel like we have because we do have a few returning lettermen," Brown said. "We have some guys that we have some confidence in that have shown they can play on Friday nights."
The focus now is making sure the individual parts all fit together.
"We are optimistic about the pieces that we have," Brown said. "I feel like we have good players, but what we are looking for are those players to mesh together as a team."
And if the team can come together, it could mean trouble for opponents and a good run in 2017 for Trion.
2016 Results
Aug. 26 LaFayette won, 43-20
Sep. 2 Dade County won, 42-7
Sep. 9 Bremen lost, 40-7
Sep. 16 Bowdon lost, 37-18
Sep. 23 N. Cobb Christian won, 28-0
Sep. 30 Christian Heritage won, 41-0
Oct. 14 Darlington lost, 31-7
Oct. 21 Mount Zion-Carroll lost, 31-24
Oct. 28 Gordon Lee won, 42-14
Nov. 4 Mount Pisgah Christian won, 57-39
Nov. 11 Taylor County lost, 34-31
(first round)
6-5, 4-3 Region 6A-A
2017 Schedule
(All times 7:30 Eastern)
Aug. 25 LaFayette
Sep. 1 at Dade County
Sep. 8 Bremen
Sep. 15 Bowdon
Sep. 22 North Cobb Christian
Sep. 29 at Christian Heritage
Oct. 13 at Darlington
Oct. 20 Mount Zion-Carroll
Oct. 27 at Gordon Lee
Nov. 3 region crossover