Region 6A-A // Lions Stadium, 1600 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dalton, GA 30722
At the helm
Jay Poag
(1-9 in one year here, 8-12 overall)
Heroes assemble!
The Lions return 3 off., 3 def. starters.
Super powers
One of Christian Heritage's biggest strengths, both literally and figuratively, comes from 6-foot-7 Christian Koneman at WR. Koneman is a standout basketball player for the Lions who recently came into his own on the football field. He will be key in the passing game.
Possible kryptonite
Christian Heritage is incredibly young across the board, with a handful of freshmen and sophomores making their debuts this season. It will be a year of growth for the Lions.
Spidey sense tingling
Expect a few growing pains. With only three returning starters on both the offensive and defensive sides, the Lions will have a lot of learning to do. But that should benefit future years of the program.
Here I come to save the day!
Along with Koneman at WR, expect another threat to be fellow WR Zach Gentry, a three-sport junior who is returning to the field after recovering from an ACL injury. And QB Matthew Neff is a recent transfer from Chattanooga Christian who will have to hold his own in the pocket in his first season as a full-timer at the position.
Up, up and away!
Think of Coach Poag as an inventor. He has a lot of individual parts to work with, but until everything comes together, they will be just that, parts. Poag has a unique opportunity to shape and create the program due to the fact that the Lions will be one of the youngest teams around. And if anyone is aware of this fact, it's Poag.
"I couldn't be more excited about where we are heading in the future, but I am realistic enough to know that when you put 14-year-old kids out there against 18-year-olds, it doesn't go your way all of the time," Poag said.
Christian Heritage could prove to have a skilled passing game with Neff at QB and Gentry and Koleman running routes across the field, along with a couple of other receivers. The difference with these guys as opposed to the rest of the team boils down to one thing: experience.
"We have an extremely young team, but we have some experienced players that will be involved in that part of our offense," Poag said.
"We just want to compete," he added. "If they will do that and try to win their individual battles every single snap, then we will grow as a team and build that foundation on what is to come down the road."
2016 Results
Aug. 19 North Murray lost, 49-14
Sep. 9 Murray County lost, 26-14
Sep. 16 Southeast Whitfield lost, 31-14
Sep. 23 Gordon Lee lost, 49-26
Sep. 30 Trion lost, 41-0
Oct. 7 Bowdon lost, 43-14
Oct. 14 North Cobb Christian won, 34-13
Oct. 21 Darlington lost, 42-7
Oct. 28 Mount Zion-Carroll lost, 41-0
Nov. 4 King's Ridge Christian lost, 27-17
1-9, 1-5 Region 6A-A
2017 Schedule
(All times 7:30 Eastern)
Aug. 18 at North Murray
Sep. 8 at Murray County
Sep. 15 Southeast Whitfield
Sep. 22 at Gordon Lee
Sep. 29 Trion
Oct. 6 Bowdon
Oct. 13 at North Cobb Christian
Oct. 20 Darlington
Oct. 27 at Mount Zion-Carroll
Nov. 3 region crossover
Region 6-AAA games in bold