Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 8/26/16. Calhoun High School's head coach Hal Lamb watches his team warm up before playing Dalton High School on Friday, August 26, 2016, at Harmon Field. The spring practice period was busier than usual for northwest Georgia high school football teams after the GHSA allowed scrimmages against other teams for the first time.
And two new area staffs in particular were working at a fever pitch while trying to evaluate players and install schemes. Coahulla Creek and Sonoraville introduced first-time head coaches this spring, and in each case a veteran assistant was brought in to help get things running.
At Coahulla Creek, Caleb Bagley went through his first spring drills as head coach and leaned heavily on new defensive coordinator Danny Wilson, who brings experience from Tennessee prep football. Wilson, a former head coach at Cleveland and Heritage in Maryville, is probably best known as a key cog in the extended success at South Pittsburg.
"He's a home run for us," Bagley said. "The experience part is great. I'm 30 years old, and to have somebody that's been at places that had great athletes and also a place like Coahulla, where we are trying to build something, is ideal.
"He's a great resource for me, and the kids love him. He's an old-school, hard-nosed guy, which is what we need."
The Colts, coming off an 0-10 season, dressed 61 players for their scrimmage at Gilmer, where Bagley said he saw some good things from the many players who had never suited up before.
"It went better than we expected," Bagley said. "We evaluated, which was the big thing for us. We were very, very basic on what we did on both sides of the ball, and the entire spring we just focused on fundamentals."
At Sonoraville, Denver Pate led the Phoenix through practices after being hired to replace Jim Kremer, who resigned six weeks ago due to family considerations. Pate was Sonoraville's offensive coordinator the past two years.
Like Bagley, Pate had by his side this spring a veteran coach with experience in Tennessee - Ricky Ross, the former Marion County head coach and McCallie defensive coordinator. But Ross is also familiar with Gordon County from previously working as defensive coordinator at Calhoun, and he already has instilled a new attitude on the practice field, Pate said.
"Ricky was a home-run hire, so to speak, for me," said Pate, who had more than 100 players practicing. "I was wanting someone who would bring a lot of energy and light a fire, which is exactly what Coach Ross has brought. He's a competitor, and he's won everywhere he's gone. The kids are excited, and the coaching staff is excited to learn from him."
Pate also added other intriguing names to the coaching staff: former Sonoraville baseball coach and Calhoun football assistant Deron Walraven, former Chattooga quarterback Nathan Schuster and former Calhoun star linebacker Alex Kirby, who will be a community coach.
There is also a new staff at Gordon Central, where former Temple defensive coordinator Cory Nix began instilling a new attitude during spring drills. The Warriors have struggled in recent seasons, going 2-38 the past four, including an 0-10 mark last year, when they were outscored 554-90.
Most area schools participated in spring drills this year, with Dade County, Gordon Lee and Ringgold sitting out. Those schools, though, are allowed two scrimmages during training camp this August.
Here's a look at each team's spring practice period:
Calhoun
Several key players - including quarterback Gavin Gray and two-way starter Davis Allen - were out due to the baseball team's extended playoff run, so Hal Lamb's team elected to have an intrasquad scrimmage and focus on two areas of concern on offense.
The most glaring is at receiver, where five key players graduated. A group that includes Bralin Barton, Luke Mosely and Brannon Spector looked good in drills, Lamb said, but more is needed. The other glaring vacancies are on the line, where stalwarts Noah Davenport and William Long must be replaced.
Chattooga
Few teams in Georgia have as much work to do before the season opener than Chattooga, which graduated the great majority of last season's Class AA quarterfinal team. Among the losses were 10 offensive starters and players who generated more than 3,000 yards.
"There were a lot of question marks, but not nearly as many now," said coach Charles Hammon, whose team fared well against Lee (Huntsville, Ala.) in a scrimmage. "We were pleasantly surprised at the end of spring, and in our scrimmage we gave up just two first downs."
Among the spring stars were C.J. Martin, who is the leading candidate to start at quarterback, and a pair of playmakers, Jamerious Mostellar and Devin Price. On defense, star lineman T.J. Adams was dominant.
Christian Heritage
Jay Poag's Lions needed name tags to keep up with all the young faces in camp. After graduating 14 seniors who supplied most of last year's offensive production, Poag put a number of potential freshman and sophomore starters through their paces.
Poag also got his first look at quarterback Matthew Neff, who transferred from Chattanooga Christian School. Neff and receivers Zach Gentry and Christian Koneman had some impressive moments.
Dalton
Coach Matt Land and his staff are attempting to replace 18 starters from last year's Class AAAAAA semifinal team, and that process got off to a good start, Land said.
"We found a lot of guys that are certainly capable of filling what our needs are," Land said. "We've made a living off role players, so the main thing was identifying skill sets and roles. We'll take what we learned this summer and develop those things."
Helping the rebuilding process are a pair of transfers, 6-foot-7 tight end Hunter Brummell from Peachtree Ridge and offensive lineman Jared Spradlin (6-2, 270) from Gordon Lee. The biggest area of concern heading into the summer is the defensive line, where the Catamounts have to replace all-state selections Max Mainor and John Wesley Whiteside.
Heritage
Fresh off an eight-win season that included the first playoff victory in program history, the Generals went through what coach E.K. Slaughter called a "really good practice period."
With 18 starters returning and 24 seniors, Heritage was mainly looking for depth. The major concern is finding a replacement for three-year starting quarterback Corbee Wilson, something Slaughter feels better about after a spring period that ended with a 28-14 scrimmage win over Dalton.
"We've got three we feel good about, and they each bring something different to the table," said Slaughter, who noticed a distinctly different level of confidence in his team. "The biggest thing is the kids have different expectations than three years ago. We are now to the point where there is no limit to what we can possibly be."
LaFayette
The Ramblers return 17 starters, so for the first time in his tenure at LaFayette, coach Chad Fisher and his staff were able to focus on finding depth.
The main battle is at quarterback, where Vyshonn Daniel and Ty Fisher each had good moments, Coach Fisher said. Other standouts he mentioned were defensive end Tyler Beard, linebacker Jonah Hobbs, fullback Colton Lane and offensive lineman Jack Martin, with Beard the biggest surprise of spring drills.
Lakeview-F.O.
Bo Campbell's third spring at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe was headlined by the presence of more than 20 seniors and several additions to the coaching staff.
"We had a really good spring, the best we've had," Campbell said. "We knew we needed to work on our physicality, and the kids really got after it. The staff we've put together is great, and we have a great group of student-athletes who are really hungry."
Despite the presence of numerous returning starters, Campbell made a point to remind his players that playing time is there to be won between now and the season opener.
Murray County
The Indians' spring ended on a sour note in a blowout scrimmage loss to Northwest Whitfield, but before that coach Chad Brewer said he had been pleased with drills.
One of the main focuses of camp was to find three-year starting quarterback Dominick Genitempo's successor, and the Indians may have that in brother Justin Genitempo. He and senior John Reed will compete this summer and likely into training camp.
The other priority is replacing big-play tight end Braden Weaver and impact defensive linemen Dustin Gibson and Hunter Sosebee.
North Murray
If the Mountaineers' spring game was any indication, the offense is going to be prolific. Quarterback Preston Poag Jr., who started the last few games in 2016, completed 18 of 22 passes for 369 yards and five touchdowns against Southeast Whitfield. Receivers Preston Buck, Waylyn James and Connor Rice all had big games.
Coach Preston Poag's biggest concern is finding three starting offensive lineman for a unit that includes Luke Griffin, who has committed to the University of Georgia's 2019 signing class.
Northwest Whitfield
The Bruins' spring was spent trying to find weapons for quarterback Luke Shiflett, and if the scrimmage was any indication, the plan is right on schedule.
Shiflett, who has committed to Middle Tennessee State, was 12-for-12 for 249 passing yards and three touchdowns and got plenty of his new playmakers involved, including Dalton transfer Jaret Staten and Sebastian Orozco, who split time at receiver and running back this spring. The Bruins have a busy summer planned, including competing in NFL quarterback Cam Newton's tournament.
Ridgeland
The Panthers are loaded at the skill positions again, with recent Naval Academy recruit Jalyn Shelton and two-way starter Markeith Montgomery among the talent. However, only one starter returns on the offensive line.
"After losing an offensive line like we had last year, we're having to find guys to step in and get some continuity between them and the running backs," Ridgeland assistant coach Kip Klein said. "We saw some good things there."
Klein also pointed out the defense was dominant in the team's scrimmage with Tennessee's McMinn County and even faster than last year. Some of the guys who stood out on that side were end Eli Foshay, who moved from linebacker, lineman Jordan Tucker and brothers A'zavier and Jordan Blackwell in the secondary.
Talented receiver Stephon Walker, who injured his knee in a first-round playoff win over St. Pius X, was back running at full speed even though he was held out of contact drills.
Southeast Whitfield
Injuries sidelined three of the Raiders' top players - defensive end Luke Johns, receiver Oscar Gonzalez and running back/receiver Landon Eaton - so the Raiders used the spring to develop depth.
"I was really pleased with our two weeks, even though our spring game did not go well at all," coach Sean Gray said. "Having Luke, Oscar and Landon out hurt us, because those three will make a difference."
Of bigger concern for Gray is a defense that lost five starters, including three in a secondary that was torched in the scrimmage against North Murray.
"Our biggest concern going in was defense, and it still is," Gray said. "But if we stay healthy, we should be OK. We're due some good luck in that regard."
Trion
Coach Justin Brown has 20 seniors - a high number for a Class A program - but he needs to find receivers to help strong-armed quarterback Jarrett Gill, and a couple of defensive backs must step up.
"I feel good about our line of scrimmage," said Brown, who returns four starters on the offensive line. "Defensively we've got a couple of holes in our secondary, so we're trying to find some depth there after losing Jarrett Pierce and Evan Walker.
"We've got two or three guys that have to pick up the slack catching the ball. Otherwise, with Gill back and Logan Blevins returning at fullback and Tanner Railey and Cole Phillips at wingback, the offense is set."
Roone Gable is the new defensive coordinator after Josh Groce returned to Gordon Lee.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.