Preseason is over in Georgia’s Region 7-AAA, meaning the next five weeks will determine which three football teams from each subregion will battle for playoff sports in week 10.
Only one school, Southeast Whitfield, plays tonight, giving the rest a week to prepare for what lies ahead. A Raiders win tonight against Lithia Springs would give each of the six teams in the “A” subregion a .500 or better record. Dalton, Ridgeland, Ringgold and surprising Heritage reach the start of league play at 3-1, with LaFayette at 2-2.
Here’s a look at where each area team stands entering region play:
Dalton: That Catamounts own the most impressive win among subregion teams, last week’s thrilling 21-17 defet of Allatoona. First-year head coach Matt Land’s offense has been run-heavy, led by junior tailback Tre Beck and an improving line.
The Cats’ biggest improvement has been on defense. Linemen Floyd Coffee and Stefan Bonaparte are the cornerstones, while linebackers Blake Raber and Toombs Norman are sure tacklers. The biggest improvement, according to Land, is the players’ willingness to hit.
“We’re very, very pleased with the physical-ness of our team,” Land said. “That was our No. 1 goal heading into the season and an area where we challenged our kids to improve.”
Ridgeland: The Panthers, two-time region champs, appeared somewhat lost offensively the first two weeks, including a loss to Allatoona. However, what was expected to be a potent offense was hitting on all cylindars in last week’s rout of Gilmer County.
Some tweaks to the offense, including moving dynamic athlete Devin Bowman to receiver and getting fullback Paul Walton back from injury, have cured what ailed the unit. With Bowman and Deonte Marsh on the outside, first-year quarterback Trey Stewart was 9-for-9 passing and four touchdowns last week.
“We’re getting there,” coach Mark Mariakis said. “We were young and inexperienced in a number of spots, and it’s taken four games to get people where they can help us the most.”
Ringgold: The Tigers opened with three wins before losing on the road at top-10-ranked Cartersville last week. The offense has moved the ball on every opponent, but turnovers have killed many drives. Head coach Robert Akins has changed the offense, led by junior quarterback Josh Moore, to more of a true spread attack after running more I-formation looks early on.
Ringgold has been solid defensively, led by linebacker Brandon Baker’s 15 tackles per game. The Tigers have returned five interceptions for touchdowns with an active secondary featuring Dez Harris, Wright Hackett and Slade Dell.
“You’ll see more trip, double and empty sets from us in the coming weeks,” Akins said of his offense. “I think that will suit our personnel better.”
Heritage: The Generals have tripled their previous season win total, though losing on the road to previously winless Murray County two weeks ago was a disappointment. However, coach Tim James believes that loss might have been a good thing in the long run for his improving team.
“Sure, we’d like to be 4-0, but the fact that we’ve learned what it takes to win Monday through Thursday, and not just on Friday nights, has been great to watch,” James said. “That loss was a wakeup call, but we rallied from it and won on the road at Pickens last week. Now, though, it gets tougher.”
LaFayette: The Ramblers have been the most up-and-down team in the subregion, in part due to a major change in offensive philosophy under new coach Tab Gable. The former true spread team now is leaning on the run game and tailback Devarus Porter, who already has two 200-yard games.
“Each week we find out a little more about ourselves,” Gable said. “They’re responding well. The key for us is to beat the teams we’re supposed to beat and then get an upset, and we’ll be right there.”
Southeast Whitfield: The Raiders are easily the youngest team in the subregion, and that youth has been exposed in recent weeks. Coach David Crane’s spread offense has been plagued by pass-protection breakdowns, but senior running back Coty Burch has been solid with three consecutive 100-yard games.
“The play of our freshmen and sophomores has been good, as well as several juniors who are starting for the first time,” said Crane, who has only five senior starters. “We’ve got to improve our pass protection, and defensively we have to stop giving up big plays.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296.