GORDON CENTRAL WARRIORS
Head coach: T.J. Hamilton (3-7 in one year here and overall)
Returning starters: 6 offensive; 6 defensive
Key players: QB/LB Tre Williams (6-4, 245); OL/LB Carlos Escobar (5-8, 215); FB/LB Jordan Boone (5-8, 230); WR/DB Josh Wilson (6-2, 170); OL/DL Ethan Hendrix (5-8, 285); OL/DL Cade Hendrix (5-8, 285).
Team strengths: The second year under a new coaching staff is sometimes when big strides are taken, and Coach Hamilton believes the bonds created over the past 12 months will lead to gains on the field. Williams, a senior, has the size and speed (4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash) to be a major weapon in the Warriors’ wing-T offense. Hamilton said his starting QB, who will also be counted on defensively, has all the tools of a major Division I athlete.
Team concerns: Even by Class AA numbers, the Warriors are small along the lines – and depth is still an issue. The area Hamilton is most concerned about is between the ears, where he wants a program that has struggled over the past decade to become one that expects to win. Gordon Central last made the playoffs in 2012 and has won just 10 games in all since that season.