GORDON CENTRAL WARRIORS
Head coach: Cory Nix (2-8 in one year here and overall)
Returning starters: 9 offensive; 8 defensive
Key players: QB/ATH Nelson Gravitt (5-10, 190), TE/DE Dawson Lackey (6-4, 235), RB/LB Cam Pierce (6-0, 200), LB/FB John Victor Rainwater (5-8, 190), OL/DL Abraham Reyes (5-10, 210).
Team strengths: The junior class is really strong and provides Nix with depth the program hasn't enjoyed in years. The skill positions are stronger, and the defensive front, led by Lackey, should hold its own.
Team concerns: There are four starters returning on the offensive line, but development is needed if the Warriors are to take the next step toward competing for a postseason berth.
Newcomers to watch: A pair of sophomore transfers, RB/CB Isaiah Wilborn, and WR/CB J.J. McDaniels should contribute right away. Senior Zach Pruitt, who didn't play last season, will start on the offensive line, while a couple of freshmen, Ethan and Cade Hendrix, will also contribute there.
Season outlook: A year ago, Nix took on the job of trying to put the pieces together at one of Georgia's losingest programs, one that had tasted victory just twice in four years.
As the 2018 season opens, Nix isn't ready to say the program is anywhere close to where he wants it to be.
It is, however, on a completely different level from the day he took over.
"Last year we planted the seed, and I feel like things are starting to harvest," he said. "I brought in a culture change. I had to lay down the law last year as far as the standards - on the field, off the field, discipline, you name it.
"The kids now understand what's expected of them, and it's not just on the football field. It's in the classroom, at home, everywhere."
The Warriors went on to win a pair of Region 7-AA games, victories that, Nix said, changed the way his players felt about the process.
"I think after my kids tasted one win it was contagious, and they won another one," he said. "Getting that victory made them really, really hungry in the offseason."
With 17 starters back and a large group of freshmen plus sophomores who gained experience a year ago, the building process has been ramped up. With seniors such as college prospects Lackey and Pierce and a strong junior class, the "P" word is even being thrown around.
"Our goal is to make the state playoffs," Nix said. "Our kids feel like we are going to sneak up on a lot of people in our region, where a lot of teams lost a lot of good players to graduation. We have an opportunity to be one of those top four teams in our region."