Editor's note: This is the 10th in a series of prep football previews involving area teams. Coming next to conclude the series are Georgia's Region 6-AAAA and Dalton in 6-AAAAAA.
It's been almost two decades since someone topped Calhoun for a football region championship and nearly that long since the Yellow Jackets lost a league game.
Other Georgia Region 6-AAA teams might just get their shot this year, however.
Coach Hal Lamb retired after winning 18 region championships and three state titles in 20 seasons leading the program, and the Jackets lost 18 starters from last season's team that reached the Class AAA final. Although league coaches still voted Calhoun the preseason favorite, some optimism is evident between the lines of their comments.
"Everybody talks about Calhoun losing a bunch of people, but they are still the team to beat," said North Murray coach Preston Poag, whose Mountaineers return a whopping 17 starters after finishing fourth in 6-AAA in 2018. "We've got to play four quarters to beat them, and until we do, they're the champs."
Echoed Ringgold coach Robert Akins: "Calhoun is going to be Calhoun, whether Hal is there or not. They have such a tradition going. They usually just reload, and I suspect they have a lot of guys who could have played for anybody last year who were stuck behind all those seniors."
New Calhoun coach Clay Stephenson, a longtime assistant under Lamb, knows the competition is gaining. With nearly all of Lamb's assistant coaches still on staff, Stephenson hopes to keep the train rolling.
"We're not changing anything," he said. "We've got to try to find ways to change the program without changing what got the program where it is. Faith, family, academics, football - those priorities stay the same."
The Jackets will be breaking in new starters at all of the skill positions, with quarterback Jake Morrow, running back Jerrien Hames and receiver Carson Speer part of a group trying to replace players who accounted for more than 4,000 yards of offense. Stephenson said experience and talent are still abundant, though.
"They've been waiting their turn, but we've been so talented they couldn't get on the field as much," he said. "We feel fine with the kids we've got, and they are ready to show what they can do."
Last year's surprise region runner-up, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, also lost many of the players responsible for its offensive production, but with quarterback Malachi Powell ready to take on more responsibility and with a defense that has many of its leaders back, the Warriors are ready to prove 2018 wasn't a fluke.
Like Stephenson, LFO coach Bo Campbell said last year's backups are ready to step up.
"When I first got the job, the difference between the ones and twos was extreme," said Campbell, whose program has gone from one win his first season to five in year two to seven last season. "Now there is a very small gap because everyone is competing to get on the field."
North Murray may be the fastest team in the region, led by quarterback Ladd McConkey's 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash and versatile playmakers Landon Burrell, Noah Lunsford and Dante Tidwell. The Mountaineers may make their biggest leap on the other side of the ball, though.
"This is the best defense I've had, and these kids really want it. We've had an awesome summer, and with this being my fourth year they understand what is needed," said Poag, who has led the program to three straight playoff berths after the Mountaineers missed in their first six seasons. "But in this region you better show up and play, or you will get beat."
Ringgold was the region's fifth playoff team a year ago (via the GHSA's power ratings) and has perhaps the league's top offensive line. The Tigers will lean heavily on that group, led by University of Tennessee at Chattanooga-committed Reid Williams, as they replace most of the players responsible for offensive production last year.
Haralson County, another surprise with its third-place region finish last season, returns seven all-region players, including several linemen.
Sonoraville, which has missed the playoffs the past two seasons, returns 16 starters and added strong-armed quarterback transfer Brad Lackey from Gordon Central, which frees up the athletic Blade Bryant to make more plays. Adairsville, Coahulla Creek and Murray County, which combined for four region wins in 2018, expect to show improvement.
It all adds up to a region coaches believe will likely take unexpected turns.
"Anybody can beat anybody," LFO's Campbell said, "and I know everybody says that, but it happens each year in this region. There's a lot of great coaches and great teams in this region, great athletes. You have to be on your 'A' game every Friday night."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.
REGION 6-AAA OUTLOOK
Team to beat: Even with Hal Lamb no longer patrolling the sideline and with 18 new starters, Calhoun is the preseason favorite and is seeking its 19th consecutive region title.Watch out for: North Murray has been building for this season since Preston Poag became coach, and with more than 30 seniors the Mountaineers believe they are primed to challenge for the top.Best game: Calhoun hosts North Murray in an early region showdown Sept. 20. The Mountaineers held a halftime lead over the Yellow Jackets last year, and many believe this game could be even tighter.Dream schedule: With only two nonregion games per team, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe’s schedule might set up the best. Last year’s 6-AAA runner-up hosts three of the league’s 2018 playoff teams — Calhoun, North Murray and Haralson County — with the Mountaineers and Yellow Jackets visiting the last two weeks.Nightmare schedule: For a team replacing a ton of offensive yards, starting off the season with Dalton, Heritage, North Murray, LFO and Calhoun is indeed a worst-case scenario for Ringgold. On the other hand, if the Tigers survive that run, the final month could prove lucrative.Players to watch: There are top-tier linemen on both sides of the ball throughout the region, including Calhoun’s Jaeden Curtis and Kendez Griffin, Ringgold’s Reid Williams, North Murray’s Chaisen Buckner and LFO’s James Beddington. North Murray has a trio of offensive playmakers in QB Ladd McConkey, RB Dante Tidwell and WR Landon Burrell. Ringgold WR/DB Brayden Broome and Sonoraville LB/FB Colton Richards are counted on to be stars on both sides of the ball.