Saturday, August 16th
by admin
No team better represents the changing offensive style in high school football than the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Warriors.
The wing-T has been a staple of the LFO attack since Mark Gamble and the Air Warriors were ahead of their time in the mid-1980s. That will change this year as second-year head coach Todd Windham and first-year offensive coordinator Toby McKenzie join the trend of northwest Georgia teams in moving to a more passing-friendly, open offense.
The move is more about taking advantage of the team’s strengths than catching up with the Joneses, Windham said.
“We aren’t going strictly to the spread,” he said. “We’ll be four-wide sometimes and have two tight ends other times. We want to be multiple in everything we do. This offense, we believe, will help us use our strengths.”
Those strengths lie in a deep and talented backfield that got some experience last year. The group, nearly all juniors, is led by quarterback Cody Commons, a strong athlete 
whose size (5-foot-8, 170 pounds) hurt him at times under center as he started seven games last year. He’s particularly excited about the changed offense.
“Being in the shotgun helps a lot,” Commons said. “I’m not that tall, so every play I’ll likely roll out one way or the other. I’ve gotten more comfortable at reading defenses. This offense is going to make us a lot more competitive.”
The Warriors won’t abandon the running game, especially with the team’s biggest weapon being junior running back LaGreg Burns, who rushed for 538 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago.
Read More On Chattanooga Times Free Press ; Photo From Lfofootball.com
Saturday, August 16th
by admin
RINGGOLD, Ga. — When a coach mentions his quarterback in the same breath with University of Florida Heisman Trophy-winner Tim Tebow, you tend to listen.
When that quarterback is Zac Fairchild, you wonder what Ringgold coach Robert Akins is thinking. The veteran coach is quick to make his point.
“Now Zac’s not a Tebow-type quarterback, but for what we’re going to do this year, he’s going to be in the Tebow role for us,” Akins clarified. “Our offense will compare to Florida’s.”
Which means, even to the quarterback’s surprise, that he will run the ball more this season as part of the team’s spread offense. It won’t be a big part of the attack, but at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds with improved speed, Fairchild will be a load for defenses.
“He’s really improved in that area, and at 220 pounds, we’re going to run him some,” Akins said. “We’re not doing anything real complicated, but what we’re doing is going to play to Zac’s strengths. I think with a year under his belt with us, it’s made a huge difference for him.”
To get the most out of his senior quarterback, Akins turned to a familiar face. Charles Fant, a former Vanderbilit University quarterback, worked under Akins at Boyd-Buchanan and helped produce solid quarterbacks such as Will Healy, Matt Dunn, Jon-David Blair and Drew Akins.
“With Coach Fant coming in to just coach quarterbacks, that will make a huge difference with Zac,” Coach Akins said. “He’s going to develop him to the point where he will get the most out of his talent, and I knew we needed that because he wasn’t experienced or very savvy when we first got here.
“We know we’re going to let him do some of the things we know he’s comfortable with. We’re going to put him in the (shot)gun more often, because he’s more comfortable back there. And he’s got a great arm, so he can wait until the last minute to get rid of the ball downfield. All those things will be an advantage to us when we go four- and five-wide.”
Any good spread offense has a solid running game to complement the air attack, and Fairchild knows the presence of hard-charging running back Martez Eastland will be a huge key this year. Eastland, who also has good hands, has gotten in better shape in preparation for a greater workload this year.
“Having Martez will take a lot of pressure off me because teams will have to key on him,” Fairchild said. “We’re a little young and undersized on the front line, but we’re strong and quick, so maybe that will even out. I know this offense — if we do what we’re supposed to do — is going to be good. We’ve improved tremendously in a year.”
Story From Chattanooga Times Free Press
Pictures By: terrypennington.com
Thursday, August 14th
by zach
Putting all the history lessons of a first-year program to the side, Heritage High School outspoken softball coach Steve Chattin said his team is playing for pride.
When the Generals step onto the diamond for the first time, Chattin said he hopes all of his players will have one common goal…to build a program.
“I’ve told the girls, they choose to be here,” Chattin said. “We want them to be a part of us. But not to be satisfied just being a part of the first team. We’re trying to build a program.”
Chattin said his focus this summer has been to work with Generals who are committed to playing on the team.
He said the short-term goal is to find a way to produce more wins than losses.
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