gued with cancellations and rescheduling, the Hart County football team is firing on all cylinders with a spring and summer under its belt.
“We’ve had a good summer up to this point,” Head coach Rance Gillespie said. “Our kids are working and we’ve got a good foundation of kids returning that have played a lot of snaps. We’re excited headed into the new season.”
Last year, spring practice and summer camps were cancelled due to COVID and Gillespie believes the full offseason has been great for his players.
“That helps throughout the teaching progression. Now if a kid, regardless of the position, makes a mistake, you are able to correct those things throughout the course of the summer instead of having to wait for a game for those types of things to happen and correct.”
High-Power Offense
Despite losing two of the team’s top offensive weapons, running back Malachi Thomas and tight end Cane Berrong, to Virginia Tech and Notre Dame respectively, Gillespie is excited about his playmakers on that side of the ball this season.
“We’ve got some experience at the receiver position. I think that’s a talented group,” Gillespie said. “We’ve got a quarterback with a year under his belt. We’ve got a running back that has played a lot of snaps for us. Our offensive line has really had a good summer.”
Seniors Malachi Kelley and Tanner Ayers will lead the wide receivers in terms of experience.
Kelley recorded 20 catches for 245 yards and one touchdown in 2020. He was named to the second-team all-region team for his performance.
Ayers, who was moved to back-up quarterback duties midway through the season, caught six passes for 64 yards. Despite a lackluster junior campaign, Ayers had a great offseason at 7-on-7 camps this summer and was affectionately known as the “Slim Reaper” by his teammates.
However, Hart County’s most explosive player is junior wide receiver Paul Davis. In his sophomore season, Davis was named to the first-team all-region team after amassing 502 yards and 5 touchdowns on 29 receptions.
“I think we’ve got a lot of guys that we feel comfortable putting the ball in their hands and putting them into a position to make a play on Friday night,” Gillespie said.
With the plethora of playmakers outside, the quarterback position will be pivotal to the success of the offense. Luckily, Gillespie is confident in junior Austen Whitworth in his second year as starting quarterback.
“I think he is a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable,” Gillespie said. “That position especially just takes time. You’ve got to play it. You’ve got to be in game situations.”
Whitworth threw for 1,227 yards and 12 touchdowns last season with four interceptions. He finished the season with a 63.07 completion percentage.
Last season, Whitworth went down with a knee injury and missed a game. Ayers filled in for Whitworth in the game against Jefferson, but sophomore Chase Berrong will be the go-to quarterback this season in case of injury.
“We’re really excited about Chase. He’s really smart and really pays attention,” Gillespie said.
While Thomas was the heralded running back last year, now-senior JL Lackey was too talented to keep off the field. Lackey bulldozed for 851 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Lackey will be most likely be the primary back this season with sophomore Nori Moore, as his relief.
Paving the way for the running backs and protecting the quarterback is the offensive line led by seniors Larrondrick Rucker and Peyton Powell. Powell earned first-team region honors last season while Rucker received second-team honors.
Solid Defensive Front
Defensive coordinator Cory Dickerson is excited about the experience returning on defense, especially along the defensive line.
“We’ve got a lot of depth up front. We’ve got a lot of experience up front,” Dickerson said. “That’s our strength right now”
Seniors Jay Meritt, Keegan Dye and Garrett Burton are all returning starters on the defensive line.
Outside linebacker Keegan Dye, who had 26.5 tackles, three for loss, and 1.5 sacks last season, was given the prestigious number one jersey this season, a recognition of being the leader for the team.
“Number one is a big deal,” Dickerson said. “Keegan is great example of what we want in our program. He is high-character, high-academic and he’s a really good football player.”
Meritt, who plays defensive end, recorded 25.5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and one sack in 2020.
Senior Jai Moore, who recorded 42 tackles and forced 2 fumbles last year, will be a major force at linebacker.
Senior Scooter Harper and junior Keith Curry are returning at corner.
Former Bulldog Montae Maxwell left the team at safety position for Georgia Southern, but senior Tim Smart and Paul Davis, who plays both ways, will try to fill the void. Last season, Davis returned two interceptions for touchdown and recorded 12 tackles while Smart had 11 tackles and one interception.
Dickerson’s biggest concern is the youth at linebacker and in the secondary, but is impressed by their talent.
“They’re going to be good players,” Dickerson said. “They just have to get some experience and get under the lights. I expect big things out of them.”