“I just hate that we didn’t get the game with Irwin County official because that was a great challenge for us on the schedule. “If you told me we would have been 6-0 in the summer, I wouldn’t have been that surprised,” Roberts says. Coach Roberts knew his defense was going to be good, but he also thought they would be good all the way around. Their defense has been insane off their 6-0 start only allowing 19 points in their six wins- and those in only two games - 12 against ECI and seven against Metter in their season opener. “Wow, they’ve got a real good team over there.” Reclassification dropped them from Class 2A to Class A and when I told Norton he was my next phone call. Scott Roberts is in his sixth season as head coach in Swainsboro and coming off a semifinal berth in 2021. Kelley is in his 21st season on campus and comes in winning two of their last three. Norton has high praise on Kelley- thinking he’ll never get the credit he deserves for having a great scheme and approach. The Panthers, coached by alum Chris Kelley, won their first region game since 1995 last week over Twiggs County. This week, Johnson County plays Glascock County in Gibson. There are schools interested in Tucker at the next level - dating back to last spring. As a part of this group this season, they all have ‘it.’ Whatever that is, they all have ‘it.’” He thinks he’s 6-4 and uses his size as a motivation every game. “He has the heart of a lion,” Norton says. He’s not a big soundbite guy when the cameras are on him because he wants to talk about his teammates, the offensive line, and everyone around him that is making the team a success. I admit, the conversations Coach Norton and I have had about Germivy go back to Southern Swing last year. Your lead tailback, who is chasing records on campus, wants other guys to get some reps in-game on offense and Coach Norton says that this kind of collective attitude has separated them from other teams. Germivy will tell me ‘Coach, I want to block on this play.’” We’ll call plays and he’ll give suggestions. “He’ll come up to me and say, ‘Coach, let this guy get the ball this time.’ Unselfishness has been our thing. Tucker helps out on offense and will tell the coaches that he doesn’t want the play to go to him on occasion. He gave me a story about “Make That Kid an Offer” nominee Germivy Tucker that personifies the whole thing. “They, literally, don’t care who gets the ball on offense.” Norton also says this year’s group has been a fun group - and an unselfish group that has scored more than 40 points in half their wins and only giving up a little over ten points a game in the process. I would ‘like’ to say that I’m enjoying it more and I used to never enjoy it.” I am, truly, a worrywart but you look at each week and each play and take them one at a time. This my 31st year in coaching and I have tried to enjoy what’s going on a little more. This group of kids play for each other, and it really has been a fun season so far. “I would have laughed at you! We’ve been very fortunate. So, if I told you that you would be 6-0 and ranked as high as No. “I felt like if we developed our team chemistry in the summer and could eliminate all the outside noise, we could be OK this season,” Norton admits. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (stellar choice, by the way) Norton is in his 16th year as head coach and has been in the playoffs their last three seasons running. Head Coach Don Norton is out of the blocks at 6-0 in Region 5-2A having started their region play two weeks ago with a win over GMC Prep. It’s a wild look and a tip of the hat to Bobcats’ head coach Joel Harvin and their squad.įirst stop this week is Wrightsville and Johnson County. Sidenote: This is the first time, I can readily think of, that a team front-loaded their season to be done with everything and get to watch everyone else go at each other with a month left in the calendar. Heck, Early County has already clinched its region title (Class A Division II, Region 1) at 7-0 and only have three non-region games left on their schedule for the regular season. Some of the teams are in their bye weeks after clearing their halfway point. We’re now at 31 - if my math is right, so don’t hold me to it - when I was scanning the records. The numbers are, naturally, dwindling when it comes to the life of the undefeateds in high school football this season.
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