By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

(Apologies for videos not being light enough)

When the situation calls for it, yes, football coaches and players can clean up pretty good, even right after practice in August.

There were ties and sportscoats galore and casual but sharp non-coach and non-player attire in Thursday night’s Bibb County football media night at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (full video here).

There was a different fashion statement, in the eyes of Howard head coach Paul Carroll, the first to speak, as he looked into the audience.

“When the other coaches get up here, you will be able to determine which ones are the offensive head coach and which ones are the defensive head coaches,” he said. “Just the way they dressed, now. You’re gonna see.

“These offensive coaches are gonna be up here in a suit and tie. Coach (Keith) Hatcher’s kind of mixed. He doesn’t have a tie on right now, but he’s got a jacket.”

Hatcher, in his first year at ACE Charter after eight seasons at Mount de Sales, is feeling his way through running a very young program.

“I’ll let you know in a few weeks if I’m offense or defense,” he said.

The Hall invited all schools in Bibb County, public and private. All six Bibb County public high schools were represented, along with ACE, FPD and Mount de Sales.

It was quite a mix, with FPD head coach Greg Moore entering his 23rd year as head coach and 34th year with the school, and Westside’s Spoon Risper in his 25th year at Westside and 14th as head coach, representing the old guard.

On the other end of the spectrum were Mount de Sales’ Gray Yates starting his first year and Rutland’s JarMarcus Johnson in his second.

Mutual admiration and respect dominated each coach’s talk, which lasted from a little over four or five minutes for most to just past eight minutes for Risper and Southwest’s Joe Dupree.

Moore followed Central’s Joaquin Sample, and recalled how he grew up wanting to go to Central and be just like Charger legend Michael Jolly.

Risper recalled idolizing Dupree, and finally getting a chance to play against him when West Georgia played Georgia Southern.

“I came out getting ready to warm up, and I was looking for him,” said Risper, who went about 5-10 and 160 pounds, looking for Dupree, not realizing his idol of only a few years older went about 6-3 and 200 pounds. “I saw him, was like, ‘God, that is a big ol’ dude right there.’”

As for the football, only four of the nine teams on hand made the postseason last year with Northeast and FPD the lone teams to win a game, both reaching the quarterfinals in their respective GHSA classifications.

The Vikings and Raiders were also the only teams to finish with a winning record, the nine teams combining for a 31-55 record, 19 wins coming from Northeast and FPD to help counter three one-win seasons.

While the world situation improved with the pandemic, it was nowhere near out of sight or mind, with two teams not playing a full schedule. COVID also had a huge impact on the lower levels and development, as well as numbers on the varsity level.

Howard has only one player, Tellis Hudson, who has been with the program for a full four years.

“We have about 70 to 80 kids,” Carroll said. “Last year, we had 37.”

He said attendance has been steady after a year when COVID disrupted scheduling, and some players chose not to risk getting COVID. The two-year period also affected conditioning.

“We’ve got to get a lot stronger in the weight room,” said Carroll, not the only coach to mention that need. “We’re back in rebuilding mode.”

Carroll may need some counseling for awhile.

“We’re actually going to the spread offense,” he said. “I thought I never would do that. I’m an old-school Wing-T guy.”

Southwest’s Dupree is more than ready for a fairly routine season.

Not long after the nation came to a halt in March of 2020, Dupree battled a serious bout of COVID. Then, last August, freshman Joshua Ivory Jr. collapsed after a practice and died from what was ruled months later to be an abnormal heart rhythm.

Dupree and assistant coach Robert Cummings were put on leave, Dupree for a short time. Before long, though, Cummings was out, and Dupree had new coordinators in midseason.

He followed up praise on both by poking fun at the pair, Takeyma Duhart and Cameron Prather, who were on hand.

“We only averaged nine points last year,” Dupree said, with a knowing and tired chuckle while eyeballing in Duhart’s direction. “So …”

Then, to the other side of the ball.

“We gave up 40 points (per game) last year,” Dupree said, same tone and same nod. “So …”

Northeast is the hottest public school program by far, going 17-7 the past two years and winning a playoff game each time, something of a rarity among Bibb County public schools.

One player head coach Jeremy Wiggins brought was big Johnny Williams, the Raiders’ most notable college prospect in awhile, a West Virginia commit who is a veteran Raider and at 6-foot-7 is close a foot taller than his head coach.

“I’m jacked up,” said Wiggins, a Northeast alum who went on to a stellar career at Appalachian State. “I’m ready to … If I could play … I’m still the best athlete in the school.”

Behind him and above him, Williams – also a track standout – smirked a little and shook his head.

“I ain’t worried about that,” Wiggins said.

The county landscape changed pretty drastically since the teams last lined up.

Tattnall, Stratford, Mount de Sales, and FPD left the GHSA for the Georgia Independent Athletic Association, a newly-formed athletics arm of the GISA. And GHSA reclassification put ACE, Central, Northeast, Rutland, and Southwest in a Class AA region together, with three schools from Columbus.

Hatcher moved from Mount de Sales to ACE just in time for the move up from Class A.

“We’re excited about the new league we’re playing in, competing with more Macon schools,” Hatcher said of ACE’s jump from a fairly spread-out Class A Public region to a local-heavy Class AA region. “Looking forward to some great environments here in the city of Macon as we grow our program and look to be able to compete with those guys.”