LaFayette Ramblers
Coach: Chad Fisher (first year here; 27-34 in six years overall)
Last year: 1-9, 1-4 in 7B-AAAA
'13 dreams: The Ramblers begin the Fisher era with an eye toward the future after a rough 2012. The former Gordon Central coach isn't worried about wins and losses. The 2013 season is about building a foundation, which starts with a drastic change from the wing-T to the spread offense. As Fisher said about his first Ramblers team, "The biggest thing is to get them in the mindset that they can be competitive. That's a huge step."
13-for-13 contenders: One of the team's biggest stories is the return to the playing field of Lance Estus. The senior basketball star will be, barring late injury, the team's starting quarterback, and he has two good possession receivers in Clayton Underwood and Hunter Clark. The team's strength lies in the front seven of the defense, led by linebackers Sam Lemons and Clayton Lane.
Number of interest: 50 - Games below .500 for the Ramblers all time in 90 years of competition, but the program is 32 games above the break-even mark at home.
13 years ago: The Ramblers were in their first season under current Ridgeland offensive coordinator Eric Edwards, who is one of 11 head coaches the program has had in the last 28 years.
Program superstition: Coach Fisher considers himself a very superstitious guy. On game days, for example, he will use the same stapler to put his game plan together, then hand it to the administrative secretary, who will then set it down. He plans to use the same procedure at LaFayette, though he had yet to tell the secretary as of early August.
1-through-3: Senior receiver Clayton Underwood
Q. What are your thoughts on Coach Fisher switching to the spread offense?
A. I think we made a big improvement, just on the change of offense alone. We've moved the ball better on offense than we did last year in 7-on-7s, and more kids have stepped up to make more plays. As a receiver I love the spread because I get to touch the ball more.
Q. Is there an early game that will show you what type of team you are?
A. I think our Trion game will let us see where we are because they're a good team. We can't go into that game thinking we can't win just because they beat us last year.
Q. What is the biggest improvement you've seen in this team during the offseason?
A. The intensity has stepped up a lot, and I can see what that has done for us this summer. That's where it all starts.
2013 Schedule
Sep. 6 at Trion
Sep. 13 Cedartown
Sep. 20 River Ridge
Sep. 27 at Gilmer County
Oct. 4 Southeast Whitfield*
Oct. 11 at Heritage*
Oct. 18 at Dalton*
Oct. 25 Ridgeland*
Nov. 1 at Northwest Whitfield*
Nov. 8 Region play-in
*Region 7B-AAAA game
2012 Stats
Passing C-A-I Pct. Yards TDs
Mackenzie Kelehear 20-63-5 32% 321 2
Alize Woodall 6-14-3 43% 93 0
Rushing Att. Yards TDs
Cody Dallas 150 713 6
Kolbe Mosley 36 124 0
Taylor Parris 15 68 0
Receiving No. Yards TDs
Hunter Clark 12 288 4
Taylor Parris 8 93 0
Roster
1 Cameron Marsh Senior
2 Clayton Underwood Senior
3 Andrew Burse Junior
4 Dylan Queen Senior
5 Josh Neal Sophomore
6 Lance Estus Senior
7 Alize Woodall Senior
8 Austin Whitten Junior
9 Curt Jones Senior
11 Hunter Clark Senior
13 Trevor Bowman Sophomore
14 Logan Teasley Freshman
15 Conner Green Sophomore
16 Levi Roe Freshman
17 Sam Lemons Senior
18 Houston Lumpkin Freshman
19 Cody Howard Senior
20 Adam Ellisor Sophomore
21 Ramsey kadarian Freshman
22 Clayton Lane Sophomore
23 Ethan Tripp Junior
24 Kolbe Mosley Junior
25 Jacob Shaw Freshman
26 Jacob Morrison Sophomore
27 Travis Gray Senior
28 T.J. Hawkins Sophomore
29 LaTravious McClinic Freshman
30 Justus Cleverley Sophomore
31 Jacob Green Freshman
33 Tracy Miller Senior
34 Ben Owenby Sophomore
35 Hunter Blevins Freshman
36 Micah Seay Sophomore
37 David Price Senior
38 Dustin Willie Junior
39 Chase Smith Freshman
40 Bryson Smith Freshman
41 Jerison Patterson Freshman
42 Dustin Jackson Sophomore
43 Xzravia Underwood Junior
44 River Thompson Freshman
45 Adrian Smith Sophomore
46 T.J. Brooks Sophomore
47 Damon Jones Freshman
48 Nathan Bowman Freshman
49 Levi Gilbreath Sophomore
51 Ty Ferguson Senior
52 Chase Davidson Senior
53 T.J. Sisemore Freshman
54 Cody Morrison Junior
55 Donnie Cornett Sophomore
56 Logan Cannon Junior
57 Aaron Austin Sophomore
58 Juston Elrod Sophomore
59 Ryver Mitchell Sophomore
60 Paul Snider Senior
61 Logan Wattenbarger Sophomore
62 Michael Sartin Senior
63 Brandon Davis Freshman
64 Mathew Mathis Senior
65 T.J. Dixon Freshman
66 Zach Gill Sophomore
67 Logan Suggs Sophomore
68 Jake Russell Freshman
69 Tanner Van Pelt Freshman
70 Jalen Hill Sophomore
71 Zack Jones Senior
72 Mason Wilson Freshman
73 Tim Talbert Sophomore
74 Nick Kurtz Sophomore
75 Mason Mathis Freshman
76 Justin Morrison Junior
77 Zack Cornett Junior
79 Kaemdenne Stoker Senior
82 Caleb Warren Senior
83 Donte Jackson Freshman
84 Wes Story Sophomore
85 Damian Johnson Freshman
86 Antonio Maston Freshman
87 Christian Rogers Junior
88 Taylor Parris Senior
89 Dillon Reynolds Freshman
90 Nick Cathey Freshman
91 Noah Davenport Freshman
92 Rhett Neal Freshman
94 Coty Dilbeck Sophomore