Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Warriors
Coach: Todd Windham (24-37 in six years here; 63-92 in 15 years overall)
Last year: 7-3, 4-3 in Region 5-AAA
'13 dreams: The Warriors will be hard-pressed to equal last year's success, when they tied for fourth in the region, with the sheer volume of starters lost to graduation. They lost 13 seniors, several of whom were two-way starters, including quarterback/linebacker Trey Silmon, receiver/cornerback Jackson Wallin and running back/linebacker Nate Long. Any shot at a playoff spot in a region that overall lost a lot of talent resides in the trenches. Windham likes his starters up front, but depth is a big issue.
13-for-13 contenders: Sky Rogers will assume the quarterback duties and the Warriors may take to the air more often to take advantage of his arm. Jacob Gilbert is the top returning running back and also likely will start at linebacker in a revamped 3-3 stack scheme. Tight end/defensive end Triston Evans is poised for a breakout season, Windham thinks.
Number of interest: 9 - The Warriors have only nine seniors, but they are introducing 16 ninth-graders. Also, the team's last playoff appearance was in 2009, the year before the current seniors joined the program.
13 years ago: The Warriors began the John Allen era with a 3-7 season. The following four years, however, were the most successful in program history with 37 wins.
Program superstition: It's not really a superstition, but the Warriors like to crowd together in a small area of the locker room before kickoff. The room is silent until the knock on the door signals it's game time. The players then work themselves into a frenzy before taking the field.
1-through-3: Senior running back/linebacker Jacob Gilbert
Q. What's going to be the key to the Warriors being competitive this season?
A. We have to stay healthy. I know we'll be ready to play and hit somebody, but we have to avoid injury. We're not expected to win a lot of games, so we have that underdog attitude.
Q. Is there an early game that's going to tell everybody where this team stands?
A. To me, the first three games are key. Gordon Lee is always a good rivalry. Heritage, even though they were 0-10 last year, is a huge rivalry, and it's always tough to play at Dade County. We'll know what we're made of after those three.
Q. You guys lost a couple of heartbreakers last year, including one to rival Ringgold that kept you out of the playoffs. How does that motivate you?
A. That Ringgold game set the whole mood for this season. We want it so bad after being so close last year. We hate losing, and having experienced that 0-10 season ... we're not going to have that.
2013 Schedule
Aug. 30 Gordon Lee
Sep. 6 Heritage
Sep. 13 at Dade County
Sep. 20 at Adairsville*
Sep. 27 at Gordon Central*
Oct. 4 Cartersville*
Oct. 18 Coahulla Creek*
Oct. 25 North Murray*
Nov. 1 at Ringgold*
Nov. 8 at Sonoraville*
*Region 5-AAA game
2012 Stats
Passing C-A-I Pct. Yards TDs
Trey Silmon 67-101-4 66% 962 10
Rushing Att. Yards TDs
Pooh Harden 201 1,402 10
Trey Silmon 108 484 3
Jacob Gilbert 20 124 2
Receiving No. Yards TDs
Jackson Wallin 24 396 5
Daniel Parrish 27 298 1
Roster
2 Daques Davis Freshman
3 Sam Eaves Junior
4 Cole Crawford Senior
6 Ryan Keefe Junior
8 Grayson Avans Freshman
10 B.J. Raines Junior
11 Noah Flowers Freshman
12 Skyler Rigers Senior
14 Nic O'Connell Senior
16 Nick Farmer Junior
17 Keyvon Rivers Senior
19 Trae Ford Freshman
20 Hayden Griffin Sophomore
21 Triston Evans Senior
22 Easton Guinn Freshman
23 James Knight Freshman
25 Jordan Pickett Sophomore
27 Jacob Williams Junior
34 Jacob Gilbert Senior
35 Cole Templin Sophomore
36 Shamar Catoe Junior
39 Alex Smith Sophomore
41 Kylin Livingston Freshman
43 Seth Scarborough Freshman
44 Jesse Flanagan Junior
45 Jacob Hood Sophomore
47 Dustin McBryar Junior
48 Cameron Pewitt Junior
50 Brian Rich Sophomore
51 Lucas Heard Senior
53 Jacob Michal Freshman
54 Josh Wright Sophomore
56 Chase Smith Junior
57 Tanner Ivester Junior
58 Jacob Ivester Junior
59 Bryson Suggs Sophomore
60 Andrew Whitis Junior
61 Austin Maslanik Freshman
62 Taylor Brown Sophomore
63 Matt Fitzgerald Freshman
64 Konner Lea Sophomore
65 Frankie Pinkston Junior
66 Riley Howe Freshman
70 Nathan Mooneyham Freshman
71 Zane Crowder Freshman
75 Todd Turner Senior
76 Patrick McCracken Sophomore
77 Kane Suttles Junior
78 Ken Wallin Sophomore
80 Jordan Burgess Junior
82 Tanner Bennett Junior
83 Stephen Bishop Junior
85 Chris Neaderhiser Freshman
87 Destin Noble Sophomore
89 Tristan Bennett Freshman