CALHOUN, Ga. -- When Nash Nance decided to finish his high school football career at Calhoun, the senior quarterback understood he would be stepping into a totally different level of expectation.
STEVENSON, Ala. -- Shawn Peek recognized the desire immediately. As the linebacker coach at North Jackson, he knew the program's defensive identity had been built by players whose toughness overcame any athletic shortcomings. Peek knew early on that Zach Hammontree had that drive, but he also noticed something different about the kid who was an undersized sophomore at the time.
Boyd-Buchanan's defensive backs are ready to play Cascade right now. They were ready Wednesday. Actually they were ready before that. Wednesday was the day one of them exclaimed, "This is what we've been waiting for all year!"
For the last decade or so, what Boyd-Buchanan has been able to accomplish offensively can be directly linked to the quarterback position. In keeping with the theme, the 2009 Buccaneers' offensive success has been determined almost literally as Crowe flies.