*Best player: Dougherty went from 0-5 to 10-3 and the Class 3A quarterfinals last season largely on the shoulders of a sophomore, Kameron Davis (left). The Florida State commit was 107-of-176 passing for 1,787 yards and 15 touchdowns with only two interceptions and rushed for 1,363 yards and 16 touchdowns on 127 carries. That performance came after Dougherty and Davis endured an 0-5 finish in the COVID-marred 2020 season. As a freshman, Davis averaged 130 passing yards and 111 rushing yards. He’s 5 feet, 11 inches and 195 pounds, and projected as a college running back. He has been committed since February of 2021.

*Best position: Defensive line. Five are 247Sports top-100 Georgia prospects with multiple Power 5 conference offers. They are T.J. Searcy (No. 16), Darron Reed (No. 29), Terry Simmons (No. 76), Stantavious Smith (No. 77) and Adonijah Green (No. 79). Smith, of Dougherty, was left off despite reported favorites of LSU and Ohio State and a 2021 register of 13.5 tackles for losses and six forced fumbles.

*Most highly recruited: Davis is the consensus No. 25 recruit among juniors. The highest-rated senior is Cedar Grove cornerback Kayin Lee, the consensus No. 145 player nationally and No. 13 in Georgia. Lee intercepted seven passes last season – two in the state final - for the Class 3A champions.

*That’s interesting: Class 3A has 16 players rated among the top 100 seniors or top 50 juniors in the state. That’s more than Class 5A (13) or Class 4A (10).

*Snubbed: Peach County’s Skielar Mann, outstanding at linebacker or tight end, is a three-year starter and his team’s best all-around player. If he or another Peach player doesn’t make first-team all-state by year’s end, it would be a first in 14 years.

*Underrated: Cam’ron Lacy of Stephens County might be the classification’s best wide receiver (44 catches for 1,023 yards as a junior), but he’s slotted at defensive back here to get the best players on the field. He had 37 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles from the secondary. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. He’s only 5 feet, 10 inches, if that, so Power 5 conference programs have been slower to chase. He’s committed to Middle Tennessee.

*What else is new: Calvary Day might’ve been the favorite to win Class A Private without reclassification. Instead, Calvary will make the big jump with four preseason all-state players and its most talented roster in history. QB Jake Merklinger and TE Mike Smith are top-125 national recruits among juniors. LB Troy Ford is committed to Central Florida, and DL Terry Simmons is committed to Duke.

OL - Max Thurston, Monroe Area, Jr.

Coming Monday: Class 2A

Trinity Christian's Aaron Gates was first-team all-state as a defensive back last season and had 51 catches for 900 yards and 11 touchdowns as a wide receiver. (Photo by Rusty Mansell / 247Sports)

*Ty Adams, Swainsboro: The 2021 Region 2-2A player of the year, Adams rushed for 1,778 yards for a state semifinal team. He passed for 451 yards, recorded 39 tackles and intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown. Adams (5-11, 175) committed to East Carolina in June. He’s projected as a cornerback.

*C.J. Allen, Lamar County: Allen is 247Sports’ No. 3 Georgia prospect overall and No. 2 senior linebacker nationally. He was a first-team all-state performer and Region 3-2A’s player of the year in 2021, when he had 91 solo tackles, three interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and three sacks for a 6-4 team. He also rushed for 1,080 yards with seven 100-yard rushing games with 16 touchdowns. He’s Lamar County’s highest-rated prospect in history. Allen (6-1, 215) committed to Georgia in June.

*Khalil Barnes, North Oconee: Barnes was Region 8-4A’s player of the year in 2021 while playing receiver, running back, quarterback, cornerback and return man. Barnes had 771 yards receiving and 204 rushing. He made 30 tackles and broke up 13 passes. Barnes (6-1, 185) is a consensus three-star recruit who committed to Wake Forest in June.

*D.J. Bell, Pierce County: He’s essentially a running back but does most of Pierce County’s passing. He ran for 1,870 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2021 despite playing only nine games because of injury. He had five consecutive games over 245 rushing, twice with 45 attempts, all against playoff opponents. He was 21-of-50 passing for 446 yards and eight touchdowns. Bell (6-0, 170) has an offer from Georgia Tech.

*Ahmad “A.J.” Brown, Crisp County: Brown was Crisp County’s best player and a first-team all-state performer as a junior. He came off the field only on kickoffs and punts and led a young team to the Class 3A semifinals. He had 27 receptions for 541 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver but had 276 yards and nine touchdowns rushing and passed for 149 yards. As a safety, he had 25 tackles and three interceptions and two return touchdowns. He’ll play more quarterback this season. Brown (6-1, 195) committed to Ole Miss in June.

*Sammy Brown, Jefferson: Brown, the consensus No. 9 junior prospect in the country, was limited to seven games in 2021 but rushed for 753 yards on just 58 attempts (13.0 ypc). He had 35 tackles at linebacker, his projected college position. He returned two kickoffs and an interception for touchdowns. He rushed for 1,368 yards as a freshman. Brown (6-2.5, 225) ran a 10.69-second 100-meter dash at the state meet last spring.

*Kameron Davis, Dougherty: Davis (5-10, 200) is a consensus five-star recruit projected as a running back in college. He’s Dougherty’s quarterback. As a sophomore, he was 107-of-176 passing for 1,787 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 1,363 yards and 16 touchdowns for a Class 4A team that was winless the season before and hadn’t made the quarterfinals since 2005.

*Nathan Efobi, South Forsyth: A consensus top-400 national recruit, Efobi (6-4, 285) is potentially the state’s best two-way lineman. He’s an outstanding pass blocker on offense, where he likely will play in college, but had 20 solo tackles, seven for losses, and three sacks on defense for a Class 7A school.

*Aaron Gates, Trinity Christian: Gates is one of the state’s best receivers (51 receptions for 900 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021) but was first-team all-state last season as a defensive back, where he had 23 tackles as a cornerback. He was also a top return threat. A top-400 national recruit, Gates (6-0, 180) committed to Florida during his junior season.

*R.J. Johnson, ELCA: Johnson was credited with 32 pass breakups and three interceptions as a cornerback and 23 catches for 594 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver for a Class A Private semifinal team. He’s also a top basketball player (17.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game). Johnson (6-2, 180) committed to Arkansas in June.

*Jalon Kilgore, Putnam County: Kilgore, a first-team all-state Class 2A player last season, had 37 receptions for 921 yards (24.9 ypc) and 11 touchdowns for a 12-1 team that gave Putnam County its first region title since 2010 and first quarterfinal appearance since 1996. Kilgore had 88 tackles and forced four fumbles as a strong safety. Kilgore won the Class 2A long jump title as a sophomore and has qualified for state in the 200 and 400 meters. A consensus top-500 national recruit, Kilgore (6-2, 195) committed to South Carolina in June.

*Caleb LaVallee, Whitefield Academy: LaVallee was a first-team all-state performer and Region 2-A Private’s player of the year last season. He had 121 tackles, 16 for losses, and six sacks for a 6-5 team. He rushed for 695 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, one as a receiver. LaVallee (6-1, 215) is Whitefield’s highest-rated prospect in history. He committed to North Carolina in June.

*Jack Luttrell, Colquitt County: Luttrell played at Hebron Christian last season for his father. The two now are in Moultrie. For Hebron, Luttrell had more than 900 all-purpose yards and 33 tackles and punted. Typically viewed as a safety in college, Luttrell (6-0, 175) committed to Tennessee before his junior season.

*Mike Matthews, Parkview: Matthews (6-3, 180) is the consensus No. 1 junior safety prospect nationally and Parkview’s most highly rated recruit in history. He’s in this category because he’s a two-way starter who had 48 receptions for 764 yards and seven touchdowns with 27 tackles and two interceptions in 10 games. Matthews’ reported favorites are Clemson, Georgia and Notre Dame.

*Branden Strozier, St. Francis: When an ACC school signs a St. Francis player, it’s usually for basketball, but Strozier (6-2, 175) committed to Clemson in May as the Alpharetta private school’s top football recruit in history. He was his region’s defensive player of the year in 2021, when he had 37 tackles, five interceptions and 20 pass breakups. He had 41 receptions for 872 yards and 11 touchdowns. Strozier is a top-400 national recruit.

*Zayden Walker, Schley County: As a freshman last season, Walker (6-3, 220) had five sacks, four other tackles for losses, three forced fumbles, a blocked punt, 1,001 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns. He’s a brother of Auburn defensive tackle Zykeivous Walker.

Coming Monday: Specialists

Today’s interviewee is Buck Belue, sports talk show host for 680 The Fan, quarterback for Georgia’s 1980 national championship team, four-year starting quarterback at Valdosta, inaugural selectee into the new Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame and author of a new book, “Inside The Hedges,” a look at Georgia’s 1980 season and his athletic career. To order a book or get a copy at a book signing, click here. The interview below follows the Four Questions format. To read this and three bonus questions, with Belue’s thoughts on making the Hall of Fame (induction is Oct. 22), his most memorable high school game and how coach Wright Bazemore made him a quarterback, visit our website here.

1. You’ve been to about 10 cities to sign your book, and you’ve got several more scheduled. What do most people want to talk to you about at these book signings? “One of the motivations for doing the book was to talk about Valdosta High School and the football program through the years, and I’ve had so many people, whether they’re Bulldog fans or not, ask questions about how Valdosta won all those games. The first part of the book is my journey through Valdosta and the secrets to all the winning.

“As a young boy there growing up in Valdosta, we all dreamed of the day we would get to high school and wear that Wildcat uniform and win a state title. We spent so many Friday nights at Cleveland Field, or Bazemore-Hyder Stadium as they call it now, watching them win big. That was the dream of every young athlete in Valdosta, and that dream didn’t go much further than that. It was just playing for the Wildcats. It was so much fun going being part of that atmosphere.” [Belue said the second motivation for writing the book was “bragging on teammates and players at Georgia and Valdosta that didn’t get the credit they deserved. Way too much credit is given to Herschel (Walker) and Lindsay (Scott) and Buck. There were a lot of guys who had a huge impact to the success of those teams.”]

2. At Valdosta, you were heavily influenced by the legendary head coaches – Wright Bazemore (1941-42, 1946-71) and Nick Hyder (1973-95). Bazemore watched you play in youth ball and suggested to the coaches that they move you to quarterback. Hyder became head coach your freshman year. How would you contrast and compare those iconic coaches? “They were very different. With Coach Bazemore, I just looked at him as an innovator offensively. Everybody was running the Wing-T, and he ran the pro set, throwing the ball. He was just so far ahead of his time. But it was more than that. He was going to youth league programs, scouting the local talent. He had everybody running the same offense so that by time you got to middle school and high school, you didn’t have to learn any of it. They were running the same sets and plays. You just looked at Bazemore like Lombardi at the time. You’d see him around town and stop and go ‘wow.’ You’d be in awe.

“With Coach Hyder, you just couldn’t imagine anyone working harder than him to be successful. He was totally unselfish, too. He came in from West Rome with the idea of running the wishbone like he was doing in Rome, and I was coming over for spring football as an eighth grader, and it wasn’t a couple of months later we were back for preseason practice, and he was totally shifted to the Bazemore offense, as we called it. Most coaches are going to take their schemes to the grave, but he learned the new offense and made the change for the team. And I have so many great memories of him taking time to help coach me up. He and his wife had an apartment next to the school, and I would go over to watch film with him. We were in an extra bedroom, and his wife came in a couple of times and told him dinner was ready. She finally came in and dumped it on his lap. That’s when I figured it was time to go.”

3. You also talk about the other coaches at Valdosta, especially Joe Wilson, who later became Lowndes’ head coach and led the Vikings to a 1980 state title, and Jack Rudolph, Valdosta’s longtime defensive mastermind [and father of Georgia Tech and NFL player Coleman Rudolph]. What did those coaches mean to you? “I’m just so thankful my quarterback coach was Joe Wilson. It doesn’t get better than that. I had Jack Rudolph coaching the defense. In practice, it was always the 1s against the 1s. Between plays, we would stand there and listen to Coach Rudolph break down the responsibilities of each defensive player for the play we just ran. I would soak up all this knowledge. Coach Wilson would be saying we can throw to this running back because we’ve got this linebacker on him. I was wise beyond my years because of them. When I got to Georgia, I felt I was way ahead of the curve. I knew coverage, I knew techniques, things that it seemed like these other quarterbacks didn’t understand at the time. I was blessed with this great coaching.” [Belue passed for a state-record 5,214 yards and won two region titles in his four Valdosta seasons. He fell short of a state title when Clarke Central beat Valdosta 16-14 in the 1977 Class 3A championship. Valdosta missed a two-point try in the third quarter and a 31-yard field goal with 1:23 left.]

4. You mentioned that you saw many of the players that were on the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame ballot or were voted in. Who are some of the great players you saw from your era or before? “Seeing Andy Johnson in 1969 was one of my first recollections of high school football [at the 1969 Class 3A championship game between Athens and Valdosta at Cleveland Field]. My dad and I waited on Athens High to come out of the locker room, and we’re standing by the fence, and my dad is saying, ‘Look, here’s Andy Johnson. You need to watch him tonight,’ and he put on one of the most memorable performances I can remember seeing. [Johnson scored on a 68-yard run on the final play of the first half, then threw a 28-yard TD pass and a two-point conversion in the final seconds for a 26-26 tie.]

“Then, Valdosta was really laying down the hammer in 1971 [winning a national championship in Coach Bazemore’s final season]. I was friends with Coach Wilson’s son, Jody, so I got some behind-the-scenes access to practice and going to the games and seeing the locker room. I remember Stanley Bounds. He was the quarterback, and he went to Ole Miss. That turned on a light for me. You do well at Valdosta High, and you get a shot to play some college ball. Stan Bounds was awesome, too. [Bounds, a 6-foot-4 tight end, set a national record for receiving yards in a season. He will be inducted with Belue in October.]

“I’ve also got some memories of Coach Hyder trying to turn the program around, and he took me to some playoff games to watch Michael Jolly [the quarterback on Central-Macon’s 1975 Class 3A championship team]. He was the best in the business. I was always a fan of the top players and programs and curious about the way they did it, what scheme they were running. I admired these athletes. Like those Thomasville players [during 1973 and 1974 state championship seasons]. They put it on us my freshman year. They were up 40-0 with 30 seconds left and still giving the ball to William Andrews. I talked with Coach [Jim] Hughes about that later. He sort of chuckled and said there was a lot of built-up frustration over those years of losing to Valdosta, ‘Don’t take it personally’ is what I believe he said.”

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Answer to Thursday’s question: Only Wright Bazemore (14), Larry Campbell (11), Nick Hyder (7) and Jess Simpson (7) have won more state championships as a GHSA head football coach than Hebron Christian’s Jonathan Gess (6), whose titles came at Eagle's Landing Christian.

The preseason scrimmage schedule is compiled by GHSF Daily and not maintained by the GHSA or any other organization. To see a full schedule, including last week's games, visit our website. 

Stadium abbreviations: (GC) Garden City; (HS) Hallford; (L) Lakewood; (ND) North DeKalb

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