GHSA cancels preseason scrimmages
The Georgia High School Association canceled preseason football scrimmage games Thursday but left alone the regular-season schedule, which remains set to begin the week of Sept. 4.
Scrimmage football games typically are allowed between schools up to two weeks before their first games. They would have been played the weeks of Aug. 21 and Aug. 28.
The GHSA also moved competitive cheerleading to winter and one-act play tentatively to spring.
GHSA executive director Robin Hines made the announcements in an email to member schools and the board of trustees around noon. They came after his weekly Wednesday meeting with the GHSA’s sports-medicine advisory council and address concerns expressed last week from Georgia Department of Public Health chairman Dr. Kathleen Toomey, who specifically cited football, cheerleading, chorus and band as higher-risk school activities.
The GHSA does not manage chorus or band, but one-act play sometimes involves singers and a chorus.
Stewart Co. won’t play football in 2020
Stewart County, a small Class A school 30 miles south of Columbus, has become the third Georgia high school to cancel fall sports because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With safety at the forefront of our decision, we as a district and community decided to cancel all of our sports due to COVID-19 and the increasing coronavirus cases in our area,” athletic director and football coach Calvin Thomas told GHSF Daily. “Parents expressed their concerns and gave valuable input through surveys, along with phone calls and texts. The safety of our kids and community is top priority, and we did not want to put any of them in an uncompromising situation.”
The GHSA lists Stewart County as having 106 students in data used for the 2020-21 reclassification, making it the smallest GHSA school to field a football team last year.
States continue to slow down fall sports
While Georgia left its regular-season football schedule alone this week, three other Southern states indicated they were headed for a slowdown.
South Carolina on Wednesday delayed football three weeks, making the first games the week of Sept. 25.
Alabama and Arkansas are the only Southern states that have made strong statements affirming a normal start to their football seasons. North Carolina and Tennessee more tentatively remain on schedule.
Meanwhile, Delaware and Hawaii on Thursday became the 11th and 12th states to move their football seasons to the winter or spring. And Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf recommended Monday that no high school sports should be played until 2021, though his advice is not binding.
Here are the weeks or dates of first games in Southern states, according to MaxPreps:
Alabama - Aug. 21
Arkansas - Aug. 23
Florida - Aug. 27 (originally Aug. 20)
Georgia - Sept. 4 (originally Aug. 20)
Kentucky - Sept. 11 (originally Aug. 20)
Louisiana - Oct. 8 (originally Sept. 4)
Mississippi - Sept. 4 (originally Aug. 28)
North Carolina - Aug. 20
South Carolina - Sept. 25 (originally Aug. 20)
Tennessee - Aug. 20
Virginia - March 1 (originally Aug. 28)
Georgia State Stadium changes names
The football state championship games are now scheduled for Dec. 26-28 at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium.
What’s that? A Georgia Board of Regents committee approved the new name Thursday. It’s the former Turner Field baseball stadium, called Georgia State Stadium since 2017.
The deal is worth $21.6 million over 15 years. The GHSA finals were played there in 2019 for the first time.
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Tight end Miles Campbell had 54 receptions for 702 yards and nine touchdowns for South Paulding last season. He also had 3.5 sacks on defense. (Photo by Rusty Mansell / 247Sports).
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Swainsboro twins form top TE pair |
Swainsboro is home to Georgia's best pair of tight ends. They’re identical twins – Cedric Seabrough and Fredrick Seabrough.
Their 1,500 yards receiving accounted for about 40 percent of the Tigers’ offense in 2019, when the Class AA team finished 8-4.
“They both have really good ball skills and know how to use their bodies,” Swainsboro coach Scott Roberts said. “They’re not extremely fast, but they understand leverage and how to use it.”
They sound more like basketball players, which they are. The twins started on Swainsboro’s Class 2A championship team last March. Both got all-state recognition. Wide receiver Derek Jones was the point guard on that team, and three other current football players also played both sports in 2019.
“[The twins] thought they were more basketball guys when they were middle-schoolers and even freshmen,” Roberts said, “but they thickened up, and they’re 6-3, not 6-8, so they got more attention in football and realized that was their future.”
Both were recruited as tight ends. Cedric has been the more explosive receiver in high school, but Fredrick has been a bigger factor on defense.
“People ask me which one is better, and I say it just depends on what day it is,” Roberts said. “They’re very competitive with each other.”
Here is a look at 10 of the state’s best tight ends for 2020, the latest members of the Georgia Power 100.
*Cane Berrong, Hart County: Berrong (6-4, 230) committed to Notre Dame in June, 2019. He’s a four-star, top-200 national recruit among seniors. Berrong caught 41 passes for 390 yards and five touchdowns for a 10-3 Class 3A team in 2019.
*Leo Blackburn, Westlake: Blackburn was KIPP Atlanta Collegiate’s starting quarterback as a sophomore but converted to a tight end/wide receiver last year when he came to Westlake. Blackburn (6-5, 215) caught 32 balls for 468 yards and seven touchdowns in just seven games for a 6-5 Class 7A team that is playing in 6A this season. He committed to Georgia Tech in May.
*Miles Campbell, South Paulding: Campbell had 54 receptions for 702 yards and nine touchdowns in helping South Paulding to a 9-3 breakout season in Class 6A. The senior also is a pass-rushing threat on defense and had 3.5 sacks last season. He’s a consensus top-500 national prospect and top-20 tight end. Campbell (6-3, 230) committed to Tennessee in May.
*Jake Johnson, Oconee County: Johnson (6-5, 210) had 60 receptions for 845 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Class 4A runner-up in 2019. Six of his touchdowns came in the playoffs. A junior, Johnson is the brother of Max Johnson, now a freshman quarterback at LSU, a school that also is recruiting Jake. Max and Jake are the sons of Brad Johnson, a former Florida State and 15-year NFL quarterback.
*Derek McDonald, Marist: McDonald (6-4, 230) had 12 receptions for 235 yards and three touchdowns in a run-oriented offense last season as a junior. He also starts at defensive end, his likely college position, and had 10 tackles for losses. McDonald committed to Syracuse in May.
*Cole Nelson, Johns Creek: Nelson is being recruited as an outside linebacker or rush end, and he’s got 37 offers, but he should be prominent as a receiver this fall after being used as a blocking tight end last year. Coach Matt Helmerich says the senior Nelson is his fastest offensive weapon and “a once-in-a-decade type of player.”
*Jack Nickel, Milton: Nickel (6-3, 230) is a consensus national top-300 player who committed to Notre Dame late last month. As a sophomore, he had a team-leading 27 receptions for 337 yards and three touchdowns despite missing three games for an 8-4 Class 7A team.
*Cedric Seabrough, Swainsboro: Seabrough, more of a wide receiver in high school, had 58 receptions for 800 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.
*Fredrick Seabrough, Swainsboro: Seabrough had 37 receptions for 703 yards and eight touchdowns playing more strictly tight end than his brother. Fredrick, also a defensive end, is Swainsboro's third-leading returning tackler.
*Holden Staes, Westminster: Staes (6-3, 190) has offers from more than 35 Division I schools, including Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama. A good over-the-middle threat, Staes had eight catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore for a Class 3A playoff team that didn’t often pass.
Coming Monday: Defensive linemen
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GHSF Daily, in conjunction with scoutSMART, will be announcing a football student-athlete of the week each Friday this season. The ideal candidate will be outstanding on the field and in the classroom. Please click here to send nominations to Diane Bloodworth. Click here to create your own profile. We'll send you your unique statSCORE and smartSCORE, which will also be shared with college coaches.
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Top TE recruits
Arik Gilbert is the highest-rated Georgia tight end prospect this century, and it’s not close. He’s the only Georgia player to earn a five-star rating in the 247Compsite, which dates to 2001. Gilbert had 105 receptions for 1,860 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Here are Georgia tight ends since 2001 that have received a rating of 0.9000 or higher, which is the lower end of a four-star rating. It includes two active players.
0.9972 - Arik Gilbert, Marietta (2020)
0.9717 - Jay Rome, Valdosta (2011)
0.9609 - Ricky Parks, Callaway (2012)
0.9345 - Brian Vogler, Brookstone (2010)
0.9341 - Holden Staes, Westminster (2022)
0.9333 - Leonard Pope, Americus-Sumter (2002)
0.9211 - Cane Berrong, Hart County (2021)
0.9158 - Landon Rice, Calhoun (2016)
0.9117 - Philip Lutzenkirchen, Lassiter (2009)
0.9112 - Ryland Goede, Kennesaw Mountain (2019)
0.9016 - Jaelyn Lay, Riverdale (2019)
0.9000 - Justin Bruce, Pepperell (2002)
0.9000 - Ben Patrick, Jenkins (2002)
Join the GACA and be eligible for liability insurance, participation in all-star games, registration to clinics, and access to job listings.
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Part I: Who is the highest-rated defensive end prospect from Georgia since 2000: Ray Drew, Charles Johnson, Brandon Miller, Myles Murphy or Robert Nkemdiche? Part II: Who is the highest-rated defensive tackle prospect from Georgia since 2000: Montravius Adams, Derrick Brown, Trenton Thompson, DeAngelo Tyson or Travon Walker? (Answers Monday)
Answer to Thursday’s question: The highest-rated offensive line prospect from Georgia since 2000 is Jamaree Salyer of Pace Academy in 2018, according to the 247Sports Composite. Salyer is the only Georgia offensive lineman since 2000 who was a consensus top-10 national recruit. Salyer is a junior at Georgia.
Jostens is the leading provider of yearbooks, caps and gowns, class rings and championship rings and is the Official Championship Ring of the GHSA. Click here to learn more.
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Q: What are officials doing to keep themselves safe from COVID-19 this season? Are there rules about wearing masks or other new guidelines? – GHSF Daily
A: “Game officials will have a difficult time being able to ‘stay safe’ while officiating a football game this fall. Normal protocols such as social distancing and non-contact will be impossible for all participants, including officials. We are relying on the schools to adhere to their infectious disease regimens, which include temperature taking and pre-game testing for the virus as well as sanitizing dressing areas, etc. Officials will have an option of wearing masks and using electronic whistles as well as wearing gloves. Beyond that, they will be required to furnish their own hydration, and it will be kept separate from the team's water, etc. Risk minimization will largely be an awareness of having the least amount of physical contact with players, the ball or chain equipment as possible. We have suggested a small bottle of hand sanitizer be brought by each official and used liberally during the game.
“The GHSA and NFHS have issued protocols for officials, and they include no hand-shaking by teams or captains, use of only one captain at the coin toss, no hand-shaking or fist-bumping between officials themselves or with coaches prior to the game and maintaining social distance while conducting the coin toss.” – Bill Palmer, Northeast Georgia Officials Association
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Today’s interviewee is Miguel Patrick, who led Cedar Grove to the Class 3A championship in his first season as head football coach in 2019. This is Patrick's 13th season at Cedar Grove. He was the program's defensive coordinator under Jimmy Smith, who is now on Arkansas' staff, before being promoted last season.
Miguel Patrick,
Cedar Grove head coach
1. You’ve had time to reflect on a historic season. What do you believe was the story of the 2019 season for Cedar Grove and for you as a first-time head coach? “The biggest story is that we fought through adversity. Going through a coaching change is never easy. I got hired really late. Taking on new responsibilities was a challenge for me and the staff. What made it special is that our senior class really bought in. They showed a lot of leadership in the period between Coach Smith leaving and when I got hired. Guys were out there every day working hard even though the future was far from certain. Also, the 2020 class won three state championships, which is really special, something that had never been done in DeKalb County by a group of seniors.''
2. You've coached Cedar Grove basketball and football as a head coach. In which sport can a head coach make the most difference and why? “Football. The head football coach impacts so many people. So many more kids, so many more coaches, so many more opportunities to help people learn, grow and form relationships. I've never been around a group of coaches like our staff at Cedar Grove. They're good men on and off the field, great mentors, great fathers, great friends and, on top of all that, great coaches.”
3. How does Cedar Grove look this season? “We've got a solid group of returning starters on offense. Austin Smith [Eastern Michigan commit] is a three-year starter at quarterback. Janiran Bonner [offers from Georgia, Oklahoma and Oregon] is a big-time prospect at wide receiver. Rashad Dubinion [offers from Georgia, LSU and Georgia Tech] and Langston White [offers from Georgia State, MTSU and Mercer] are both dynamic playmakers at running back. Our offensive line has a good mix of veterans and returning guys. Kendell Brown and Keon Watson both started 15 games last year and will be the heart of our OL group. Defensively, we are returning an all-state DT in Demarius Jackson for his senior year. Indiana commit Jordan Grier and Southeast Missouri State commit Antonio Taylor are really solid players at safety for us. Sophomore Kayin Lee is an up-and-coming star for us at cornerback. He's been offered by Auburn, Florida State and Arkansas. We lost two of our four starters on the defensive line and all of our starting linebackers, so we've got a lot of work to do, but I feel like we've got a lot of potential on the defensive side of the ball.”
4. This has been a challenging offseason. What are some of the things you've done to make things as good as possible, preparing your players but also keeping them safe? “DeKalb County has been really proactive about the safety measures to try and keep everybody safe. We stayed at groups of 20 until July 27 when a lot of other places had gone up to groups of 50. We also were several weeks behind in terms of doing competitive drills and throwing the ball around. In terms of finding the balance between preparation and keeping everybody safe, we've made a lot of use of online tools like Zoom for meetings and extra workouts so that we can prepare for the upcoming season while keeping our contact time down. We're making sure we're taking temperatures before practice, sanitizing all of our equipment every time we use it, enforcing social distancing where we can and being really vigilant about coaches and players wearing masks when appropriate.”
MaskClubTM, the first subscription-based buy one, donate one online mask destination, has launched Highschool.MaskClub.com in partnership with the Georgia High School Association. The new site is home to a collection of masks representing nearly 450 schools across Georgia, encouraging students to comply with CDC guidelines to cover your face while showing school spirit.
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Class 3A
Number of hires: 8
Best hire: Michael Thompson, Beach
Hardest to replace: William Harrell, Hephzibah
Best job: Harlem
Toughest job: Coahulla Creek
Most interesting: Coahulla Creek promoted an assistant coach who has won state titles as a head football coach, assistant football coach and head baseball coach. He has also been a high school principal, and he’s a member of the sports halls of fame of his high school alma mater and home county. All that happened in Tennessee, so Danny Wilson isn’t a household name in Georgia, but he’s got another chance to be a head coach in his 34th season on football sidelines.
Region 1
*Tattnall County hired Windsor Forest head coach Ike Ferrell to replace Nick Tatum, who retired from coaching. Windsor Forest was 6-5 in one season under Ferrell. He had come from Toombs County, where he was defensive line coach. Ferrell, a Northside (Warner Robins) alumnus and former all-conference lineman at Georgia Southern, has been on staffs at Cairo, Thomasville and Peach County and was head coach at Lithia Springs in 2004 and 2005. Tattnall was 7-24 in three seasons under Tatum, 1-9 in 2019. Tatum, a Tattnall alumnus, continues to teach at his alma mater.
Region 2
None
Region 3
*Beach promoted offensive coordinator Michael Thompson to replace Ulysses Hawthorne, who retired after 21 seasons. Thompson led Memorial Day of Savannah to six state titles and a 103-31-1 record across 12 seasons in the Georgia Independent School Association. Thompson also led Memorial Day’s basketball teams to two GISA championships. Thompson, a Memorial Day alumnus, was a linebacker at Georgia Southern. Beach was 0-9 last season, though five wins were declared forfeits.
*Savannah hired former New Hampstead head coach Michael Moore to replace Rebel Green. Moore was head coach at New Hampstead, in 2017 and 2018, going 7-5, but was fired after two games in 2018. A Savannah State alumnus, Moore was an assistant at Johnson in Savannah for eight seasons prior. Savannah was 2-8 last season under Green, who is now at Rome but not coaching football.
*Windsor Forest hired Jenkins offensive coordinator Jeb Stewart to replace Isaac Ferrell, who became head coach at Tattnall County. Stewart ran Jenkins’ offenses the past two seasons. The 2018 team, a Class 3A semifinalist, set a school record by averaging 37.9 points per game. Stewart was a head coach at Terrell County (2012-13) and assisted at Camden County, Centennial and seven smaller schools in middle and south Georgia through a 25-year career in the state. Stewart is the son of Jimmy Stewart, a former head coach at Crawford County, Macon County and Southwest of Macon. Windsor Forest has gone 6-5 each of the past two seasons.
Region 4
*Harlem promoted offensive coordinator Mark Boiter to replace Todd Booker, who stepped down to become assistant principal. Boiter is a Harlem alumnus who has coached at his alma mater for 14 seasons, taught there for 10 and served as athletic director for five. Harlem has finished 7-4 each of the past three seasons, its best three-year run in nearly 40 years.
*Hephzibah hired Toombs County offensive coordinator Daniel Dorsey to replace William Harrell, who became head coach at Johnson in Gainesville. Toombs beat Hephzibah 37-34 in the first round of the playoffs last season. Dorsey, an Augusta native who played at Westside High, was at Pelham from 2015 to 2018, also running the offense, and coached at Thomasville. Hephzibah was 22-29 under Harrell, though 15-6 the past two seasons after the school was moved down to Class 2A.
Region 5
*Redan promoted offensive line coach Derek Vaughn to replace Rahman Sparks, who is now assistant head coach at Druid Hills. Vaughn, a former Morehouse player, is entering his fifth season at Redan. He previously coached at his alma mater, Olympic in Charlotte. Redan was 4-6 in Sparks’ lone season.
Region 6
*Coahulla Creek promoted defensive coordinator Danny Wilson to replace Caleb Bagley, who is now Rome’s offensive line coach. Wilson first coached in 1987. He won state titles at South Pittsburg in Tennessee as a baseball coach (1996) and football coach (1997). He was South Pittsburgh’s defensive coordinator for another state title in 2010. He also was head coach at his alma mater, Heritage of Maryville, Tenn., and led it to its first playoff appearance in 16 years in 1999. Wilson was the principal at South Pittsburg before coming to Coahulla Creek in 2017. Coahulla Creek, opened in 2012, has not won more than two games in a season.
Region 7
None
Region 8
None
Coming Monday: Class 2A
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Storm Johnson gives back to student-athletes
Former UCF standout and NFL running back Storm Johnson has joined The Learning Company in offering services to middle and high school students and student-athletes through a boys only academy with NCAA approved classes (in person one-to-one or virtual); final semester program for high school seniors; ACT/SAT prep; athletic training; and Camp Storm, a residential camp facility located in southeastern Georgia on 40 acres. For information, call 770-652-7542 or click here to email.
St. George’s Episcopal seeks assistants in volleyball, boys basketball
The assistant coaches in volleyball and boys basketball will assist in all matters concerning the varsity teams. We are looking for someone who wants to help build a competitive program in an elite academic environment. We are only in the fifth year of competing at the varsity level. St. George’s competes in GISA AA athletics. These are part-time jobs through the season with the possibility of expanding roles in the coming years. Click here to contact athletic director Britt Gaylor.
Rockdale Co. seeks assistant football, baseball, girls basketball coach
Rockdale County High School is looking for an assistant coach for baseball, girls basketball and football. Interested candidates should be certified in one of the following teaching vacancies – English, Spanish and/or SPED (Science and/or English). Click here to contact athletic director Chad Suddeth.
Manchester seeks head softball coach
Manchester High School is now accepting applications for our head softball coach. Also, there is a possibility of coaching an additional spring sport, with a SPED co-teacher opening as well. Interested applicants can send their resume and cover letter to assistant principal/athletic director Dr. Kelvin Smith by clicking here.
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GHSF Daily classified ads
Reach 22,000 readers per day in GHSF Daily’s classified ads. Rates are $50 per week. Ads must be a maximum of 75 words and include a headline and contact information. Click here to contact us.
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About Us
Georgia High School Football Daily is a free e-mail newsletter produced and owned by Todd Holcomb and Chip Saye. Holcomb is a former lead high school football writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and co-founder of the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Saye is a 35-year veteran of the newspaper industry who has covered high school sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Athens Banner-Herald, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail and Gwinnett Daily News.
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