FORT BENNING, Ga., (Aug. 21, 2013) -- Last year, the Chattahoochee County High School Panthers football team finished 3-7, and if not for three games lost in the waning seconds, or a dropped touchdown pass in the final seconds, the team could have been on the bubble for a playoff berth.
Following a 2-0 start last year, the Panthers had a tough time putting wins in the won-loss column, losing three of their final eight games by a touchdown or less.
"Going through what we did last year, the players know you better be ready to play each and every ballgame every week," head coach Russell Morgan said. "We've been constantly preaching about the fourth quarter and finishing the game, like in the Spencer game last year. We gave up a 50-yard pass with 30 seconds left in the game and had just had a time out -- we told them nobody gets behind you -- again, just focus and experience."
With well over 20 seniors this year, Morgan will look to the senior leaders to finish those types of games on the winning side.
Morgan, in his third year as head coach of the Panthers, said he has seen a dramatic increase in the way the players are approaching the season. He attributes the approach of the players to the number that attending off-season summer workouts.
"I've definitely seen a difference in attitude and work ethic," he said. "They're buying in, and the kids are believing in what we're doing. My first season here, we had anywhere from eight to 14 people show up for summer workouts … This summer, we've had anywhere from 31 to 38 every day … so, they're buying in.
"It's been really hot out here so far, and not one of the players has complained. Everything we have asked of them they have worked hard and done. I have a saying -- 'character wins.' If they work hard and do it the way they're taught, eventually, they're going to win -- and they seem to be coming around."
Morgan said the team will mostly run out of a spread formation this year, something he said is new to him, but borne out of necessity.
"To be honest with you, this spread and throwing the ball is an adjustment for me," he said. "I would much rather have big offensive linemen, big running backs and say 'here we come.' To me, there is nothing more demoralizing to a defense to have someone run it down their throats and there is nothing they can do about it and use 12- and 13-play drives and score.
"That's my forte, but with the lack of offensive linemen, and really undersized, I would not be very smart to try and line up and try and run the ball down people's throats. But, running the spread will help our running game by spreading out the defense."
Morgan said because he doesn't have a lot of older offensive linemen or many linemen with a lot of experience, the spread offense made sense.
"Pass blocking is a whole lot easier than run blocking," he said. "We have a lot of freshmen, but it's hard for a freshman to step up on offensive line in varsity football.
"Although we will be spread, that doesn't mean we will be throwing the ball all the time, but we will be throwing more than we have. We will be under the center some, but mostly we will be three wide with a tight end and one back."
Morgan said the team has thrown the ball a lot during practice and are pretty good in their skilled positions, enough so to be at least two deep in each of those positions.
"We have a young quarterback, Christian Afoa, he's a 10th grader, and I am very confident in him. He moved in right at the first of the school year last year and played at wideout, so we moved Chris Askew from quarterback to wideout this year (and put Afoa at quarterback). (Afoa) is a great kid and does whatever we ask him to do and you're going to see him grow with leaps and bounds every game."
Afoa, son of Fort Benning's Staff Sgt. Simon and Christine Bachmann, played quarterback some late in the season last year, but will begin this year as the starter.
He said he has already has seen a difference between last year's and this year's team.
"It's intense," he said. "Everyone is more into it. There is more passion. The attitudes are better this year and they believe in themselves more … it's going to be a better year."
As a team, and individually, Afoa said through the scrimmages thus far, the team has developed a better bond than last year.
For the first scrimmage, Afoa looks forward gauging his progress mainly in decision making.
"Last year, I played quarterback near the end of the season," he said. "I really didn't make a lot of good decisions, so the scrimmage will give me a chance to see how far I have come in my decision making. It's going to be a better year this year."
Last year, Askew accounted for more than 1,600 yards in total offense, Morgan said.
"He (Askew) will play at the receiver position, a little bit at running back and will take a few snaps from time to time at quarterback," he said. "He's going to do a great job for us.
"Defensively, linebackers will be our strong area. We have a really good set of linebackers. We are still lacking in defensive linemen, but playing a 4-3 scheme, we don't have to find but four of them.
"Defensive backs have had a lot better preseason than I expected, and we're looking a lot better there. Hopefully we can keep building depth."
Morgan said his goal is to make the playoffs.
"The first goal is always the playoffs, but you better get in the playoffs," Morgan said. "In the playoffs it's a one-game season -- week to week, and you just hope you can stay alive."
While the playoffs are a long way from the 3-7 season of last year, Morgan said he believes his players already believe they can be one of the top four teams in the region and make the playoffs.
"I think the players believe they can be in the playoffs," he said. "You look at last year at 3-7, we lost on the last 30 second of a ball game to Spencer, we dropped a pass in the end zone that would have beat Kendrick and we lost the last game of the season to Temple, which I believe was mostly mental. We could have easily been a 6-4 team and on the bubble of the playoffs."
When it's time to walk out on the field for season opener against Stewart County, Morgan already knows what he will say to the team.
"Do two things … play as hard as you can and do things the way we tell you to and we will be ahead on the scoreboard."
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