The Oglethorpe County football team’s season opener is less than a month away.
Acclimation begins Monday, July 22, and practice with pads begins Monday, July 29 in preparation for the Aug. 16 home opener against Social Circle. Coach Mike Holland said optional Monday through Thursday summer practices on allowed weeks have been a success.
“It’s been really good,” said Holland, who is entering his fourth season at OCHS. “We've averaged probably about 50 kids (per session), which is more than we’ve had in the past.”
OCHS is coming off a 4-7 season, in which it placed third out of four teams in Region 5-A Division I and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
The Patriots will have to replenish an offense that lost quarterback Jayden Wallace and Jake Turner, the school’s single-season rushing record holder.
Competition for the starting quarterback role is open, as sophomore Hunter Hall and junior Jacob Sass are both vying for pole position.
“If you don’t get the (quarterback) right, you’re going to have a tough season,” Holland said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have two guys who are competing for that spot. Both of them are great teammates, and I’m excited to see who ends up winning.”
While the run game will have gaps to fill, OCHS returns a “very experienced” interior offensive line, Holland said. Junior guard Brock Barrett, senior guard Reid Coley and senior center Landon Tipton will headline the interior offensive line.
Barrett and Coley were first-team all-region last year.
“I think we're gonna be pretty strong up front,” Coley said. “We’ve got a pretty good guard box. All three of us have been playing football for a really long time.”
On the perimeter, Oglethorpe County returns its top two receivers in seniors Darius Heard and Jordan Johnson, who are also poised to play major roles on the defensive side. Johnson and Heard will highlight a secondary that is the “strength” of the team’s defense, Holland said.
Heard was a first-team all-region receiver and Johnson was a first-team all-region defensive back in 2023.
For Heard, his final season in a Patriots uniform represents an opportunity to step into a leadership role — one that he and other members of the senior class are taking seriously.
“We just got to let (the young players) know that we’re used to winning,” Heard said. “I’m here to be a leader, cut down the playing around and have us lock in.”
The squad will be without its top three tacklers from last fall. Quintin Nash, Caleb Hall and Ashton Sexton graduated in May.
The emergence of sophomore linebacker Jackson Tatum, who was second on the team in sacks last year, and a return from injury for senior linebacker Nash Campbell will provide a much-needed boost.
OCHS enters a new-look region that doesn't include the three teams from the previous region. Notably, Prince Avenue Chirstian made the leap to AA after winning the A Division I state championship last year.
Elbert County, which beat the Patriots 34-27 in the playoffs last season, is among the new region opponents this season.
“We’re in a really tough region, which I'm excited about,” Holland said. “I didn't come to Oglethorpe County to just win a few games.”
2024 schedule
Lincoln County (scrimmage), Aug. 9
Social Circle, Aug. 16At East Hall, Aug. 23
Washington-Wilkes, Aug. 30
At Laney, Sept. 6
Off, Sept. 13
Elbert County, Sept. 20
At Athens Academy, Sept. 27Off, Oct. 4
At Rabun County, Oct. 11Commerce (homecoming), Oct. 18
At Providence, Oct. 25Banks County (senior night), Nov. 1
Region 8-A Div. I schools
Athens Academy
Banks County
Barrow Arts & Sciences
Commerce
Elbert County
Oglethorpe County
Providence Christian
Rabun County