The Leopards were better than their 2-8 record would indicate last season, but for a second straight year the injury bug bit HARD…and often. With some playmakers back for another run, and some luck in that injury department, the Leopards can show what they can do in 2023, especially in a new-look Region 8-AA.

Head Coach: Jay Reid, 5th season
2021 Record: 2-8; State 1st Round

“We have high expectations entering the 2022 season,” says coach Jay Reid. “This team believes they are capable of being successful and that is something that is so special; these guys refuse to go into any individual play, series, or game believing they can’t win. We will continue as we have to put our entire focus on one game at a time, but we are excited about the entirety of this season as our guys believe we have an opportunity to do something special.”

2022 Schedule

AUG 12 vs LUMPKIN COUNTY *Scrimmage

AUG 19 vs JOHNSON

AUG 26 BYE

SEP 2 vs OGLETHORPE COUNTY

SEP 9 @ FRANKLIN COUNTY

SEP 16 @ GEORGE WALTON ACADEMY

SEP 23 vs COMMERCE

SEP 30 @ EAST JACKSON^

OCT 7 vs UNION COUNTY^

OCT 14 BYE

OCT 21 @ ATHENS ACADEMY^

OCT 28 @ FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN^

NOV 4 vs PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN^

^REGION 8-AA GAME

Personnel & Schemes

Key Departures: Cade Herrin, Roman Haynes, Bowen Roberts

The trio of Herrin, Haynes, and Roberts battled through adversity last season and in prior years. Haynes and Roberts were out quite a bit and didn’t get to show their full potential, but this group will be missed for Banks County for sure!

Key Returning Players: Andrew Shockley, Caine Griffith, Robert Walker, Cam Cooper, Kevin Walley, Eli Ward, Aubrey Allen

This quartet were already playmakers in 2021, and should be even better in 2022.

Up & Coming Players: “We have a good many up and coming players that could make significant impacts this fall for us,” says Reid. “The secondary and wide receiver positions include several of these players including Zack Dickey, Collin Caudell, Clay Smith, Aucy Jacobs, Aaron Scott who have all shown really good things thus far. Clay, Aucy, and Bray Williams should also become good threats from the backfield on offense as they had great JV seasons in 2021. In the box, there are some guys moving into prominent roles that have seen some good varsity action and/or have shown some good things thus far and could be on their way to a breakout year including Mason Dodd, Bret Griffin, Bhrett Kaminski, DJ Whitcomb, Levi Johnson, Kaz Oliver, and Jonathan Shubert. Several freshmen have shown great promise this off-season and according to how they progress could make an impact on Friday nights as well.”

Offense: Multiple Pro

Starting QB will be Caine Griffith, who according to Reid is the frontrunner at the moment with Clay Smith, Kolby Watson, and Brody Stafford all making great progress this offseason and pushing for playing time. Andrew Shockley will be the featured back, and has seen the most success at this position. Aucy Jacobs, Bray Williams, and Cam Cooper will also make significant impacts. The receiver group has several guys that could stand out at any moment including Zack Dickey, Shockley, Collin Caudell, and Aaron Scott. Smith and Griffith can also be very dangerous wide receivers if they aren’t playing under center at the time.

Defense: Multiple 3-4

The multiple 3-4 look will feature Cam Cooper (LB), Robert Walker (DL), and Andrew Shockley (LB) quite a bit!

Trenches: “We are deeper on the line of scrimmage than we’ve been in the past couple of years,” states Reid. “We’ve got some talented upperclassmen as well as underclassmen at these positions and they have remarkable chemistry. Leadership at this position is the most encouraging thing as seniors Eli Ward and Aubrey Allen are showing tremendous potential in that area.”

Strengths & Areas of Focus

Strengths: “Our greatest strength should be our cohesiveness and team mentality,” adds Reid. “This team’s core has been together for some time and seen a good bit of success and they are hungry to achieve more. Throughout this offseason, this group has gelled nicely and the positivity and energy that they bring each and every day is a pleasure to be around.”

Focusing On:  “I would have to say that the strength that I just mentioned is what we’ve worked on the most,” states Reid. “However, we’ve also worked tirelessly on the skills of the game and are working to become more balanced. That does not necessarily mean that we are forcing ourselves to have a balanced ratio of run/pass but being able to be productive and able to take advantage of what we’re being given to win in multiple ways. We want to have confidence in our abilities in a variety of areas meaning if we need to run the ball downhill to be successful we can and will but if a team looks to take away the running game we are also capable of and confident in making plays down the field in our passing game.”

GAME-BY-GAME & SEASON PREDICTIONS FOR BANKS COUNTY