Last year’s Towns County team generated quite the buzz in the Hiawassee community. A quick few wins early on was one of the best starts in program history. The offense was scoring, and while the depth wasn’t all the way there, it continues to be a work in progress that has the Indians looking like a future contender. The question isn’t will they win more games, it’s ‘when?’.

Head Coach: Jason Roquemore, 4th season
2021 Record: 4-6; No Playoffs

“We EXPECT to be better and continue to use our platform to teach more than just football to the young men in our program,” says Roquemore, who clearly is after more than just wins on the turf.

2022 Schedule

AUG 19 @ HAYESVILLE (NC)

AUG 26 vs LAKE OCONEE ACADEMY^

SEP 2 vs UNION COUNTY

SEP 9 BYE

SEP 16 @ COOSA

SEP 23 BYE

SEP 30 vs GREENE COUNTY^

OCT 7 @ AQUINAS

OCT 14 @ JOHNSON

OCT 21 vs WARREN COUNTY

OCT 28 vs WASHINGTON-WILKES^

NOV 4 @ LINCOLN COUNTY

^REGION 8-A DIV II SUB REGION A GAME

Personnel & Schemes

Key Departures: Kyle Oakes, Collin Crowder

There’s no denying the big blow to the offense in losing Oakes (1,648 rush yds, 23 total TD) and Crowder (713 rec yds, 9 TD). Oakes for two-plus seasons was among the top rushers in Class 1A in all of Georgia, and finished his career with 3,097 yards of offense and 41 scores. That’s incredible.

Key Returning Players: Connor Chastain, Seth Gillis, Jacob Young, Dawson Barrett, AJ Edwards, Kemp Walker

The great thing for Towns is returning Chastain under center in his junior year. He’s got one year under his belt now, and had success with 1,175 passing yards and 11 TD, completing 76% of his passes. If he can spread the ball more this year, look out. Gillis is a longtime playmaker on this team, and had 95 tackles (12 for loss) and 6 forced fumbles to go with a pair of sacks last year. He’s more than ready for a big senior year.

Up & Coming Players: Dustin Barrett, Julian Mosley, Justin Miles-Hill, Ian Arrowood, Andrew Brinson, Grant Ingram

These are the names to look out for if you follow Towns County. Barrett might be a freshman, but he’ll get plenty of looks on both sides of the ball. Junior Miles-Hill and Gillis will tote the rock out of the backfield, and sophomore Mosley is set to replace the role that Crowder had at receiver. Ingram will help as one of the go-to options in the receiving game as well. Arrowood, a junior linebacker, and fellow junior Brinson (OL/DL) will be crucial in their development this year.

Offense: Multiple.

Second-year starter Chastain will be looking for Mosley and Ingram in the passing game, and Miles-Hill and Gillis carrying the load in the running game. There’s a lot of balance here, and if the line can provide Chastain with time and provide holes for the backs, this offense could continue to put points on the board.

Defense: 3-4.

Gillis at ILB is the headliner here as a 3-year starter. Same to be said for DL Jacob Young and DB Dawson Barrett. That trio is experienced and will lead the efforts on that side of the ball.

Trenches: Deep.

“Currently, this is the deepest we have been in my tenure here at Towns,” states Roquemore. “We have 45 players on the roster and plan to be able to platoon both the offensive and defensive lines. We several players still competing for a chance to contribute on both sides of the ball. I have been very pleased with the leadership of senior offensive linemen AJ Edwards and Kemp Walker this offseason and summer.”

Strengths & Areas of Focus

Strengths: “We seem to have more confidence in what we are doing,” says Roquemore. “Going into my fourth year, our players have a much better understanding of our schemes on both sides of the ball.”

Focusing On: “Continuing to build a ‘NO EXCUSES’ culture,” adds Roquemore.

GAME-BY-GAME & SEASON PREDICTIONS FOR TOWNS COUNTY