Head coach Steven Devoursney comes off 12 straight winning seasons, and is set to lead the Bears to another heading in 2013. Last year, Griffin posted a 9-2 record and finished 5-0 in their region. In their third game of the season they outlasted region rival Jonesboro 34-33, and then beat their final four region opponents by an average of 24.75 points per game. Their only loss in the regular season was against Stockbridge 17-14. The Bears were on fire heading into the state playoffs and beat Spalding and Eagles Landing by a combined 91-6, but stumbled in the opening round. They were handed an early exit in the first round in a 33-17 loss to Monroe-Albany.
“A lot of kids that have a lot of experience and played in a lot of games. They’ve made the playoffs every year. A lot of them have played as freshman and sophomores. Most of them will be juniors and seniors this year,” said Devoursney. “I’ve got an older team.”
With six offensive players and seven defensive starters returning, the Bears core of starters is back for the upcoming season.
“We got a lot of starters coming back. A lot of these guys have been starting for two and three years. We haven’t passed the second round in awhile so that’s the goal, to make sure we get past that and hopefully get in a good bracket,” said Devoursney.
Returning quarterback Jaquez Parks will remain a leader on offense. The senior will be running the spread look and heads an offense that scored 35.0 points per game last season. Parks has received college interest from the Air Force Academy, Harvard and Appalachian State, but has not yet committed to a school. His go-to wide receiver, Trey Willis, is also a key player that will be returning on offense. Willis can stretch the field and helps open up the underneath game for Parks.
On the defense side of the ball, the team will be running a 3-4 look. Last season this unit allowed 16 points per game. Senior brothers Quantico and Montico Dodson are both defensive backs and start in the Bears’ solid secondary rotation. On the defensive line, senior Ronquerris Davis disrupts the line of scrimmage.
This season, the experienced offense and defense has the ability end their season with a stronger finish than the last. They will open up on Aug. 30 against Dutchtown, and will play their first region game on Sept. 13 against Jonesboro.
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