After 2011 title, Burke County wants more

Eric Parker is building a respectable reputation for the Burke County football program. Parker, heading into his sixth season as head coach, led the Bears to two straight region championships and won the first state title in school history last season. Burke County wrapped up spring practice a couple of weeks ago, and Parker was impressed by his team’s attitude coming off a championship title run.

“The players realize the celebration part is over,” Parker said. ”Getting out there in the spring, the one thing that excited me is that we were physical. We still had that ‘fly around and hit someone’ mentality.”

Despite losing 22 seniors, Burke County returns a majority of the offensive and defensive lines. Parker noted that in the spring, the offensive and defensive lines were exactly where he thought they would be.

“To put everything real simple, we probably have a chance to be really good along the front offensively and defensively, Parker said. “What we got to do is find those skill kids.”

Of the 22 seniors Burke County is losing, a handful of them were skill players who played big roles in the state title run. The departure of safety and Region 3-AAA player of the year Montres Kitchens will leave a hole in the secondary and the offense will miss quarterback and Georgia State-commit Corey Mayton. Parker said he will be looking for some young players to step up and fill the void left by the graduating seniors.

“We’ve got to develop some skill kids,” Parker said. “We have a lot of young pups in the pen. We just got to find which ones are going to go hunt.”

Expectations are high for Burke County following a 14-1 state championship run. Parker believes that his football program will use these expectations as motivation to repeat recent success.

“Our coaching staff has done a great job of setting an atmosphere in which the kids can get better every year individually and hopefully that will help us team-wise to get better,” Parker said. “I think what’s going to happen is that expectations for the kids, for themselves, from the fans, from the coaching staff, from the community, will be so high that the kids will really work hard trying to get back to that championship level.”

Offense

Player to Watch: Donquelle “Gator” Green, HB (JR)

To catch its prey, an alligator uses the art of surprise. Likewise, “Gator” Green is known for his surprise attacks against opposing defenses by breaking off big touchdown runs. His superior quickness and aggressive running style led the Burke County offense last season, and he capped off his tremendous sophomore year with an impressive championship game, carrying the ball 17 times for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Defense

Player to Watch: Jessie Bush, NG (SR)

A big part of Burke County’s success last year can be attributed to the 3-5 defense. In a 3-5 defense, the nose guard plays a vital role and senior Jessie Bush will step back into that position this season. Bush was named first-team Region 3-AAA following his impressive junior season, and Parker is looking for the big, quick nose guard to improve on last season and help lead the defense up front.