Jefferson County was bumped up to Class AAA in 2012 and had to battle its way into the playoffs with a young offense. The Warriors are one of the smallest schools in the classification and were pinned in a five-team region with four particularly good teams. Their previous region in Class AA was nine teams and they played eight region games a year. Head coach J.B. Arnold and his team had to adapt to the new schedule, because with only four region games a season, each one mounts itself as a must win.
In spring practice before the 2012 season, Arnold’s starting quarterback broke his leg and sophomore Will Jordan had to step in. Jordan sparked play after play and paced the young offense.
“He [Jordan] is a gamebreaker,” said Arnold.
Getting his offense primed for the season has been Arnold’s mission this summer as he continues to test them.
“We are going to return 10 of the 11 starters on offense this year,” said Arnold. “Four of the starters were only sophomores.”
With the starting role secured by Jordan, the quarterback can finally have his first offseason commanding the starting offense. This responsibility puts Jordan in control of his team in 7 on 7′s and summer workouts. Under Jordan’s leadership, the team is thriving. In the National Select 7 on 7 at North Gwinnett they held a perfect record before losing in overtime to Mississippi powerhouse Olive Branch. Just weeks later Jordan led them to a championship win in the Mark Richt 7 on 7 Invitational in Athens. The Warriors finished with an 8-1 record in their first place run and played Richmond Hill, Westlake, Lanier, Stone Mountain, Washington-Wilkes, McEachern Columbia and ultimately Callaway in the championship.
“We want the stiffest competition we can find,” said Arnold. “When we do 7 on 7′s, we are veterans and we do not want to play just any school.”
As seen by the amount of success in the passing competitions, one of the strengths of the Warriors defense is their secondary.
“Strong safety Laderrick Hammon is the leader of this team,” said Arnold. “He is just such a big and physical presence on the field.”
Hammon is joined by defensive back’s Coco West and T.J Clark to form the safety net of the defense. All three of these guys have been three year starters. Arnold goes with different fronts and looks on defense in order to move Hammon around and put him in the best position to make plays.
While the skill players have been lighting up the turf in 7 on 7′s, Arnold can rest assured that the remaining team has also been busy preparing this offseason.
“I have a staff of eight coaches for that,” said Arnold.
Jefferson County is riding 10 straight seasons of earning a playoff berth, and this team looks capable of continuing the streak. The youth in this program has traditionally drove the Warriors to be a consistent team year after year. Running back Tyler Williams is only going to be a sophomore, but at 6-foot-1 205 pounds, the sprinter will be one of its stars. Daylan Williams played as a sophomore last year and will get the start at linebacker this season.
Senior running back Cartabius Quarterman will see lots of carries this season, and wideout Terry Lattimore will stretch the field as an exterior weapon. Dexter Grier leads the trenches at right guard and will start as a junior this season.
Kicker Seth Osteen will have to do better in his senior season and Arnold is confident he will.
“I think Seth has really improved and overall the kicking game is a place that has to get a lot better,” admitted Arnold. I definitely believe it will be better this season.”
The Warriors open up with Fitzgerald, Baldwin, Greenbrier, Evans and Wesleyan before region play kicks off with Dodge County.
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