Only eight months removed from an appearance in the Class 5A State Championship, North Gwinnett has the look of an entirely different team. Gone are a majority of the players that brought the school to the apex of its football history: a 13-2 campaign which ended sourly at the hands of Georgia football powerhouse Lowndes, who secured their third state title in four seasons. Head coach Bob Sphire has his hands full with a squad returning only seven starters (one on defense, six on offense) from last year’s dominant run.
How dominant were the Bulldogs in 2007? So dominant that until their 34-6 loss in the state final, the ‘Dogs had beaten their opponents by an average of nearly three touchdowns a game (20.6 points). Coming into 2008, however, that will be long forgotten against a grueling opening schedule. On Aug. 29, the team will host the National Football Challenge, which will include Central Gwinnett taking on Mainland (Fla.) and the Bulldogs facing off against one of the best teams in the country in Byrnes (S.C.), winners of six state titles in the last seven years.
“We want to see the best and play the best,” Sphire said. “Some people never get a chance to play or see these teams. We want the Gwinnett community to experience some of the best competition in the nation, which Byrnes is primed to be.”
Senior safety Zach Humphrey, the only returning player on defense, will be counted on to nullify two of the most highly rated prep players in the nation in Byrnes quarterback Chas Dodd and running back Marcus Lattimore. Sphire says that Humphrey is up to the challenge.
“He’s relishing the opportunity to lead this young team.” Sphire said. “He knows the deal, in that he’s the only starter back for us [on defense]; he’s no dummy back there.”
With the defense depleted, look for the Bulldogs to counter with experience on offense. The ‘Dogs have an explosive tandem of their own in 2007 Score Prep All-County selections Michael Tamburo and Tyler Jarry. Tamburo (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) is entering his third year as the starter at quarterback and is being recruited nationally by several Division I schools, while Jarry (5-11, 175) led Gwinnett County in rushing last season.
“[Mike] is a great decision maker at quarterback,” Sphire said. “He’s a real blue-collar, multi-talented leader. Tyler is versatile in that he can go running back or receiver.”
In addition to Tamburo and Jarry, Sphire can look towards the future with a trio of talented juniors in wide receiver Cordero Dixon (6-1, 175, 4.4 40-yard dash) and offensive linemen Austin Shepherd (6-4, 302) and JuWon James (6-5, 295).
“Our underclassmen have really elevated their games in camp,” Sphire said from preseason camp at Presbyterian College in South Carolina. “They still have a lot to learn, but we should know a lot about our strengths and weaknesses after our first four games.”
After opening the season with Byrnes, the Bulldogs have the privilege of playing Brookwood and Norcross in a three-week span. The ‘Dogs nipped the Broncos 22-21 last season and were handed one of their two losses on the season by the Blue Devils. So, let’s recap – Week 1: A national powerhouse, Week 2: A team looking for revenge, Week 4: A showdown with the Region 7-AAAAA champs. For Sphire’s rebuilding team, it is a season’s worth of challenges crammed into four weeks.
“Whether you have experience or not, it’s tough playing at this level,” Sphire said. “If we open well against Byrnes and Brookwood, that’s fine, but it’s what we do in region play that matters. Ultimately these early games mean nothing, but I’m hoping this team has a great stretch run in them.”
For Sphire and his North Gwinnett Bulldogs, that stretch run could start with a chance to dethrone one of the nation’s best teams. A win would be an early, but confidence-building first step towards a return to the Class 5A title game.
Tomorrow, check out the seventh installment in our 15-day high-school preview. For more high-school coverage, and to see the first six features in Score’s 2008 football countdown, click on the “High Schools” tab. Horne can be reached at ehorne@scoreatl.com.
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