Beauregard opens new era on the road

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a weekly series previewing each Friday night high school football game. Today: Class 6A.

Welcome to the new-look Beauregard football team.

After going 6-5 last season, head coach Smitty Grider and his staff elected to make a complete overhaul of their system.

Gone is the team’s Pro-I offensive formation in favor of the rapidly growing spread.

Grider also put aside his four-man defensive front formations in favor of a base 3-3-5 which will utilize the team’s speed.

Speedy junior Ameriol Finley will take the reigns of the revamped offense and will be looked to heavily on spread-option plays.

Linebacker Senerick McCurdy anchors a defense with five returning starters.

Playing a Class 6A team will also be a good stepping stone for the Hornets as they prepare to start their first year as a Class 5A team.

Russell County has struggled the past few years, but is expecting big things with five offensive starters back and an astounding 11 back on defense.

Shaw (Ga.) at Central
Central will open 2008 by welcoming in an old rival from across the Chattahoochee River.

And that team comes in the form of one of Georgia’s AAA powers in Shaw.

Shaw reached the semifinals last season and return a wealth of talent.

Central, which knocked off defending Georgia AAA champion Carver last Friday in a jamboree, will continue to look toward star running back Orwin Smith to carry the offensive load in a group that returns six starters.

Smiths Station at Talladega
Smiths Station hits the road to open the season with a trip to Class 5A Talladega.

It will mark the first game at Smiths Station for head coach Mark Rose, who was hired in March to replace Woodrow Lowe.

With Rose in control, the Panthers will show off a new offense that brings more of a ground attack to the table instead of the pass-happy system run by Lowe and former offensive coordinator Dieter Brock.

Talladega went just 2-8 last year and lost one of its top stars, Jacksonville State signee Tae Keith.

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