Fuel - Friday Night Football Georgia 2014

Thank gooDness foR technoL- ogy. While the game of football is es- sentially the same as it was 100 years ago — get to the end zone, stop your opponent from getting there — everything else has advanced thousands of times over.

Helmets, cleats, neon-reflective jerseys — everything keeps getting better, safer and more efficient. Methods for studying the game and opponents are vastly different, too.

Savannah Country Day head coach Dennis Coyle remembers a time when Saturday mornings were spent making long drives to exchange tape for next Friday night’s game.

“I wouldn’t get a lot of sleep after games on
Friday, and on Saturday morning I’d be up really
early and sometimes drive two, three hours one
way to get the video of our next opponent.”
The website Hudl changed everything.

Created in 2006, the site is largely associ-
ated with player highlight videos that help gain
notice in recruiting circles. But it’s the high
school coaches that might benefit the most
from the video that’s uploaded. The site’s motto
is, “We Help Teams Win With Video.”
Instead of burning DVDs, driving hours or
using postage to deliver, coaches can simply
log on and study their next opponent. Then in-
formation and pertinent clips can be delivered
to the players. Greater Atlanta Christian coach
Tim Hardy is a big fan of Hudl. He’s also a be-
liever in balance.

“You can never watch enough film,” Hardy
said. “But you want to make sure you don’t
spend too much time watching the opponent
and not enough time watching yourself. You can
think too much about what they’re doing and not
enough about you. By about mid-season, we’ve
established who we are and there’s enough film
of every opponent out there. That’s when you
can pick up on tendencies through film.”
In a state like Georgia, where the competition
film and study

The Tape Doesn’t Lie
tim hardy
Head Coach, Greater Atlanta Christian

is second to none and the coaches are as talented as you’ll find anywhere in the nation, attention to detail is crucial.

“You start looking for things like, does the
center hold the ball a certain way if it’s a run
play or pass play and if a lineman makes certain
moves depending on what’s going to happen,”
Coyle said. “It gets that specific.”
Just as important as watching the opponents,
Tucker head coach Bryan Lamar says watching
his own team is equally necessary. All Tigers
practices are recorded and Lamar watches
film of each session the following morning. He
makes notes and adjustments are made.

“We then show them exactly what we’re talking about, what we want them to do,” Lamar said. “It’s one thing to tell them, but with the film you can show them.” – fletcher Page

“BY MIDSEASON, WE’VE ESTABLISHED WHO WERE ARE AND THERE’S ENOUGH FILM OF EVERY OPPONEN T OUT THERE. THAT’S WHEN YOU CAN PICK UP ON TENDENCIES THROUGH FILM.” — GAC COACH TIM HARDY

Greater Atlanta Christian coach Tim Hardy

In footBaLL-centRic commUnities like Griffin, springtime and summer is viewed as crucial for a program as the fall. Wins in November and December can be credited to work put in during May, June and July. That can make matters difficult for guys like Keyston Fuller. A 6-foot- 1, 180-pound wide receiver, Fuller helped Griffin capture the 2013

Class 4A state title in football.

He also starred on the region runner-up baseball team, batting .481 and stealing 16 bases.

While his teammates went through spring practices, Fuller was playing baseball games. And during the summer, Fuller splits his time between 7-on- 7 football camps and summer baseball in Cobb County. It’s a busy schedule, but Fuller is adamant and focused.

“I want to play both sports in college,” Fuller
said. “I’ve always wanted to.”
Coaches from many schools, such as Geor-
gia Tech, Duke and others, told Fuller he’d get
his shot on both the gridiron and the baseball
diamond. That’s rare. The time needed to play
one sport in college is physically and mentally
demanding. Playing two takes special dedica-
tion and time management, so much so that
it’s becoming increasingly difficult to play both
even in high school.

Despite potential on the basketball court, players like Grayson’s Justin Young and Tucker’s multiple sports

The Best of the Best
keyston fuller
WR, Griffin

Jonathan Ledbetter opted out.

“Once I realized I was going to college to play football, I decided it would be best to focus all my energy on that,” Ledbetter said.

Said Young: “There’s risk involved because I
didn’t want to get hurt or lose too much weight
playing basketball.”
That’s exactly what happened to Mitch Hyatt.
The North Gwinnett standout and Clemson
commit is ranked as high as the No. 1 offensive
tackle by some recruiting services. But his time
on the basketball court kept his weight down
below 260, causing some to question his ability
to maintain the weight necessary to compete
in college.

Hyatt insists he’ll be fine once he focuses his attention solely on one sport, but he loves basketball and wants to play as long as he can.

Hyatt, like Clinch County junior Chauncey Manac, loves the competition.

“I’m one of those guys, I’m going to play whatever I can,” Manac said. “That what I do for fun. I play whatever is in season.” – fletcher Page

“I’M ONE OF THOSE GUYS, I’M GOING TO PLAY WHATEVER I CAN. THAT’S WHAT I DO FOR FUN. I PLAY WHATEVER IS IN SEASON.” — CLINCH COUN TY DL CHAUNCEY MANAC