Chattahoochee County sees promising path ahead

Chattahoochee County head coach Drew Fowler got the lay of the land in 2016, his first at the helm of the Panthers program. As the 2017 season draws nearer, Fowler sees promise in his latest roster — which includes a stud running back — as well as a trajectory toward building a contender.

Fowler’s Panthers were 3-7 in his first season as a head coach, which included two victories in the team’s last four games. A former assistant at Peach County, Carrollton and North Forsyth, Fowler looked back on what he brought from those programs this offseason and recognized not every piece was conducive to Chattahoochee County.

“Going to that second year, you just take so much time to self reflect,” Fowler said. “You know what you can keep, and you also know what needs to be changed. The expectations are still there for the kids to show up every day and work hard. We fixed some things schematically that we saw last year. We’ve done a better job of putting our personnel in better positions to make plays.”

The Panthers coaching staff may have shifted some players, but one person who proved himself worthy of his spot was running back Malic Bonner. The then-junior showed he could be the bell cow, rushing for 1,438 yards and 11 touchdowns. In short, Bonner fits perfectly in the run-first offense Chattahoochee County employs.

Fowler feels confident enough in the Panthers other running backs, such as Kaewon Harris, that he plans on playing Bonner more on defense than he did one season ago. Bonner is at the top of a list of several impressive Panthers, including offensive lineman Kendrick Harvey, defensive back Zactavius Farrow, defensive end and tight end Billy Wischnewsky, and middle linebacker Jamon Hoyte.

As Fowler looks ahead, he said the most important aspect may be entering the regular season on the right note. He pointed to the Panthers’ first scrimmage of the fall, a 12-6 win over Pacelli, as an exhibition that seemed to ignite his team.

Fowler’s hope from that point is the Panthers can carry that over to its regular season opener against Marion County and beyond.

“I feel like we can really get it rolling and have these kids understand how fun it is to be successful and how much more enjoyable it is to be a part of something as special as what could happen here,” Fowler said. “It’s just a matter of momentum.”

The Panthers have just one winning season since 2009, but Fowler has the feeling this year’s team could break that streak. According to him, it all boils down to getting everyone involved to fully commit to the purpose.

“It’s a matter of these kids understanding that winning is the expectation,” Fowler said. “We’re going to hold them to that standard. Once you start winning, it starts taking care of itself.”

2017 Schedule

This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Chattahoochee County sees promising path ahead."