Ledger-Enquirer Preseason Top 5: Who will be the top football team in 2020?
Few high school football programs have seen more recent success than Central, and it’s hard to see the Red Devils slowing down in 2020.
With many key pieces returning from last year’s squad that finished runner-up in the 7A state championship, the Red Devils may again be the Chattahoochee Valley’s best hope for a state-title run.
That’s why Central stands atop the Ledger-Enquirer’s Preseason Top 5 poll:
No. 1 Central
2019 record: 12-2
2019 region 2-7A champions
Central loses a lot of production from last year’s state title runner-up team, including quarterback Tucker Melton, but the Red Devils return a host of talent that includes running back Joseph McKay, quarterback Trey Miles and a plethora of experience on defense.
Miles, a true dual-threat at quarterback, should fit in perfectly in new head coach Patrick Nix’s offense.
Patrick previously coached at Pinson Valley, where he coached his son, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. His previous coaching stops include Charleston Southern, Miami and Georgia Tech.
No. 2 Carver
2019 record: 10-2
2019 Region 1-4A champions
The area’s best football team last year not named Central, expectations are again sky high for the Carver Tigers.
The Tigers get quarterback D.J. Riles back from last season’s high-scoring offense, but they lose much of the offensive production from last year’s team that lost 30-20 to Marist in the 4A state playoffs.
Khiari McCoy, an 1,800-yard rusher, and star receiver Ja’Cyais Credle now play for Valdosta State and UCF, respectively, so the burden now falls on Riles and the rest of the Tigers if they’re to have a shot at another deep playoff run in Corey Joyner’s third year as head coach.
No. 3 Callaway
2019 record: 12-2
2019 region 5-2A champion
The Cavaliers’ best player from last year now plays for Gus Malzahn at Auburn, but Callaway shouldn’t miss much of a beat in 2020.
Cavaliers running back and linebacker Charlie Dixon has big shoes to fill. Dixon, a 6-1, 225 pound three-star, will step into the role left by current Tigers running back Tank Bigsby. He thrived as Bigsby’s backup in 2019, and there will certainly be more pressure now that he’s the featured back in head coach Pete Wiggins’ offense.
If he can replicate even a fraction of what Bigsby accomplished last season, the Cavaliers will be just fine.
Perhaps the second-most important player on Callaway’s offense last year was quarterback Demetrius Coleman. It’s not difficult to see why.
Coleman threw for close to 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2019. He loses many of his top targets from last season, including Bigsby, and four talented receivers.
No. 4 Troup
2019 record: 6-5
4th in region 5-4A
One of the more consistent programs in the Chattahoochee Valley, Tanner Glisson’s Troup enters 2020 off a 6-5 season that saw it fall to state champion Blessed Trinity in the first round of the 4A state playoffs.
With the Georgia High School Association’s new 2020 region alignments, Troup will compete in region 2-4A with many Columbus schools.
The Tigers will play Hardaway, Columbus and Shaw, and face Carver in what should be a vital region matchup late in the season.
No. 5 Hardaway
2019 record: 7-4
3rd in region 1-4A
If there’s one thing head coach Michael Woolridge is doing at Hardaway, it’s turning the Hawks into an up-and-coming program after years of mediocrity.
And his team boasts arguably the top football player in Chattahoochee Valley.
Mykel Williams, a towering 6-5 defensive end, has picked up his fair share of collegiate offers. The list of schools that want the Columbus native would make any recruit jealous: Alabama, Clemson and Auburn are among the 24 offers he’s picked up. He’s only a rising junior.
Williams’ goal is to record between 15 and 20 sacks this year. He also wants to take the Hawks to a state-title appearance. If the Hawks can continue improving at the rate they have since Woolridge took over coaching duties, a deep playoff run is possible.
For that to happen, the Hawks will need Williams at his best. They shouldn’t have to worry too much about that.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 7:43 PM.
