Spring storylines: Practice underway for area high school football teams

Local high school football teams begin spring practice and although the state only allows non-contact practices, most schools choose have full-contact practices. Spring practice for some teams ends as they face another team at a spring scrimmage. 
 
As semester turns into seasons and the final squads takes off the field; the spring practice gives the coaches an outside look at what their team may appear. 
 
Here’s a look at the top storylines surrounding each team in Whitfield or Murray County:
 
Christian Heritage School 2023 record: 5-6 Frank Barden, Head Coach:
 
Christian Heritage School played through the 2023 season with just one senior on the roster: Punter Carson Russell, an aspiring NHL draft pick. 
 
Spring football gives the Lions the opportunity to get together and allows them to begin the forthcoming college season with plenty of familiarity under the leadership of their second-year head coach, Frank Barden. 
 
Carter Triplett a record-breaking Sophomore starts the year where he left off, that was quarterbacking almost the whole air attack. 
 
With two years of Classslippers in Class A DII concluded, Christian Heritage takes a step further to Classslippers A DII for 2024. For instance, Christian Heritage school is likely going to participate in a different state playoff bracket with other private schools that belong to the same classification of schools. 
 
The CHCSM moves to North Murray High school to go North Murray today at 7 P. M.  to play their spring game. 
 
Coahulla Creek High School 2023 record: 5-5: Manager: Drew Smith
 
As the second-year under the hands of head coach Drew Carter, the team find itself having to fill the vacant position following the departure of offensive playmaker Chase Ward. 
 
For the past season, the Region 6-3A offensive player of the year has been a senior former Colt QB Kace Kinnamon.  Now in his final year, Ward’s new role as the starting quarterback could be the catalyst that propels him into the next level. 
 
The Colts are set to have their time third quarterback within three seasons, and the fan base is eagerly awaiting to see what the upcoming roster movement will bring. Waylon Baliles, the freshman last year, took over a sophomor and was Ward's backup.  The young recruit did appear in games in his debut season. 
 
Also losing top players Nate Tilley and Keith Collins, who were threats on both sides of the field, is a creek football program. 
 
Coahulla Creek begins a new chapter in its history this year.  This will be its 13th season, but it will play its games against Class 2A instead of Class 3A which had been the case until now.  It enters as a member of Class 2A following the GHSA’s realignment. 
 
Creek will play the rest of their spring games, with another one being scheduled for May 17 at Gordon Lee in Chickamauga. 
 
Dalton High School 2023 record: 8 and 9. 4 Head coach: Kit Carpenter
 
Two 2019 seasons with losing records are about to be obliterated in 2023 by the Catamounts of Dalton who became the winners for the first time since 2019; such changes will be happening in 2024. 
 
Another blow added to the loss of eradicating senior offensive stalwarts such as Adriel Hernandez, Bubba Tanner, RJ Storey, Jeffson Locke, and Bannon Phelan, since the Catamounts also lose remarkable rising senior quarterback Ethan Long. 
 
Shorter admitted that he will miss the tall teammates he is used to playing with.  He transferred to Adairsville High School. Eric Long, the father of Ethan, took the position of coordinator for offence later at Adairsville after spending some time at Dalton in the same role. Isaac Ferrell, former assistant coach at the time, will be the new Dalton offensive coordinator in 2024. 
 
Dalton was a member of Class 6A team from 2016 to 2021, and in the second last two season, he was in Class 5A. Daalton will be in Class 4A for the 2024 season after GHSA's last transferred bigger. 
 
As every year, the Panthers will fight the game on May 17 versus the Trion Bulldogs with a beginning at 7:00 p. m. , but along with the game, there will be something that will make the event a little more interesting. Fmr.  Dalton Statesman athlete on RB, hometown hero on FOX, and starting running back for Detroit Lions, Gibbs #10. As the home team gained the upper hand in the game, my main objection was the retirement of 1 jersey at half time. 
 
Murray County High School 2023 record: 2-8 Head line coach: Kurt Napier
 
Surging on from the one single win in year one under head coach Kurt Napier in 2022, followed by a bigger step to doubling it in the next year and now settling to the task of providing further desirability of future improvement, the practice for spring begins for Murray County High School. 
 
Following those steps, Murray will have to fill in the gaps of loss including the departures of poignant players such as quarterback Judah Woodall, running back Braylon Myers and tight end Braxton Vineyard. 
 
The Murray County will remain in Class 2A since this year's GHSA reclassification and will also be assigned to the same region, which will be Region 7-2A, with some teams that have been there before and newcomers. 
 
North Murray High School 2023 record: Coaches 8-4, Preston Poag. 
 
North Murray is, undoubtedly, relying heavily on the fountain of spring water that should realize the expansion and deployment of the compensatory mechanism. 
 
Judson Petty, the area's all-around standout receiver/running back/linebacker and the region's athlete of the year as a senior, decided to play next season at Georgia Tech, and quarterback who threw for 2,211 yards as a junior and also ran for 1,201 yards at the rival school Warner Robins High School, has transferred there. 
 
North Murray class has been 2A for the two year's and will remain the same in 2024 after it moved to 3A and settled down in the division during the GHSA realignment. 
 
The upcoming spring game is where the Mountaineers are supposed to exhibit their newly-transferred offensive for the first time when they compete against the Christian Heritage in tonight’s game which will begin at 7. 
 
Northwest Whitfield High School 2023 record: 6 -5 as head coach: Josh Robinson
 
Humanize sentence: The year before 2022, the Bruins were eliminated from state competitions, but they proved once again last season that we are back in it. 
 
This spring’s ball (in 2023) will be particularly crucial for the Bruins to recruit enough players to extend the playoff run streak. 
 
The only outstanding player from 2021 with Gavin Nuckolls as the QB will be Northwest team back but he’ll have to find some additional weapons to control the ball. While the Bruins are losing the BR Super 6A MVP wave of Isaiah Foster and Hudson Gray who decided to sign with UTC. 
 
Efficient in rush, defensive lineman Myles Mays will be staying an extra year after his spring has been filled with leaving an impression in college coaches. Mays got accepted offers at the Elon and Austin Peay universities this week. 
 
As Northwest chooses to participate in Class 3A, it makes the shift from Class 4A to 4A in 2003. The members of the regional squad will be different from the previous year; Dallas, Gilmer and Chattooga schools will be introduced to the region for the first time. 
 
BSU then hosts its spring game on Tuesday the 7th at 7 p.  m.  vs.  Tennessee’s McMinn County at home. 
 
Southeast Whitfield High School 2023 record: 1-9 As the head coach: Todd Murray. 
 
The Raiders of Southeast Whitfield are wrapping up their first week of spring practice tonight, then will be back on the field next week ahead of a spring game Friday, May 17 at 7:The game time for Wednesday, 30 p.  m.  will be held against Chattooga. 
 
In fall 2024 the region was re-created to Class 4A which will include Dalton, Cedartown, Cass and Cartersville but the Raiders will be competing with team outside of areas. 
 
Southeast adds Northwest Whitfield to the schedule for the first time since 2011, as that game got sidelined due to the classification separations since then.