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Short Memory a Good Thing for RAIDERS
reprinted from The Athens Banner Herald August 14, 2009 edition
by Jeff Cochran
DANIELSVILLE - Madison County coach Randell Owens has seen how far back his players' memories go when the Red Raiders talk in the locker room.
Most of the time, his players can't keep up with their own social calendar.
"They are trying to figure out who they are going out with this weekend when they can't figure out who they went out with three weeks ago," Owens said.
With that kind of short-term memory, Owens isn't worried about his players dwelling on last season. Madison County went 2-8, losing its last seven games of the season.
The 2008 season was the worst for a Red Raiders squad since 1999, when they also went 2-8. It was the first losing season for Madison County in eight seasons and also marked the worst record for an Owens-coached team.
While that season is clearly in the past, it has driven some of the players in the offseason.
"It definitely motivated me," senior quarterback Jacob Owens said. "During the whole offseason, all I did was work. I did everything I can, always thinking about football and this season."
Jacob Owens will lead a group of skill players that his coach ranks among the best he has had at Madison County.
The senior quarterback will have plenty of passing targets available as the Red Raiders return wide receivers Jamal Cooper and Bracken Turner, both seniors.
At the Under Armour combine at the Georgia Dome, Cooper ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. Turner, a three-year starter, also spends time as a free safety and punt returner.
Joining that group for the first time will be basketball standout Patrick McCrary, a senior. McCrary was named to the All-Northeast Georgia basketball team last season and finally earned permission from his mother to play football.
The Red Raiders coach said that if McCrary a few years of experience at wide receiver, he might be a major college prospect. He may still have that chance.
"I worried that when we put on pads, he would disappear," Randell Owens said. "Not only can he take a hit, he'll give one, too. He's just so raw. He's still learning the nuances of the game."
Jacob Owens enjoyed having the new target in summer workouts and in the early days of fall practice.
"I just wish I had had him all along," the quarterback said. "He had it by the first week. He's a smart kid. You would never know that this is his first year playing."
Madison County's biggest concern may be the offensive and defensive lines. While the Red Raiders have experience and talent returning to both units, they may have depth issues.
Senior Connor Boyett will likely anchor both the offensive and defensive lines, playing offensive tackle and defensive end.
"We are expecting big things out of him," Randell Owens said. "The negative is we aren't going to be deep. With that, you are one injury away from rookie time."
The Red Raiders are also holding what Randell Owens refers to as "little league tryouts" for a punter. Allen Aldreakis, Madison County's do-everything player last year, was the team's punter on top of being a wide receiver, safety and occasional running back.
During fall practice, Owens said he and his coaches are operating against the deadline of Aug. 28, when his team will host Rockdale County to open the season, to fill those holes.
One thing the coach, entering his sixth year at Madison County, isn't concerned about is building team chemistry. That goes a long way towards erasing the struggles of 2008.
"They get along well in the locker room," he said. "They are fun to work with because you can tell they enjoy each other. Last year doesn't really mean anything to these guys."
reprinted from The Madison County Journal, August 6, 2009 edition
Coach enthused after 'excellent' camp
by Ben Munro
The Madison County football team hopes preseason practice goes as swimmingly as a recent out-of-town trip did.
The Raiders, who started practice Monday, enjoyed a successful stint at West Georgia camp last week, with sixth-year coach Randell Owens calling the trip “excellent.”
For what it’s worth, the Raiders went 9-1 in seven-on-seven, non-tackling, passing scrimmages at West Georgia. The victories included one over state power Buford, which hasn’t lost a real football game since 2006.
Owens said Madison County beat the Class AA champs “by a few scores.”
“We handled them fairly well, and you could tell they didn’t appreciate it,” Owens said. “You could tell they had an attitude like this ain’t supposed to be happening.”
For the second week in a row, the coach praised the improved chemistry of this year’s team and how it seemed to build at camp.
“We didn’t have to do any counseling or anything,” Owens said of the trip.
All those good vibes seemed to transfer to the first day of preseason practice Monday when Madison County took to the field in helmets and shorts.
“Overall, the kids were excited to be out there,” Owens said.
Madison County, which moves to full-pad practices permanently on Monday, has three weeks to prepare for Rockdale County. The Bulldogs beat Madison County 25-14 last year in Conyers.
The big preseason questions lie along the lines of scrimmage, Owens said.
Madison County has moved two of its best defensive linemen, Jeremiah NeSmith (101.5 tackles last year) and Tyler Adams, to platoon at middle linebacker to fill the void of graduated linebacker Cody Esco (136 tackles last year). NeSmith and Adams will also double as offensive linemen.
So having new starters step up at those defensive line spots and finding reliable backups are a must, Owens said.
The offensive front is another worry, especially after Madison County averaged just 108.4 yards rushing a game in 2008. Owens said the Raiders must improve their ground attack, starting in the trenches.
“We’ve got to significantly improve our running game,” Owens said.
Elsewhere, Madison County must also replace Al Allen, the team’s leading receiver last year with 605 yards.
PICTURE DAY for Fall Sports
SATURDAY - August 6, 2011
Location: Madison County High School Football Stadium
* In case of rain -- all pictures will move to MCHS Gymnasium.
7:30 Picture Day Set Up
o Photographers Set Up
o Coaches Meet (Need MS Coaches to work as information recorders for photographers)
8:00 Softball
o Individual
o Varsity
o Junior Varsity
o Seniors
8:20 Football Individual Shots (Varsity & 9th Grade)
o Individual8:50 Football
o Team Varsity
o “Men of Summer”
o Seniors
o Team 9th Grade
o Kickers & Long Snappers
o Defensive Line
o Defensive Ends
o Linebackers
o Defensive Backs
o Offensive Line
o TE’s & WR’s
o Q.B.’s & Running Backs
o Trainers, Managers, Videographers
o Coaches
9:40 Cheerleaders
o Individual
o Varsity
o Junior Varsity
o 9th Grade
10:00 Senior All Sport Group Picture
10:15 Cross Country
o Individual
o Team Boys
o Team Girls
o Seniors
10:30 Band
o Individual
o Group
o Color Guard
o Band Council
o Majorettes
11:30 Volleyball (*In Gym)
o Individual
o Team Varsity
o Team Junior Varsity
o Seniors
12:15 Strawbridge Studios Photographer Burns CD’s to give to TD Club (Ricky McElroy or TD Club Rep.) for production of Fall Sports Program.
Coach Says RAIDERS 'More Unified' This Year
reprinted from The Madison County Journal's July 30, 2009 edition
Preseason practice starts Monday
by Ben Munro
There’s at least one sign that Madison County’s 2009 campaign might go better than last year’s 2-8 affair:
Everyone’s getting along better.
“It seems to be a little more cohesive group this year,” sixth-year coach Randell Owens said. “The 11th an 12th grade group seems to be a lot tighter. A lot more unified.”
Madison County suffered its first losing season under Owens last year, losing its last seven games of 2008.
As the team prepared to head to team camp at West Georgia this past week, Owens said this year’s group appears to be without the divisions that perhaps hindered previous squads.
“It seems like a closer-knit group without some of the factions that we’ve had in the past that we were trying to pull together and get on the same page,” he said. “It’s been encouraging.”
The team left Monday for West Georgia and was scheduled to return Wednesday.
Owens said he’s seen better chemistry throughout off-season workouts, which included several passing league dates and weightlifting sessions throughout June and July.
He hopes that bodes well for the 2009 season, which kicks off in a mere 29 days.
“I think the best way to say it is that we’re working with a group of kids that genuinely like each other for the most part,” he said.
FOOTBALL NOTES
•Owens liked what he saw in his team’s seven-on-seven passing league sessions the past two months, though Madison County was rarely at full strength due to several players with multi-sport obligations. “Getting everybody on the same day was probably more challenging than usual,” Owens said.
•Preseason practice starts Aug. 3, but no two-a-day workouts are planned. The GHSA has implemented rules to steer teams away from two-a-days and more towards heat acclimation amid concerns about heat-related exhaustion. So Madison County decided to scrap two-a-days altogether. “We said, let’s just don’t battle it,” Owens said. “Let’s just go one-a-days.”
PLEASE NOTE: Bus ride to Passing League at Jefferson or Jackson County Schools loads each Tuesday at 4:00 pm at Madison County RAIDER Field Parking Lot. ARRIVE ON TIME or you'll be left behind!
|
DATE |
TIME |
TEAMS PLAYING |
LOCATION |
| June 2 | 6:00 pm | Jefferson, Madison Co, East Hall, and West Hall | Jeffeson |
| June 9 | 6:00 pm | Jefferson, Madison Co., East Hall, and Winder | Jefferson |
| June 16 | 6:00 pm | Jefferson, Madison Co., East Hall, and Winder | Jefferson |
| June 23 | 6:00 pm | Jefferson, Madison Co., West Hall. and Winder | Jefferson. |
| June 30 | No PASSING LEAGUE This Week -- GHSA Dead Week | ||
| July 7 | 6:00 pm | Jefferson, Madison Co, Jackson Co, and Winder | Jackson Co |
| July 14 | 6:00 pm | Jefferson, Madison Co., Jackson Co, and Winder | Jackson Co. |
| July 21 | 6:00 pm | Jefferson, Madison Co., Jackson Co., and Winder | Jackson Co. |
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