Devils exhibit effort, focus, positive leadership

The South Fulton High School Red Devils’ Head Football Coach Eric Knott has coached at SFHS for 17 years, and this year, he and his coaching staff consisting of Zack Vaughn, Jaquay Garmon and Counce Covington will oversee a roster which contains no less than 11 seniors.

While Coach Knott recognizes that having a large group of Seniors is not necessarily a good predicator of a successful team, he does see the potential commitment of those Seniors to the “Team Vision” as a much more consistent indicator of success.

According to the Head Coach, these seniors share that, Team Vision.

“The effort, focus, and positive leadership they are providing to the team is what is setting them apart from other groups,” Coach Knott said.

“Most of these guys have been thrown into the fire early in their career and they have flourished during that process. So, the number of returning players, seniors or otherwise, is not an advantage. The advantage comes from those returning players making the most of the opportunities that each practice provides,” he said.

Asst. Coach Vaughn will serve as Defensive Coordinator, overseeing the defensive and offensive lines. He will also be Special Teams Coordinator. Asst. Coach Garmon will be the team’s Offensive Coordinator, providing guidance for the quarterback and cornerback posts. Asst. Coach Covington will overse the wide receivers and inside linebackers.

In considering goals for this year’s Red Devils, Coach Knott states the obvious, as in every game on the schedule resulting in a win for SFHS.

But in addition to that, he wants to see consistent effort, consistent focus and consistent, positive body language, all traits of a successful football program.

In the off-season, the 2024 Red Devils have, in Knott’s opinion, put forth outstanding effort.

“Each and every player has progressed in their skill level, their speed, and their strength. We have an outstanding group of Seniors that display unselfishness and commitment to the team over self,” he said.

Of the players listed on the roster, five are incoming freshmen and seven are first-year team members who are sophomores or juniors.

Depth is always a concern, but the biggest challenge the Head Coach sees in analyzing this year’s Red Devils, is consistent focus to the details.

“Those small details (ball placement, proper alignment, pad trajectory) lead to opportunities for success,” he said.

Most all of the Seniors have assumed a leadership role, whether it is verbal or nonverbal.

“We talk to them each day about body language and how that is much louder than any verbal volume can ever be. They have embraced that mantra,” Coach Knott said.

While no position is ever “nailed down” the best player will play, Coach Knott said.

He noted seniors Dallas Whitehead and Brady McFarland have been starting in their positions for the last three years and they bring being explosiveness and energy to the offense.

Up front, there are three returning starters in Tim Davis, Dylan Bynum, and Joseph Mathias.

“So goes the line, so goes the game and these guys are strong, physical, and relentless,” Knott said.

Dane Cirkles (when he returns from injury) Josh McKnight, and Connor O’Neal are all credited as excellent route runners, receivers, and dependable blockers. The Coach said he looks forward to seeing them shine this Fall.

Halfbacks will be anchored by Jonathan Doss, Quadyn Morefield, and Alijah Ingram.

Defensively, with the team moving to an odd front and more modernized coverages most positions have a 2-man rotation.

“Brady (McFarland) is a fantastic corner, both in coverage and tackling. Our safeties, Connor O’Neal and Connor Lawrence, have a great deal of experience and are excellent run supporters. Their backups, Trevor Stunson, Grant Joyner, and Mason Parrish are driven and coachable,” Knott said.

He surmised outside linebackers, Harley Nagel and Tim Davis with Austin Bradley and Quadyn Morefield provide depth, even though each of them are in unfamiliar spots.

“But they have embraced the challenge and are excelling at their craft,” Coach Knott said.

The team’s inside linebacker positions are the deepest, with Dallas Whitehead and Josh McKnight starting, but Alijah Ingram and Gavin Lovell will both see significant playing time. All four of are down hill players love to hit, Knott said.

Up front, Joseph Mathias, Jackson Nunn, and Dylan Bynum will anchor those spots with Sam Sutherland, Gavin Dixon, and Andrew Bradley as their backups. Knott referred to these Red Devils as “the heart of the defense” and thus far ranks their performance as exemplary. Defensively, Joseph Mathias and Tim Davis are difference makers, according to Knott, but he was quick to say the entire defense gets their jobs done, and they do it well

“When you talk about running the ball, you have to talk about two guys, Dallas Whitehead and Josh McKnight. Excellent RBs with a downhill mentality and a knack for reading blocks. Another young man that has impressed us this preseason is Gavin Lovell. This is only his second year playing football, but he has taken to it like a duck to water. All three of these guys only know one speed and that is FULL speed,” Coach Knott said.

Dane Cirkles and Connor O’Neal are the incumbents when it comes to receivers, but the progress exhibited by second year player Anthony Ross and first year players Carson Choate and Braden Gore has been impressive.

“Obviously, we have a large senior class that works hard and loves the game, and they are all assets to our team. But the greatest two assets to me are my assistants, Zack Vaughn (DC) and Jaquay Garmon (OC). These are coaches that bring fire, football knowledge, and emotional intelligence that far exceeds their years. What’s more is their love for our school, our town, and the players on our team. Zack and Jaquay have added tremendous value to this team. I love this team and i like the direction the program his headed in. Our administration and booster club are both supporting us in every way imaginable. The future is bright!” Knott said.