Spring football has wrapped up for high school teams across the state of Georgia. While some teams opted to devote all 10 days to practicing, others used the 10th day to play a spring scrimmage. I have spoken with several head coaches of teams from across the state to get their assessments of their own teams, including where they feel they have gotten stronger and which areas they still need to work on.
This is the first in a series of spring football updates. We’ll start with the following teams and report on their spring game matchups:
- Milton versus Peachtree Ridge
- Tift County versus Hughes
- Wayne County versus Crisp County
Milton VS Peachtree Ridge
All Eyes on Milton as Eagles Kick Off Campaign for 3rd Straight State Title
The Peachtree Ridge Lions traveled to Milton for the spring finale for each team.
Peachtree Ridge is coming off a 6-6 finish in 2024, where they advanced to the second round of the GHSA Class 6A state playoffs.
Milton is seeking to make it three in a row after winning consecutive state titles the past two years.
The two varsity units went head-to-head for the first half, and Peachtree Ridge started off strong with a 19-play drive that ended with a TD. The first quarter ended 7-7.
Milton took control in the second quarter, starting with a tipped pass that was intercepted and returned for a TD by defensive lineman Christian “Pancake” Hunter. The Eagles add another TD before the end of the half.
The two teams’ junior varsity squads played the second half of the game.
Peachtree Ridge head football coach Matt Helmerich liked what he saw, but said that some areas still need work.
“We had a few breakdowns on both sides of the ball, like running wrong routes and defensive line movement,” Helmerich said.
He was quick to point out a few players who impressed in the game.
“Our running back, Sedric Addison, had some really good runs, and wider receiver Kobe Hokes had some good catches,” Helmerich said.
Addison and Hokes have a combined 50 collegiate offers.
Braxton Palmer, who was recently featured as one of ITG Next’s “Georgia High School Football Players to Watch in 2025 and Beyond,” had a solid performance against Milton.
“Braxton had a really good game with a couple of nice catches and good runs, and he had an interception for us,” Helmerich said.
Milton head football coach Ben Reaves was happy with his team’s spring performance and said that his team was a little better than he expected.
“Spring practice was a huge success for us,” Reaves said. “We were able to evaluate some young talent and also try a few guys at some different spots just to see how it all may look and gel in the fall.
“In my opinion, we’re a little ahead of where I was expecting to be, mainly due to our O-line. Any coach knows in order to make a good playoff run and have a shot at a championship, you have to have solid line play. We had to replace four or five guys up front, and we knew we would be replacing those guys with younger players. But to our kids’ credit, they have been working hard, and they show up very polished and ahead of where I thought they would be.”
Reaves said he likes the 2025 group and is looking forward to the summer workouts to see certain position battles get sorted out.
“We’ll continue evaluating everyone into the summer as we get into the 7-on-7s and OTAs before making some final decisions, allowing everyone’s true colors to come out over a larger body of work,” Reaves said. “Our team is young, but they are also very hungry and very motivated to continue our success we’ve had here over the past few years.”
Tift County VS Hughes
Battle of North Georgia VS South Georgia Class 6A Programs
The two varsity squads faced each other for the first three quarters with the Tift County Blue Devils holding a 21-14 lead over the Langston Hughes Panthers heading to the fourth quarter.
The junior varsity players took over in the final quarter with Hughes outscoring Tift County 7-0 to make the final 21-21.
This was the first time the Panthers had taken the field since their appearance in the Class 6A state title game in December 2024, and there are many new faces on this year’s squad.
Andrico Hines was hired to take over as head football coach at Hughes following the departure of Daniel “Boone” Williams, who left to become the head football coach at Northside in Warner Robins. Hines was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2023 when Hughes won the state championship that season.
Hines said that the look of the team has changed with the departure of most starters from last year’s state runner-up team.
“We have, I think, two guys back on the defense and three offensive starters returning from last year,” Hines said. “We have some work to do before the season gets here.”
Hines praised edge rusher Kijon Braxton, a rising senior, for his play this spring, including in the game versus Tift County. Hines expects Braxton and middle linebacker Aji Griggs to be the leaders of a rebuilding defense in 2025.
Hines pointed to the play of new quarterback Darnell Kelly as a bright spot on Hughes’ offense in the game against Tift County. Kelly transferred to Hughes from Peachtree Ridge this offseason.
“I expect Darnell to be one of the leaders on offense this season,” Hines said.
Tift County played well and showed fans in attendance that the team ready to take the field in 2025 is different from last year’s 2-8 Blue Devils.
“We are stronger, faster, and we now play with better physicality and confidence,” said Jeff Littleton, Tift County head football coach. “Our execution in all three phases in the game (against Hughes) was better.”
That included the offense, which opened the game with a 90-yard drive, ending in a 10-yard TD run by running back Kamari Holloman. Tift County added a second TD minutes later on an 8-yard TD run by quarterback Damieon Dixon to take a 14-0 lead. Dixon gave Tift County a 21-7 lead with a TD pass in the third quarter.
Littleton, who is entering his second year leading Tift County, said that although he was pleased with how his team played against Hughes, he wasn’t as concerned about the score as he was with his team continuing to show improvement.
“We need to continue to develop our mindset to better focus on daily actions instead of the outcome,” Littleton said. “We want to continue to teach consistency, discipline, and continuous improvement.”
Wayne County VS Crisp County
Wayne County Head Coach John Mohring Pleased With Yellow Jackets’ Spring Effort
The Crisp County Cougars wrapped up their first spring practice under new head football coach Justin Newman with a road trip to take on the Wayne County Yellow Jackets. It was a successful debut for Newman and Crisp County, who defeated Wayne County 33-9.
“We played three quarters of varsity (against Wayne County’s varsity), and the last quarter was our JV and ninth-graders against their group,” Newman said. “I felt like we played well in the game, but there’s still a lot of things we need to correct and fix, as our standard is to chase perfection.”
Newman began establishing that standard early on in spring practice by having a black stripe placed on each player’s helmet. The players had to earn the right to have the stripe taken off their helmets by demonstrating strong character and leadership. The team celebrated the removal of the stripes at the end of each practice this spring.
Newman praised quarterback Hagan Slimp for his leadership and his play in the game at Wayne County.
“Hagan threw for four touchdowns in the spring game and was one of the first players to have his stripe removed,” Newman said.
Newman also pointed to the outstanding play from wide receiver Deshaun Fedd, who had three TDs against the Yellow Jackets.
Newman said the team will continue to work on learning new schemes and concepts this summer and will be active in both 7-on-7s and OTAs this offseason.
Wayne County head football coach John Mohring said he has been pleased with his team’s progress this spring. He credited a new group of coaches and a strong weight program as reasons to be optimistic as the team prepares for summer workouts.
“We had a great spring and made a lot of positive strides as a program,” Mohring said. “One of the biggest wins was bringing in a group of outstanding new coaches, many of whom will begin full time in June. Their impact will be felt immediately.
“Our boys have been relentless in the weight room since the end of last season, and it showed in the spring game versus Crisp County. While the final score doesn’t tell the whole story, we saw a lot of positives on both sides of the ball.
“Offensively we moved the ball well at times, and defensively we scored 9 points and layed tough against the run, giving up only a few explosive plays through the air.”
In the game against Crisp County, Wayne County scored on a safety and on a fumble recovery returned for a TD.
Mohring said the team will welcome back several players from Wayne County’s baseball team following their impressive Final Four run in the playoffs.
“We have a strong summer ahead with some great camps lined up,” Mohring said. “We’re building momentum and can’t wait to get ready for year two at Wayne County.”
Mohring took over as Wayne County’s head football coach last season.
