In our ongoing series of spring high school football updates of various teams across Georgia, we take a look at Lowndes, Roswell, and Parkview. We hear from Lowndes head coach Adam Carter, who is entering his third season with the Vikings; new Parkview head coach Adam Clack; and new Roswell head coach JT Thompson about how their teams fared in spring practices, where they feel they have gotten stronger, and which areas they still need to work on.
Lowndes to Lean on 4-Star QB Jayce “Juice” Johnson in 2025
Lowndes Head Coach Adam Carter Says Upcoming Season Could Be Challenging for Vikings
Lowndes head coach Adam Carter opted for a jamboree-style format that included the Lowndes program only, with all rising seventh-graders through 12th-graders participating, including all three middle schools.
“Spring ball was very encouraging,” Carter said. “It was the most physical spring we have had. We got a ton of reps over the 10 days that we will now evaluate and learn from.”
Carter said that Lowndes lost a lot of production and experience from last season.
“We lost all but five touchdowns on offense, and we lost 10-of-11 starters on defense,” Carter said. “Every day is a learning experience and something new for a group with few Friday night reps.”
Despite the losses on defense, Carter is optimistic about the offense in 2025.
“We will lean on our offense early on with Jayce Johnson returning and six offensive lineman coming back,” he said.
Johnson has created quite a buzz not only in the Vikings camp but across the state as one of the top quarterbacks to watch in 2025. The four-star, dual-threat junior currently has 23 college offers, according to 247Sports, with that number likely to increase as the 2025 season nears.
His top target is another rising star on the Lowndes offense in wide receiver Kaevone Thomas, a sophomore who impressed last season as a freshman. Thomas has received offers from several colleges, including Pitt, Arkansas State, and Wake Forest.
Athlete Zion Walker is another playmaker who will get plenty of chances on a young Lowndes offense in 2025.
The true strength of the offense will be the offensive line. As Carter pointed out, the O-line will bring back six linemen this year, including offensive tackle Abraham Eisenhower, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior who has offers from Boston College, University of Kentucky, South Carolina, and several other major colleges.
With spring practice in the books at Lowndes, Carter said the next few months will be important in deciding how the team will look for the 2025 season.
“Over the summer we must continue to find out what this group does best and maximize those abilities,” Carter said. “We are looking for a strong campaign this season, but 2025 will depend on how quickly we mature.”
Former Milton Coach Hopes to Return Proud Parkview Football Program to Winning Ways
Panthers Welcome Standout Safety KJ Caldwell to Lead Defense in 2025
Parkview hired former Milton head coach Adam Clack earlier this offseason, and just as he did with Milton, Clack is hoping to bring the winning pride back to the Parkview football program.
The Panthers struggled to a 3-7 finish last season, but fans are hoping the addition of Clack as head coach will return Parkview to its heyday of dominance, like in the late ‘90s when Parkview put together a string of three undefeated seasons, including 45 straight wins and three consecutive state titles. While there has been a lot of football played between then and now, Clack’s arrival seems to have brought forth a renewed sense of energy and excitement among Parkview players and fans.
Clack’s first opportunity to see his new team in action included nine days of practice and finished with an intrasquad scrimmage. While there’s a long way to go before Clack really knows what he’s got, he said the intensity of this 2025 Parkview group is good.
“It was one of the most spirited and energetic groups I’ve ever had,” Clack said. “Coaches were smiling, players were smiling and having a good time, and we had a great turnout (of fans) who came out to see us, so that was good to see.”
Parkview’s intrasquad scrimmage had the Panthers split into an orange team and white team, but Clack said it was more about learning his players than a conventional 11-versus-11 format.
“Throughout my career, I’ve changed my perspective and approach on what I think spring practice should look like,” Clack said.
As a new coach still trying to figure out the different strengths of his players, Clack said one of his primary goals was to have players learn more than one position.
“I want to build versatility and depth among our roster, and then we can learn how to best use our top 25 once we get close to the season,” Clack said.
Clack said that position battle will come into focus once the team expands into summer drills and 7-on-7s.
“We’ll give these guys enough opportunity to show us what they can do, and then we can see what our team looks like collectively, and then we’ll start designating primary and secondary positions for these guys,” Clack said.
As far as players that stood out this spring, Clack pointed to several who made an early impression.
Safety Kevin “KJ” Caldwell Jr. has offers from multiple colleges, including Arkansas, Memphis, and Nebraska. The junior will be a welcome returner to an otherwise young defense.
Caldwell, along with linebacker and fullback Jakaden Mobley, a senior, and quarterback Greg Hart, a junior, were selected by their teammates as the players council representatives.
Other players Clack pointed out for their performances this spring were wide receiver and defensive back Jaleel Parham, a junior; offensive and defensive lineman Giancarlo Casanova, a senior; and offensive and defensive lineman Robert Jennings, a senior.
Clack inherits a young Parkview team in 2025. Fans will need to be patient as he rebuilds the Panthers program like he wants it, but he’ll get there.
“If we were to play right now, I have no idea how great we would look, but everybody here is excited about taking the next step,” Clack said.
New Roswell Coaching Staff Ready to Roll Out New Offense and Defense
Roswell welcomes in a new head coach as former Lee County offensive coordinator JT Thompson takes over the Hornets’ football program. Thompson said that it’s been busy since he and his new staff arrived in February.
“Our staff brought in a new approach to how we practice, and we really started implementing the fast-paced, high-efficiency regiment in the weight room when we got here in February,” Thompson said, adding that the new approach rolled over to a high-energy spring practice. “I truly believe that helped our kids respond to the pace of practice early on in spring.”
For anyone familiar with Thompson’s no-huddle approach with the offense at Lee County, you can expect that same high-energy offense to become the norm at Roswell.
For those returning from last year’s Hornets team, the players are also responding to that new-look offense and defense.
That includes returning dual-threat quarterback and two-star standout Trey Smith, who threw for over 2,490 yards and 23 TDs last season while rushing for 875 yards and 18 TDs. He was a First Team All-Region selection for Region 7 in Class 5A last year in his first full season as a starter.
Also returning to the Hornets offense is a player gaining quite a bit of attention coming out of spring practice and heading into summer workouts. Running back Nick Peal, a senior, is a bruiser-type back with explosive speed. He runs a 4.49-second 40-yard dash and was a First Team All-Region selection for Region 7 in Class 5A last year.
“We’ve also been installing new offensive and defensive schemes, and all these changes can be challenging, but these young men are extremely hard working and intelligent, which made things easier,” Thompson said.
In addition to Peal and Smith, Roswell will have two of the state’s top special teams weapons in senior long snapper Seth Lerner and senior kicker Balint Vorosmarty.
Lerner is a three-year starter on the Hornets’ special teams and has a 4.5-star rating from Kohl’s.
Vorosmarty has a five-star rating from Kohl’s, and this spring he was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts with one from 26 yards and another from 43 yards. He was also 100% successful on all extra-point attempts and kickoff touchbacks.
As far as the offense and defense, Thompson seems to have opened up position battles this spring and into the intrasquad scrimmage.
“We really wanted to use this spring to evaluate and get guys in the right place, and I feel like we did that,” Thompson said.
The Hornets went at it in a night-time scrimmage under the lights at Ray Manus Stadium, and Thompson said he was pleased.
“Our kids competed, flew around,” Thompson said. “We came out healthy, which was the main thing.”
Thompson has proven what he can do offensively with a top QB-RB combination, and with Smith and Peal, the offensive-minded Roswell head coach will be ready to showcase their talents as part of the Roswell attack in 2025.
