With a 56-13 loss to West Hall on November 20, 2020, the Lumpkin County Indians completed yet another winless Georgia high school football season, the seventh in school history. There was no reason to expect any miracles in the future; the Indians had never been region champions, had never made it past the first round of the state playoffs, and had never won 10 games in a single season. Since 1961, Lumpkin County had only finished above 0.500 eleven times. Eleven times in 60 years.
Then, Heath Webb was hired as the head football coach. Webb had spent the previous four seasons with Gainesville, helping the Red Elephants remain competitive in a difficult classification. In 2022, Webb was entrusted with the herculean task of building the Lumpkin County program upwards from the lowest possible depths.
The turnaround came instantly. Led by a balanced offensive attack, the Indians opened Webb’s inaugural season with five straight victories. Those five triumphs had already surpassed the season win totals from the previous seven seasons.
The Indians stumbled in region play against Wesleyan and Dawson County, but managed to end the regular season with an astonishing 8-2 record, just one year removed from a 2-8 mark.
Despite a first-round playoff loss to Oconee County, the pieces for a bright future were in place. Junior Mason Sullens broke the 1,000-yard mark on the ground, and sophomore receiver Cal Faulkner caught nine of the team’s 12 touchdown passes. On defense, three of the Indians’ top five leading tacklers were set to return.
The 2023 season began in explosive fashion. Once again, the Indians won their first five games. This time, however, each victory came by at least three scores. That proved enough to earn a Top 10 ranking in Class 3A, the school’s first since 1967.
With the “underdog” label now fully removed, the Indians continued to dominate. They avenged the losses to Wesleyan and Dawson County and did the impossible. Just two years prior, Lumpkin County sat winless. Now, they stood as region champions, undefeated. History was being made on a weekly basis.
Lumpkin County thrashed Gordon Lee in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs to set up a rematch against Oconee County in Round 2. In a back-and-forth thriller, the Indians survived a 400-yard rushing performance by Oconee County to win 45-42 in double overtime. Unfortunately, the Indians’ dream season ended at the hands of Savannah Christian the following week in the quarterfinals.
Beyond the team’s record and success, Webb had managed to put Lumpkin County’s talent on full display. Returning rusher Mason Sullens posted a statline of 2,281 yards on the ground and 33 touchdowns. Former receiver Cal Faulkner switched to quarterback, where he passed for 1,706 yards on 67.6% completion. He also rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and totaled 37 touchdowns (through the air and on the ground combined). Defensively, Will Wood topped 100 tackles, and at least 11 different players notched a tackle for loss or sack.
Both Sullens and Wood will graduate this spring along with many others, leaving several holes to fill for next season. Now, though, a standard for success has been set by head coach Heath Webb. There is little doubt that the Lumpkin County Indians will be back for the 2024 Georgia high school football season competing for region championships and, possibly, a state championship.
