The Bulloch Academy Gators enter season two under head coach Aaron Phillips with one major goal on their mind. Making it back to the state playoffs.
After getting out to a 3-2 record the wheels came off for the Gators last year as they lost their last five games. Even more frustrating for Phillips was the fact that they were either leading or tied in five of their seven losses.
“We were definitely not as bad as our record may indicate last year,” Phillips said. “What we struggled with was closing games out in the fourth quarter. It seemed like we would score or make a stop and then something would happen and you look up and we lost again. Some of that was conditioning and some was due to mental errors, but we feel like we are in much better shape this season.”
By better shape Phillips means bigger and stronger. He feels across the board the Gators have gained over 10 pounds per player and in some cases closer to 15-20 pounds.
“We really hit the weight room hard after the season ended,” Phillips said. “Our guys bodies have really changed from where they were when we took over. I feel like that will really help us as we are stronger and have more endurance as well.”
While many schools have done away with going off to camp over the summer, the Gators just recently returned from a four-day camp at Presbyterian College which Phillis feels has not only helped on the field, but also off the field in terms of building chemistry.
“We were able to get in some really good work over there without distractions,” Phillips said. “This is probably one of the best camps I have had at any school I have been at. The resources and facilities were great and it helps when you have such a great group of seniors to help lead the other guys.”
The Gators welcome coach Mark Lefebvre to their staff this year. Lefebvre comes to BA after a successful coaching career in Indiana which included multiple state championships. Coming from a wishbone background Phillips is hoping Lefebvre will be able to tweak the Gator offense to make it even more potent.
“He is part of the Indiana coaching hall of fame and was won four state championships,” Phillips said. “He brings a little more passing to our offense and we feel that will really fit our personnel.”
On offense the Gators return three of their four backs and only lost one lineman to graduation. Phillips is also excited about the versatility at quarterback as they return starter Ben Aaron as well as Brennan Perossa who was injured in the preseason and missed the entire season.
“This will be the first time I have coached in a two-quarterback offense,” Phillips said. “We feel like we have two guys who can help us and we will be rotating them in. Coach Lefebvre has had a lot of success with using two quarterbacks and we feel like this will work. We have a strong offensive line which includes a couple of guys who weren’t with us last year. T.J. Durden came over from Statesboro and J.T. Lee came from Southeast Bulloch and are both about 6-4 and 230 pounds. We return both our A-backs with Isaiah Smart and Reid Clifton who each had about 700 yards rushing and Luke Willoughby is doing a great job for us at fullback and we have a lot of depth on offense as well."
The Gators really struggled on defense last season where they gave up just under 30 points per game. Phillips feels that is the area with the most growth this year and should be a strength with added speed.
“I would say our biggest strides have come on the defensive side of the ball,” Phillips said. “We have put our fastest players over there and I feel like that will help us as they can get in a better position to be able to wrap up and make tackles.”
The Gators open the season August 18 at Tiftarea and will plays Portal in a scrimmage Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Paulson Stadium.
