Gwinnett Daily Post

Peachtree Ridge Lions 2011 Football Preview

Suwanee — Mascot: Lions. Coach: Mark Fleetwood (0-0 at Peachtree Ridge, 8-12 overall) Region: 7-AAAAA Last playoff appearance: 2009

Offense

Scoring points was an issue last season as the Lions missed the playoffs, and first-year head coach Mark Fleetwood hopes to change that.

Peachtree Ridge scored 10 or fewer points in each of its four Region 7-AAAAA losses to Collins Hill, Norcross, Mill Creek and North Gwinnett.

The new coach has moved away from the Georgia Tech-style spread option from last season, opting to base out of a multiple I-formation with more use of the passing game.

"Offensively, we're working to be balanced," Fleetwood said. "We've got a system in where we want to be able to throw the ball efficiently and run the ball efficiently. We want to do both well. ... We've still got a ways to go, but our goal is to get to where we're balanced, where we can throw on first down if we want to.

"I'm pleased with where we're at, but we've got a long way to go."

The offensive front should be big and strong and six players will be in the rotation "1'caDaniel Stephens, Nick Perrotta, Joey Pratt, Alex Jauregui, Alex Smith and Darryl Thomas. Andrew Stanley is expected to be the tight end with big Raham Dixon at fullback.

Diandre Atwater (pictured) and Harry Obiorah are the top guys at tailback, while Walden Davis will see time there and at wideout. Joe Horn and Ahmaad Harris lead a group of playmakers at receiver that also features Derek Drumgo, Darien Horn, Stanton Truitt and Alex Paul.

The quarterback job goes to senior Billy Best.

"Billy's had a good summer and a good spring," Fleetwood said. "Week in and week out, the guy in that position is going to have to make plays. Getting a year of experience has helped him tremendously."

Defense

The Lions have relied on a stout defense for years, last season included. Only two opponents scored more than 17 points on them, holding Collins Hill, Mill Creek and Norcross to just 14 points each (though all three games were losses).

A major chore is re-tooling the linebacking corps, which will feature three new starters. Sean Eben and 280-pound Tony Porter are back on the defensive line, while Denzel Ozieh could be a surprise star at defensive end.

The secondary is clearly the unit's strength with four returning starters "1'cacornerbacks Christian Goodlett and Ray Buchanan and safeties D'Aaron Hill and Alex Gray.

"Those four back there have got a bunch of experience," Fleetwood said. "They've really started standing out in practice, jumping up and making plays."

Down year

Though Peachtree Ridge had a winning record at 6-4, its end result last season was disappointing because there was no state playoff berth.

The Lions still had a postseason shot in the ninth game, but a loss to Mill Creek dashed those hopes. After starting the season 5-0, they dropped four of their last five games.

They're hopeful to turn things around this season.

"It's really important (to make the playoffs)," Fleetwood said. "It's our goal to get to the playoffs, win the region and win the state championship. Some years it's easier than others to get there. But we strive to get to the playoffs. Because when you get into the playoffs from this region, you never know what can happen. Anybody can go all the way."

Last year's rough stretch ended a run of four straight trips to the playoffs. That span featured three seasons of 10-plus wins with a state championship and a state runner-up finish.

Etc.

Fleetwood has taken the Furman-style diamond off the Peachtree Ridge helmets. He's in the process of deciding whether to replace it with a Lion decal or with each player's number. "We're interested in the Peachtree Ridge community, from the high school down to the elementary school, and we're Lions. We're going to brand that, emphasize that." ... The roster includes four sons of former NFL football players: Joe Horn (father Joe), Diandre and Paris Atwater (father Steve) and Ray Buchanan (father Ray). ... The Lions added former Auburn/Citadel quarterback Jeff Klein, who played at Chattahoochee, as their quarterbacks coach. Former defensive line coach Matt Hollis has taken over as defensive coordinator.

-Will Hammock

Peachtree Ridge Roster

2 Christian Goodlett CB 12

3 Ray Buchanan CB 12

4 Joe Horn WR 11

5 Harry Obiorah RB/DB 12

6 Derek Drumgo WR 11

7 Ahmaad Harris WR/CB 12

8 D.J. Condrey WR 11

10 Davis Lackey QB 10

11 Billy Best QB 12

12 Bryson Sellers QB 11

13 Farrell Snow WR 12

14 Justin Condry DB 10

15 Stanton Truitt WR/QB 10

16 Derek Broome S 11

17 D'Aaron Hill S 12

18 Garrett Seckler WR 11

19 Darien Horn WR 11

20 Steven Wright S 11

21 Alex Gray S 12

22 Myron Burton WR/DB 10

23 Walden Davis WR/RB 10

24 Danny Obiorah WR 11

25 Jackson Trawick DB 11

26 Matt Beazley WR 11

27 Diandre Atwater RB 12

28 Myles Jack LB/RB 11

29 Neiko Hill DB 11

30 Chad Pollit DB 11

32 Bryan Willis RB 12

33 Chris Muomah DE 12

34 Darian Pogman LB 11

35 R.J. Murray LB 11

36 Jalen Burnett RB 10

37 Louis Mayrone DB 10

38 Devon Jones WR 10

39 Alex Paul RB 11

40 Devin Davidson LB 11

41 Tarrel Boddie LB 11

42 Clay Fortin LB 11

43 James Little RB 11

44 Raham Dixon FB/LB 12

45 Josh Wahl LB/LS 12

46 Chris Snow RB 11

47 A.J. Houston DL 10

48 Paris Atwater LB 10

49 Andrew Stanley TE/LB 11

50 Terrell Hammond LB 11

51 Joey Pratt OL 12

52 Darrion Spence DL 11

53 Malachi Chang-Smith LB 10

54 Tony Porter DL/OL 11

55 Dominick Hall DE/TE 12

56 Joseph Mukassa DE 10

57 Sean Eben DE/OL 12

58 Preye Ada-Wilson DL 11

58 Nick Perrotta OL 12

59 Kendall Cobb OL 10

60 Daniel Stephens OL 11

61 Davonte Boyd OL 10

62 Darryl Thomas OL 11

63 David Yang OL 11

65 Henry Caicedo LB 10

67 Kaelen Ragland DL 12

69 Sung-Tae Kim OL 11

70 Alex Jauregui OL 12

72 Alex Smith OL 11

73 Harold Nguyen OL 10

74 Christian Boatright OL 12

76 Aaron Nauert OL 11

77 Adam Blue DL/TE 11

79 Sean McWilliams OL 11

80 Tyler Dean TE 10

81 Aaron Harris DE 10

82 Laurence Bailey DB 11

83 Trevor Campbell WR 10

84 Malik Black WR 10

85 Jared Stone TE 12

86 Adam Simonton DE 11

87 Tremaine Leopold RB 12

88 Denzel Ozieh DE 12

89 Drew Moody LB 10

90 Deante Brabham DL 12

91 Marc Lewis OL 12

92 Jacob Steinberg LB 10

93 Theo Williams CB 12

94 Nick Odom DL 10

95 Andre Harris DB 10

96 Jared Brisker DB 11

97 Alvin Cade DB 12

98 Justin Edwards TE 10

99 Connor Rouleau PK/P 11