As the saying goes, close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes. Just ask Harris County head football coach Tommy Parks. His Class AAAA Tigers were close in a lot of Georgia High School Association football games in 2010, but struggled to finish, losing six games by a touchdown or less, including two in overtime and three by a mere field goal.
That’s enough to make Coach Parks lose his religion. Take the Griffin game, for instance. Harris County was beating Griffin 6-0 with less than two minutes remaining when the Bears connected on a Hail Mary pass to win in dramatic fashion.
“They had third and forever and threw a 97-yard touchdown pass,” lamented Parks, who starts his eighth year at Harris County this fall. Painful losses during the 2010 campaign, like the one to Griffin, left the Tigers with an underachieving record of 3-7, and 2-4 in Region 3A competition.
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| Harris County defensie end Jordan Jenkins (90) is one of the top college prospects in the nation. |
What’s more, last season was the first time the Tigers missed the playoffs since 2006. For the 2011 season, Parks hopes the Harris County defense can once again keep the Tigers in ballgames and the offense can produce enough points to win. The Tigers return eight starters from the 2010 defense that only allowed 10 points per game.
Anchoring the defense is the highly touted and explosive Jordan Jenkins (6’3/245), a four-year starter and one of the top college football prospects in the nation. The senior defensive end had 80 tackles and 8.5 sacks as a junior while routinely fighting through two blockers. Jenkins had similar numbers as a sophomore, said Parks.
“All I can tell you is the kid can play football,” said Parks. “He is real explosive off the ball, very athletic. Plays hard. He practices like he plays. He is targeted by other teams—let’s block No. 90. He gets double teamed every play. His biggest asset is his competitiveness. That’s what keeps him grounded.”
The supporting cast around Jenkins on defense includes senior linebacker Jagger Buggs (6’3/230), junior defensive end Jay Ellison (6’2/285), senior outside linebacker Jalliane Coverson (5’10/190), junior free safety Diquan Roberts (6’0/175), junior linebacker Tyler Denova (5’10/190), senior defensive lineman Jordan Durham (6’2/210), senior defensive back Roquez Harris (5’10/170), and senior defensive back Devon Moore (5’9/160).
“We take a lot of pride in playing defense in Harris County,” said Parks. “My job is to move that over to the offensive side of the ball. We are going to be fairly young on offense, but athletic. We’re starting some sophomores and juniors. We’re real excited about it. They are hungry to play and eager to make a difference.”
Projected started on offense, per Parks, are seniors Curtis Johnson (OL, 6’2/230), Zac Rovig (FB, 6’1/210), and Tevon Moore (WR, 5’9/160). Expected to see playing time at running back Roberts, Harris and sophomore Esiasas Chapman (RB, 5’10/175). The Tigers have four spots to fill on the offensive line. “We got five or six kids fighting for offensive line spots,” said Parks. “We lost all of our offensive line but Johnson.”
The starting quarterback job is still up for grabs, Parks said, but the leading contenders are junior Justin Wright (5’10/170) and freshman Taeqan Marshall (5’10/165). Marshall was the Middle School Player of the Year two years in a row at Harris County Middle School. Marshall’s teammate, wide receiver Tay Crowder (6’1/175), is another outstanding freshman player. “They won back-to-back championships in middle school,” said Parks. “They played everywhere—running back, receiver, quarterback.”
Other players who should contribute this season, said the coach, are junior wide receiver Zac Kelly (5’11/170), sophomore wide receiver A.J. Howard (5’9/165), and senior running back/wide receiver Zac Thomason (5’10/170).
“The goal is to win a playoff game,” noted Parks. “We’ve never won a playoff game. Every time we’ve made it we’ve had to play one of the powerhouse schools like Peach County, Griffin and Statesboro in the first round. It’s time to jump back up, strap on our boots and get back to work.”
By John Carroll
IN THE GAME HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE
Harris County Tigers
GHSA, AAAA, Region 3A
Head Coach: Tommy Parks
Colors: Black and Gold
2010 Results:
Record: 3-7, Region: 2-4
Points scored: 142
Points allowed: 157
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