3A Georgia High School Programs On The Rise

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jefferson High School won the state title in 3A last season, but there are a ton of teams that will make things interesting. These are the five upcoming teams that I believe are on the rise and have a sneaky chance at winning the state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">Heritage (Ringgold)</mark></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Heritage Generals have a ton of underrated talent that remains with the team, but the main piece that the team is keeping for his final season is [player_tooltip player_id='416465' first='Brayden' last='Stoker']. Stoker is one of the better players in the area when it comes to the wide receiver aspect of things, and he is someone who has been viewed as a top name in the state when it comes to the 50/50 ball. He is built like a tight end and is being recruited heavily for a reason. This is a sneaky good team that could make things interesting come this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">Northwest Whitfield</mark></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Northwest Whitfield Bruins are a team that I am very familiar with. Coach Robinson and his staff remain one of the more legendary groups in the northern part of the state, as they have all the talent they could want at a handful of positions. The first player that comes to mind is [player_tooltip player_id='1163339' first='Gavin' last='Nuckolls'], who is no longer with the team, which is a huge loss, but the Bruins will be returning some of their better wide receivers on the roster. One of the players who is returning is [player_tooltip player_id='1870257' first='Kyle' last='Cummings'], whom I am very high on. Another being [player_tooltip player_id='1922587' first='Kade' last='Mitchell'], who has the chance to be really dangerous in the slot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">Calhoun</mark></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='409989' first='Trace' last='Hawkins'] is going to be [player_tooltip player_id='409989' first='Trace' last='Hawkins']. What this means is that any chance that he has the chance to put the game away, he is going to do just that. The Yellow Jackets have some of the better players in the northern part of the state, and will only showcase more talent, which is something that they have done multiple times in the past. The Calhoun school will be one of the teams to watch the most because of their high-powered offense that will hang enough points on the board to make a defensive coordinator second-guess his play calling.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">Troup County</mark></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blaize Bell and the Troup County squad have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball that will make things seem like they never left. This will be one of the many seasons that they have a case to compete for the state championship, as the program will be one of the better-balanced teams in the state. While competing against some of the other teams in the division may be tough at times, I'm not so sure that Troup would fall short of any. This team will be dangerous under their leadership, and this team has the chance to go all the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color"><strong>West Laurens</strong></mark></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Laurens High School lost a ton of talent following their one-loss season, but even when losing a ton of talent, there is no fear, as this isn't a team that rebuilds; it is a team that simply reloads. They will be back in contention this year, with another chance at bringing the trophy home to their program. Some of the hardest working athletes in the state, which is something that will show come game days, as this team is one I am personally watching closely in this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->