Kell set to kick off high school football season in Georgia

John Bednarowski, Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
·3 min read

Aug. 16—Kell will have the honor of opening the 2022 high school football season with the first official game in Georgia.

The Longhorns, who went 6-5 in 2021, will face Cherokee Bluff in the opening game of the Corky Kell Classic on Wednesday at Johns Creek High School. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m., with the game broadcast on Peachtree TV.

Traditionally, Kell has played in the first game of the final day of the Corky Kell Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but with the Saturday schedule being condensed from five games to four, the Longhorns traded in the 9 a.m. Saturday game for a late-afternoon kickoff during the week.

"It's exciting to showcase our program," new Kell coach Bobby May said. "It's great exposure, and it offers extra prestige. We understand what it means, being Kell in the Corky Kell Classic."

May had spent the last three years as the coach at Westlake before succeeding Brett Sloan at Kell, which, like the season-opening Classic, was named after the late Corky Kell, the longtime Cobb County high school coach and administrator.

It was only five years ago the Cherokee Bluff program was born, but it has not taken coach Tommy Jones very long to build a winning program in Flowery Branch.

Last year in Class AAA, the Bears went 11-1 and won their second straight region championship. Over the last two years, they are 21-3, after going 3-17 in the first two years.

"They are well-coached," May said. "They are big and physical. It's going to be a tough game."

This will be Cherokee Bluff's first year in Class AAAA. While the Bears are making that transition, Kell moved down a level to Class AAAAA, and it has had to make the transition to May and many new voices on the coaching staff.

"It's always a big transition," said May, who guided Westlake to the Class AAAAAA state semifinals in 2020 and the quarterfinals in 2021. "From January to May, it's tougher. It's a bit lonely because it seems like you are the only one in the building, but this summer, we've had everyone here, and the kids are buying into our vision."

One other transition the team is making is at quarterback, where junior Bryce Clavon, a transfer from Dutchtown High School, has taken over for Davion Hampton. Clavon, a dual-threat signal-caller, will rely on Hampton as one of his starting receivers, along with Justin Logan.

All three players are dynamic with the ball and will be joined by Ryan Barrett at running back as some of the main weapons on that side of the ball.

Hampton will also see a lot of time at safety, and Logan at linebacker. All of the players have Division I potential, as does defensive lineman Josh Barker, a senior with 81 tackles and 8 1/2 sacks a year ago.

Cherokee Bluff will be looking to fill some holes on offense, but the defense is still expected to be stout. The Bears had three shutouts and gave up just 11.7 points per game. Connor Griffin had 52 tackles in just eight games, and Jhace Justice is back after having a team-high three interceptions last season.