The Etowah Eagles are coming off a 5-5 season with a first round playoff loss to East Coweta. The Eagles will be a very different team this year with Dalton Miller, Jackson Manns, and many other big-time players graduating. Etowah will be led by former Roswell Head Coach Matt Kemper after Coach Sevelah took a position at West Forsyth. The Eagles will be Cherokee County’s biggest question mark. This preview will be very different, as the Eagles have yet to name a starting QB.
Players to Watch:
Jr. RB/WR Remington Adams: Adams is poised to have a breakout season this year, with his speed and elusiveness. We expect him to thrive in the new spread system that Coach Kemper uses, where the jet sweep play is common. He is slightly undersized to be a typical running back, but it helps make him an open-field nightmare for the defense.
Sr. WR Brock Rechsteiner: The Rechsteiner name is familiar to any Cherokee County football fan, and Brock is another great athlete in the family. Brock was a huge part of the Eagles offense last season, providing a second option for Miller after Jackson Manns. Listed at 6’3” and 205 lbs, Brock is a big target with the ability to bring in highly contested passers. Whoever is named QB, Rechsteiner will be a reliable target for them.
Sr. DL Jared Weitkamp: Jared will play a big role in filling the void left by Raymone Devezin and Cole Milavonvic after they both graduated last season. He is able to play anywhere on the defensive line, however his speed makes him a better edge rusher than defensive tackle. Listed at 6’3” 245 lbs, we expect him to be a big part of the Eagles defense.
Sr. LB Austin Skinner: Austin tallied over 100 total tackles last season, along with 12 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Skinner was able to give the Eagles some speed and protection in the flats last season. He will be a key part in a Etowah linebacking core responsible for keeping run plays and underneath passes to short gains.
Sr. LB Lane Cantrell: Lane is the one of the other key pieces returning for the Eagles defense for 2020. Lane also has a prototypical build for a linebacker, listed at 6’0” and 190 lbs, he has the size to play the run inside and the speed to cover passes.
Sr. DB Trevor Fair: Trevor is slightly undersized, listed at 5’8” 145 lbs. However, if you watch him on film, he is one of the best at making open field tackles. Fair is also a dynamic part of the special teams, using his ability to make open field tackles to good use, and using his speed to return kicks. He will be a leader in the secondary this year for the Eagles, especially in a region that uses spread offenses.
Games to Watch: *- denotes games that will be featured on WLJA 101.1 FM as the Cherokee County game of the Week
*September 4th: Creekview @ Etowah*: The Eagles will open the season against one of the most promising teams in Cherokee County. The Creekview defense is led by a group of speedy linebackers, which should be a good matchup against the spread offense of Etowah. Etowah will need to rely on Brock Rechsteiner and the receiving core to spread the Creekview defense and use the size of their receivers to their advantage.
*September 18th: Etowah @ River Ridge*: River Ridge has made lots of progress over the past two seasons, coming extremely close to winning their first inter-county game last year. The Knights will rely heavily on the running game with Amhere Morrison and the Eagles will need the linebackers to control the run game and limit Morrison.
October 23rd: Etowah @ Milton: Milton was the 2018 State Champion for 7A and will be the first new region opponent for the Eagles. Milton is going to be difficult and is easily considered the favorite for region 5-7A, but Etowah has the ability to upset Milton. Milton lost 4 games last season, showing they are far from invincible. Some good news is that Coach Kemper is very familiar with Milton because of his time with Roswell. Etowah will be put to the test and will be a good way to measure how far the Eagles have come in the season.
*October 30th: Cherokee @ Etowah: One of the most exciting games in the season last year was this matchup when the Eagles took the victory in overtime. Cherokee is one of the most promising teams in the county, with the likes of A.J. Swann and Keith Adams JR. returning for 2020. The Eagles will have to limit the impact of both of those guys to pull out the win like they did last season.
*November 6th: Etowah @ Woodstock:* The Battle of Towne Lake, easily one of the top 3 rivalries in Cherokee County. Etowah won last year but this matchup will be much different this season. This far into the preseason, we still do not know who will be the Quarterback for either of these teams. Both teams do have lots of athletes returning, making this game a bit of a wildcard. When it comes to a rivalry this big, throw out everything you know and enjoy the ride.
