It’s approximately 41 miles from Cambridge High School, in North Fulton County, to Pickens High School in Jasper. The drive really doesn’t take that long, but it has allowed Dragons Coach Craig Bennett to discover a new world.

“What I found was just the sense of community here that is unbelievable,” says Bennett. “You don't have it in those metro areas as much, because there are so many schools. We’ve got one high school. So, it was this community and the support that was very intriguing to me. It's been all that I expected and more.”

A native of Forsyth County, Bennett has served at a number of schools but has seldom tarried far from the Hwy. 400 corridor. He launched the program at Cambridge when the school opened in 2012 and led the Bears to a region title and fivee state playoff berths. Then came a new challenge in a different location.

“Cambridge was a great place for me,” says Bennett. “They were really good to me.  I wasn't chasing wins. I wasn't chasing money, but the administration side of it. With the superintendent to Chris Parker, being assistant superintendent, to Matt Combs, who was a head football coach and very successful at Alexander. Those three guys in those positions really were the draw for me to take that chance. I’ve heard coaches all through the years say that when you get to a certain point in your career you chase administration.”

Pickens

(L-R) Captains McCord Purdy, Hayden Jones, Payton House and Oscar Rivera walk to the center of the field for the coin toss.

Credit: Jacob Pair, Pickens High School

“Coach Bennett has done a tremendous job of joining our community,” says Parker, who coached the Dragons for seven seasons. “He leads by example, builds relationships and accepts accountability. He greets all students at the door each morning and is taking part in community events. We are excited to have Coach Bennett and his family in Pickens County.”

Once he arrived, Bennett noticed a difference in roster size. His Cambridge teams had always played in the 5A or 6A class. Pickens competes in Class 3A.

“Numbers were a little low,” recalls Bennett. “I remember a lot of people talking about Chris (Parker) when he was there and had 100 something kids at a 3A school. We're roughly about 70-72, in that range. Got some kids in the last couple of weeks that decided to come out. I think they're waiting to see what it’s going to be like with the new coach and new staff.  We got a couple baseball kids, couple basketball kids came out.  So, we’re still out recruiting the halls and trying to get some more kids.” 

The Dragons passed on spring football, opting to play two preseason scrimmages instead. What the group may have lacked in numbers, they more than made up for it with enthusiasm. Something special was happening. Call it rejuvenation for the program and the coach.

“They want to be good,” says Bennett. “Their work ethic was unbelievable.  They wanted to be coached. They were so eager for relationships. That was so striking to me that they were willing to buy in and do what we wanted them to do really early.  We’re going to change things. Not that we were right and anybody else was wrong. They just needed change, and that was refreshing because they haven't had success in the last couple of years. To see what they were willing to do was really, really refreshing.”

pickens

Hayden Jones has made the successful transformation from wide receiver to quarterback.

Credit: Jacob Pair, Pickens High School

To tell the story of last week’s win over Sonoraville, we have to go back to the week before. The season opened with a meeting with those other Dragons, from Pepperell.  It was impacted by storms that rolled through Northwest Georgia. It proved to be an early season character check for Pickens.

“It was kind of a split scenario for us with that game,” recalls Bennett. “Pepperell came in, they got a new coach and, they’ve got some phenomenal players. They're going to win a lot of ball games. We got six minutes in and Pepperell was up on us by 14. (Due to weather) we had to come back Saturday and finish the game and to be honest with you, that was probably the best thing for us. You never like a split deal where you have to come back and finish the game but we got our minds reset and we kind of retooled our kids a little bit. We came out and did some really good things. Pepperrell is going to be a really good football team. Coach (Brandon) Hayward over there is going to do a really good job.”

There were many lessons learned in the 31-28 victory for Bennett’s team and they would not have to wait long to put some of them to good use.  Last Friday against Sonoraville, the Dragons found themselves trailing again.

“Sonoraville is a very well-coached team,” says Bennett.  “They are tough and have some really good players. They’ve got a three-star tight end that we had to deal with and a really good quarterback. I think going down 14-0 against Pepperrell and really getting our kids to learn how to respond was big. We told them to not worry about the scoreboard and just play the next play. It gave them some confidence to say ‘hey, we're not really out of it’.  We got down to Sonoraville by seven with six or seven minutes left and they were like, OK, we're good. So, we are just getting those kids to understand how to respond to certain situations and they're really buying into that.”

The 2-0 start is the first for the program since 2018 when the Dragons went 11-1 and won the Region 6-4A title in Parker's final season as head coach. 

Bennett has a solid field leader for the offense. Hayden Jones has proven very capable at quarterback, after playing a different position last season. He threw for 140 yards and ran for 130 yards in the win over the Phoenix.

“He's been a blessing really,” says Bennett. “He’s a dual threat kid. He really has taken the offense on his back the last couple of weeks, made some big-time plays for us and extended some plays for us. He's calm, cool and very smart. Hayden makes the right reads and it’s only his second varsity start. He played wide receiver last year, so he's going to continue to grow each week. I think he's going to jump leaps and bounds by the end of the year with the experience he's going to have.”

Pickens

McCord Purdy caught six passes for 129 yards in the win over Sonoraville.

Credit: Jacob Pair, Pickens High School

But the Dragons aren’t a one-man team.

“We haven't given up a sack yet,” exclaims Bennett. “That’s huge in high school protection. Our offensive line coaches are doing a phenomenal job. We got some really good players up there. McCord Purdy has been Hayden’s primary target over the course of the last two games. I think this past week he had six catches for 129 yards. It’s funny, McCord and Hayden were both the top two receivers in the region last year as sophomores. McCord does a lot for us. He plays corner. He kicks off for us. He kicks extra points. He returns kicks. He returns punts. He's kind of does everything for us. He's a phenomenal young man. Probably one of the biggest competitors I've ever seen in high school football. He just wants to win every single rep and does everything the right way. We got two linebackers who have really a played a lot. They're both seniors, Oscar Rivera and Hunter Bryant. Our secondary doesn't have a ton of experience, but we are working to get better and trying to stop this option this week.”

And now it’s Throwback Week! This week Pickens faces Gilmer, a team that beat them last year for the first time since 2013. Coach Paul Standard is starting his fourth season leading the Bobcats. They were a playoff team last season and Standard brought the option with him from his days at St Pius. Don’t fumble the ball in the first quarter, because you might not see it again until after halftime.

“That’s the thing with seeing it once a year,” says Bennett. “You can't replicate it with scout teams. You don't want to get your starting offensive guys hurt because of how they do things. So, it's tough, it really is. You have to watch a lot of film. Coach Standard has done it for a long time. He's going to have an answer. If you change and give him a junk defense he's got answers.” 

Pickens

Hayden Jones crosses the goal line for a touchdown.

Credit: Jacob Pair, Pickens High School

So, Craig Bennett’s new team is off to a great start and he’s not missing the bright lights of the big city. He is settling in at Pickens and is happy, but far from satisfied. You see, the season is young.

“Being 2-0 or 1-0 sometimes is harder to respond to than getting beat,” says Bennett. “Winning can mask a lot of your mistakes.  Yes, we won, but we’ve got to be critical about how we fix our mistakes and how we grow from them. The key for this game is going to be stealing a possession or two and try to hold them to less than a 28-play drive. We know how the possessions are going to be so important, and we got to maximize what we can get out of each and every one of them.”

This week Football Friday in Georgia will feature Rome at Carrollton. It kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on the great GPB!