This matchup of Class AAAAAA titans will be a contrast of styles as the dynamic spread offense attack of North Gwinnett faces the grind-it-out Wing-T running game of Camden County. The two power programs have only met once in football, a 35-0 Camden County thrashing of the Bulldogs in the 2009 state quarterfinals.
Both programs have been fixtures in the top 10 in recent years and each has made multiple runs through the state playoffs. The Wildcats have won three state titles since 2003 while North Gwinnett has made the quarterfinals five times since 2006. While North Gwinnett has won 10 games or more seven straight seasons, Camden County’s streak of double-digit win seasons stretches back to 2001.
Welton Coffey steps in to try to fill the shoes of former Camden County coach Jeff Herron, who is now at Prince Avenue Christian. Coffey is familiar with the Wildcats’ system, as he has been with the Kingsland school since 2006. Coffey was an assistant coach at Valdosta for three seasons prior to coming to Camden County. Coffey was head coach at Raines (Fla.) for six seasons, which included a Class AAAA state championship in 1997.
North Gwinnett coach Bob Sphire has been with the Suwanee school since 2006 and has won 10 or more games in each season. The Brandenburg, Ky., native holds an impressive 78-13 record with the Bulldogs and also had successful high school coaching stints at Knott County Central (Ky.) and Lexington Catholic (Ky.). Additionally, Sphire was head coach of the Lexington Horsemen in the Indoor Football League from 2002-2003.
The Bulldogs enter this season with Sphire’s son, Hayden, manning the quarterback position. The younger Sphire will try to hit standout wide receivers Nate Brown, Caleb Scott and Daniel Imatorbhebhe against Camden County’s exceptional secondary, which is led by Alabama commitments Chris Williams and Kalvaraz Bessent. North Gwinnett running back C.J. Leggett, a transfer from Chattahoochee, will look for holes behind an offensive line that is led by junior Mitch Hyatt, who is one of the most highly-recruited players in the 2015 class.
Camden County will employ its vaunted Wing-T offensive formation, which averaged more than 39 points per game last season. The Wildcats will be replacing quarterback Brice Ramsey and running back J.J. Green, who are now both at Georgia. Senior offensive lineman Trayvon Williams, who is all of 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, leads Camden County’s line. The Wildcats pounded Milton 40-7 in a scrimmage last week, proving that they have not missed a step despite losing their head coach and several other key players from last season’s 11-2 Region 1 championship team.
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