In 2015, Houston County enjoyed their best season of the past 25 years after finishing with an 11-2 record. The Bears reached the third round of the Class AAAAA State Playoffs before Allatoona defeated them 59-47. This will be the fourth year coaching Houston County for Von Lassiter, who over the past three years holds an overall record of 28-9.
Senior quarterback Jake Fromm totaled 4,073 yards passing last season on 421 passing attempts with 36 total passing touchdowns. Fromm was also able to limit his interception total to seven.
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Photo via 247sports |
The 6-foot-2 220-pound quarterback parlayed his impressive year into Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2015 and will look to repeat this year before he heads to play at the University of Georgia in 2017. Fromm will have plenty of talent to throw to as two of the top three receiving leaders from 2015 will return.
Fromm was not the only Houston County offensive player to receive accolades from the state of Georgia. The Georgia Sports Writers Association recognized Trey Hill (2nd
Team), Amari Colbert (2nd
Team), Jordan Strevig (Honorable Mention) and Darion Anderson (Honorable Mention) as a part of their AAAAA All-State football teams. Strevig and Anderson are the only two of the five recognized players that graduated in 2016. Anderson will be attending Georgia Southern this fall as a 4-star recruit.
Houston County's returning receiving duo of 6-foot-3 Amari Colbert and 6-foot-2 Eli Watson combined for 1,639 yards receiving and 17 receiving touchdowns. The duo also averaged over 20 yards per catch and hauled in 75 combined receptions. The two both have offers from several Division I schools and will look to lead what should be a very high-powered offense this season in Houston County.
Junior running back Javon West will be the primary tailback this season after having a solid sophomore year as a backup in 2015. The sophomore totaled 547 yards rushing and scored 11 touchdowns in the 2015 campaign. He also chipped in with 180 receiving yards in the pass game. His workload should increase from the limited 87 carries he received last year, as 2015 leading rusher Chris Brinson graduated this spring.
The 2015 Houston County Bears defense was led by three seniors in Bennie Steadman, Myron Jacobs and Rontravious Byron. Each of the three seniors had over 50 total tackles, as Steadman led the charge with 95 total tackles. Linebacker Mack McCullough and defensive back Keshaun Johnson will be two of the top returning starters on the defensive side of the ball in 2016. Keshaun Johnson finished tied for first on the team last year with two interceptions. McCullough finished fourth on the team with 43 tackles.
The loss of several key players on the defensive side will more than likely take a toll on the team's defensive output. However, a potent offensive attack led by Jake Fromm and numerous returning skill players should lead Houston County deep into the playoffs once again.
HOUSTON COUNTY 2016 SCHEDULE
The defense was able to create 11 interceptions over the course of the season and sacked the opposing quarterback 25 times.
