Riley Thomas

Bonds: Who has been your biggest influence in your football career and why?

Thomas: I’d probably say during my freshman year, Coach Hamilton. He just helped me with the transfer from Red Bud and helped me get through the football season.

Bonds: Which game has been the most meaningful to you and why?

Thomas: Last year when we played Armuchee and came back down with 21-0.

Bonds: How do you prepare mentally and physically before a game?

Thomas: I’m usually just in my locker listening to music, headphones on.

Bonds: What is one lesson football has taught you that applies off the field?

Thomas: You have to be able to rely on people around you.

Bonds: If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self starting out?

Thomas: Just work harder during off season.

Bonds: What goals do you have for this season?

Thomas: Go all state and hopefully get some offers.

Bonds: Outside of football, what do you hope to achieve in life?

Thomas: I’d like to start my own business.

Draden Manis

Bonds: Who has been your biggest influence in your football career and why?

Manis: I really feel like my biggest influence would probably be Coach Prather because he just makes me want to get better at football.

Bonds: Which game has been the most meaningful to you and why?

Manis: I guess beating Butler since we lost last year, and then this year we beat them by 20 plus. We’re also 2-0.

Bonds: How do you prepare mentally and physically before a game?

Manis: I warm up, I prepare my mind and get really locked in. I focus on the game and when it’s game time I’m just ready.

Bonds: What is one lesson football has taught you that applies off the field?

Manis: I feel like a lesson football has taught me is to just be a leader.

Bonds: If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self starting out?

Manis: To never take any of the plays for granted and to always put 100% in every play.

Bonds: What goals do you have for this season?

Manis: The goal is to be undefeated.

Bonds: Outside of football, what do you hope to achieve in life?

Manis: Make a lot of money by being an engineer.

Morgan Schwartz

Bonds: Who has been your biggest influence in your football career and why?

Schwartz: Coach Gowan has been my biggest influence since playing football, he always pushes the team hard.

Bonds: Which game has been the most meaningful to you and why?

Schwartz: The most meaningful game to me was when we played against South East. The overtime was nice.

Bonds: How do you prepare mentally and physically before a game?

Schwartz: I usually mentally and physically prepare before a game by sleeping.

Bonds: What is one lesson football has taught you that applies off the field?

Schwartz: I’ve definitely learned to be more patient with others.

Bonds: If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self starting out?

Schwartz: If I were to plan on transferring then I would have done it earlier. I’d also practice during the off season a lot more.

Bonds: What goals do you have for this season?

Schwartz: My goal is to make the playoffs.

Bonds: Outside of football, what do you hope to achieve in life?

Schwartz: One thing I want to achieve is to go to college.

Coach Gowan

Bonds: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced coaching a football team?

Gowan: I think most of the time it’s just motivation. It’s very tough to be consistent day in and day out. I have to bring the energy everyday. If I have a bad day, our team has a bad day.

Bonds: How do you handle athletes with different skill levels on the same team?

Gowan: The same way as a teacher does, they learn how to differentiate instruction and I do the same thing. We spend all spring and summer working on plays. For example, I have a kid who’s a 3 year starter and a kid who’s never played football. I’ve got to teach them the same skill but I have to teach it different to different kids.

Bonds: What inspired you to become a coach?

Gowan: I went to engineering school at the University of Florida and I was super smart, Í never made a B in highschool. I made my first C during my first year of college, and I made my first B my second year of college. It just got to a point where I had to work really hard to make good grades, and I wasn’t necessarily in love with it. I had a passion that was something else, and that was wanting to be a coach. One of my biggest mentors in the world is my cousin. He was a Hall of Fame retired coach, and he told me straight up the first time I talked to him about it that he supported me and he felt like I should do it, and that I should have always done it.

Bonds: How do you prepare your team mentally before a big game?

Gowan: The athlete process was completely different from when I played. When I played on game days, kids showed up and they didn’t say a single word, they’d be locked in. Nowadays our kids have attention spans because of their phones, so I let the kids be kids. I try to bring them together a couple of times and have focus. We do a walkthrough together every game day. Mainly I just let the kids play at that point. On game days, it’s over with.

Bonds: What has been your proudest moment as a coach?

Gowan: This team. To be honest with you, we’ve got some kids who have never played, they’re not good. But watching them develop and being able to take a step, and it’s like watching your child grow. We’ve got some kids that are 9th graders who you have no idea who they are, guys that decided to start playing to be a part of something, the great teammates, those are just great experiences. Another really proud moment is the fact that we had a chance to fold at the Southeast Whitfield game, and I honestly think this team last year would have folded, but I went in there during halftime and said, “We’re gonna go out here, this is not who we are.” And the players responded. That was a really proud moment as a coach.