After 8-3 finish, Rome’s expectations remain high-level

Rome may not have won a championship last year, but coach John Reid believes his Wolves remain as good as any of the top teams in the state. They’ve averaged 10.5 wins over the past 10 seasons (only 17 programs are averaging more), and their season has ended at the hands of the eventual state champions two of the past three seasons (Hughes in 2022 and Thomas County Central in 2023).

“You don’t want to measure your program by losses, but the losses these kids have had have been high-level,” Reid said.

Reid, who led Rome to 2016 and 2017 state titles, is looking to build on Rome’s regional dominance — just six region losses in 10 years, and none in the past three — and to use homefield advantage to push through the playoffs to Atlanta.

Since Reid took over, Rome is 66-9 at Barron Stadium, home of the Wolves. This includes a run of winning 42 of 43 games that started in 2015, Reid’s first season, and ended in 2021.

Rome’s 2024 season, which produced only an 8-3 record, was one of remarkable resilience as the team overcame a preseason rollover bus crash that forced the team to cancel its opening game. Rome still advanced to the round of 16 in the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 seasons.

Reid says the goal is always to be a better coach than you were last year. After an 8-3 season Reid wanted his players to compete more in the offseason, so he added a couple of OTAs (organized team activities) this offseason, allowing for multiple reevaluations of the roster and their depth.

“Like I tell the kids, everybody lifts, practices and watches film,” Reid said. “It’s how you do it. I think that’s the key (to) what our plan is.”

That plan consists of scheduling high-level competition. Rome opens with a scrimmage against Douglas County — a team boasting more future FBS talent this year than many programs have had in decades.

Rome’s first four games aren’t much easier. The Wolves open the season with three straight at home against Creekside, Carrollton and Toombs County before traveling to East Paulding for the region opener. The combined record of those opponents was 47-7 last season.

Reid is excited about his defensive line heading into the year. Edge rusher G’Dashian “Dash” Kinnebrew returns for his senior season after earning all-state honors as a junior. He was among three players named Defensive Player of the Year in Region 5-5A last season.

This season, he’ll be joined by transfer defensive lineman Jyquice McCrary. McCrary had 24 tackles last season for Rockmart as a sophomore, and this offseason, he picked up a handful of offers, including those from Georgia and Georgia Tech.

Senior safety Darnell Collins, a Georgia Tech commit, will be a two-way player. On offense, he’ll be lined up with another Georgia Tech commit in wide receiver Jeremy Winston, another senior. Both were first-team all-region players last season.

Reid recognizes that running the ball and stopping the run are the keys to success, and he says the running back position will be held by senior Jeremy Ragland and sophomore Justin Spivey, in tandem.

While Reid keeps most of his roster decisions and ideas close to the vest and didn’t reveal who would be under center to open the season, he mentioned that he is confident in all three potential starting quarterbacks.

It could be senior Braxton Anderson, junior Aidan McPherson or freshman Zack Parker. While returners Anderson and McPherson provide Reid with consistency and a level of trust over the years, Parker could be a bit of a wildcard.

He hasn’t even stepped foot in a high school classroom yet, but Parker already has the attention of college scouts. Parker spent some time this spring visiting top programs around the country, including Georgia and Texas A&M, and has already received offers from Memphis and UAB.

Parker got to experience his first taste of high school action this spring for the Wolves. In the game, Reid separated the intrasquad scrimmage into an old rivalry in the city.

Reid held the first East-West Rome Spring Game — a symbolic effort to honor the past and unify the future.

“The biggest thing we did was we bought replica jerseys,” Reid said. “So, we had the Gladiators’ and the Chieftans’ actual jerseys on out there. The community loved it, and a lot of people came. And the proceeds went to our youth development program.”

This fall, when players, coaches and fans head across the bridge for their ceremonial Wolf Walk, not only will fans wear Rome’s Red and Gold, but expect a hint of East Rome blue and some West Rome green sprinkled within the crowd.

Schedule:

8/15      Creekside

8/29      Carrollton

9/5        Toombs County

9/12      at East Paulding

9/19      Alexander

10/3      Villa Rica

10/10   at Lithia Springs

10/17   South Paulding

10/24   at New Manchester

10/31   Kennesaw Mountain