New head football coach Jeff Pickren (left) brings an unbridled enthusiasm to the Kings Ridge football program. If the coach ever has any questions he can ask former Roswell coaches Tim McFarlin (right)?or Ray Manus (not pictured).

By Jason Longshore

Stepping onto the field at King’s Ridge Christian School for a preseason practice, it’s impossible to miss the family atmosphere surrounding the young Tiger football team. Coach Jeff Pickren is building a comprehensive football program at the school and he’s doing it even though his varsity football team sometimes shares a practice field with Kings Ridge students half their age (Kings Ridge is a K-12 school). However, Pickren isn’t worried about who he shares the field with, he’s worried about how many varsity guys he has and he likes the growth of the program so far, “We could have as many as 60 players on the varsity team in three years,” said Coach Pickren.

Pickren will have a wealth of experience to call upon as he builds the foundation for both the high school and middle school programs. Roswell High School legends Ray Manus and Tim McFarlin have joined him at King’s Ridge. Add in the combined 50+ years of experience on his coaching staff and Coach Pickren has the tools in place to build a successful program in a relatively short period of time.

Roswell Connection

Upon his hire, principal George Dempsey said, “Ray Manus is a legend in local high school football, and his incredible character and integrity only add to his many accomplishments.” Manus was head coach at Roswell for 23 years, Roswell High School’s stadium is now named for him. McFarlin succeeded him and won a state championship in 2006.

“It was a good way to stay connected in football and help build a program from the ground up,” said coach McFarlin. “I knew the headmaster at the school and everything was a great fit.”

“Ray and Tim are role models to me as a coach,” said Coach Pickren. “The kids have the utmost respect for them and their accomplishments.”

The Tigers will play a Georgia Independent Schools Association (GISA) schedule in 2009, with Georgia High School Association (GHSA) play scheduled to begin in 2010. With a new weight room, beautiful turf stadium field and an additional grass practice field, everything is falling into place for the new program. 700 seats will be in place in the stadium just in time for opening night on August 28th. The team will be playing six varsity games this year, along with two junior varsity games.

The New Coach

Pickren, 32 years old, is a former linebacker at Milton High School. His 2009 roster will have around 24 players. “We might not have the best athletes, but our players are very smart and very disciplined,” said Pickren. “We ask a lot of them on the mental side of the game.”

McFarlin runs the offense for the Tigers, who will be running a basic I-formation. Running the football and eliminating mistakes will be important for the young team.

Pickren is in charge of the defense. “We’ll use a 4-3, stay tough on the run, and try to play hard and fast,” said the enthusias tic coach.

With a small roster, players are expected to play both ways. Players to watch include Jeff Snead (LB/RB), Connor Beachum (WR), Jason McCoy (QB), Will Reagan (OL), and Luke McCracken (TE). Avoiding injury will be crucial, as they have already seen Miles Marshall go down. “It’s a shame, he’s been one of our hardest workers,” said Pickren.

Back to the basics

The basics will be very important for the Tigers, as many of the players are relatively inexperienced. King’s Ridge football program began in 2007 with a middle school team. Last year, the team went 4-2 while playing a mix of varsity and junior varsity games in GISA. Many of the players had never played organized football prior to the start of the program. “We have four seniors this year, with three of them playing for the first time last year,” said Coach Pickren.

While the players may lack in experience, their commitment is strong across the board. The Tigers had a great summer in the weight room and they showed much improvement in the summer passing leagues.

Starting a program is nothing new to Pickren; he was involved in the start-up at Mt. Pigsah Christian School. “I’ve learned to focus on what you can control and to relax,” said Pickren. Principal George Dempsey brought in Pickren, who he taught and coached at Milton, to build the Tigers’ program. While competition is important, the staff at King’s Ridge is also focused on the bigger picture. “Football is a great way to teach the kids skills for life,” said Pickren.

The level of competition will improve in 2010 as the Tigers join the GHSA ‘A’ division. “Our goal is to be among the highest level of single A teams,” said Pickren. The experience of his coaching staff is vital in that preparation. “Our current sophomores are the ones who started the program, back as eighth graders three years ago,” said Pickren. “I would love to see those guys as seniors competing in playoff games, they’re such a good group of kids.”

With almost as many players on this year’s eighth grade squad as there are on the varsity team, Pickren sees a rapidly growing Tiger program.

Football: Front Row L to R -  Will Reagan, Trent Carpenter, Ralph Corser, Miles Marshall, Connor White, Charlie Welch, Trent Corbett, Allen Hetzel, Matt McGuire   Back Row L to R – Kyle Gorman, Connor Beecham, Clay Westing, Ron Jones, Sash Calloway, Roman Melnikoff, Marc Whitley, Hunter Damron, Luke McCracken, Jeff Sneed, JJ Jarrard, Julian Champ, Jason McCoy

Jason Longshore on Kings Ridge

PREDICTION: Everything is in place for King’s Ridge to build a successful program very quickly. There are not many coaching staffs in the state with the type of experience Jeff Pickren has put together for his Tigers. That will greatly reduce the learning curve for the kids in the program.  

Pickren’s goal this year is to get his underclassmen as much experience as possible in order to prepare them for GHSA play in 2010. Repetitions and game experience are the keys for these players.

With the help Pickren has on the sideline, the Tigers should be in good shape. All the small schools in the area need to be on the lookout for the King’s Ridge Tigers.

Cheerleading: Front row, l to r:  Allie Wallin, Lindsay McClure, Courtney Guhl, Mackenzie Ryals, Maddie McBrayer Back row, l to r: Ashton Dickinson, Catherine Henderson, Mackenzie Guhl, Hillary McManus