Third-and-35. In the final game of Mt. Pisgah's 2009 season, the Patriots had a phenomenal chance of earning the first playoff berth in school history. Up 20-17 with under two minutes remaining, all the Pisgah defense had to do was stop Landmark Christian from converting on a third-and-35 play.

Patriot head coach Doug Dixon remembers what happened next and it's not a fond memory, "It came down to the final minute and 35 seconds of the season. [Landmark] had a third-and-35 and we bit on a hitch and go and they picked up 42 yards. They ended up scoring [the winning touchdown] on that drive."

Although his team lost in an excruciating manner, Dixon doesn't have nightmares about the game, "I walked out from that game and felt good about the effort that we gave."

Dixon says, if anything, it will have his players on edge for 2010. "I think the guys expected to be in the playoffs last year and they were very, very disappointed that we didn't make it."

Dixon thinks that overall, his 2010 team is the most talented he's had in his four years at Mt. Pisgah, but with only 38 players on the roster, he has one huge concern heading into the season, "Depth," says Dixon. "Depth is the biggest issue that I'm concerned with."

Offense

The Patriot offense really only suffered one huge loss from last year: Fedale Hall. The all-everything Mt. Pisgah running back led North Fulton in rushing yards last year (1,235 yards) and was second in scoring (16 touchdowns, 98 total points). Hall is now at Air Force and Dixon will try and replace him with a running back by committee, but it will be a young committee. Sophomores Max Aden and Kyle Jackson will both be expected to carry a heavy load this year. Dixon likes the committee idea, because opposing defenses won't be able to key on one player like they did to Fedale in years past. Although Aden and Jackson will be switching off at tailback, there will only be one fullback: Ben Mozingo. Mozingo complemented Hall well last year and Dixon expects the same success out of him this season.

Dixon also thinks that his running game is going to be successful because of his big uglies up front, "We're a pretty good size across the front line," says Dixon as he lists off the height and weight of each starter, including left tackle Alex Dixon (6'4" 275 lbs, no relation to coach Dixon) and left guard Bryant Larson (6'0" 240 lbs.). "We have an experienced offensive line, everyone of those guys coming back has played there." Peter Giglia (tackle) and Flint Geier (guard) will man the right side, while Coach Dixon's son Dylan will play center.

With a strong line in place, Dixon expects great things from his junior quarterback: Kyle Sloter. "Kyle is probably one of the premier quarterbacks, not only in North Fulton, but in Georgia," says Dixon, who rarely exaggerates about anything. "There are very few mobile 6'5" quarterbacks that have Kyle's arm strength. He's a good leader and he's a competitor."

Sloter finished fourth in North Fulton last season with 1,206 passing yards, but thanks to an injury, he only played in seven games, three less than the quarterbacks in front of him. As Dixon tells it, Sloter may only play in seven games this season too, the strong-armed QB will be sitting out the first 2-3 weeks (non-region games) with a knee injury. Sophomore Ryan Felice will start the season under center.

The unit that will be counting down the days until Sloter's return are the wide receivers. Senior Danny Schneider saw his numbers drop off considerably last year when Sloter went down. However, with Sloter in the lineup, Schneider was able to haul in 22 catches for 439 yards. Schneider's 20 yards per catch was the third highest average in the area. Graham Claytor will also line up at wide receiver and the senior should offer a good alternative to Schneider when the Patriots are looking to pass. Grant Williamson and Adrian Selata will also make attractive targets at tight end.

Defense

When Dixon says his biggest worry is "depth," here's why: almost everyone on offense also plays defense. As Dixon puts it, "Most of these guys are going to be on the field the whole game."

The defensive line will look a lot like the offensive line. The tackle spots will be filled by Alex Dixon and Geier while the defensive end positions will be manned by Williamson and Dylan Dixon. Giglia and Larson will line up at linebacker.

In the defensive backfield, the Patriots will have Ben Mozingo at strong safety and Ryan Felice at free safety. Mike Delaguardia along and Schnedier will man the corners. Defensive coordinator Chuck Connor will also be utilizing a wheel defender (safety/linebacker hybrid) and that will be Aden.

Special Teams

Kyle Jackson will handle field goal and extra point duties for the Patriots, although Dixon says that Austin Harper will see some action on field goal attempts inside 40-yards. Jackson won't just be handling the placekicking duties; he'll also serve as the team's punter. Last year's starter, Danny Scheider, is also expected to get a few punts in this season.