A primer on the 2018 All-Central Georgia football team, presented by The Sports Report

All-Central Georgia specialists

All-Central Georgia defense

All-Central Georgia offense

All-Central Georgia honorees

Central Georgia all-region teams

          One year without a team recognizing the quality of football and football players in Central Georgia was enough.
          So welcome to All-Central Georgia Football, 2018. Finally. Next year will be timelier.
          It’s a time-consuming process, especially when combining a level of obsession with getting everything/everybody covered and looked at, with a general lack of information provided, in general and after multiple solicitations (aka begging for info).
          But there are too many good players in Central Georgia to go another year without recognition.
          We interrupt this dissertation to explain this dissertation: the All-Central Georgia primer you’re reading is long for a reason. The media in general does a horrific job of explaining the media and how/why it does what it does. Clarity is a good thing. Knowledge is a good thing. Information is a good thing.
          The Sports Report encourages good things.
          And there’s belief here that people won’t know if you don’t explain something. A fair number of people – not nearly enough – do like things explained. So get comfy.

“           There are no job connections.
          No influences.
          No clients.
          No alma mater connections.
          No favorites.”

          There are no job connections.
          No influences.
          No clients.
          No alma mater connections.
          No favorites.
          It’s not about hyperbole, schmoozing, tush-kissing, or posturing.
          The considerations cover everything, from competition to schedule to stats to positions to everything. But it’s not just about stats, or being on better teams or in bigger programs. There is a little projection: could this kid in on the losing AA team play for a winning 4A or 5A team?
          Rest assured, it is not about the sucker bet known as recruiting “rankings” or the S-word – rhymes with Mars, a fitting out-of-this-world example - in such recruiting “coverage” (aka stalking and schmoozing).
          It’s about this year, high school football, Central Georgia. Not what a recruiting site says or what a scouting/recruiting “service” sells, or where those folks say a kid might be in 10 years.
          The results might confuse or agitate or baffle. Some folks, of course, are confused, agitated, and baffled merely rolling out of bed. For those who like some clarity, read on.
          Compiling such teams often leads to debates: Kill it because it’s too much work. Coaches don’t cooperate, so they don’t care, so why do it? Cut it down to a top 10. Must confine to this and that because that’s how the sport goes.
          Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.
          It’s not about the workload, effort, or cooperation, or recognizing fewer performances, or rigidity. It needn’t be just 11 and 11, like basketball needn’t be only five players. Baseball is more structured, more stat-heavy, as are some other sports that rely less on flow, chemistry, action-filled teamwork, etc.
          The All-Central Georgia team isn’t going to go compete against All-Twin Cities in Columbus/Phenix City, or All-CSRA in Augusta, or the best around Savannah. It is about the top players and performances among Central Georgians in 2018, pure and simple.
          Yes, it’s to recognize athletes as well as draw some attention to a paper/station/website, etc. Pure and simple. But the team has to be good, fair, objective, and defendable.
          Yours truly has picked all-area teams in all sorts of sports for a few decades now. It’s a headache, in good ways and bad ways (like being up until 4 a.m. the night before releasing it, still tweaking). This year – tried last year, couldn’t get enough coaches to answer emails and texts – it’s still a headache, and comes out later than desired.
          But until the Super Bowl is over, it’s still football season (will be earlier next season).
          Things you should know about The Sports Report of Central Georgia’s team, 2018:
          1. We’re going with rare flexibility here in this first year.
          The first two teams are close to the 11 on each side of the ball, with some adjustment for that old position known as a tight end. Not much info on tight ends out there.

“           The third team? Bigger at every position, because one problem that never, ever, ever happens almost anywhere is a lack of candidates to make a second or third team.”

         The third team? Bigger at every position, because one problem that never, ever, ever happens almost anywhere is a lack of candidates to make a second or third team.
          Ever.
          There is, yes, a difference between a third-teamer and honorable mention. Positions get very, very crowded with quality players, and there’s often a legitimate difference between honorable mention and the third team. If you have 10 QBs passing for more than 2,000 yards, but other QBs who aren’t on that level but deserve mention, there’s a gap.
          So the third teams are bigger, moreso to pay tribute to those players while not in any way disrespecting those not quite on that level but who still had a quality and impactful season.
          Along those lines, HM isn’t a just a catch-all list for starters or for every first-team all-region pick. It’s still bigger than desired, for a few logistical reasons, and no doubt there are a few third-team candidates in honorable mention.
          Have to draw a line somewhere. Life always draws a line somewhere.
          Some ties deserve to be ties, because some kids are, yes, that close. Call it a copout if you wish. Again, this isn’t a legal document, or a team playing another team.
          This year, honorable mentions are by position. There was a brief considering of a max number by position,  like a multiple of how many make the first and second team, say, three times as many. But that’s too limiting and exclusionary at every position. Let’s get through this debut team first.
          Conversely, it’s probably better to have a few iffy honorable mentions – at least this first year – than omit a deserving player simply because information wasn’t forthcoming. Can’t penalize players because information wasn’t provided or updated. Honorable mention will be more honorable – i.e. selective - in the future.
          3. A small-school or private-school player may edge out a bigger-school player. Note the recent major-college and high mid-major and NFL players from Hawkinsville, Dooly County, Twiggs County, Tattnall, John Milledge, Wilkinson County, Macon County, Dublin, and so on.
          For years, there have been GISA players – including non-transfers - who could get quality snaps on a GHSA program, including bigger ones. GHSA coaches don’t want to admit it, but coaches inherently aren’t the most open-minded or objective folks on the planet.
          Another line drawn involved looking for info, which means an absence of local GICAA and a few GISA programs, because of a lack of info out there. But it’s likely/hopefully to be very different in a year.

“This is not a fan vote. These teams are not the result of who has the most mobilized social media high school. It’s not a popularity contest.”

          4. This is not a fan vote. These teams are not the result of who has the most mobilized social media high school. It’s not a popularity contest.
          One may disagree here and there, but rest assured, it’s not about what school can get the most people to vote and vote and vote and vote. Resumes and performances and context matter, not Facebook or Twitter friends/followers/sharers/retweeters.
          5. It’s not perfect – none of these teams, from local to the pros, are - but not for lack of effort or sleeplessness.
          This year’s team is the result of loads of web surfing, experience, and context, shuffling and reshuffling and rechecking, times 10. And scores of information solicitations, by email and text. Thanks to Central, Dooly County, Gatewood, Westfield, Peach County, Stratford, Washington County, Mount de Sales, John Milledge, Howard, and FPD for returning the info-seeking form or a version of the form.

Nevertheless, it was time. Two straight years of an area this size and with this many quality players not having an all-area team wasn’t going to cut it.
          It may be updated in a few days – the potential for cracks and a name or two to fall through one are surely there – but finally, All-Central Georgia 2018 is done and ready to go.
          At 2 p.m., on www.centralgasports.com. Come back early and visit.