August 7, 2009

Ray Glier
Special to Rivals High

MORE: Complete RivalsHigh 100 Countdown | No. 26 ranked East St. Louis coach has suit filed

Top 100 countdown No. 8 Peachtree Ridge, Georgia

COACH: Bill Ballard LAST SEASON: 12-3, Lost State Finals FINAL 2008 RIVALS.COM RANKING: No. 50 Nationally Bill Ballard begins his third season as the football coach at Suwanee (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge, and he has all the cornerstones in place for a program that will compete for a 5A state championship every year. The numbers are in place, which is significant. With 120 players in preseason camp, there is nothing like competition to make a team better. Ballard also took his team to five camps this summer to get exposed to other training methods and see the competition eye to eye, not just on Friday nights. Block scheduling is another cornerstone because it allows him to have his players in weight training in the morning, so the staff can teach just football in the afternoon. "We do work hard. It's a year-round program. Our kids respond to that and we have a lot of goal-oriented kids," Ballard said. "Kids are in the weight room, they're running track to get faster, but they are also playing baseball and lacrosse. They want to please." The cornerstones, among others, have helped Peachtree Ridge assume a magisterial position in metro Atlanta high school football. In an area loaded with high school powerhouses - Tucker, Grayson and Buford - Peachtree Ridge spurs a lot of envy. Think about how much that envy will grow if Peachtree Ridge wins a state title outright. In 2006, the year before Ballard arrived, the Lions tied for the state title (yes, Georgia allows state championship games to end in ties). Following a rebuilding season in 2007, Peachtree Ridge reached the 5A final last season before losing to Camden County, 21-14. This could be the season Peachtree Ridge wins it, with six starters back on offense and six on defense. There are at least seven Division I players on the roster and more could emerge during the season. This season, with a senior-laden roster, the Lions are poised for another state championship run. Of the 22 starters, just three will be underclassmen. "The goal here is to be competitive every year and play for a state championship," Ballard said. "We have a lot of students to choose from - there are 3,000 - so the numbers help us get a lot of players on the team." On defense, the core is back to run Ballard's aggressive 3-4. The Lions try to get upfield and pressure a quarterback into quick, risky decisions. The difference between this defense and the '08 defense is there is no star. Linebacker Kevin Minter has moved on to LSU, but this defense is more balanced. Twins Tanner and Tyler Botts, who are juniors, are key to the mix. Tanner, an inside linebacker, has been a starter since he was a freshman. Tyler is a starting outside linebacker. Other key players include cornerbacks Brian Williams, who has committed to Indiana, and Bradley Roby (Vanderbilt). The Lions also feature Steve Atwater, the son of the former NFL star by the same name. Atwater has multiple offers, including one from Arkansas, his father's alma mater. On offense, Peachtree Ridge runs out of an I-formation but will also go to a one-back set and throw play-action passes. "We like to spread the field horizontally and vertically," Ballard said. "We like to run some option, it's an equalizer. We're probably 70/30 run to pass." If the ball is handed off it is usually going to Brandon Stanley, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound tailback who gained more than 1,000 yards as a junior. The quarterback is senior Nick Lombardo, who carries a 4.0 grade point average and could end up at an Ivy League school. One reason the offense should hum is the line, which returns four of the five starters from a year ago - 300-pound left guard Trevor McBurnett, 275-pound right guard Austin Louchart, 270-pound right tackle Hamilton Broadnax and 270-pound left tackle Jordan Boatright. "We're going to have a barometer of what we have as a team, what we look like, pretty fast with our schedule," Ballard said. "We play Southwest DeKalb in a scrimmage and then the kickoff game with Harrison and then [we] play Lowndes in Week 2. "I think our region is as competitive as any in the state. Top to bottom, it's pretty salty. We'll get tested." With its cornerstones in place, Peachtree Ridge should survive most tests and make another run at a championship.