KICKOFF ‘22 165
YEAR
From 164
SEE YEAR, 166
Special - File
Top: Shane Queen is entering his 30th year of coaching this season
and said this could be the most talented team he has had. Above:
Ben Hall’s running will help take the pressure off Malachi Singleton.
to a game and what he called a
general sense of “heightened
athleticism” within the program.
Based on what he has seen out
of the team to this point, Q ueen
thinks the offense can continue
to build from 2021.
“Working through adversity
and staying the course, if
we can do that, I think we’re
as talented as any team we’ve
ever had here, and that we can
make that kind of run again,”
Tyler Q ueen said.
Now, almost a year removed
from one of the most stunning
playoff losses in program history,
Shane Q ueen still accepts
responsibility for the recent
postseason performances. But
he said prior years have no impact
on this year’s team performance,
and he’s coaching a
group with an unprecedented
commitment to the program.
“( The players’) expectations
are that they’re going to be successful
when they walk on the
field,” he said, “but it’s not j ust
because they’re better athletes
than everyone else. It’s because
they put the work in all year
round.”
North Cobb has adopted a
training regimen that allows
for the team to grow even when
games aren’t played, Q ueen said.
During spring ball, they focus
on building depth and returning
talent. June began with threeday
practice weeks focused on
conditioning, strength and onfield
drills, and July brought
more frequent and higher intensity
workouts.
Addressing the team’s Achilles’
heel, Q ueen said the team
has emphasized turnover drills
in practice, and that there are
“repercussions” for players that
turn the ball over in practice.
But more than physical play,
Q ueen said his players are as
accountable as ever, thanks to
a new coaching initiative.
In the spring, a panel of North
Cobb coaches interviewed and
selected 13 players to be named
part of a team leadership council.
In turn, these leaders drafted
players from the remainder
of the roster to form intrasquad
teams in a model designed to
reward those who are most
“accountable.”
The program is a three-month
long judgment system where
groups are awarded points based
on grades, teacher referrals, practice
attendance, and community
service. Exiting the offseason,
the winners received shirts and
attended a group dinner with
the coaching staff, Q ueen said.
Now, instead of coaches contacting
players regarding team
matters, he said he leaves that
responsibility to his 13-member
player panel.
“They are investing in themselves
but also investing in the
team,” Q ueen said. “We learned
a lot about each other during the
offseason through that process,
and we learned a lot about the
leaders on the team.”
Since the spring, he said 118
college recruiters have visited
North Cobb, a result he attributed
to hard work and accountability.
That kind of stature created
a player-led dynamic, which he
said was also present in 2012.
With the 2022 season looming,
Q ueen said the initiative
has shown immediate dividends,
which he thinks will reappear
throughout the fall.
“I’ve already seen it in practice,
coaching each other up,
holding each other accountable,
saying, ‘You didn’t run through
the line,’” Q ueen said. “It’s something
we’re not just doing on
Friday night, we’ll have already
done it for 50 weeks leading up
to that important game. … All
you can do is help create moments
like that in the offseason.
That’s why we work so hard in
the weight room, on the field,
so Friday night is easy.”
North Cobb has a formidable
senior class. Singleton is
an Arkansas commit. O ffensive
lineman Robert G rigsby (North
Carolina) returns in the trenches,
and running back Ben Hall
( Michigan) will continue taking
handoffs after finishing with
seven touchdowns last year.
Cornerback Q uentin Ajiero, a
Duke commit, gives the Warriors
a weapon in the defensive
backfield.
“The ceiling of this team is
really high. (We’ve) got a lot