Richardson poised for breakout season
By Thomas Ashworth
MDJ Sports Writer
After a five-game losing streak
last season, South Cobb found
itself 1-5 and about to face
K ennesaw Mountain, which
was 6 -0 and ranked fourth in
the state of G eorgia.
Alberto Bibian kicked a 37-
yard field goal to give the Eagles
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a two-point lead with 1:12
remaining, a game-clinching
interception gave South Cobb
its first win over a ranked team
since 2012.
Taking the reins of the South
Cobb offense that game was
sophomore quarterback Javon
Richardson, who ran for 159
yards and threw for 47 in the
upset victory, which also marked
his first game with the Eagles.
“Before the game, my timing
was bad,” Richardson said.
“O nce we started playing, I
took easy stuff and started
rolling with things with help
from our receivers and running
back. They really took
some weight off of me and I
could really play from there.”
Richardson led the Eagles
to a 3-1 record the rest of the
way, allowing the team to finish
the season 4-6 .
In his four games, he threw
for 578 yards, tossing four
touchdown passes and an interception
while rushing for 427
yards and three touchdowns.
“O ne thing about Javon is
that he has football acumen,
he knows the game,” South
Cobb coach Thomas Hanson
said. “He’s able to digest what
we’re doing offensively like
that. I’d say even faster than
I can. Some kids have a gift
for doing that, and he does.”
Richardson analyzes hours of
film and plays, making notes
of how to improve and execute
plays as part of the process.
“It comes from studying and
watching film,” Richardson said.
“I’ll take one or two hours just
to look at plays. Sometimes,
I draw them down inside a
notebook and I’ll put mental
notes. I’ll ask coach, he’ll draw
a defensive report, then he’ll
go through my reads.”
Along with his great throwing
ability, Hanson mentioned
the speed that he brings to the
offense and how it fits in with
the rest of the players.
“He’s the fastest kid I’ve ever
coached, no doubt,” Hanson
said. “O ur offense just started
clicking with him, it was a
great thing to see. As he got
more and more of his timing
back, he became even better
at what he was doing.”
With his explosive play on
the field comes a quiet leadership
and laid-back style.
“Javon is not the most talkative
person,” Hanson said. “He’s
a really good leader, but he’s
more of a leader by example.”
Despite his quiet personality,
Richardson began to communicate
effectively with his teammates
as South Cobb’s offense
came alive.
“The way I lead is really laid
back, I don’t really talk as much,”
Richardson said. “Last year,
four games, it was hard to try
and get back in a smooth run
with everyone else because I
missed a lot. O nce we started
clicking after those first two
games, I started talking more
with them and asking them
what I can do better and went
on from there.”
In the next two seasons, Richardson
aims to lead South Cobb’s
program back to a winning season,
with their last finish over
.500 coming in 2012.
“I want us to have a winning
season,” Richardson said. “I
want to make it to the playoffs
and get South Cobb back to
the school it was before. Winning
seasons, going to playoffs
each year.”
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