Clayton News Daily

By Doug Gorman

dgorman@news-daily

Jarrett Laws has been around the coaching block.

His resume includes a successful stint at Mt. Zion, featuring last year's trip to the Class AAAA playoffs, an 8-5 record and a near upset of state power Marist.

Things are a little bit different for Laws this time around.

The former Mt. Zion coach has shifted gears in his coaching career, and is now responsible for building Drew High School's football team from the ground up.

Laws is not short on enthusiasm or humor, and it showed Wednesday afternoon as he walked away with the annual Rotary Club of Clayton County Crying Towel Award.

The event, which is normally held before the start of the season, was moved to September this year, and Laws had plenty to say about his young team and winning the award.

"I think they were obligated to give it to me because we are new," joked Laws.

Although Drew High School is 0-2 in its first season, having lost to Locust Grove in its lasting outing, 20-14, Laws admits, being the only team in the state with just freshman and sophomores creates some challenges.

"A lot of coaches talk about getting back to fundamentals, but we have to be fundamentally sound.

They know nothing else," Laws said.

Despite the growing pains Drew might be experiencing this season, Laws looks forward to a bright future, which includes becoming a full member of Region 4-AAA next season.

That will create some natural rivalries for the Titans with teams such as Locust Grove, Woodland, Eagle's Landing, Jackson, and Woodward Academy. As many as 11 schools are expected to compete in the region, which will probably be subdivided.