Junior varsity football may not get the publicity and the attention that varsity football does, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have  some action going on.

Last season, the JV squad went 8-1 and dominated most opponents, but most of its sophomores and juniors moved up to varsity and don’t play as much, if any, JV.

One exception is junior Gabe Mann. Mann plays two quarters in the JV games on Thursdays and all four in the varsity games.  “I just take off my shoulder pads and helmet and relax when I’m done,”  said Mann after this two quarters in the JV games.

Mann, a defensive tackle, has played well throughout the season, especially in the Panthers’ 56-6 victory on the road against Forest Park.  Varsity defensive coordinator Chris Ramsey  graded him an 85 out of 100 based on his assisted tackles, tackles for a loss, and ability to get off blocks.

“Anything to help the team,” Mann said.  “I will do anything the coach needs me to do. Anything for some playing time.”

As is the case with every football team, some key players have been injured. Freshman starting quarterback Chase Sands badly sprained his ankle during practice while participating in a scrimmage against the first-team defense after their first game against East Coweta. With backup freshman quarterback Joey Deluca, who starts for the freshman team, already out with a fractured growth plate, offensive coordinator Burt Waller brought in sophomore corner back Will Collins. Collins was the starting quarterback for the freshman team last season but switched to play corner back for more playing time this year.

During Collins’ first start at quarterback for the JV Panthers, he was being tackled by a Newnan defender when another player sprinted in and hit Collins on the side of the head with his helmet. Collins was diagnosed on the sidelines by team trainer Jason Stevens with a concussion that forced him out of the game. With no one left to turn to, Sands came back in the game and played on his badly sprained ankle. Sands has continued to play through his injury and will start at quarterback for the rest of the season, according to Stevens.

Head coach Chad Phillips wants the JV team to succeed because he knows how important those players will be for varsity in future seasons. Phillips knows through his many years of coaching how much the JV players will mean to his teams.

“We don’t just go out there to play,” Phillips said. “We go to improve every Thursday.”  One of the defensive coaches, Drew Garner, agreed with Phillips about the development of younger players.  “Another goal would be to prepare them to play varsity,” Garner said.

The team has been playing well even when starting running back Bishop Robbins comes out of the game. The JV Panthers use their starting kicker Jack Van Nimwegen, who also plays varsity soccer, as their backup running back. He comes in as a change-of-pace back who has an unending motor.