re: Park gone.....

I graduated in 88 with Tommy Ingalsbe. He got a full ride as a DLman and was tearing it up in his freshman year practices but entering his sophomore year he suffered a career ending injury. He went on to be an Olypmic alternate in power clean and to compete in the Worlds Strongest Man competition for several years.

The next guy was a guy I coached in 8th grade....Adam Meadows. He had a great career at UGA and later with the Colts.

The next year, Steven Gates(OT) went to UGA but fizzled out and quit by year two. Good guy but not cut out for FBS ball.

Those are the 3 guys from MHS that went to UGA. Gates, the last, was in 92 or 93.

I think a lot had to do with Coach Dorsey. He was never a guy that really was really high on UGA. Don't know if he disliked UGA as a school or maybe just did not care for the Staffs under Goff and Donnan. But somewhere along the line it seems the door was somewhat closed to UGA coaches access to MHS players. Though that might have been more a UGA lack of interest than a Dorsey thing. We sent a lot of guys to schools like Vandy, Duke and GT. Dozens to smaller colleges like GS. Gerald McGrath went to Miss. state as a 3 star and blossomed to be all sec and play for the Titans. Marcus Hinton went to Clemson. TJ Mears and Brad Ware to Auburn. Stephen Johnson and AJ Suggs to UT. Kyle Roper to Arky.

Most of those guys , except AJ, were never really chased by UGA. I think it was a combo of coach Dorsey not caring to much for UGA and UGA coaches not having a ton of respect at that time for Cobb County football. The opening of Kenn Mtn. HS and later, Hillgrove kind of emptied the talent coffer at MHS for about a decade. It did not start filling back up until Hockman got the job in 09. It has been on the upswing again since. It is clear now, however, that the door to MHS players is wide open.