The Starr’s Mill Panthers have been busy preparing for the upcoming football season, taking part in a passing league every Tuesday since June.

East Coweta and Pike County have joined Starr’s Mill in the passing league, which will conclude Tuesday with Sandy Creek facing off against the Panthers at Starr’s Mill for one more throwing session.

The passing league is giving Starr’s Mill the opportunity to runs plays against defenses other than their own and better evaluate its inexperienced offense, where it has only one returning starter, offensive tackle Corey Coleman.

“We graduated a slew of kids, so it’s going to take us a little while to get into the groove,” Earwood said. “Obviously, we have a lot of holes to fill, particularly on offense. The passing league gives the kids a true picture of what you’re going to do against different defenses and coverages. It allows the kids to work on their routes and get more reps, and the quarterback gets more looks.”

The Panthers quarterback who will be getting more looks this year is Matt Sweat, a first-year starter entering his senior season. Perhaps no player is benefiting more from participating in the passing league than Sweat.

Sweat needs all the reps he can get; he is being counted on to replace one of the top athletes in school history, Robby Davis, who will play at Navy this year.

“It seems like Robby Davis was our quarterback forever,” Earwood said. “Matt is going to get us through a year of transition. The passing league is helping him tremendously. The more we put him out there throwing the ball, the more relaxed he’ll be.

“We’re very pleased with Matt. He has really come on strong since the spring.”

Besides the passing league, 54 of Starr’s Mill’s players traveled to Alabama last month to attend a three-day camp at Troy State University. The camp left a lasting impression on Earwood.

“It was one of the most intense camps I’ve ever been a part of,” Earwood said. “It was a great camp.”

The Panthers’ first, and only, scrimmage is a little over a month away. They will make the short trip to Tyrone on August 24 to face Sandy Creek.

Starr’s Mill opens the regular season Sept. 1, playing the Cherokee Warriors in the Kell Powerade Classic at the Georgia Dome. Starr’s Mill and Cherokee played each other in the Dome last season in the teams’ regular season opener, and Starr’s Mill won, 35-7.

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