The Lithia Springs football team is looking to get back in the playoff hunt after missing the postseason last season for the first time in five years.
“We had made it to the playoffs for four years in a row,” Lions Head Coach Corey Jarvis said. “Last year we slipped back and did not make the playoffs. And right now our aspiration is to get back in the playoffs and try to get back to winning ways that we've had in the previous four years.”
Jarvis said his Lions faced some challenges last year, including a lack of leadership and a lot of players who hadn’t gotten a lot of playing time due to a big senior class the previous season.
Jarvis said he feels good about his 2024 squad, noting that they had a lot of success during off-season camps.
Lithia moves into Region 5-5A, which includes a powerhouse program in Rome and two county rivals in Alexander and New Manchester.
“The new region, even though it's a little different, it still seems to be very similar (to) our old region,” Jarvis said. “Like, you’ve got one team, Rome High School, who's pretty doggone good, and everybody knows that. And, like, everybody across this state and this country knows that, you know, Rome High School’s gonna be Rome High School. But everybody else is kind of, like, just even. And it's going to kind of be whoever plays well and makes the least amount of mistakes on a Friday night. You know, it's just like any given Sunday, any given Friday, you can win or lose a ball game.”
When asked about some players who will raise eyebrows this year, Jarvis pointed to seniors Malachi Evans (QB/DB), Randy Parker (WR/CB) and Chris Parks (RB/WR).
“When you look at our offense, they made the plays,” he said. “And those guys to me are the guys that people will be asking at the end of the year, like, ‘where did they come from?’”
Jarvis said Evans missed four games last year due to injury. But he said his quarterback has continued to develop and is a “great athlete.”
“Malachi has had an outstanding offseason,” Jarvis said. “Expecting big things for him. I think he might be the 2,000-2,000 man this year. That's what we’re kind of like pushing for. I'm hoping that he's able to get that because that means we’re gonna win a lot of ball games with him at quarterback.”
Parker played in eight games last year, had an “outstanding offseason,” and Jarvis said he’s “expecting a big year” from him.
He also spotlighted senior CB/WR Jaden Florence.
“He's one of those vocal leaders on defense,” Jarvis said. “He also plays a little bit of receiver as well. Jaden, I expect big things out of Jaden this year as well. He's been like the captain on our defense.”