Rome Football: 2022 Wolves Season Preview and Prediction

By: Austin Butler

The 2021 football season ended somewhat unexpectedly for Rome High School. The exit was earlier than what Wolf nation had been used to in some time. The exit occurred at home inside Historic Barron Stadium, in the first round of the GHSA State Playoffs. The then 3rd ranked Rome Wolves hosted a very underrated 13th ranked Johns Creek Gladiators in a matchup that featured arguably the closest #1 seed vs #4 seed of any classification across the state. Since that humbling loss, the Wolves have been back to work with a chip on their shoulder. With the 2021 Rome Wolves being predominantly underclassmen at the helm with a few upperclassmen helping lead the way, Rome has basically every starter returning with only a few holes to fill. Rome is going into 2022 among the favorites to compete for the 6A State Title. Here is a clear view of what the Wolves will have to go through for a chance at a successful season.

Previewing Rome’s schedule for 2022:

Record Prediction: 10-0

The Rome Wolves are bringing back loads of talent on both sides of the ball along with some of the best coaching staff in the state. Rome has all the ingredients to have an undefeated regular season, but it’s not going to be easy. This may be one of the toughest 10-0 predictions due to what the Wolves face early on. Coming right out of the gate for game one is a powerhouse program in Creekside. Creekside finished top 5 last season, and they are bringing back an abundance of talent. This game will be held at Historic Barron Stadium in a Corky Kell match-up. The heavyweight competition between the two programs has been said to be the most anticipated and physical game of the Corky Kell schedule.

Although Creekside will be a tough opening game for Rome, this one will not count as region play. Creekside is a class 5A program while Rome is a class 6A program. Two weeks from the Creekside vs Rome match-up, Rome will travel down highway 27 to take on former region rival Carrollton. The Carrollton Trojans have moved up to Class 7A this season, so while the game will have no region implications for either team, traditional bragging rights will be on the line. Rome won last year’s
contest with a 45-27 final in October. Rome will not head into region play until game five of the season when hosting Allatoona.

Rome will have a tough go early on in the schedule with some powerhouse opponents. However, this should prime them early on for region play for the rest of the season. The region won’t be easy for the Wolves, but it’s hard to believe that anyone in their region can compete all four quarters with the talent they possess across the board.

Previewing Rome’s Offense for 2022:

Most coaches would absolutely love to have the amount of weapons that Rome has offensively. Yes, I said the weapon”s”, plural. Many teams have 1 or 2 guys that can hurt you, but Rome tends to produce a plethora of options when it comes to who could get the ball on Friday nights, starting with Rome quarterback Reece Fountain. Fountain has great potential to lead his team to a state
championship in 2022. Fountain passed for 2,312 yards last season. QB1 has definitely made a name for himself over the previous few years and will look to be the leader on this years state title contending team. Some of Fountains favorite targets will be Tight End and Alabama commit Martavious Collins, receiver and Vanderbilt commit Martel Hight (who eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark through the air in 2021), and receiver D.K. Daniel. Rome also added Nic Hester to their skill group this offseason, which will only add to their explosiveness offensively.

Rome looks to have new faces at the running back position, but those new faces are very good athletes who can make plays at any moment. It will be interesting to see how many of those options at running back step up in the big games early on.

It’s hard to choose what offensive weapon will have a breakout year with all of the stars returning, however, there is one player who has been key in the big moments for Rome, and that’s D.K. Daniel. Of course there are big commits as options for Rome but Daniel is equally as good and makes plays when needed. Expect Daniel to pick up many offers this season. I look for Daniel to continue coming up big for the Wolves this season when the other guys have pressure on them. As long as the offensive line continues to be a force, I believe Rome will continue to be dominant in the running and passing game this season.

Previewing Rome’s Defense for 2022:

Leading the pack for the Wolves defense this season will be four star Clemson commit and defensive tackle, Stephiylan Green. Green is one of the most dominant defensive players in the state and can change a game plan for opponents. Green is surrounded with quite a crew around him defensively, starting with his fellow defensive linemen: Justin Terrell (Junior), Trey Adams (Junior), and Tyson Brown (Senior). Brown has been a force alongside Green and they are nightmares for offenses. Look for Brown to be one of the most dominant defenders in Georgia. Junior Linebacker, Alto Moore who holds a few D1 offers himself will be the anchor of the linebacker core and Rome will come into 2022 with a very solid secondary to back up the defensive front.

The Rome defense was young last season and at times it showed lack of experience. With another year under their belt, look for Rome to consistently dominate
defensively this season. Some are saying they could even eclipse the greatness of the 2017 Rome defense.

FINAL ANALYSIS:
This Wolves team has everything on paper to make a state title run and has been hyped up for a long time. The once young Wolves are now experienced and should make plenty of noise this season. A lot of Wolf Nation will be in attendance during the Corky Kell to see what their Wolves are going to look like this season. It’s go time for the Wolves, and in their eyes it’s championship or bust. The talent is in place, and the coaching staff isleading the way. Now it’s time for the product to be produced. We will find out what kind of grit Head
Coach John Reid’s staff and team has come August 19th.