2025 local high school football previews: Cass Colonels

July 30, 2025 2025 local high school football previews:  Cass Colonels

Bartow Sports Zone is featuring each of the four local high school football programs this week with previews of the 2025 teams. Each local head coach responded to a questionnaire.

Head Coach Steve Gates

Steve Gates

Steve Gates begins his sixth season as the head coach at Cass with a current record of 29-28. The Colonels have qualified for the state playoffs each of the last four seasons (2021-2024) with a loss in the quarterfinals in 2023, a second-round loss in 2022, and first-round losses in ’21 and ’24. Cass was 6-5 last season and 3-3 in Region 7-AAAA. The Colonels had non-region wins over Callaway (42-7), Model (48-0), and Adairsville (49-0), plus region victories over Woodland (42-6), Dalton (27-0), and Allatoona (32-17).

The Colonels in July We did some 7-on-7 and padded camp work in June, and we have gone four days a week in July.

What are your expected numbers for the 2025 season?

We will have a 95-man varsity roster.

Have you added any new coaches for 2025? What are their primary responsibilities?

Trevor Price is a young, dynamic wide receiver coach whom we have added. He will bring a lot of energy and knowledge from his previous schools. We have also promoted a couple of our middle school coaches, Coach Michael Hayes and Coach David Hill, to varsity responsibilities on Friday nights. Coach Hayes has the running backs, and Coach Hill helps the offensive line. They both have great relationships with the players and will be a great asset for the varsity level.

Have the position assignments/coaching roles changed for any staff members retained from last year’s staff?

Coach Spencer Smith is now the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the entire school. T.K. Dodd has taken over the Offensive Coordinator responsibilities. Connor Gates is now the Run Game Coordinator, and Coach Julian Woodward is now the Linebackers Coach. Coach Josh McWhorter and Coach Scott Cullifer have retired.

Bear McWhorter

When is your official preseason scrimmage with another school?

We will play Calhoun on August 7 at 7 p.m. in Cochran Stadium.

As head coach at Cass, what accomplishment for the program or development within the program makes you most proud?

In almost 80 years of football at the school, we have had four of seven state playoff appearances in the past four years. The last four classes have changed the view of Cass Football statewide.

Who are the Tigers to watch on offense in 2025?

Brodie McWhorter

— Chase Tatum, WR/TE, Sr., 6-3, 210, committed to Kennesaw State

— Bear McWhorter, OL, Sr., 6-4, 285 committed to Michigan

— Brodie McWhorter, QB, Sr., 6-2, 195, committed to Mississippi State.

— We have several wide receivers who are extremely talented — Elijah Slocum (Sr.), Jahlil Anderson, Zeke Helton (Sr.), and Jeremy Barrett.

— We are excited about our running backs, Kalil Charles (5-10, 172) and Jerome Sanders (5-8, 165). Both have killed it this off-season and will be looking for 1000+ yard seasons.

— The sleeper is Noah Rogers (6-1, 190, Fr., QB), who gets to learn from one of the top QBs in the country this season.

Who are your defensive players to watch in 2025?

Chase Tatum

— Josh Love, Sr., FS, 6-2, 170

— Malachi Harris, Jr., 5-10, 200, LB

— John Abernathy, Sr., 6-1, 248, DL

— Naz Fleurine, Sr., 5-11, 180, DB

— Sebastian Castaneda, Jr., 6-3, 340, DL

— Cam’ron Beauford, Sr., CB

— Tyson Beauford, DB

— The sleeper is Zach Stiles. He is athletic, physical, and has the work ethic to become a top player in this region as a rising sophomore.

Which players are competing to be your specialists? (kickoffs, punting, PAT, FG, kick returners, punt returners)

Anthony Quijada will have all the kicking responsibilities, with Chase Tatum handling the punting. Slocum and Barrett will likely be the punt returners, with Kalil Charles and Kalel Charles returning kickoffs.

What do you see as the strengths of this year’s team?

Depth, although we lost a few returning starters for various reasons. One had to move to northeast Georgia, and one chose to reclassify to ’25, but the ’26 and ’27 classes are very deep with more talent top to bottom than we’ve had in the past.

What are the primary challenges for this year’s team?

Staying healthy is always a challenge, and we are replacing three starters up front on our offensive line.

Briefly, share your thoughts on the non-region portion of your schedule.

It’s no secret, we play the toughest teams we can find in non-region. All four were playoff teams last year. It prepares us for our brutal region schedule and ultimately the playoffs.

Based on your knowledge of returning players, etc, which teams are your region’s top contenders for playoff berths?

Cartersville is a machine; they are always loaded with talent, and Coach Foster does an excellent job with that program. They have zero weak spots. And everyone knows our region is a gauntlet; anything can happen on any given Friday night. Allatoona arguably boasts the state's best running back, Cedartown consistently proves to be physically challenging, regardless of the head coach, Dalton and Hiram both have new head coaches and are always loaded with talent. Coach Scott at Woodland is only going to get better each year that he is in charge. This region is one of the toughest in the state.

What are your general expectations for 2025, and any other thoughts you would like to share?

We have one goal: to fight and claw our way to the playoffs, where anything can happen. We’ve proven that over the past few years by knocking off top seeds Jefferson and Kell.

2025 schedule (Home games in CAPS)

Thursday, August 7 — Home scrimmage v. CALHOUN

Friday, August 15 — v. LaGrange (Kell-Hunter Classic / Rome)

Friday, August 22 — at Model

Friday, August 29 — at Adairsville

Friday, September 5 — at North Cobb

Friday, September 12 — at Hiram

Friday, September 19 — CEDARTOWN

Friday, September 26 — at Woodland

Friday, October 3 — CARTERSVILLE

Friday, October 17 — at Dalton

Friday, October 24 — ALLATOONA