2025 local high school football previews: Woodland Wildcats

Staff
3 days ago
4 min read

July 29, 2025

2025 local high school football previews: Woodland Wildcats

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 Andy Scott

Andy Scott begins his 16th season as a head coach in Georgia and his second at the helm of the Wildcats. Scott was the head coach at Perry (2005-2009), Kennesaw Mountain (2012-2017), and LaFayette (2021-2023) prior to his current position. He is 59-97 as a head coach and guided three Perry teams to the state playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. The 2007 team reached the state quarterfinals. Woodland was 3-7 last season with wins over Woodland-Stockbridge (38-35), Southeast Whitfield (43-10), and a Region 7-AAAA victory over Dalton (20-17).

The Wildcats in July

We are normally in the weight room from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m., then head to the field for a 2-½ hour practice. We did a 7-on-7 camp earlier in the month and traveled to Northwest Whitfield on July 15-16 for a padded camp. We started mandatory conditioning week on July 21.

What are your expected numbers for the 2025 season?

We have 80 players in grades 9 through 12.

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

Jamie Stiltz and Eric Bailey have been added to the staff. Coach Stiltz will coach our linebackers and will be our special teams coordinator. Coach Bailey will coach our corners.

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

No changes, just the additions. We did have one coach — BJ Lock — leave to be closer to home. He helped coach our offensive line. Nick Shields remains our primary offensive line coach.

When is your official preseason scrimmage with another school?

We will play South Cobb on Friday, August 8.

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

It was important that we won two of our last three games last season. Our players really got better throughout the year, and we began our off-season program the Monday after we played Dalton. We had a great off-season and a great Spring practice session. The Summer has been really good as well, with lots of positives. We just really need to keep it going as we move into the Fall.

Who are the Wildcats to watch on offense in 2025?

Sophomore running back Solomon James is going to be a great one, and sophomore quarterback Sam Ray is going to be great as well. Senior Korbyn Jarrett is a tight end/H-back who has offers from Sewanee and Reinhardt University.

Who are your defensive players to watch in 2025?

Defensive end Cam Collins was a 1st Team All-Region selection as a junior, and he has an offer from Sewanee. I expect him to have an outstanding senior season. Defensive back Cam Broome has really put himself in line as the leader of the defense, and Peyton Young is only a sophomore, but he will be a great one at linebacker.

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

Justin Abarca is a sophomore who excelled last year on the JV, and we are looking for him to step up.

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

Our biggest strengths are our overall team speed and strength. We have become better in the weight room, and it is evident in how we play. We are more physical than last year, and we hope that will translate into more wins.

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

Our biggest concern is the depth of our region. Every team is going to be good. It is our responsibility to maximize our talent and work our way into a playoff spot.

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

Our non-region schedule includes a much-improved Woodland-Stockbridge team. We also play Woodstock — a team that surprised many people last year, and a very talented Adairsville team. Our goal is to use these non-region games to help us prepare for our tough region schedule.

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

Cartersville has to be the favorite, in my opinion. You can then throw everyone else in a hat and pick. Cass, Cedartown, and Hiram will be good as always. Both Allatoona and Dalton had a down year last season, but they are improving as well, so we shall see.

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

We expect to have a winning season, and making the playoffs would be a huge accomplishment for this program and the school. We have not done that since 1999.