Video: A visit with the Purple Hurricanes

With the second installment in our season preview series, the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes enter the 2019 season making some adjustments. The Canes have a new head coach in Conor Foster who was promoted to the top spot at Cartersville following Joey King’s departure to Coastal Carolina University. (story continues below)

Foster, a former player at Cartersville, served as varsity defensive coordinator under King since the 2014 season. He also coached defensive backs and served as a varsity quarterbacks coach and junior varsity head coach.

The Canes also dealt with being slightly displaced for most of the summer. Cartersville is moving into a new state-of-the-art fieldhouse adjacent to Weinman Stadium and did much of their off-season training work in the school’s old gymnasium. The challenge for Foster will be continue the impressive run the Canes have enjoyed.

Cartersville, after falling to Blessed Trinity in the Class AAAA title game 23-9, finished the 2018 season with a 14-1 mark. The championship game loss was only the second time the Canes have fallen in four years with both setbacks coming to the Titans. Despite the loss, the Hurricanes won a seventh-straight region title and are 55-2 over the past four years with back-to-back state titles in 2015 and 2016.

In 2019, Foster and his coaching staff will look to replace Bartow County Offensive Player of the Year Marcus Gary along with All County players — Jackson Lowe, Bobby Harris, Tristan Carlton, and Isaiah Chaney. The cupboard is far from depleted, however, and the first-year head coach will lean on multiple returning All-County selections. That list includes quarterback and Louisville commit Tee Webb; Memphis commit and offensive lineman Jonah Gambill; two-way player Marquail Coaxum; and nose guard La’Kwayme Jupiter.