Offensively, “We are going to be more diverse, formation-wise. We are going to run the spread, the shot-gun … just a lot of multiple looks,” and defensively, “We are going to put pressure on somebody, somewhere, all the time.”
With those thoughts so begins the Greg Manior era at Screven County High School. 
Friday night in the “spacious” confines that are “The Corral” of South Effingham High School, the Gamecocks will spar with the Mustangs in a game-style scrimmage as they ready themselves for the season lidlifter at Kelly Memorial Stadium Aug. 27. 
Kickoff tomorrow, and all season-long, is at 7:30 p.m.
And it is not just football that begins tomorrow. 
At 5:30 Friday afternoon the Lady Gamecock softball team of Billy Pollock opens its 2010 campaign with a possible seven games in two days in the Warrior Blast hosted by Tattnall County High School. The tourney will take place at the Glennville Recreation Department. The SCHS girls will look to better a 27-3, Region 3AA championship season that saw them finish among the top six teams in the state.
On Tuesday, Aug. 24, the Lady Gamecock cross country team will open with a home meet attended by Statesboro, region rival Southeast Bulloch and Bryan County. Anna Canetto’s runners will look to return to Carrollton for the state meet as they did a year ago.
On Sept. 18, the Lady Gamecock cheerleaders will begin their season with a competition at West Laurens High School, also the site of the region competition on Nov. 6. The squad of Mary Helen Harrison and Vette Rountree also will look to repeat as 3AA champions and improve upon their fourth place state wide finish.
Most eyes will look toward metro Marlow Friday night. Will the gridiron Gamecocks look to be able to play an 11th game for the first time since 2007? Will the Gamecocks look to be able to win their first postseason contest since 2003? 
Manior is making no predictions. 
“One of the things as coaches and kids, we have to earn respect,” Manior said. “Right now we are just another ho-hum football team. We will shock some folks, but we must believe. This is about whether or not we are motivated to do well when we line up against someone else.”
What apparently is not in doubt to Gamecock fans is that the tried-and-true Wing-T formation of the Gamecocks is no longer enough. It is a formation employed for all but six of the past 28 seasons at SCHS. From Sandy Hershey to Luther Welsh to Mark Daniel to Pat Collins, the Red and White have run what was once called the Delaware Wing. 
There will be some differences this season.
What exactly is Manior’s plan of attack from these new formations he plans to employ?  “Deception is what we are after,” was his initial answer. 
“We want defenses to wonder, are they going to come right at us or is something else going to happen? Is the pitch coming? Is it play-action? It is all about what the defense is trying to do to us,” Manior said.
Says offensive coordinator Terry Markovcic, “More pitches. A true triple-option read and we have not run any type of read in a while. This is going to add a dimension to our quarterback’s game.” 
On the other side of the ball, look for a 3-5-3 defense, a scheme never employed by the Gamecocks. For as much as the Roosters have employed the Wing, so have they employed the Slant-5 defense.            
“I have not always been a three-man front kind of coach,” Manior said. “I started out always running a 4-3 or a 50 gap. I started noticing how much confusion a three-man front caused for me so I figured, if you have the kids who can run, why not run it. I think we have that kind of kid here.”
With Manior’s blessing, defensive coordinator Johnny Thompson is going to “put pressure on the offense,” Thompson said. “The offense does not know where the pressure is coming from.”
How is the transition progressing?
“We have had more good days than bad,” Manior said. “We have dragged on some of the hot stays. On those days, we work hard to stay focused, but I think the kids have bought into the system.”
Manior went on to say, “We are … I’ve been hearing that we are faster than the past two to three years. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the Gamecocks play so I don’t know how different we are going to look or play. I know that we are going to be underdogs in most of our early games. I have to say the first three and maybe even after that. This is where we have to believe.”
One crucial thing that Manior says the team needs is someone to step up and be a leader.
“We need someone to step up there,” Manior said. “You never know when someone will step up. It may happen at a crazy time.”
Friday will be a homecoming of sorts for Manior, the head coach of the Mustangs for the past four seasons. 
“I will be where I am supposed to be,” he said of that. “It will feel good. Obviously, I know a lot of folks there and I will know their players by name, but my feelings will be minimal. I am going to focus on the Gamecocks. There will be no reminiscing.”
As for the Lady Gamecocks and their upcoming seasons, softball gets the jump. While the earliest date for playing regular games has passed by nearly two weeks, Pollock has opted for strength of schedule this year in lieu of guaranteed wins. Facing a possible 18 games in the first 15 days of the season, lots of players must step up.          
“The girls have worked hard and understand that the target is going to be on them,” said Pollock. “They must understand that no one is going to lie down and give them what they deserve. After having a stellar year last year, the stakes are higher this year.”
A roster that includes eight seniors, five of whom are in their fourth year of starting and another who is a returning starter, will have pressure to improve on the 68-21 overall record they have accumulated.
“The players must continue to stay hungry,” Pollock said. “This is a long, challenging season where there can be numerous bumps in the road. The schedule is a lot tougher than seasons past. We will be playing many more top teams at tournaments which will only make us better.”
As far as the 2010 Lady Gamecock cheerleading squad is concerned, seniors also dominate the conversation.
“This is the first year that we have had a squad that is primarily seniors,” Rountree said. “We have nine seniors (four fourth-year starters) who will be taking the floor. Mary Helen and I have coached these girls since they were freshmen and it is amazing to see the progress that they have made.”
Three-time defending 3AA champions with back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the state this squad also will have a bull’s eye on its back. Every squad in the region will look to match the SCHS routine for precision and difficulty. The coaches feel the girls will be up to the task.
“This is a very enjoyable squad to work with,” Harrison said. “Vette and I are very excited about the possibilities.”
Rountree finished that thought with: “We are expecting great things. We started out the year by setting goals and they are working hard to achieve those goals.”
Cross country does not feature a host of returning seasons and a pile of trophies to defend. What they do have is six girls who have dedicated themselves to a second straight trip to state.
“We have three seniors, two juniors and a freshman making six total,” Canetto said. “But the girls have been running two or three days a week during the summer so I expect us to have a better start this year because of mileage already established.”
“We have set team and individual goals and we will continue to work hard,” Canetto said. “Your talent is God’s gift to you, what you do with it is your gift to God.”