POWDER SPRINGS - The Cobb Chamber of Commerce's South Cobb Area Council held its first Pigskin Preview luncheon Wednesday at the George E. Ford Center in Powder Springs.

The six high school football programs of south Cobb County were all represented at the event, which brought together the business community with the area schools.

"The Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Cobb County Board of Education have had a great relationship over the years, and we felt like this would be a good opportunity to showcase our area schools to the business community and let them see the great programs we have in this part of the county," South Cobb Area Council chairman Ford Thigpen said.

"The business leaders got a chance to meet principals, athletic directors, coaches and players from the different schools. We just want to show our support for the schools and the local businesses and promote the good things that we do."

Second-year McEachern coach Kyle Hockman was the first to speak at Wednesday's event. Hockman spoke about his team's 42-32 win over Brookwood at the Georgia Dome on Saturday and the importance on being a coach and the influence they have on young men.

"We were fortunate to see the kids play at a high level and do the things we ask them to do," Hockman said. "We have great players and that makes our jobs as coaches look easy. The sacrifices these kids make is incredible, and to be leaders in their classrooms and to juggle their academics as well is impressive to see, and they should be acknowledged."

South Cobb coach Ed Koester spoke next and emphasized the role coaches have on the lives of young men.

"We're excited over at South Cobb to have the opportunity to work with such fine young men and to touch their lives in such a positive way," Koester said. "It's a tremendous responsibility for us as coaches. And one we don't take lightly."

Hillgrove coach Phil Ironside addressed how pleased he is that the community has accepted the Hawks and his young program. He was also excited about the growth his program has made in such a short amount of time and touched on his team being ranked in the latest Associated Press state poll.

"We have a good following at Hillgrove and we're grateful that the community has embraced us," Ironside said. "We have good youth and middle school programs to help in our development and that has contributed to our success. Being ranked ninth (in Class AAAA) puts some pressure on us, but we will try to stay humble and keep things in perspective."

Osborne coach Troy Jones discussed the challenges his team and his school faces as one of the oldest schools in Cobb County. But he emphasized that, despite the challenges, the Cardinals will work hard to be an elite program in the county.

"Our goal is to be a program that people can be proud of," Jones said. "We've stabilized the program and now we're moving forward. I believe in these young men who play for us and I believe we will win a state championship.

"I don't know when we will, but I'll be there when we do. Just continue to support us and cheer us on. We'll never quit and we'll never stop fighting."

Athletic director Paul Gillihan represented Pebblebrook on behalf of coach Randall Smith and commended the Falcons' second-year coach on how he's turning the program around and instilling more school spirit.

Whitefield Academy coach Jimmy Fields ended Wednesday's program by expressing his excitement over the programs in the county and how talented the teams are.

"There's great football in Cobb County and Whitefield Academy is excited to be a part of it," Fields said.

The Wolfpack's third-year coach also went on to give a little dig to the programs of Gwinnett County, which has laid claim recently as the home of metro Atlanta's elite programs with a combined 10 state titles since 2000.

"Walton and McEachern sent a message to Gwinnett County (with wins at the Corky Kell Classic) about where real football is being played."