Primetime 23 is a list of the top players to watch ahead of the 2018 football season.

Dawson Flowers’ improvement from his first to last game in 2017 was notable for everyone.

Flowers’ first year at quarterback was a remarkable one, as he threw for 2,419 yards and 26 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions, but the senior will be better with experience this season.

“He got better from the first game to the last,” Brookhaven Academy coach Ron Rushing said. “He’s going to be really good for us this season.”

Flowers said the game started to slow down for him after the first two games last season, and he started to get into a rhythm after that.

“The first few games, I was kind of lost,” Flowers said. “Then I started to be able to figure out what I was doing, and everything slowed down and that really helped.”

Rushing said it was important to have an experienced quarterback going into a season with high expectations.

“It’s extremely nice to have someone back that’s comfortable with our system,” Rushing said. “He’s an extremely bright kid, so he picks up on things very fast. That’s what’s exciting.”

Wide receiver Cade Brown said Flowers is a great quarterback, and he’s excited to play alongside him for his senior year.

“He’s a really good quarterback,” Brown said. “He knows exactly where to go with the football, and that’s what’s great about him. The experience he has is invaluable.”

Flowers said he thinks this Cougar team is one that can win a state championship, and that last year’s postseason experience will be huge for the Cougars when it rolls around this year.

“I kind of had a feeling what the postseason was about playing some other sports last season,” Flowers said. “But now we all know what it’s about, and we’ll be ready to go when that time of year rolls around this season.”