State championship game between Hawks and Knights feature a lot

They begin with offseason workouts in the spring, go through the summer at camps and more workouts in the heat and then go through a 10-game regular season schedule.

For the Heritage Hawks and the Deerfield-Windsor Knights two playoff games were added to the 2012 schedule and the two will meet Friday night in Albany to close the season with the winner claiming the GISA AAA state championship trophy.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30.

Both teams come into the game with 11-1 records and are number one seeds from their respective regions.

The game will also mark a homecoming of sorts as Hawks head coach Kevin Prisant will return to the school where he played and coached under current head coach Allen Lowe.

Both coaches have told various media outlets the game is about the kids and not about their relationship as coach and student but the subject has become a part of the story of this game.

The game has been promoted as a battle of David (Heritage) and Goliath (Deerfield-Windsor) with the football program of the former completing its seventh season with 40 wins while the latter has been playing football since 1970 and has 287 wins to its credit.

Prisant is in his second year at Heritage and as a head coach while Lowe has been in the business for 27 years including two stints at Deerfield-Windsor and a stint at Calvary Day of Savannah.

In other words, Prisant may have learned from the right teacher.

Also added in the mix is the first state football championship in Coweta County should the Hawks leave Dougherty County victorius.

The Newnan Cougars played for the GHSA AAAA title in 1981 but were defeated 21-0 by Warner Robins.

Regardless, the game will feature the two best running backs in the GISA with the Hawks' Candler Rich and the Knights'  Khron Mcclain.

Rich, the program’s all-time leading rusher, leads Heritage with 1805 yards and 22 touchdowns with offers from Ivy League schools at his feet while the Knights' offense begins and ends with Mcclain who has 168 carries for 1966 yards with 23 touchdowns and has 16 catches for 259 yards and seven more touchdowns.

The Hawks have also benefitted from a number of other players including senior quarterback Joe Bonner after his return from a shoulder injury and has thrown for over 3000 yards in his career including over 600 this year with 11 touchdowns.

Other  contributors have included tight end Garrett Jones, fullback Tyler Nix, wingback David Bready and wide receiver Spencer Perry who have figured in the Hawks success on both offense and defense.

Following Mcclain in the rushing attack of the Knights is Matthew Fox who has 51 carries for 405 yards and five touchdowns while Kemarvin Pitts has 50 carries for 382 yards and also has five touchdowns.
At quarterback for the Knights is Dallas Margeson who has accounted for 53 carries for 112 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 58 completions in 104 attempts for 939 yards and 16 scores.

Good, clean hate to visit the dome or the invasion of the “who dats”

This past weekend we had good, clean hate when Georgia played Georgia Tech while Florida played Florida State and Alabama faced Auburn.

The NFL version of rivalry weekend visits our conscience as several games will involve teams that just don’t like other.

The one rivalry that has the local or regional feel to it is the Thursday night contest between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.

Over the past 45 years there have been Saints who became Falcons and vice versa.

At one time, the Falcons quarterback (Bobby Hebert), fullback (Craig “Ironhead” Heyward) and kicker (Morten Anderson) were members of the Saints before moving to Georgia and only a few years ago the son of a former Saints head coach was the head Falcon.

This year linebacker Chris Lofton is the player who switched jerseys as he was released by the Falcons and signed by the Saints.

In the meeting on November 11 in New Orleans that saw the Saints come out with a one-point win that ended the Falcons eight-game winning streak, the Saints players were talking to anybody who would listen about the conduct of the Atlanta contingent.

Terms like “classless”, “losers” and “little brothers” were uttered from several players including Loftin who was signed by the rival Saints after the “bountygate” scandal saw teammate Jonathan Vilma suspended.

It seems to me that Mr. Lofton drank the koolaid or brew taken out of the Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain in which you become a Saints player and utter almost anything possible whether it is thought out or not.

Then we have Saints linebacker Scott Shanle who called the Falcons their “little brothers” after the game a couple of weeks ago.

My question is who in the devil is Scott Shanle?

According to his bio on NFL.COM, Shanle is a 10-year pro from Nebraska who has started half of the team’s games this year and has 564 total tackles in his career.

Outside of that Mr Shanle doesn’t really have that “wow” factor and last I looked he and his buddies are among the worst defenses in the NFL so if he was looking for a way to make a name for himself I doubt this statement worked.

This “shoot from mouth” mentality in the Crescent City goes back years when the Saints had players like Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling and others in the 1980s who bashed everyone including the guy who signed the checks.

I grant you that since the days of the Aint’s, the club has played a lot better and have been to the playoffs and own a Lombardi Trophy, but I can’t root for this team.

They have been a media darling too long after the Hurricane Katrina tragedy and it can be quite annoying.

Besides I have been a fan of the birds way too long and I will be watching them in the playoffs while the “big brothers” will miss the dance.

I would go on but one must try to be calm when demonstrating good clean hate.

Rich, Bonner lead Hawks to playoff win over Patriots

Candler Rich was at it again Friday night with three touchdowns while quarterback Joe Bonner threw a pair and ran for one to lead the Heritage Hawks to a 42-27 win over the Pinewood Christian Patriots in a GISA AAA playoff game.

The home victory for the Hawks was the program’s first playoff win and improved their overall record to 10-1 as they prepare to host the Westfield Hornets next Friday as the latter defeated Trinity Christian of Sharpsburg 10-7.

Pinewood Christian finishes their season with a record of 5-6.

The Hawks opened the scoring quickly as Rich ended a six-play drive buy running along the sideline for a 28-yard touchdown run with 9:52 remaining and after recovering a Patriots fumble, the Hawks took a 14-0 lead as Tyler Henson scored on a seven-yard pass from Bonner with 5:57 remaining in the quarter.

Bonner, who finished the evening completing 4-of-6 passes for 108 yards, passed the 3000 yard mark for his career with the touchdown pass.

The Patriots got on the board with 8:23 remaining in the first half when Ethan Kumpula scored on 13-yard run.and after a Hawks fumble at the Patriots 33, the latter threatened to tie the game as they reached the Hawks’ nine yard line, but the drive stalled with an errant snap on fourth down with 2:56 remaining.

Heritage took advantage on the first play at their own 25 as Bonner hit Garrett Jones with a pass and after three attempts, Jones secured the ball and scored the touchdown.

After a Patriots fumble early in the third quarter, the Hawks took advantage with a time consuming 13-play, 54-yard drive that culminated with a five-yard keeper by Bonner and the lead was 28-7 with 1:58 remaining after Dudley converted the extra point.

The Patriots cut into the lead when quarterback Dalton Johnson connected with Heath Waters for a 47-yard touchdown pass with 57 seconds remaining in the quarter and the Hawks’ lead was 28-13 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

Heritage had an answer for the Pinewood score as Rich recorded his second touchdown of the evening with a 72-yard return on the ensuing kickoff and Dudley’s extra point was true and the Hawks took a 35-13 lead into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, both teams lost fumbles with the Patriots recovering the second miscue and converting as Johnson scored on a 12-yard keeper with 7:15 remaining that cut the score to 35-21 after Joshua Barnard caught a pass in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion.

Johnson completed 10-of-25 passes for 186 yards and threw two interceptions while rushing for 65 yards on 23 carries.

The Hawks took a 42-21 lead as Rich recorded his third touchdown of the evening with a 30-yard run through the middle of the Patriots’ defense with 4:11 remaining, but the Patriots scored one more time as Johnson connected with Barnard on a 46-yard touchdown pass with 2:16 remaining.

Hawks score 29 straight points to defeat Lions and win first region title

SENOIA-In their first season of varsity football in 2006, the Heritage Hawks showed their inexperience as they manage to finish with a 1-9 record.

That was then, this is now as the Hawks won the first region championship Friday night with a 29-14 victory over the Trinity Christian Lions in a GISA Region 2-AAA contest played at McKnight Field.

Besides winning the region title, the Hawks improved to a program-high nine wins against a single defeat which surpassed last year’s record and they will host a first round playoff game against the Pinewood Christian Patriots who lost to Bulloch Academy 21-14 in Statesboro.

The Lions, in their second of playing 11-man football as well as participating in the Georgia Independent School Association, dropped to 6-4 overall and 3-2 in the region which earned them the region’s third seed and a trip to Perry to face the Westfield Hornets who is Region 1-AAA’s second seed.  

The Hawks appeared to continue their sluggish play from a week ago that led to a 38-35 loss to Tattnall Square as they opened the game with a fumble in their initial series and the Lions took advantage as fullback Mark Collier culminated a drive with a one-yard run through the middle of the Hawks’ defense with 8:05 remaining in the first quarter.

Trinity added to the lead with 8:35 remaining in the second quarter as a 13-yard completion by quarterback Connor Adams was followed by a 26 yard run by Jay Warner and the faithful was happy with the 14-0  cushion after the extra point attempt by Cole Houser was successful.

However, the Hawks overcame their struggles and began their rally behind the play of senior Candler Rich who ended a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a seven-yard run along the right sideline for a touchdown with 3:50 left in the first half.

In one of the stranger plays of the evening, the Hawks converted a two-point conversion as teammates Garrett Jones and Spencer Perry appeared to battle for the reception in the end zone with the latter eventually coming down with the ball.

The Lions threatened to answer the Hawks’ score as they started a drive at their own 35 yard line and behind the legs of Warner were able to get in the red zone with time running out.

However, the Hawks were able to make a goal line stand as Warner was knocked out of bounds at the one-yard line on fourth-and-goal and Heritage was able to run out the clock with the 14-8 deficit.

The Hawks took the lead on their initial series of the second half as they recovered an onside kick attempt by the Lions at midfield and Rich did most of the damage in the eight-play drive including a 25-yard run with 8:35 remaining in the third quarter and the Hawks took a 15-14 lead as Ben Dudley converted the extra point.

After holding the Lions on a three-and-out, the Hawks added to the lead as Joe Bonner scored on a one-yard quarterback keeper with a minute remaining in the third quarter and Dudley the extra point to give the Hawks a 22-14 advantage.

To the surprise of no one, the final score of the evening came from Rich as he caught a pass from Bonner at the Heritage 10 and raced past everyone for a 90-yard touchdown score 15 seconds into the final quarter.