Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAAAA Playoff Preview

SportsFan 31313: The team that Warner Robins Demons fielded this year was the championship team they had been waiting for the last three years. I know the parents and players since rec ball through High School. They won a lot at the middle school level–so they were ready! However, for some reason they didn’t play as champions in 2009 until it was too late. The areas that Northside will give up under re-zoning due to the new Veterans High School— will go to Warner Robins High School. The quality players that Veterans High suits-up will come mostly from the WR Demons.

As a AAAA School, Northside will definitely be in control for a number of years among Houston County Schools.

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to nhs eagleman-the play you referred to where the referee gave the ball to nhs after the pack had run only 3 plays-you failed to mention that it occurred on nhs 20 yarde line and the pack only needed one foot for a first down and on the subsequent possession that ended in a field goal we had 4th and long. there were other untimely highly questionable calls made. it should never have come down to the last 3-4 minutes.you brag about the long winning streak, i’m wondering how in the world did you lose any games at home.

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columbia Blue

It has to start somewhere, how many rings did you have before the year 2000? At one point John Elway didn’t have any championships either but he ended with a couple.

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Goober: I am sure that you are correct, but I was thinking that The Park got beat that game. Perhaps it was the next round. I was actually walking the sideline with Hines Ward & Company that game and met Hyder after the game at mid-field. Yes, what a job Hines has done in the NFL — Pittsburgh’s leading receiver for the last ten years. Incredible. He ought to be a first-balloter in the Hall. It was sad when Coach Hyder died suddenly. He was recruited out of Rome, Georgia to the famed Valdosta program. I remember attending games at Cleveland Field in ‘Dosta in the 1950s when the Cats dominated the State (and Nation) under Coach Wright Bazemore. Now this was the beginning of Winnersville, U.S.A. I also remember the old Region 1-AAA, the toughest region in the State each year (like the SEC today). Triple A was the highest classification in the old days. Listen to the members of the old 1-AAA: Valdosta, Moultrie (now Colquitt County), Tift County, LaGrange, Lanier of Macon, Willingham of Macon, Mark Smith of Macon, Jordan of Columbus, Columbus of Columbus, Baker of Columbus, and Warner Robins (there was no Northside of Warner Robins then). Of course, this was during the segregated days of public schools. So, I am telling my age. With integration, Valdosta continued its winning ways with athletes like Stan Bounds in the early ’70s. I think that the biggest thing that hurt ‘Dosta was the emergence of a strong county school in Lowndes County. It was inevitable as the area grew in population. Every now in then, the Wildcats would have a down year. I think that they had one when Buck Belue was there. Buck Belue, Greg Talley, Randall Godfrey, John Lastinger, and others had great careers at UGA after matriculating through the Valdosta program. By the way, Valdosta is a beautiful town near the Florida border and has a good and beautiful university as well…the Valdosta State University Blazers! That was an unsolicited and unpaid plug. I am not a “professional” blogger.

But, here I go rambling again. Moultrie was a powerhouse as well. Ray Goff was a passing QB there but ended up beating out Matt Robinson at UGA in his senior year. (Prior to that year, they swapped in and out.) In the 1976 season, Goff demonstrated his running skills over his passing ones. He was Player of the Year in the SEC. UGA won the SEC Championship, getting beat later in the Sugar Bowl by a Tony Dorsett-led Pitt Panthers. Matt Robinson went on to have a good career with the New York Jets in the NFL. Ray Goff did not make the Denver Broncos and gave back his signing bonus which endeared him in the hearts of many. He began coaching at South Carolina before coming home to UGA, and when Dooley retired, there was a groundswell among the Georgia faithful to install the kid from Moultrie as the new head coach. I hear that Coach Goff is now happy with his Zaxby franchises.

Goober, you see what you started! Thanks for the correct info about the Forest Park-Valdosta game. It was indeed a good game. I was there.

Can you remember the three stalwarts on the Warner Robins team of 1976? I think that this team was ranked number one in the country. James Brooks (the scat back) who starred at Auburn and in the NFL, Ron Simmons (the nose guard) who starred at FSU and the NFL, and Jimmy Womack (the fullback) who opened up the running routes for a fellow named Herschel Walker when the Big Dawg was a freshmen. This team beat a team out of Columbus (I must say…it was Jordan) 90 to 0 in 1976. The Jordan coach refused to punt, and now reaps the benefits of being noted in the annals of Georgia high school football history.

Who started at quarterback for Bremen High School as a freshmen in 1995? Preston Haliburton, a big time Buckhead lawyer and undefeated (13 and 0) heavyweight boxer who is now angling for a title shot. If you have been to Buckhead lately, you have probably seen his billboards. Haliburton was being recruited by Georgia Tech and other Division One schools as a QB. He was a 6′1″ and 205 pound QB who could not only throw the ball but who could run too. But, he hurt his back his senior year. He was North Carolina State’s number one recruit at QB, and Ray Goff was also recruiting him, but Goff was canned at UGA that year. So, Haliburton, with a hurt back, signed with West Georgia in baseball. He later transferred to UGA where he realized that he could box left-handed to protect his back. He became became the SEC Boxing Champ for two years. (He still had one year of boxing eligibility left and boxed as a law student.) Haliburton was three times First Team All American in boxing. Had the injury not occurred in high school, he probably never would have taken up boxing. Oh the vicissitudes of life! Preston Haliburton might have been the first football player in GHSA to score a varsity touchdown while he was still 14 years of age. I know that Robert Trotter of Landmark Christian scored a varsity touchdown against Ola High of Henry County when he was still 14. Are there others out there? Haliburton, in the 8th Grade in Carroll County, was named 8th Grade Athlete of the Year. His father, Richard Haliburton (who also happened to coach Evander Holyfield in his preparation of the 1988 Olympics) did not want his son running the Notre Dame Box — the offense still being run at Carrollton High School (from the Coach Grisham days). So, the Haliburtons rented an apartment in Bremen where the Blue Devils were not hemmed in with an archaic Notre Dame Box. Bremen and Landmark Christian have been big rivals in Division One play, but not as big in their rivalry as the Bremen Blue Devils and the Bowdon Red Devils. Kids in the Haralson County area pay tuition to attend the city school of Bremen. (Bremen City has its own school systems and has almost been operating like a private school for years, especially since the nation’s longest-serving Speaker of the House, the late and legendary Thomas B. [Tom] Murphy, hailed from Bremen. Needless to say, Bremen was taken care of.) Bremen had a big tight end last year who was recruited by many D-1 schools before he decided on Troy.

Y’all forgive my typos, OK? I’m just a Southsider who is just rambling. Hey, y’all remember that 1987 Morrow State Championship team? Andre Hastings (later of UGA and the NFL Steelers) was a sophomore on that team. I remember watching his body be almost completely parallel to the ground in the end zone when he caught a pass against Southwest DeKalb at Pantersville Stadium. I read somewhere that Andre has found his post-NFL calling in training dogs. Seriously, he is good at it and has a thriving business…I think in Colorado.

Well, I better stop for now while I am still ahead, eh? Goober, if you catch any more inaccuracies, please keep us informed, OK? Gotta run.

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Lowndes will squash E.Coweta and it will only take a quarter to do so. It wouldn’t surprise me if that snuck off during halftime. Northside i told ya’ll not to overlook Colquitt and you liked to slipped up. I believe the 1AAAAA teams are the real deal and so will everybody else after this week. Go Vikings,Go Wr Northside , Go Packers and Go as best as you can Wildcats. Region 1AAAA the SEC of High school football.

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When is everyone going to give the region theory a rest? Why is when other 5A schools stack their non-region schedule against 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A schools, and start 3-0 before they get to their region, noone is concerned, but Camden becomes the but of jokes for being in region 3-5A ball. I see none of those schools lining up to play Camden to start the season, except in the Korky Kell Classic which, until this Grayson this year, Camden has done exceptionally well. Homefield advantage does not mean automatic wins, Dacula went to Camden a couple of years back and won, as well as a couple of other schools. The schools in the Atlanta metro, have homefield, during the games in the dome. Their fans just don’t showup. Camden fans travel with their team. They create homefield advantage wherever they travel to. I guess we could say the same about all level of sports when 1 team in a division is dominant, Patriots, Yankees, Braves, Gators, Valdosta in their heyday, in fact Valdosta dominated in every region they were in. The schools around them got better, not because they complained, but because they worked to get better. When Camden had to travel to Newnan last year, no complaining, they packed up the town and traveled the 3-4 hour trip on a friday to a field that I played on when I was at Griffin-Spalding High in the early 80’s. Extra seats were brought in because there was not enough fixed sitting. I am sure many of you have seen Camden play in the dome,, and seen the number of fans filling the stands. Valdosta has taught schools 1 thing, build in the rec league, middle schools and you will have a steady supply of quality athletes to compete in all divisions.

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All the talk about Camden is moot. That’s why we have a playoff. Yes they have a weak region but that will show in the playoffs in round two after they get hit in the mouth for the first time in weeks and there players are a little banged up. 1-AAAAA has to do it week in and week out which gives us depth at every position. Which also shows when our teams make deep runs in the playoffs. Some off the ATL. regions have this as well which is why they make a good showing during this time of year. High school football is probally one of the most unpredictable sports out there and you never know just what team will show up. With that said, Westlake better be ready to take a hit because the PACK is ready to give you one.

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A couple observations;
I am glad this blog is staying on topic. The other one has gotten a little wierd with all the education talk, N GA Vs S GA. Please stick to football!
Also, I don’t know about anyone else, but I am less likely to read through some of the longer posts, i.e Southside Observers history lesson, though I did this time.

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Greetings Northside Observer,

It will definitely be interesting in AAAA for NSWR. You have some good teams to contend with out of Region 1 ( Central Thomasville) if NSWR are placed there. You also have Region two that is a pretty good Region as well.

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wardawg–You left out one glaring omission..It also helps to have only ONE high school in your county!!!!

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Sportsfan…word on the street says Northside will be in the same region with the other local schools (WRHS, HOCO, and the new Veterans), along with Westside and Rutland (Macon) and Jones County, and Upson-Lee. I don’t think Westside is happy to hear that.

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CHEaglefan:

Yes, Roswell’s QB quit. His replacement played at least a few series in every game and lots of Roswell folks think he’s better than the starter who quit.

Also, you have a very convenient memory. The last time the 2 teams played each other, the refs were a major factor, just not quite how you remember it.

Roswell was called for 15 penalties that night for 145 yards. Collins Hill was penalized twice for 19 yards, one of them a no-brainer roughing-the-kicker penalty.

You might want to look at the film again. The Roswell RB was stopped but he wasn’t down. Don’t blame the refs because the CH defense quit on the play.

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That choking sound you hear is the Lowndes football team. Let’s see what round they choke on this year. cough-cough-hack-hack.

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SPORTSFAN 31313 Did you attend the game at Camden last week. Did you happen to be one of those guys standing up with those blue shirts on with the guy in the red cap.

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does anyone know why CCHS QB ryan gregoire quit?

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Southside High School Observer: Are and Fred related some how?? I’m just trying to figure out if you two are in competition to see who can write the longest blog!

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Brookwood Mom,

No.

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Camden qb Gregorie quit because he was not going to start the last home game against Bradwell. He evidently was not a team player. You know he was only about 5′5 and 145 pounds if that much. Our backup qb has been playing as much or more than Gregorie and is a bigger young man.

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I don’t understand why Region 1-AAAAA is bragging let the play on the field do the talking. I love my Cats but to think that they are going to blow Newnan out is laughable.

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WILDCAT FAN—ONE MORE THING, IM STILL WAITING ON A COPY AND PASTE OF ME HATING ON CAMDEN IN THE PAST…GUESS YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO COPY AND PASTE HUH??

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C’MON SGT CHRIS, why you hating on Camden……lol!!!!!

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First of all, SouthGeorgiaRules, you are so right about Randall Godfrey playing at Lowndes County…and for Rick Tomberlin at that! Now I remember that Randall traveled to Forsyth, Georgia to watch his former coach’s team, Washinton County, play Mary Persons High in the playoffs. In fact, I stood next to Godfrey on the sidelines and was thinking that he didn’t look that big. I think that he was still at UGA at the time. This Washington County (or, “WACO” as the fans call it) team was loaded with players like Takeo Spikes, and I believe it was one of (or perhaps the only) teams at WACO which won the State while Rick Tomberin was there. Godfrey lives in Gwinnett and is finishing up his degree at UGA — he may have finished it by now. He could have played a couple of more years in the NFL (I think that he played 11 or 12) but he wanted to spend more time with his wife and kids. Yes, how did I forget another Valdosta to UGA QB with John Bond? Many QBs from Valdosta matriculated in Athens in the 1980s and early 1990s. I do not remember Cox at Warner Robins. Sorry.

Fred, you remember Charlie Dudish, eh? Looked just like Mickey Mantle in a baseball uniform. His Avondale baseball team traveled to Columbus his senior year to play Columbus High in the finals. CHS won. I remember how big Dudish’s forearms were. I remember the date to be in the late 1960s…perhaps 1968 or 1969. I don’t remember this being 1962-1964 as you indicate. Charles Dudish did sign with Tech under, I believe, Bud Carson, and did not pan out so well. He was, however, a bigger physical specimen than someone like Alec Ogletree at Newnam. Dudish was a man among boys. Fred, do you remember Rudy Kinard (sp?) in basketball at Decatur High at or around the same time as Charlie Dudish at Avondale?

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Newnan appears to get stronger as the game moves along. Last year, I almost froze in the Newnan stadium as I watched Newnan and Tift County play a close game until the second half when Newnan blew out Tift County. I am sure that Alec and Zander Olegtree will bring their “A” games. I don’t see Newnan as a great passing team this year, but I’ve only seen them play once in person. But, their running game, led by Christopher Robinson, is somewhat stout. Both Ogletrees play on both sides of the line. The Newnan fans are great fans. The Cougars will be well-supported, as I know that the ‘Dosta fans will travel with the Cats.

Let me tell you a true story that happened 44 years ago. Oliver Honeycutt’s LaGrange Grangers were ranked No. 1 in the State and was on the top of the standing in the legendary 1-AAA, the most powerful region in Georgia year in and year out. Region 1-AAA (AAA was the highest classification in those days) was composed of LaGrange, Warner Robins (but W. R. was not that potent back in the day), Lanier of Macon, Willingham of Macon, Mark Smith (in later years) of Macon, Jordan of Columbus, Columbus High, Baker of Columbus, Tift County, Moultrie, Valdosta, and perhaps Thomasville (someone asked about Thomasville, and it may have been Region 1-AAA but I don’t recall that it was). This was the 1965 football season, Valdosta desperately needed some team to either beat or tie LaGrange to put he Cats in the driver’s seat in 1-AAA. Billy Atkins, who had played on Shug Jordan’s Auburn team when it won the National Championship in 1957, came to Jordan Vocational High School in Columbus that year, after having played a few years in the NFL. He totally turned around a weak Jordan football program. The only two losses for Jordan that year had come from Valdosta and Moultrie (two perennial powerhouses). The boys of JVHS were about to travel to LaGrange to play the Number One Grangers. Coach Atkins received a very simple telegram from Coach Wright Bazemore and his Cats in Valdosta. It simply read: “The eyes of ‘Dosta are upon you.” The much-outmanned Jordan Red Jackets fought tenanciously for a 6 to 6 tie against the mighty Grangers. It was indeed celebrated like a victory. (Jordan had won just one game the year before.) The Jordan team sent a telegram to the Valdosta team. It simply read: “Happy Birthday.” I think that Valdosta went on the win the State Championship in that year, 1965. Jordan finished 6-2-2 and won the coveted “Bi-City Championship” (Columbus High, Jordan of Columbus, Baker of Columbus, and Central of Phenix City, Alabama). Troy State snatched up Billy Atkins after only one year at Jordan, and after only a couple of years at Troy State (yes, it was “Troy State” back then), the Red Wave (yes, this was the original nickname at Troy, not the Trojans) went on to win the NAIA National Championship in the Crampton (or, Crompton) Bowl in 1968. Shortly after winning this national championship, Coach Atkins began coaching in the NFL. The Atkins have a son, Ace Atkins, who played for Auburn in the late 1980s and/or the early 1990s. Now, Ace Atkins, is a well-known Southern novelist, writing mostly mysteries/thrillers.

Thanks for letting this ole Southsider ramble just a little more. My prediction: Carrollton (9-1) defeats Creekside (9-1) at Grisham Field at Ben Scott Stadium or is that Ben Scott Field at Grisham Stadium? I remember Ben Scott doing a great job at Kendrick High in Columbus before taking the Carrollton job. Coach Scott died suddenly and without warning, bringing this West Georgia Community to tears. Ben Scott, a very affable and facile person and a great coach, was well-loved. Carrollton is another great sports town where the people are crazy for their team. I can name a few towns like this in Georgia, and I will, even fearing the retribution for leaving others off the list: Valdosta, Lincolnton, Carrollton, Dalton, Griffin, Newnan, Tifton, Bremen, Warner Robins, LaGrange, Sandersville (getting stronger each year), Buford, Moultrie, and Thomasville, just to name a few off the top of my head. Can you beat Friday Night Football in a small community?

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NHS Eagles Man,

If that is true then it will be a new war for that Region.

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wildcat fan, SGT CHRIS,

Okay, Okay, Okay, lets calm things down….. That’s an “ORDER” LOL…….

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