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Prep Game of the Week—Stratford at Deerfield-Windsor

– November 16, 2011Posted in: Sports

 

 

What: Semifinals of the GISA Class AAA playoffs

When: Friday, November 18, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Webb Stadium, Albany

2011 records: Stratford is 10-1 overall. Deerfield-Windsor is 10-2 overall.

Last week: Deerfield-Windsor defeated Mount de Sales, 24-7. Stratford defeated Bulloch, 42-7.

All-time series record: Stratford leads 22-19.

First meeting: Stratford 21, Deerfield-Windsor 12 (1970)

Last meeting: Stratford 14, Deerfield-Windsor 10 (2011)

 

Analysis: The Deerfield-Windsor Knights achieved the first step towards advancing to their fourth straight GISA Class AAA state championship game last Friday, as they defeated Mount de Sales out of Macon, 24-7. Now, only another squad from Macon stands between the Knights and another trip to the finals in the Stratford Academy Eagles.

With the exception of four seasons (1975, 1976, 1984, and 1985), Deerfield and Stratford have played each other every year since 1970. It’s truly one of the greatest rivalries in all of the GISA.

Stratford, though, had the upper hand in the first seven games of the series, going 7-0 between 1970 and 1974. The Eagles outscored the Knights, 212-38, in those contests, including two postseason contests, both championship games. Deerfield won its first game over Stratford, 17-12, in 1977. That started a streak of four straight wins by the Knights over the Eagles that lasted into the early 1980’s.

Since 1986, both Deerfield and Stratford have played at least one game against each other for the last 26 years, including this year. The Knights have gone 15-12 in the last 27 meetings against the Eagles, including this year’s 14-10 setback at Stratford earlier this season. Between 2002 and 2007, Deerfield won seven straight games over Stratford, including a 31-7 rout over the Eagles in the first round of the 2002 state playoffs that helped propel the Knights to the first of their three state championships.

Both programs have built solid winning traditions over the years. Entering this Friday’s game, Deerfield has an all-time record of 272-186-10, with state titles being win in 2002, 2008, and 2010. On the other hand, Stratford has an all-time of 303-169-6, with eight state championships, the most recent in 2004.

In a bit of an ironic twist, the Eagles were a combined 17-0 during their first two seasons, 1970 and 1971. They put together a string of three straight state titles during the early 1970’s. The Eagles defeated the Knights for the 1970 and 1972 state championships, and didn’t suffer their first losing season until 1979, when they finished that season at 3-5-1.

In another irony that worked in Deerfield’s favor, the Knights lost to Stratford in the third game of the 2008 season, dropping their overall record to 1-2 at the time. Deerfield would go on to win 11 straight games to take home second state title, as the Knights outlasted Westfield, 17-12.

While the 42nd all-time meeting between Deerfield-Windsor and Stratford is sure to produce yet another memorable moment in the history of this long-standing rivalry, none of them will produce the kind of stakes that both teams face this Friday, as the winner will punch their ticket to the state championship game next week.

Source: Georgia High School Football Historians Association (http://www.ghsfha.org/)

 

Tags: deerfield-windsor, Deerfield-Windsor Knights, high school football
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Prep Football Game of the Week—Mount de Sales at Deerfield-Windsor

– November 9, 2011Posted in: Sports, Walter L. Johnson II

 

What: First round (quarterfinals) of the GISA Class AAA playoffs

When: Friday, November 11, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Webb Stadium, Albany

2011 records: Mount de Sales is 7-3, 3-3 in GISA Region 2-AAA. Deerfield-Windsor is 9-2, 8-0 in GISA Region 1-AAA.

Last week: Deerfield-Windsor defeated Southland, 41-0. Mount de Sales lost to Tattnall Square, 22-0.

All-time series record: Deerfield leads 7-3.

First meeting: Mount de Sales 20, Deerfield-Windsor 14 (Overtime)—(1988)

Last meeting: Deerfield-Windsor 30, Mount de Sales 27 (2010)

 

Analysis: The Deerfield-Windsor Knights will begin their quest to win back-to-back state championships, as well as their third title in the last four years, when they play host to the Mount de Sales Cavaliers from Macon at Webb Stadium Friday night.

Although this is the 11th meeting all-time between the two teams, this week’s meeting will mark just the second straight between the Knights and Cavaliers since 2005. Deerfield downed MDS, 20-13, en route to a 9-3 finish six years ago.

Although Deerfield has won the last four meetings against Mount de Sales, three of those contests have had dramatic finishes, with the Knights winning all of them by a combined total of 14 points. Deerfield defeated MDS, 25-21, in 1999, the aforementioned seven-point overtime win six years later, as well as last year’s thrilling win, 30-27, that propelled the Knights into the championship game. The lone blowout win during Deerfield’s current win streak came in 2001, when the Knights shut out the Cavaliers, 24-0, in one of just five regular season meetings all-time. The only other regular season games between both teams came during a four-year period from 1990-1993, with Deerfield going 3-1 in those meetings. Ironically, though, both teams played in a fifth straight game in the quarterfinal round of the 1994 playoffs, with MDS winning big, 29-6. It turned out to be last time the Knights lost to the Cavaliers.

Allen Lowe has an all-time career record of 194-99-3 going into this week’s game against MDS, including a mark of 47-22 at the Savannah-based Calvary Day from 1995-2000. In his two stints at Deerfield (1987-1994, 2001-present), Lowe has a combined record of 147-77. He needs just six more victories to reach 200 wins for his coaching career.

Perhaps the most memorable game in the Deerfield-MDS series came in the semifinals of last year’s playoffs, when a last second field goal from Trey Puckett helped put the Knights into their third straight state title game. They defeated Tattnall Square, 38-22, the following week, to win their second state championship in three years. Don’t be surprised if this year’s game between the Knights and Cavaliers goes right down to the wire.

Source: Georgia High School Football Historians Association (http://www.ghsfha.org/)

 

Tags: deerfield-windsor, high school football, Sports, Walter Johnson
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Prep Game of the Week—Monroe vs. Westover

– November 4, 2011Posted in: Sports

 

When: Friday, November 4, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Hugh Mills Stadium, Albany

2011 records: Both teams are 4-5 overall, 2-3 in GHSA Region 1-AAA

Last week: Monroe defeated Dougherty, 29-14.  Westover lost to Americus-Sumter, 14-12.

All-time series record: Monroe leads 24-16-1

First meeting: Monroe 14, Westover 14 (tie)—(1970)

Last meeting: Westover 28, Monroe 18 (2010)

 

Analysis: The Monroe Comprehensive High School Tornadoes and the Westover Comprehensive High School Patriots will play for the 42nd straight time at Hugh Mills Stadium Friday night, with a lot more at stake than just mere bragging rights.

While Westover is hoping to win their second straight mythical City of Albany/Dougherty County School championship with a win over Monroe, the Patriots also enter their latest tilt against the Tornadoes knowing they not only must win, but also hope that the Worth County Rams lose to Crisp County 20 miles east of Albany, in Sylvester.

Both teams have been in multiple close games all season long, with all of Westover’s losses coming by a combined total of 20 points.  The Patriots have lost all of those contests by an average of four points.

On the other hand, Monroe has played in four games that were decided by nine points or less, winning just one of the contests; a 14-6 victory Northeast (Macon) on Sept. 2.  Their losses in single-digits came against Albany High (14-13), Brooks County (21-12), and Americus-Sumter (6-0).

If there’s one thing both Monroe and Westover have in common, they’ve beaten their fellow Dougherty County archrivals, the Dougherty Comprehensive High School Trojans.   The Patriots downed Dougherty in convincing fashion, 47-0, in their region opener on Sept. 24, while the Tornadoes defeated the Trojans, 29-14, last week.

A second common opponent for both teams this season has been Worth County.  While the Patriots fell to the Rams, 23-18, on Sept. 29, the Tornadoes hit the road, and earned the first of their two critical region wins over head coach Scotty Ward in a 27-6 victory the following week.

Additionally, both Monroe and Westover split their games against yet another common GHSA Region 1-AAA foe in Crisp County.  The Patriots picked up their second region, 20-6, over Crisp on Oct. 14, while the Tornadoes lost to that same squad, 28-25, a week later.

Both the Tornadoes and Patriots not only need a win to have a shot at the playoffs, they also need some help from the winner of Crisp-Worth game in Sylvester this week.  A Monroe win, plus a Worth loss, would put the Tornadoes in the playoffs for the fifth time since 2005 (their other playoff appearances were 2006, 2007, and 2009).

A Westover win, combined with a Worth loss, would give the Patriots their first trip to the postseason since 2007.  They reached the quarterfinal round of the GHSA Class AAA state playoffs before bowing to Chamblee, 41-26.

With so much at stake, expect both the Tornadoes and Patriots to have a fight to the finish, on the final Friday night of the regular season.

Source: Georgia High School Football Historians Association (http://www.ghsfha.org/)

 

Tags: high school football, Monroe, Sports, Westover
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Prep Game of the Week: Crisp at Westover

– October 12, 2011Posted in: Walter L. Johnson II

When: Friday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Hugh Mills Stadium, Albany

2011 records: Crisp County is 4-2 overall, 2-0 in GHSA Region 1-AAA. Westover is 3-3 overall, 1-1 in GHSA Region 1-AAA.

Last week: Crisp County defeated Americus-Sumter, 8-7. Westover had a bye.

All-time series record: Crisp County leads 16-5

First meeting: Westover 13, Crisp County 8 (1970)

Last meeting: Crisp County 14, Westover 3 (2010)

            The Crisp County Cougars and Westover Patriots will meet for the 22nd time in yet another critical Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Region 1-AAA contest at Hugh Mills Stadium on Friday night.

The teams met six times during the 1970s, with the Cougars winning four of the six match-ups. Crisp County won the games played in 1971, 1974, 1978, and 1979, while Westover emerged victorious in 1970 and 1975. The series went dormant during the 1980s, with the next game not being played until 1990, when the Cougars crushed the Patriots, 34-8.

Since 1990, there have been another six seasons where the Westover-Crisp County series has not been played, with no games played in 1996 or 1997, or from 2000-2003.

Since the series resumed in 2004, the Cougars have had the upper hand in it, winning six of the last seven games, including the last three contests. The Patriots lone win in that span come in 2007, when they downed the Cougars, 31-20.

Over the years, Crisp County has won eight region championships, five of them as a member of GHSA Region 3-AAA during the 1980s, as well as their most recent crown in 1995, when the Cougars won the Region 2-AAA title en route to advancing to the state semifinals in the Georgia Dome, losing to eventual state runner-up Cedar Shoals, 27-24, in overtime. Ironically, the 1995 campaign would be last double-digit win season for the Crisp County program, as the Cougars finished it 12-2 under then head coach Clay Hill.

Last week, Crisp County moved into a tie for first place in GHSA Region 1-AAA with an 8-7 win over Americus-Sumter at home, while Westover used its bye week to re-group after losing to Worth County, 23-18, on Sept. 29.

With the last six meetings decided by 11 points or less, the team that makes the big plays when they need to, as well as the fewest mistakes, will likely win this week’s match-up. With Crisp County and Cairo currently sitting at 2-0 in region play, followed by Americus-Sumter at 2-1, Westover at 1-1, Monroe and Worth County, and Dougherty at 0-3, the Crisp-Westover matchup could go a long way towards not only deciding which team wins a region title, and also which teams will punch a ticket to the state playoffs deep into November.

            Source: Georgia High School Football Historians Association (www.ghsfha.org)

Tags: high school football, Westover
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Game of the Week: Monroe at Worth

– October 3, 2011Posted in: Columns, Sports, Walter L. Johnson II

When: Friday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Worth County Stadium, Sylvester
2011 records: Worth County is 3-3 overall, 1-1 in GHSA Region 1-AAA. Monroe is 2-4 overall, 0-2 in GHSA Region 1-AAA.
Last week: Worth County defeated Westover, 23-18. Monroe lost to Americus-Sumter, 6-0.
All-time series record: Worth County leads 14-7
First meeting: Worth County 42, Monroe 14 (1988)
Last meeting: Worth County 21, Monroe 20 (2010)

The Monroe Tornadoes and Worth County Rams will meet for the 22nd time in Sylvester Friday night. Both teams are heading into yet another all-important GHSA Region 1-AAA contest going in different directions.

While the Rams escaped Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany with a 23-18 win over Westover, the Tornadoes lost their fourth straight game in a heartbreaking 6-0 setback on the road to Americus-Sumter. Monroe hasn’t won since holding off Northeast (Macon), 14-6, on the road in the second game of the season on Sept. 2.

In their Region 1-AAA opener on Sept. 23, the Rams lost a heartbreaker of their own, losing to the same aforementioned Americus-Sumter squad, 36-29. As for the Tornadoes, they fell to Cairo in their first region contest at Hugh Mills Stadium, 33-7, that same night.

From 1988-1995, both Monroe and Worth County played each other eight straight years, with the Rams winning the first four games, followed by three wins in a row by Tornadoes from 1992-94, before the Rams snapped that skid with a 26-0 shutout win in 1995. The two teams didn’t meet in 1996 or 1997.

Since the series resumed in 1998, the ‘up and down’ has continued, with Worth reeling off five straight wins, before Monroe came away with a 25-22 triumph in 2003. Since 2004, the Rams have won four of the last seven meetings, including the last three contests.

Friday’s contest serves as a very critical one for both teams. While the Rams hope to improve to 2-1 in region play with a win, and move one step closer to advancing to the state playoffs for the second straight season (Worth finished 6-5 in 2010, losing to Thomson, 21-19, in the GHSA Class AAA first round), the Tornadoes find themselves in a must-win situation to keep themselves in playoff contention. Monroe’s last region win came on Oct. 29, 2010, when the Tornadoes defeated Dougherty, 34-14.

Source: Georgia High School Football Historians Association (www.ghsfha.org)

 

Tags: GHSA, high school football, Monroe High School
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Game of the Week: Dougherty vs. Westover

– September 21, 2011Posted in: Sports

When: Saturday, September 24, 7 p.m.

Where: Hugh Mills Stadium

What: The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Region 1-AAA opener for both teams.

2011 records: Dougherty is 1-3; Westover is 2-2.

Last week: Dougherty lost to Wilkinson County, 24-6. Westover lost to Early County, 21-19.

All-time series record: Dougherty leads 35-6.

First meeting: Dougherty 14, Westover 6 (1970)

Last meeting: Westover 13, Dougherty 0 (2010)

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Tags: high school football, high school game of the week
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Game of the Week: Bainbridge vs. Westover

– September 7, 2011Posted in: Sports

When: Friday, September 9, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Hugh Mills Stadium

2011 records: Both teams are 2-0 overall.

Last week: Bainbridge defeated Cairo, 17-14. Westover defeated Albany, 13-7.

All-time series record: Bainbridge leads 11-6-1

First meeting: Westover 33, Bainbridge 12 (1969)

Last meeting: Bainbridge 35, Westover 7 (2010)

 

            The Westover High School Patriots will try to start a season 3-0 for the first time in eight years, as they battle the Bainbridge Bearcats in the Patriots’ true home game Friday night.

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Tags: high school football
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Game of the Week: Dougherty vs. Albany

– August 24, 2011Posted in: Sports

When: Saturday, August 27, 7 p.m.

Where: Hugh Mills Stadium

2010 records: Dougherty (2-8, 0-6 GHSA Region 1-AAA), Albany High (2-8, 1-5 GHSA Region 1-AA)

All-time series record: Dougherty leads 18-15

First meeting: Albany 19, Dougherty 12 (1964)

Last meeting: Albany 16, Dougherty 14 (2010)

           

            The 2011 season kicks off this weekend for both the Dougherty Trojans and the Albany High Indians, as they square off against each other for the second straight year after a 14-year hiatus. From 1996-2009, neither school met on the football field.

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Tags: Game of the Week, high school football
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Game of the Week: Deerfield at Sherwood

– August 17, 2011Posted in: Sports

By Walter L. Johnson II

Editor’s Note: Welcome to the 2011 debut edition of “High School Football Game of the Week” in the Albany Journal, and online at thealbanyjournal.com. Each week during the season, one game involving a team within the Albany Journal coverage area will be featured in this column.

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Tags: deerfield-windsor, featured, GISA, high school football, Sherwood Christian Academy
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Gridiron season comes to an end

– December 3, 2009Posted in: Headlines

Another high school football season has ended in metro Albany. But it was a season that closed in heartbreaking fashion for one local team.

Last week, the Deerfield-Windsor Knights tried to become the first local squad to win back-to-back state championships. But the George Walton Bulldogs of Monroe brought a potential celebration to a halt, as they ended the 2009 season the same way they started it: with a win over the Knights.

This time, the Bulldogs downed the Knights 42-24 to win the GISA Class AAA state title. The loss ended D-W’s season at 12-3. The setback also snapped the Knights 11-game winning streak. In the first game of the season in late August, George Walton defeated Deerfield 16-6.

While the Knights will lose only eight seniors from the 2009 squad, the loss of one player in particular — Tony Zenon — will especially be felt, as he played his final game in a Deerfield uniform last Friday. Don’t be surprised to see Zenon play college football somewhere — likely no lower than the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level — next season.

In the last two seasons, Deerfield has compiled a combined record of 24-5, including a state championship in 2008.

Quick Hitters: Our final “Quick Hitters” section of the season has some ideas from the Georgia High School Football Daily e-mail newsletter on how the reclassifications of the local regions in the Georgia High School Association might turn out between 2010 and 2014.

Without further ado, here’s how those regions might turn out, with schools in the Albany Journal coverage area marked in bold type. Keep in mind that these are not projections, says the GHSF Daily.

REGION 1-AAAA: Bainbridge, Hardaway, Harris County, Lee County, Northside (Columbus) and Thomas County Central.

REGION 1-AAA: Americus-Sumter, Cairo, Crisp County, Dougherty, Monroe, Westover and Worth County.

REGION 1-AA: Albany, Berrien, Brooks County, Early County, Fitzgerald and Thomasville.

According to the GHSA web site, the reclassification committee met today to place schools in each region statewide. The overall reclassification process will be finalized on Jan. 12, 2010.

For more information about — or to subscribe to — the Georgia High School Football Daily newsletter via e-mail, visit www.google.com enter “Georgia High School Football Daily” as the keywords.

Sources: Georgia High School Association — www.ghsa.net

Georgia High School Football Historians Association — www.ghsfha.org

On the Web: High School Football Recap Online —southwestgafootball.wordpress.com

Tags: football, high school football
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