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Barrow Journal
Chris Bridges, Sports Editor
770-867-6397, phone
678-425-1435, FAX
cbridges @barrowjoumal.com
Enthusiasm key
to success for
Wildcat program
M any elements go into
making a high school
football program a
success.
You need quality players of
course. There is also a need for
strong support from the adminis
tration and school board.
Apalachee High School has an
added advantage that is unique
in high school football or at any
level for that matter. The Wildcats
may very well possess one of the
most enthusiastic coaching staffs
you will ever see on the sidelines
on Friday night.
For head
coach Shane
Davis and his
coaching staff,
it’s all by design.
Davis wants the
high level of
enthusiasm to
be contagious
and spread to his
players.
“It’s tough on
me being the
head coach since I have so many
things to oversee,” Davis said
Sunday as he began preparations
for Friday’s key Region 8-AAAA
contest against Salem. “However,
I am in my comfort zone being
that way. I have so many coaches
who have that same amount of
intensity. If we can coach with a
high amount of intensity then I
believe the kids will feed off of
it.”
That strategy worked to perfec
tion last Friday against visiting
Madison County. The Wildcats
jumped out to a big first half
lead and while the Red Raiders
would score several touchdowns
in the second half, they were so
far behind they never seriously
threatened to win the game in the
final two quarters.
“I admit it’s tough to coach the
way I do when things aren’t going
well,” Davis said. “I am more ani
mated than 99 percent of coaches
in the state. I don’t claim to know
more Xs and Os than everyone,
but I can bring passion to the
game.”
By having such a high degree
of enthusiasm, Davis, as well as
his assistants, take the pressure off
the Apalachee players. It allows
them to play loose and to simply
have fun.
“We don’t want the kids to be
nervous when the game starts,”
Davis said. “We want them to go
out and have a good time. If the
worst thing that ever happens to
them is they lose a football game
on Friday night then we will all
be OK.”
Davis’ methods are clearly
working as the head coach has
taken the Wildcat program, which
is still young history wise, to a
level of success which includes
the state playoffs. Apalachee is
battling for the postseason once
again this season.
“I really enjoy Friday nights,”
Davis said. “It’s what we all work
for as coaches and players. When
Friday night arrives you want to
have a good time. That’s what we
try to emphasize to our players.
Go out and have a good time and
try your best to win. If you do
that, everything will be fine.”
The Apalachee coaches and
players will look for the “fun” to
continue this Friday when they
venture to Conyers to battle the
Salem Seminoles. The game has
playoff implications. The Wildcats
still have a chance to finish third
in Region 8-AAAA.
No doubt Davis, his coaches
and players will be ready when
kickoff arrives. Their enthusiasm,
I predict, will be at a fever pitch
after a week of preparation. It
should be a fun one.
chris
bridges
First & Ten
Chris Bridges is sports editor
of the Barrow Journal. E-mail
comments about this column to
cbridges @ barrowjournal. com.
REGION 8-AAAA FOOTBALL
Wildcats look to secure playoff berth Friday
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
While last week’s victory
against Madison County was
important, it did not guarantee
Apalachee High School a ticket
to the Class AAAA state play
offs.
As Wildcat head coach Shane
Davis put it, “It guaranteed us a
play-in game.”
Apalachee will travel to Salem
this Friday for a 7:30 p.m. con
test in Conyers. A win this week
and the Wildcats will punch
their ticket for the postseason.
A loss and things suddenly get
more cloudly.
“We still need to win this
week,” Davis said. “If we win
Friday, then we will be third. If
we lose then are are several sce-
At A Glance:
Apalachee (6-3)
@ Salem (5-4),
Friday, 7:30 p.m.,
broadcast live on
Wl MO 1300 AM
narios which
could come
into play.”
Several
schools are
still battling
for the final
two playoff
spots from 8-AAAA includ
ing Apalachee, Cedar Shoals,
Salem, Heritage and Habersham
Central.
Davis is more concerned with
defeating Salem than he is with
all the different scenarios of a
possible play-in game.
“Offensively, Salem uses dif
ferent sets,” the Wildcat head
coach said. “They are a running
team and they are strong enough
at it to put you in a bind. They
have a good quarterback and
quality receivers. They are big
up front and come off the foot
ball extremely well.”
Davis noted Salem has had a
couple of close losses this fall.
Defensively, the Seminoles
play out of a 4-4 scheme and
likely won’t alter from it much,
the coach said.
The Wildcats will look to
have at least some of the explo
sive offensive output they had
last Friday when they put 55
points on the scoreboard against
Madison County.
The game was a complete
reversal from the previous week
when Apalachee was held score
less by Heritage in tough play
ing conditions.
BIG NIGHT
John Ansley had a standout perfor
mance against Madison County last
Friday. Photo by Zach Mitcham
THE TRANSITION....
PROGRAM LEADER
Winder-Barrow High School’s Ben Corley, talking with player Jody Royal (top), was named head coach
of the Bulldogg program prior to the 2008 season after six years as a top assistant. The transition,
overall, has been a smooth one for the coach. Photos by Jessica Brown
Corley fulfills long-time goal of
being head football coach
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
en Corley spent 13 years
as an assistant football
coach, six of those years at
Winder-Barrow High School.
When former Bulldogg head coach
Brian Allison stepped down dur
ing the offseason to return to Union
County High School, Corley put his
name in the hat for consideration to
replace him. WBHS officials decided
Corley was
the right
man for
the job and
promoted
him to head
coach.
After
spending
more than
a decade as
an assistant
football
coach,
Corley has
suddenly accomplished a career goal
which dated back to the time he first
entered the education field.
“I was very excited about it,”
Corley said this week. “I looked
forward to the opportunity to put my
own twist on the program. I looked
forward to the challenge of seeing if
we could take the program to the next
level.”
Going into this season, the first-
year head coach knew it would be a
rebuilding process. The Bulldoggs
would be changing from the Wing-T
offense to a spread attack.
Overall, the 2008 Winder-Barrow
squad was going to be young. Still,
Corley was eager for the new chal
lenge.
COACHING
BACKGROUND
Corley became a head basketball
coach when he was 25. He said he
always loved both sports and com
peted in both in high school.
“I still always had plans to be a
head football coach,” he said. “I am
happy with where I am right now.
The Ford works in mysterious ways
at times.”
Corley was a head basketball coach
at Winder-Barrow as well for several
years although he is now concentrat
ing solely on his gridiron duties.
When it comes to the difference
in being an assistant coach and head
coach, Corley said one item is “the
buck stops with him.”
“I was an assistant head coach here
for six seasons and played a part in
all major decisions,” he said. “Still,
there are some differences when your
name is on the line as head coach. I
am blessed to have a good group of
coaches who do their best to put our
kids in position to succeed.”
With his first season winding down,
Corley has not had many surprises.
See Coach on page 4B
‘There are
some dif
ferences
when your
name is on
the line as
head coach;
— Ben Corley
FOOTBALL
Doggs can
still play
spoiler
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Winder-Barrow High
School football team will not
be going to the postseason
this fall but the Bulldoggs
are in perfect position to play
the role of spoiler this Friday
night.
In fact, head coach Ben
Corley said his team is tak
ing the
approach
that the
game with
Foganville
is the region
champion
ship for
Winder-
Barrow. The visiting Red
Devils will have plenty on
the line as they look to clinch
the No. 1 seed for the state
playoffs.
“We also want to use this
game as a way of sending us
into the offseason on a posi
tive note,” Corley said. “We
want to gain some confidence
as we go into the offseason
program.”
The coach said this year’s
seniors also want to leave on
an upswing and to register a
trademark win.
“This would be something
they could look back on and
be proud of,” Corley said.
See Doggs on page 4B
CROSS COUNTRY
WBHS teams
qualify for
state meet
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Winder-Barrow High
School cross country teams
are bound for Carrollton.
Both WBHS teams quali
fied for the Class AAAA state
meet on the basis of their
showing at last weekend’s
region meet in Conyers. The
Fady Bulldoggs were second
at region while the boys were
third.
Amanda Cope was the top
runner for the WBHS girls in
20:24.96 followed by Rebecca
Gregory in 22:00.24.
Kayla Estes also had a
strong race in 22:20.56 fol
lowed by teammate Marie
Fyle in 22:22.73.
Other top runners for the
Fady ‘Doggs at region includ
ed Nicole Webb, Bethaney
Murphy, and Melissa
Sommer.
See Run on page 4B
At A Glance:
Loganville (8-1)
@ Winder-Barrow
(1-8) Friday,
7:30 p.m.,
streamed live on
WIMO website