Newspaper Page Text
Barrow Journal
Chris Bridges, Sports Editor
770-867-6397, phone
678-425-1435, FAX
cbridges@barrowjournal.com
October 26, 2011
Section
B
www.BarrowJournal.com
Recognized for award-winning sports coverage
by Georgia
Press Association and Georgia Sports Writers Association
Friday Night Lights
FORMER COLLEGUES, NOW RIVALS
Winder-Barrow High School coach David Wagner, left, and Apalachee High School’s Shane Davis will see their respective teams face off this Friday. Wagner was the former
defensive coordinator at AHS before taking over the WBHS Bulldogg program prior to the 2010 season. Davis and AHS won last season’s matchup 28-14. Both coaches
are known for their fire on the sidelines. Photos by Jessica Brown
Apalachee @ Winder-Barrow, Friday, 7:30 p.m„ W. Clair Harris Stadium, Region 8AAAA contest
ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER
Local rivals prepared to meet again on football field in annual ‘Battle of Barrow’
Inside: WBHS, AHS football updates, Region 8-AAAA
standings, scores. Top 10 poll - PAGES 4~5B
Barrow Bragging Rights:
This will be the eighth meeting between the Bulldoggs and the Wildcats
on the football field. WBHS won the first meeting 21-0 in 2004. Overall,
AHS leads the series 4-3, including a 28-14 win last fall. The Wildcats
have won the last three meetings, including blowout victories in 2008
and 2009.
By Chris Bridges
cbridges @ barrowjoumal. com
A region championship
will not be on the
line Friday night at
W. Clair Harris Stadium.
Only one team has an outside
chance of making the postseason
at this point in the season.
Despite those facts, don’t
expect less than 100 percent
effort from the players — and
coaches — who represent
Winder-Barrow High School and
Apalachee High School when
they square off in the eighth
annual Battle of Barrow football
contest.
The host Bulldoggs will be
looking to snap a three-game los
ing streak in the series between
the schools, which began in
2004.
WBHS head coach David
Wagner has seen the rivalry from
both sides. The former defen
sive coordinator of the Wildcats,
Wagner is now directing the
Bulldoggs.
“When the series started, we
were not in the same classifi
cation or region,” Wagner said.
“Now that we are, it just adds
to it. With us being out of the
playoff race, it only adds to the
game for us because this is really
our playoff game. The series has
always been exciting for me,
but it’s probably even more so
now.”
While the players and the
community will be fired up for
the game and the hype that leads
into it, the coaches often take a
different approach.
“For us, we try to keep things
as normal as possible,” AHS
coach Shane Davis said. “Once
the opening kickoff arrives, then
it’s just another region game. I
know everyone will be excited
here and across town. But even
for for the kids, once the game
starts, it’s just another Friday
night of 11 -on-11.”
See Rivalry on Page 2B
Rival games are always fun to experience
Barrow County is unique —
and lucky I suppose — in that
it has a special rivalry between
it’s two major high schools.
I’m sure rivalaries exist in counties
such as Gwinnett but with so many
schools and so many people, I’ve alway
felt rivalries get lost in the shuffle. It’s
not that way in Barrow County. Here
we have Winder-Barrow High School,
the program with a history dating back
decades, and we have Apalachee, still
the relatively new kid on the block.
While the football teams have
only been playing since 2004, the gridiron
rivalry has quickly become one the com
munity enjoys and looks forward to. With
some changes on the horizon in terms of
classifications and region alignments, it
would be a shame if it could not continue.
Even several years (more years than I care to
admit at this point) after I finished high school,
I still remember the battles we had with our
biggest rival. They weren’t in the same county,
but it was a school one county over.
The closeness in location of the
schools, coupled with the fact we
were the same size, made it a natural.
Each time we met, our school
would be worked up into a frenzy by
game time. I’m sure it was the same
way at the other school as well. It was
something special to be a part of and
I’m glad all of us got to experience it.
In observing the WBHS-Apalachee
rivalry as an impartial observer (I
have no direct tie to either school),
I see many of the same rivalry traits
from my own time of decades ago. The students
enjoy it. The players enjoy it. The community
enjoys it. It’s what high school athletics is
all about in my opinion. It’s our team against
your team. It’s our school against your school.
It’s our program against your program.
One thing that has impressed me
about the local rivalry is how much the
two schools do respect each other.
See First & Ten on Page 2B
chris
bridges
First & Ten
Apalachee High School @ Winder-Barrow
•The Game: Apalachee High School (3-5 overall, 3-5 in Region 8-AAAA) @ Winder-Barrow High
School (0-8 overall, 0-8 in Region 8-AAAA)
•Coaches: Winder-Barrow, David Wagner; Apalachee, Shane Davis
•Last Week: AHS defeated Cedar Shoals 28-13; Winder-Barrow lost to Salem 42-7
•Last Season: Apalachee won 28-14
•Key Players: AHS: QB Clint Ashe; RB Stanley Williams; RB Zay Henry; DL Cole Shook; OL
Chris Guthrie; DBAVR Jermaine Smith; DE Rakim Peters; Winder-Barrow: QB Christian Hodge;
WR/DB B.J. Worley; RB Jamonte Riden; WR Dante Jones; K Colin Shannon; LB Tyler Pineda; WR/DB
Brandon Jackson
•He said it, Part I: “We can’t take Winder-Barrow lightly.” —AHS quarterback Clint Ashe
•He said it. Part II: “The Battle of Barrow is a very important game for both schools. It’s a great feeling
to know that we’re hosting the game my senior year. With the game being on Senior Night, it only makes
the stakes even higher.” — WBHS defensive lineman Tyler Pineda
•Game Notes: Apalachee clings to an outside chance at the postseason, needing help to get there. The
first order of business is to win this week and next week against Loganville. The Bulldoggs would love to
play spoiler and end an overall regular season losing streak dating back to 2009. The connections between
the two programs are numerous. WBHS head coach David Wagner was the defensive coordinator for AHS
head coach Shane Davis for several seasons. The two also worked together as assistants at Elbert County.
WBHS offensive coordinator Ken Sanders and AHS offensive coordinator Joel Miller were roommates
during their coaching days at Elbert County High School and when they first came to Apalachee. Wildcat
assistant Jeff Maddox was a long-time WBHS assistant before moving over to the AHS program prior to
the 2010 season. AHS athletic director Brian Moore was an assistant coach at WBHS before becoming the
first head coach in Apalachee history. Moore is athletic director at AHS today. Wildcat defensive coordinator
Matt Sorrells played at WBHS.
— compiled by Chris Bridges and Tyler Rollason