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PAGE 2B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016
The Game Plan
Breaking down the undefeated
and the winless in the NFL
T here already seems to be a lot of
parody in the NFL this season.
Usually at this point of the season (after
Week 4) there are a handful of undefeated
teams and a few teams that are still
winless.
But this year is a bit differ
ent. A vast majority of the league
falls somewhere in the middle with
only three undefeated teams and
one winless team left.
The three undefeated teams
remaining are the Denver Bron
cos, the Philadelphia Eagles and
the Minnesota Vikings. No one
should be surprised with the Bron
cos starting the season undefeated.
After winning the Super Bowl last
season they returned a lot of their
top players on both sides of the
ball.
And don't think that because Peyton
Manning is gone that they had some big
hole to fill. Manning is a legend but in
his last season he didn’t do much. That
team could have won the Super Bowl with
anyone playing quarterback. The Broncos
biggest threat right now is the Oakland
Raiders who are sitting at 3-1 — so yeah,
the Broncos should be fine.
Let's talk about the Eagles for a moment.
Philly fans have seen a few good teams in
the last decade or so but have never been
able to get over the hump. After firing
their head coach, I anticipated the Eagles
having somewhat of a rebuilding year this
season. But assuming there is no colossal
collapse, this Eagles team looks to be on
its way to the playoffs.
A few weeks ago, I pointed out the
fact that their first two wins were against
Cleveland and Chicago (two of the worst
teams in football) and that we needed to
see more of the Eagles before we gave
them the division. Well, in Week 3 they
had a 34-3 victory of the Pittsburgh Steel-
ers, a team that many are picking to go to
the Super Bowl.
The Eagles will still have to find their
way out of the NFC East - which is always
the most enjoyable conference to watch in
football - but assuming they get past the
Cowboys they should be fine.
An even bigger surprise than
an undefeated Eagles teams
is the fact that the Vikings are
undefeated. Yes, the Vikings. We
are taking some time to talk
about the reality that the Vikings
are one of the best teams in the
NFL so far this season. All of
their wins have been impressive.
Some of the scores may have
been close, such as the 17-14
victory over the Packers in Week
2, but they have played well and
controlled every game they have
been in this year.
It’s even more shocking when
you remember that their superstar Adrian
Peterson is injured and won't be able to
come back until November or December.
It's nice to see the Vikings in a good spot.
Hopefully they can keep it up.
And finally, the only winless team in
football is the Cleveland Browns. No
shocker here. I think most NFL fans could
have predicted this. The Browns are still
struggling to find an identity. Although,
to be fair, two of their games they were in
control and somehow found a way to lose.
Maybe they aren’t as bad as their record
shows.
But, unfortunately for the Browns, their
next game is against the New England
Patriots with Tom Brady returning under
center. Yeah, tough break for Cleveland.
But the Browns are still the worst team
in football, not much has changed in the
NFL!
Tyler Rollason is a Winder-Bar
row High School and Universi
ty of West Georgia graduate. You can
e-mail comments about this column to
tyrollason @yahoo. com.
AT THE NIGHT
Apalachee High School’s Cammie Alfonso (left) makes a play for the
Volley Cats during a match this season as teammate Katie Crocker looks
on. The AHS volleyball team is battling for position in the region stand
ings as the postseason approaches. Photo by Jessica Brown
w
Football Pickers Contest: Week Six
Wallace perfect but has to win on tiebreaker
High School Football: Battle of Barrow
Lanier High School @ Winder-Barrow High School
•The Game: Lanier High School @ Winder-Barrow High School, Friday,
7:30 p.m., W. Clair Harris Stadium
•Records: Winder-Barrow High School, 4-2 overall, 1-0 in Region
8-AAAAAA, defeated Apalachee 28-21 last Friday; Lanier High School, 3-2
overall, 0-0 in region play, was off last Friday.
•Last meeting: Lanier won 48-21
in 2015
• Tune in: Game to be aired live on
WJJB Radio 107.1 FM with Tim Rose,
Todd Wambold calling the action.
• Coaches: Heath Webb, third sea
son at WBHS; Lanier, Korey Mobbs,
third season
•Key Players: Winder-Barrow: LB
Mason White, DB/WR Deon Williams;
C Dylan Brown, RB Javonne Hughes,
QB Brock Landis, WR Latrell Scott,
WR Casey Thurmond, RB Jamar Mack; Lanier: OL Drew Allen, OL Hunter
Beasley, OL Collin Foster, RB Marcko Baity, QB Noah Fritz
•Notes: Winder-Barrow High School held on for a 28-21 victory in its
Region 8-AAAAAA opener last week against county rival Apalachee. The
Bulldoggs received a big performance from Jamar Mack, who was stepping
in for the injured Javonne Hughes at running back. Mack finished with
138 yards on 23 carries. In addition, Nate Millwood, normally a defensive
standout, had a quality performance at fullback, rushing for 70 yards and
two scores. With only five region games this season, last week's win was big
for the Bulldoggs. A win this week against Lanier would push WBHS into
a position of possibly hosting a state playoff game. Lanier is still a sound
opponent despite losing several key seniors from its 2015 team. The game
is homecoming for WBHS. This will be the first 8-AAAAAA game for the
Lanier High School Longhorns.
• Items of Interest: Lanier High School finished the 2014 and 2015 sea
sons 10-0 in the regular season but that success did not equal deep runs
in the state playoffs. The Longhorns were upset in the first round in 2014
and lost in the second round in 2015. The team is currently 3-2, falling to
South Gwinnett 17-0 and Northside-Warner Robins 38-7. Lanier has defeat
ed Northview, Lambert and St. Pius. Lanier began playing varsity football
in 2012.
•They Said It: WBHS coach Heath Webb: “Even though they are a
relatively young school, they are in the Gwinnett mode of just reloading.
They have so many good players on their roster that even when an All
American graduates, the next guy waiting to play is just as good.
SCOTT MACK
Apalachee High School @ Dacula High School
•The Game: Apalachee High School @ Dacula High School, Friday, 7:30
p.m., Barron Field
•Records: Apalachee High School, 2-3-1, 0-1 in Region 8-AAAAAA, lost
to Winder-Barrow 28-21 last Friday; Dacula, 1-4, 0-0 in region, did not play
last week
•Tune in: Game to be aired live
on WJJB Radio 107.1 FM with David
Willard calling the action.
•Coaches: Apalachee, Steve Sims,
second season as head coach; Dacula.
Tommy Jones, fourth season as head
coach
•Key Players: Apalachee: WR
Ethan Morris, S Gunner Wright, QB
Ryan Miller, WR/DB Will Smith; TE/
DE Jason Craig; RB Stephen Massillon;
K Justin Pretel; Dacula: RB Ty Harris,
RB Tre McMillian, RB Will Stovall, QB Shayne Buckingham, DL Allen
Daniels, DL Brandon Jones
•Notes: Apalachee High School continued to show improvement in its
game last week despite falling to Winder-Barrow. The 28-21 contest against
the Bulldoggs was one of the more competitive and entertaining games in
the Battle of Barrow series. While AHS coach Steve Sims is pleased with the
improvement, he isn't placing a great deal of stock in moral victories. The
Wildcats will need to get a win this Friday to stay in playoff contention.
With only five region games this fall, each game is vital. Wildcat receiver
Ethan Morris is arguably the best at this position in the region. He had two
touchdowns against WBHS last Friday and continues to amaze those who
watch him with his athletic ability which allows him to bring in any pass
thrown his way.
•Items of Interest: Dacula High School has stuggled some in 2016
although the non-region schedule for the Falcons has been tough with
games against Central Gwinnett, Mill Creek, Arabia Mountain, West
Forsyth and Walton. The Falcons dropped down in classification after being
in the state's largest. The addition of a seventh classification made that
possible. Dacula head coach Tommy Jones is part of a coaching family. His
brother, Philip, is the head coach at Brookwood.
•They Said It: AHS coach Steve Sims: "Our goal is to win the football
game. If we play better like we have been doing each week, then we will
have a chance.”
— scouting reports compiled by Chris Bridges; photos by Jessica Brown
MORRIS CRAIG
Local Stars: USA Baseball
In what has been a tough season for
entrants, Eddie Wallace of Winder emerged
from last week’s contest with perfection.
Wallace won the contest on the tiebreaker,
however, as Angela Smith of Winder also
had all 10 games picked correctly. Wallace
guessed 42 points would be scored in the tie
breaker game between Winder-Barrow High
and Apalachee High School while Smith
predicted 35.
A total of 49 points were scored in a 28-21
win by the Bulldoggs.
Nathan Freeman of Bethlehem also had
a good week missing just one game. Dale
Kennedy of Bethlehem and William Bennett
of Winder both missed only two.
A new listing of games is on page 4B in
this week’s edition. Be sure to have your
entrant in to the Barrow News-Journal office
by 5 p.m. Friday to be eligible for the $50
prize. The paper’s office is at 77 E. May
Street in Winder.
FOOTBALL CONTEST ENVELOPE OF THE WEEK
Bill House of Winder submitted his Barrow News-Journal football contest
entry with this decorative envelope celebrating the Battle of Barrow foot
ball game.
House selected for 14U National Team
Brady House of Wind
er has been selected for
the prestigious 2017 14U
National Team develop
ment program.
USA Baseball recent
ly annouced that a total
of 58 players have been
selected for 2017 National
team programming fol
lowing the completion of
the 2016 USA Baseball
National Team Identifica
tion Series (NTIS) at the
national Training Com
plex in Carey, N.C.
The 58 athletes selected
come from 18 states and 14
regions across the country.
The 2016 USA Baseball
National Team Identifi
cation Series (NTIS) is
the most comprehensive
player program offered by
Team USA.
House, the son of
Michael and Dana House,
was chosen as a third
baseman and right-handed
pitcher. He also compet
ed on the National Team
last year which went to
Taiwan, winning a gold
medal.
BRADY HOUSE
Farm Bureau
would like to
congratulate the
Players of the Week
for their exceptional
performances!
Ethan Morris
AHS
Brian Arnaut
BCA
Nate Millwood
WBHS
770-867-2188