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PAGE 10B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016
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Smith continued from 8B
High School Football: Apalachee High School
Dacula too strong for Wildcats
AHS to continue working
during fall break, bye week
By Chris Bridges
Sports Editor
Similar to its counter-part in Winder-Barrow High
School, the Apalachee High School football team is
off this Friday.
With the Barrow County School System on fall
break, the bye week allows coaches to adjust practice
times.
“We’ll watch some film and try to build more team
chemistry,” AHS coach Steve Sims said of practice
sessions this week. “We will have a little momentum
even though we have lost our last two games. We
played better in those two games than the two games
we won.”
A focus this week will be working to run the foot
ball more effectively.
“We have to do the little things right,” Sims said.
“If we can win two of the last three, then we will be
in the mix.”
AHS will return to action Oct. 21 at Lanier High
School. The final two games will be against Gaines
ville at home on Oct. 28 and at Habersham Central
Nov. 4. All three games are Region 8-AAAAAA
contests.
He told a select group of
at Alabama, when Kirby
reviewed game tapes of
opponents, he saw which
teams were the best-
coached, those which under
scored teaching, discipline
and were imbued to commit
ment to fundamentals. Long
before “Mama” called, he
had a general idea of who
the best assistants in the
conference were. He had a
potential staff conjured up
in his head while he was
working to improve himself
as a defensive coordinator in
Tuscaloosa.
He is a Georgia boy with a
Georgia education. Nothing
finer, the late Dean of Men,
William Tate, preached
about that. Everything is in
place for a bountiful career.
He has feeling and respect
for his past. He loves Bain-
bridge and South Georgia
from whence he came. He
loves his native state and
connects with every county
through recruiting. When
he drives the back roads
recruiting in South Georgia,
he reminisces with a nostal
gic buzz. “That’s cool,” he
said about those times on
the road, enveloped by the
solace of the drive. Silence,
however, is never golden
as he motors through the
country side. His cell phone
is always connected to the
cell phone of others, from
recruits to parents to coach
es. When there is a break,
he’ll check in at home and
catch up with old friends —
the beauty of technology.
Love of alma mater is
deep and unending. Early
on, he became a Bulldog
fan, but in his formative
years he was all about
“Friday Night Lights.” His
heroes all played for the
Bainbridge Bearcats. His
time was the late Eighties,
following the Herschel era.
Signed by Ray Goff, he let
tered four years (1995-98)
and was elected a defensive
captain his senior season,
evidence that his ability to
lead was manifesting itself.
His coach for three seasons,
Jim Donnan said, "Kirby
was a coach on the field for
our defense besides being
a very good athlete at free
safety. His leadership during
the transition from the pre
vious staff to mine was very
instrumental in our success.
He topped his all-conference
play by being named a cap
tain — the ultimate reward
for any team member. His
thorough knowledge of the
state, relationship with high
school coaches and endless
energy in recruiting will pay
big dividends.”
There were highlights as
a Bulldog safety, including
making three sacks against
South Carolina between the
hedges in 1995 and two
interceptions in the Florida
game in 1997 in a 37-17
Bulldog victory. Interest
ingly, there are no photos on
the wall and no scrapbooks
to peruse — but indelible in
his mind’s eye. This reflects
that he is not about himself.
“The team!” is his mantra.
At Georgia, there were
no championships, but three
bowl games and countless
friendships which have
endured. (Throughout his
coaching career he has
kept in touch with his old
friends).
Any story about his col
lege years without refer
ence to his Terry College
degree would make the story
incomplete. He is proud
of the degree, naturally.
An offspring of teachers,
(he still hears his mother,
Sharon, reminding him to
read more books), who have
always influenced him to
embrace the importance of
school work, has brought
about a residual as a coach.
He passionately explains to
the players he recruits that a
degree is not only important,
but is achievable by under
scoring the same basics that
enables success to come
about on the field — it all
begins with discipline and
hard work.
Those who know him best
would conclude that he has
a coach's mindset, the ulti
mate due diligence advo
cate who is always prepared
and considers all the angles.
Fueled by a dedicated work
ethic, enhanced by perpetual
enthusiasm and seasoned
judgment, his courtship with
Mary Beth Lycett confirms
the above is ever-present in
his makeup.
When she was being
recruited by Andy Landers
out of Morrow High School,
she remembers seeing him
play between the hedges,
Nov. 15, 1997. On that bit
terly cold day, she had no
idea who wore No. 16 was
or what he did on that field
when the Bulldog defense
was being overwhelmed
by giving up 45 points to
Auburn. You have to fast
forward to learn how they
became permanently linked.
They became acquainted
when she joined the business
office of the Athletic Associ
ation after graduation, and
he showed up to coach the
Bulldog running backs in
2005. He "checked her out,”
by doing his own scouting
report by consulting with
the Lady Dawg basketball
staff. Their relationship was
harmonious from the start.
When asked about Kirby,
she comes forth with a laud
able and reverential assess
ment. “I just don’t see how
anybody could work any
harder than he does. Still,
he finds time for family. He
is really honest with every
body. He is that way with
me and the kids. There is not
a lot of time for us, under
standably, during the season
and that stretches right on
into recruiting. He is pas
sionate about recruiting as
he is about anything. He
knows recruiting is where
success begins.
“Even so, I have seen him
during his busiest time stay
on the phone trying to help
friends in coaching with
their job search. He reach
es out on their behalf. His
friends are really important
to him. That is why he has
kept in touch with his bud
dies from his Georgia days.
“He is really close to
his parents and his fami
ly. Family has always been
important to him. He is as
excited as I am about my
grandmother (Madelle Mal-
com) who is coming to the
Vandy game, her first time
to see Georgia play. She
considers him her grandson.
“Kirby dotes on our kids
(twins Weston and Julia, and
Andrew) and a highlight of
the year is when he takes
the family snow skiing after
recruiting is over.”
On coming back "home,”
Mary Beth, who was a
four-year letter winner and
a two-year starter for the
Lady Dawg basketball team,
found the situation surre
al. “He had turned down
other opportunities, wanting
to make sure that he made
the best decision — trying
to make sure he waited for
the right job — but we never
planned for it to be Georgia.
That it worked out has made
us very, very happy.”
Having competed on the
college level, she considers
that an asset which enables
her to understand the rig
ors of being a head coach
who has to endure stress and
pressure and the vicissitudes
in the life of today's cele
brated athletes whose heads
are easily turned with the
fame and potential fortune
that surrounds them.
His office reveals that he
is a busy man, with neat
stacks of papers arranged
to accommodate his require
ments for the day. There
are artifacts of his playing
and coaching careers: photo
art of him huddling with his
teammates at Sanford Stadi
um, family photos, a couple
of Steve Penley paintings (in
his outer office), game ball
from Alabama college foot
ball playoff victory, a photo
of him and his parents on
Senior Day when he would
play his last game in San
ford Stadium. Most promi
nent is his framed diploma
from the Terry College of
Business.
There is also his diploma
from Florida State, where
he earned a Masters degree
as a graduate assistant mem
ber of Bobby Bowden's staff
and his trophy as winner
of the 2009 Broyles Award
as winner of the Assistant
Coach of the Year.
Outside his office is a
photo display of his signa
ture accomplishments (4-
time National Champion,
5-time SEC champion, 7-
time SEC divisional cham
pion) and an action photo
of Mary Beth in her Lady
Dawg uniform. A loyal Bull
dog and Georgia graduate,
he is proud of his wife’s
being a letter winner at his
alma mater.
All this reflects accom
plishment and the right fit
to take Georgia to a con
sistent championship level.
He never takes things for
granted, however. Always
reaching for the prize, he
is comfortable with the
expectations that hover
around him. Homecoming
for him becomes real when
Georgia wins a champion
ship and makes an annual
appearance in the Georgia
Dome. No Bulldog of any
status expects more of Kirby
Smart than Kirby himself.
Loran Smith is a col
umnist for the Barrow
News-Journal. He is co-host
of the University of Georgia
football tailgate show.
By Claris Bridges
Sports Editor
Despite a 26-7 setback
to Dacula High School
this past Friday, the
Apalachee High School
football team once again
showed improvement and
impressed its head coach.
“We came out and
played hard,” said Wildcat
coach Steve Sims. “We
had a touchdown late
in the first half that was
called back. We would
have been up 14-13 with
the extra point. Things
might have been differ
ent had that score stood
up. Dacula is very tal
ented and very big. The
game was a lot closer than
the final score ending up
being. We were in the
game. It was a close one.”
Sims was especially
impressed with the defen
sive effort of his players.
“We played about as
well as we could on that
side of the football,” the
coach said. “Offensively,
we were able to run the
ball consistently. We have
to find a way to run the
football. We are having
to throw it way too much.
We don’t need to line up
and throw the football 30
times a game. We need to
be more balanced.”
One bright spot on
offense for the Wildcats
continued to be the play
of senior receiver Ethan
Morris, who had seven
catches for 170 yards and
the team’s lone touch
down.
“Physically, we were a
little overmatched,” Sims
said of the Dacula game.
“We have to work hard
er on being consistent on
being abe to run the foot
ball between the tackles.
I was not disappointed
in our effort. For three
quarters, we played hard
and smart but everything
caught up with us at the
end.”
On the defensive side of
the football, Chase Wil
liamson. who has battled
injuries throughout the
season, finished with dou
ble digit tackles.
Sims credited Wil
liamson for his effort in
last week’s game against
Dacula.
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