Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5B
FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW
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The 2021 Apalachee Wildcats.
Photo courtesy of Nelson Sanders Portraits/
Wildcats to lean on senior experience in drive for playoff berth
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjoumal.com
For most rebuilding high
school football programs,
the process doesn’t get com
pleted overnight, and that’s
been the case for Apalachee,
which has been more com
petitive and made marked
strides in three seasons un
der Tony Lotti, but hasn’t al
ways seen that improvement
translate to favorable results
on the scoreboard.
The Wildcats are 8-22
over the last three seasons
and are coming off a frus
trating 2-8 finish in 2020 —
four of those losses by two
touchdowns or less — where
devastating injuries, ros
ter battles with COVID-19
and self-inflicted wounds
in key spots of close games
derailed their hopes of snap
ping a decade-long run with
out a postseason appearance,
Lotti turned a struggling
West Hall program into a
winner, and there is still hope
and confidence that he can
do the same at Apalachee —
and optimism that this could
be the year when the Wild
cats find themselves back in
the state playoffs for the first
time since 2009.
Apalachee’s senior class
this season is the first to go
all four years under Lot
ti, and the Wildcats return
a bundle of veteran talent,
and depth, on both lines of
scrimmage — along with a
handful of experienced play
ers at the offensive skill po
sitions and in the secondary
and a talented kicking spe
cialist in senior Brody Ham.
“I feel pretty good about
this season, and I like this
group coming back,” Lotti
said. “They worked really
hard this offseason and all
summer and are jelling to
gether well. That’s always
a big piece of the puzzle.
They’re doing a good job
staying with that team con
cept.
“Last year, it seemed like
we just couldn’t get going,
but I like the energy of this
group.”
If Apalachee does get
over the hump this year, the
Wildcats will likely able
to point toward the lines of
scrimmage as a key reason
why. Senior Elijah Harris,
an all-region first-teamer in
GHSA 8-AAAAA last year,
returns to anchor the offen
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sive line at left tackle, while
junior Peyton Stanfield and
senior Ethan Padinor are
among those returning to the
unit. Those players will also
contribute to a defensive line
that returns a pair of defen
sive ends in senior Joseph
Bentley and junior Tyler Fer
ro. who had a breakout soph
omore season. Junior Jahvon
Wells and senior Jordan
Shaw should also provide a
strong presence on the de
fensive interior and improve
upon Apalachee’s overall
physicality, Lotti said.
“That was one of the rea
sons we felt scrimmaging
an opponent like Commerce
was so important,” Lotti
said, referencing the Wild
cats’ Aug. 6 preseason game
against the Tigers that ended
in a 14-14 tie. “Commerce is
such a strong program, so I
was really wanting to see if
we’ve improved in that area
of being physical and tough,
and I think we have. We held
our own there.”
The veteran offensive
line for the Wildcats should
help the team ease in a pair
of new quarterbacks who
are vying to take over for
the graduated Todd Jones.
Sophomore Howard Hollo
way emerged as perhaps the
frontrunner in the spring and
over the course of the sum
mer, but senior Isaiah Skin
ner will also continue to get
reps behind center.
“They both bring differ
ent things to the table,” Lotti
said. “Isaiah is more elusive
and more of a runner, and I
really like the way (Hollo
way) leads the offense out
there.”
Either quarterback will
have a few go-to weapons
at their disposal — chief
among them senior running
back Colby Sikes, who re
turns following a strong ju
nior campaign where he ran
for 503 yards at 7.9 yards a
carry and four touchdowns
in nine games. He also tied
for the team lead in recep
tions with 26 and caught
three touchdown passes and
added a kickoff return for a
score.
Sikes will again be used
out wide some along with
senior returners Edwin Ellis
and Ethan Middlebrooks.
but his primary role likely
will be leading a stable of
running backs that also in
cludes sophomore Prince
Tate, who showed some
flashes of promise as a
freshman, and seniors De-
ven White and Jacob Mc-
Cluskey among others.
Sikes and Ellis are also
returning in the Apalachee
secondary, while senior
linebacker Jordan Wilson
is another key cog back on
defense.
With optimism abound for
the Wildcats, Lotti, his staff
and his players know they
can go a long way by getting
out of their own way at times
in games. They saw another
example of that in the Com
merce scrimmage, where
multiple fumbles disrupted
would-be scoring drives.
“That’s the thing we’ve
been talking about,” Lot
ti said last week after dis
secting the scrimmage film
and getting the Wildcats
down the path of preparing
for their season opener at
cross-county rival Wind
er-Barrow on Friday, Aug.
20. “We’ve got to be able
to eliminate those kinds of
things to compete with the
team’s we’re going to be
facing. I feel like when we
do that, we’re a pretty good
football team.
“I think we’ve obviously
come a long way, but we
can’t keep being our own
worst enemy.”
And if any group can get
Apalachee can clear those
hurdles remaining between
it and a return to the postsea
son, Lotti said, this year’s
senior class, which has been
with him since he arrived on
campus, is as good a place to
start as any.
“They’re hungry,” he
said. “They’ve put in a lot
of hard work and they’re
wanting to see the fruits of
their labor.”
APALACHEE 2021
SCHEDULE
Aug. 20 — at Wind
er-Barrow, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 27 — at Habersham
Central, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 3 — vs. Madison
County, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 10 — Open
•Sept. 17 — at Clarke
Central, 7:30 p.m.
•Sept. 24 — vs. Eastside,
7:30 p.m.
• Oct. 1 — at Greenbrier,
7:30 p.m.
Oct. 8 — Open
•Oct. 15 — vs. Johnson,
7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 22 — vs. Walnut
Grove, 7:30 p.m.
•Oct. 29 — at Logan-
ville, 7:30 p.m.
•Nov. 5 — vs. Jackson
County, 7:30 p.m.
• -denotes region game
August 18, 2021 ~ Crossword Puzzle
Across
Down
1.
Horn’s sound
1.
Dull
5.
Branch
2.
Soothe
8.
Falling flakes
3.
Set off, as on
12.
13.
Like some excuses
Enemy
4.
5.
a journey
Annoy
Toward the rear,
14.
15.
Bee’s nest
Fireproof material
6.
nautically
Hotel unit
17.
Like tea, at times
7.
Southwestern
18.
19.
Fling
Etiquette
8.
plateaus
Party
21.
Oboe, e.g.
9.
Agreeable
23.
Clump of turf
10.
Above
24.
Question
11.
Joins
26.
Fashionable
16.
Appear to be
28.
Soldier’s weapon
20.
Word with neither
32.
College woman
22.
24.
Female deer
Jet hotshot
34.
Sound receiver
25.
Mom’s boy
36.
Flush
27.
Morsel
37.
One who finishes
29.
Motoring nuisance
39.
Student transport
30.
Cut off
41.
Monkey
31.
Flock member
42.
Bunk
33.
Made up one’s mind
44.
Talent
35.
Carpet
46.
Natural environment
38.
Go bad
50.
Croc’s cousin
40.
Billboard, for one
53.
Tucked in
43.
Latin-American dance
54.
Lunch hour
45.
Deadly
56.
Happiness
46.
47.
Witches
Up to the task
57.
Guy’s date
48.
Existed
58.
Parched
49.
Frog’s kin
59.
in the Clowns”
51.
Disregard
60.
Not even
52.
Blushing colors
61.
“ Make a Deal”
55.
Young’s opposite
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1
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15
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