Clash of the Champions

By Christian Malone

November 30, 2007 01:27 am

— VALDOSTA — Tonight, two teams that know what it takes to win a state championship will meet at Martin Stadium.
Lowndes won state championships in 2004 and 2005. Roswell shared the state title last year. Both would love to win it this year. But first, they have to win tonight.
The Vikings (11-1) and the Hornets (10-2) square off at 8 p.m. at Martin Stadium in the Class AAAAA state quarterfinals.
“I think it’s going to be a great football game,” Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson said. “Roswell’s got a good football team.”
Are the Vikings ready?
“Yep, we’re definitely ready,” McPherson said. “We’ve had a good week of practice. I like the way we’re playing right now.”
There will be players and coaches with state championship rings on both sidelines, particularly for Roswell. The Hornets returned eight starters on both sides of the ball from last year’s team, which tied Peachtree Ridge 14-14 in the state championship game (probably the last shared state title in GHSA history, since the rules have been changed, and the title game will now go into overtime).
“They’re the defending state champions,” McPherson pointed out. “We’re going to have to bring our A game this Friday night. They’ve got a good team. I’m sure their goal is the same as ours.
“What an opportunity to play the defending state champs on our home field.”
Roswell had a much harder time reaching the quarterfinals than Lowndes, playing the most talked about game in the state last week.
Last Friday, the Hornets got their rematch with Peachtree Ridge, and again the game was tied after regulation. This time, they went into overtime. On the final play of overtime, Roswell’s Alex Daniel fumbled the football right about the time he reached the goal line. Television replays appeared to indicate Daniel had fumbled just before reaching the goal line, but the official closest to the play ruled it a touchdown, and Roswell was declared the winner, 23-20.
Roswell lines up in the I formation, with three wide receivers, and runs a pro-style offensive attack. Daniel is the Hornets’ top runner, while quarterback Dustin Taliaferro spreads the ball around to a trio of receivers, led by Garrett Embry. The Hornets run a 4-3 defense.
“They’re a solid team. They’ve got big-time players on offense, and they’ve got some big-time players on defense,” McPherson said. “They’re well-coached. They’re the real deal. They’ve got a lot of players back.”
So what will it take to beat Roswell?
“We’ve got to control the ball, not turn it over, and play great defense,” McPherson said.
Lowndes won its second-round game with Douglass, 31-12, last week. Douglass hung close for most of the first half, but the Vikings scored 17 unanswered points to turn a 14-6 lead into a 31-6 lead, and punched their ticket to the quarterfinals.
The Vikings have now won 11 straight games.
Darriet Perry leads Lowndes with 1,083 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns, including five scores in the playoffs. Backfield mate Greg Reid has 520 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, and has picked off six passes on defense.
Roswell had petitioned to play the game on Saturday, so more of its fans could make the trip. But Lowndes wanted to play it tonight, and the GHSA ruled in its favor, so the game will be tonight.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.