The stickers for big plays on the back of the helmets for Apalachee High School football players display a simple word: “Pride.”
That word perhaps best describes what the Wildcats played with last Friday in their key Region 8-AAAA showdown against visiting Clarke Central. A sound performance on defense, by the offensive line and overall by coach Shane Davis’ team led to a 21-7 win and leaves AHS as the lone undefeated region member.
“We showed a lot of posie,” Davis said. “Our defense played extremely well. At times, they would move the football a little, but it was nothing consistent.”
In the end, the Wildcat defense, under the direction of coordinator David Wagoner, allowed less than 150 yards.
AHS led 7-0 at halftime but a blocked punt gave Clarke Central an opportunity to even the score on a 4-yard run with 7:11 left in the third quarter.
The Wildcats then showed what they were made of, displaying pride in their performance, by going on a 15-play, 95 yard drive which ended with a 5-yard score by Christian Hoard. That impressive drive seemed to change the entire momentum of the contest.
The Apalachee offensive line was the unsung hero of the drive helping grind out first down after first down as the home team marched down the field.
“This was a big win for us,” said sophomore lineman Cole Shook. “We have great backs and it was just a great drive. Our job is to clear the way for them.”
Fellow lineman Ben Knight echoed his teammate’s comments.
“That long drive adds to the enjoyment of the win,” Knight said. “It felt great to be able to move the football down the field like that. We took pride in controlling the line of scrimmage that way.”
“Our linemen are continuing to improve,” Davis said. “We only have two seniors on the line. They are young but continuing to get better. They did a good job against a good football team.”
The Gladiators attempted to answer on their next series, but Hoard came up big on the other side of the football intercepting a pass and returning it to the 1-yard line. Reggie Battle finished the 1-play, 1-yard series off by scoring a touchdown against his former school, giving AHS a more comfortable 21-7 lead following Guy Hunt’s point after attempt.
The first score of the game came with only 1:40 left in the first half. Quarterback Mike Norman connected with John Ansley for a 35-yard strike to break what had been a scoreless contest.
The AHS defense stood strong in the first half forcing Clarke Central to punt the football four times and turn it over on downs on the final series of the half.
