You seldom hear their names mentioned, unless it is in a negative light.
However, the “players in the trenches” certainly made an impact in a positive way for the Apalachee High School football team last Friday against visiting Clarke Central High School.
The offensive linemen helped clear the way for a Wildcat victory and in the process established AHS as the likely team to beat in Region 8-AAAA. For now, that certainly is the case.
John Brown, Cole Shook, Javier Crawford, Shaun Hill and Ben Knight were the players up front, in the trenches if you will, who helped the AHS offense mount an impressive 15-play, 95 yard during the second half last Friday night.
It was the kind of drive historic seasons are made of. It was the kind of drive teams look back on and say, “that was a key point in our season where we took it to another level.”
The drive did more than result in a touchdown for the Wildcats. It served notice to the Clarke Central Gladiators that AHS was for real.
It also served the same notice to the entire region. Before all is said and done in 2009, the Wildcats are going to have to be dealt with.
I spoke with a couple of the AHS lineman after the key win last Friday night. In the postgame celebration, both players expressed a humble nature about them.
They were proud to win, but they also knew much more needed to be accomplished. It’s still early in the season and the Wildcat players and coaches know it.
Much of the preseason talk on AHS centered on the returning skill players. While those players certainly deserve all the press they have received, don’t overlook what the linemen did last week. The best backs in the world aren’t going to succeed without blocking in front of them game in and game out.
It’s time for the Wildcat “men in the trenches” to receive some just due. They more than earned their keep last Friday night as AHS improved to 3-0 and broke into the Top 10 for Class AAAA.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
