While there certainly are more goals to reach, more mountains to climb and more accomplishments to obtain, there can be no denying it has already been a special season for the Apalachee High School football team.
The Wildcats wrapped up a 10-0 regular season last Friday by defeating a sound Salem team 37-14. The fact the Seminoles were battling for a playoff spot and had to win in order to qualify, says even more about how coach Shane Davis’ squad performed in the final regular season contest.
When all was said and done, there were no Region 8-AAAA teams left to beat for the Wildcats, who will host their first-ever state playoff game this week.
The excitement by the football team’s successful season can be felt throughout the school and the entire community as well. I thought AHS principal David McGee summed it up best after the win last Friday when he said it is more than just the football team being undefeated.
“This also means our fans are undefeated, our band is undefeated, our cheerleaders are undefeated,” said McGee, a former coach himself.
Truer words were never spoken.
High school football, I’ve always believed has a way of bringing a school and a community together like nothing else. Winder isn’t the smallest town in the state, but it’s not the largest either and you can still enjoy some of that small-town flavor and the pride that goes along with a local school doing so well on the gridiron.
One also has to be happy for Davis as well. Literally, through hours of work and sweat, Davis has guided his team to new heights. I remember several years back watching Apalachee play another school I was covering at the time. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the Wildcats being undefeated in the regular season just a few years later.
Yet, here the Wildcats are sitting at 10-0 with a region title and a guaranteed two home playoff games.
The coaches and players have worked harder than most can imagine. It’s hard to know exactly how hard a team works unless you are there with them day in and day out. Rest assured, the AHS team works as hard as anyone. It’s one of Davis’ strategies for success.
The road will get a little tougher as long as the Wildcats keep advancing. No win is guaranteed at this point. There are no bad teams in the postseason.
The Wildcat Express is rolling down the tracks, however, and seemed to pick up some much-needed steam last Friday with its impressive win.
The ultimate goal for every team who has made it this far is to play five more games. I, for one, am ready to climb aboard the Wildcat Express and ride this train for as long as possible. About five more weeks sounds about right to me.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. E-mail comments about this column to cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
