They gave one final salute to the 2009 Apalachee High School football team last week and while the season is officially in the record book now, one has to wonder just how long the record-setting campaign will remain in the minds of Wildcat followers.
I have to think it will be for many years. It has to be that way when so many records are broken in a single season. Everything from first undefeated regular season in school history to highest state ranking to first region championship to first home playoff games were accomplished this past fall.
They gathered last Thursday night to salute the players, coaches, cheerleaders and every member of a supporting cast which played a part in the memorable season.
The seniors who will graduate later this spring have set a high standard for future classes to follow. This group of players, whom the coaches have the not so easy task of replacing, helped the program have its first winning season in 2006, first playoff appearance that season, first win over county rival Winder-Barrow (also 2006), first state playoff victory in 2007, first second-round state playoff game, three area and two weightlifting state championships and four consecutive seasons in the state football playoffs. All in all, a pretty impressive resume for the Class of 2010.
It has been written here many times how strong a leader Shane Davis is for the Wildcat program. Through hours of hard work, Davis, along with his entire coaching staff, have made Apalachee High School football into a source of pride for Barrow County. In a time when many news items coming from our home base are anything but positive, Davis and his Wildcats are doing something which can make us all proud.
The effort by Davis in showing that football is a part of life and through it lessons can be learned is something we all need to grasp. Winning football games is important, but it is only part of a bigger picture of today’s high school student-athlete.
No one wants to win more than Davis. The fire can be seen, sometimes literally, in his eyes on Friday night. Yet, down deep, this is a man, a coach, who has an unmatched level of caring for his players and what they do off the field as well as on it.
As we move forward and leave the 2009 season to our football memories, let’s not forget this special group of players, coaches, cheerleaders and fans who made it all possible.
Special seasons like this don’t happen every year. It’s what makes them so special.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrrowjournal.com.
