As disappointing as the outcome of last Friday night’s game was, Winder-Barrow High School coach David Wagner knows his team has to move on.
A 6-3 loss to Rockdale County, a team which advanced to the state semifinals a season ago, was made even tougher considering the Bulldoggs had a chance to win the game in the final seconds after blocking a punt. A 46-yard field goal which would have tied the game fell a couple of yards short and left WBHS literally inches away from perhaps a program changing win.
“You do have to move on,” Wagner said. “We are just doing everything we can to build the confidence of our players. The team played at a level you have to play at. We are a good football team.”
In preparing this week for Flowery Branch, Wagner is stressing to his team not to be satisfied with what it accomplished last week.
“At the end of the day, it’s still a loss,” the coach said. “There were many positives that came from it, but we still can’t be satisfied with the outcome. From now on, we have to look to close out games when we have that opportunity.”
The Bulldoggs will travel to Flowery Branch Friday for what will be another strong test in the weekly Region 8-AAAA battles.
“They are another big team, especially on the offensive and defensive lines,” Wagner said. “Their quarterback transferred from Habersham Central and they have several good receivers.”
The Falcons will use three and four wide outs which has Wagner and the defensive staff likely working overtime this week in practice.
“Defensively, they are strong and fast and they held Madison County scoreless in their opener,” Wagner said. “They made a strong run in the AAA playoffs last year and as I mentioned earlier, that’s several more games they were able to play when other teams finished after the regular season. They will be very disciplined. Region 8-AAAA is going to be something each week.”
As he continues to build the program, Wagner knows his players must put last week’s disappointing loss behind them.
“You have to find a way to move on,” the coach said. “We have to bring that level of intensity week in and week out. Good teams don’t go through lulls and have emotional letdowns. We have to bring that same level of intensity and emotion.”
The large crowd which turned out for the 2010 season opener was noticed.
“People are excited,” the coach noted. “The excitement from the crowd and the student body has been great for our players. We have to keep working and keep looking to improve. We can’t be satisfied, even when we played well against a good team like we did last week.”
