While the scoreboard may not necessarily indicate it, the Winder-Barrow High School football team competed against Flowery Branch last Friday on the road.
The 28-0 final score left the Bulldoggs 0-2 during the early portion of the 2010 season, but coach David Wagner believes good times are ahead.
“You walk away (after last Friday’s game) and honestly feel you played well at times,” Wagner said. “They are used to big games and making big plays. That’s where we need to get as a program.”
The pass-happy Falcons finished with 185 yards through the air. Quarterback Austin Brown was 14-of-27, not standout numbers for the system Flowery Branch uses.
However, the Falcons were able to make enough big plays and then bottle up the WBHS Bulldoggs offensively to take the Region 8-AAAA victory.
“We have been playing against established teams and even established state powers,” Wagner said of his squad’s first two games. “The score may not show it to the general public or to someone who just reads the score in the newspaper.”
Trailing 14-0 late in the second quarter, Quintin Long blocked a Flowery Branch punt and took over at the Falcon 26-yard line. A missed 31-yard field goal ended the scoring threat, however. Flowery Branch eventually led 21-0 at halftime.
The lack of offensive productive is something Wagner and the Bulldogg coaching staff are addressing.
“We have struggled in some phases,” the first-year WBHS coach said. “We are also playing against some top-level teams, not a six-year-old recreation level opponent. There’s a reason we have the hardest schedule in AAAA football. We will look at the film and see what we need to do and where some changes need to be made. We are doing everything we can to make it work.”
Casey Burnett led the Bulldoggs with 60 yards on the ground. WBHS finished with 118 yards rushing in the contest.
Wagner’s team will look to get on the winning side this week when Madison County visits W. Clair Harris Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
It will be another in a season-long string of region games for both schools. Both teams will need wins in order to remain in playoff contention after the third week of the season.
