These are special times for Apalachee High School football.
The program is in the middle of a span where qualifying for the postseason has become the norm. The team plays with a sense of confidence that is needed to be successful at this level of play.
The 2010 season reached the halfway mark for the Wildcats last Friday as they thrashed Region 8-AAAA foe Madison County on the road 63-20. Making the final score even more amazing is how AHS trailed 20-7 at one juncture.
There are many reasons a high school football program is successful. You can look to quality players which are always essential to winning. Yet, it takes more that just quality athletes. Many teams have them, but the winning is not there.
To me, and I’ve said this before but it’s worth repeating, Apalachee High School has one of the top coaches in Northeast Georgia in Shane Davis. The fiery mentor has certainly found a home at AHS after several stops along the coaching circuit. All of those previous stops helped make Davis the head coach he is today. What we are witnessing with the Wildcat program is a coach who is as sound as they come and one who has found a group of players who are listening to his message.
Davis expects nothing less than perfection from his players on the gridiron. He pushes his players to be the best they can be whether in the weight room, the practice field or during games on Friday nights.
Despite losing a talented senior class after 2009, AHS is in the playoff chase again this fall.
The only loss to this point came in a shootout with Flowery Branch. AHS still managed to score 35 points and compile almost 600 yards of offense in a game where several Wildcat scores were nullified due to penalties.
Rockdale County will visit AHS this week. The Bulldoggs advanced to the semifinals last season and will be a formidable foe once again. However, I wouldn’t go against Davis and his coaching staff as they will have the players ready for yet another Region 8-AAAA battle.
Davis was the absolute right leader for this program when he was hired several years ago. He values his players and he values his coaching staff. In fact, Davis is so guarded about who joins his coaching staff that he will leave positions unfilled if he doesn’t find a person he believes is a right fit. When long-time trusted assistant and defensive coordinator David Wagner left for Winder-Barrow High School in the offseason, Davis looked a long time for a replacement. In the end, Davis decided to simply be his own defensive coordinator.
I hope Apalachee fans realize just what a gem of a coach they have in Shane Davis. This is a man who gives everything to his school, his football program and his student-athletes. He is the definition of what a school looks for in a head football coach. I know he is appreciated, but I have to say I think Wildcat fans are even more fortunate than they realize.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
