It’s no secret the Flowery Branch High School football team has a high-powered offense.
However, Apalachee High School football coach Shane Davis is almost equally impressed by the defensive unit the Falcons put on the field. The combination of a high-powered offense, a stingy defense and even strong special teams play makes Flowery Branch the favorite at this point in Region 8-AAAA. It’s what has had Davis and his coaching staff putting in plenty of work the past week as the Falcons visit R. Harold Harrison Stadium Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
“There is so much talk about their offense that their defense gets overshadowed,” Davis said. “In reality, they are very strong on the defensive side of the football. Going back to last season, we scored a good bit on them but a lot of that came on big plays. We were able to get our guys in space and to the second and third level of their defense. Traditionally, they don’t let that happen. Their defense fires off the football extremely hard.”
The AHS coach does not sell Flowery Branch short on offense either.
“They have the best of both worlds offensively,” Davis said. “They have a very good quarterback with good speed but he can also throw it. Their quarterback (Kanler Coker) is very athletic and throws well. They also have great receivers with great size. Their style of offense spreads you out and makes you make tackles in space. Their option is also tough to defend. They make you work defensively.”
Coker had another big night last Friday as the Falcons routed Winder-Barrow High School 64-7. The Bulldoggs had some defensive success against the Falcons in 2010 but not so much this time around. While it’s tough to find weaknesses in a team like Flowery Branch, Davis said he and the Wildcat coaches do look for tendencies.
“You always hope to find some weaknesses,” Davis said. “You have to decide what you do best and try to do that. If you go away from what you do and go with a totally different scheme then it just makes it tough on you. We’ll run our four-man front and maybe some three-man looks. We have to get after what we do best.”
AHS was off last Friday as it worked on correcting certain mistakes made in the season opener against Habersham Central.
The off week was a productive one, Davis said.
“We got better last week,” the head coach said. “I thought our program got better. It’s tough when you are coming off a loss. It’s the first time we’ve started with a loss. Then you have your open week right after that so it’s even tougher. You have a choice in these situations. You can go back to work or feel sorry for yourselves.”
Improving each week in practice is a must as a member of 8-AAAA.
“You can’t have bad weeks of practice,” Davis said. “The teams are just too good. This region is tough, has been tough and will always be tough.”
One key this week for the Wildcats in their matchup will be to limit the big play capability of the Falcons.
“You don’t see a team often that can score on any play,” Davis said. “You might see it with one player but they do it with three or four. That’s what makes them so good. They are going to make you play them a certain way or they will beat you. Even if you do what you are supposed to do they can still beat you. Our kids will play hard. We will get after them. That’s what our kids have always done.”
In preparing for the Flowery Branch defense, AHS offensive coordinator Joel Miller has been impressed with the Falcons on that side of the football.
“Obviously they are a really good team,” Miller said. “Their offense is averaging 60 points a game and the defense is just as good giving up only seven. They will base out of the 4-4 or 3-4 as they have shown both in there first two games. They are big and physical up front and very athletic in the secondary. Hopefully, on offense we can sustain drives and put points on the board, while at the same time keep their explosive offense off the field. This will be a huge challenge for us and hopefully our kids will respond with a great effort on Friday.”
Wildcat defensive coordinator Matt Sorrells has also been spending plenty of time preparing for the high-powered opponent which rolls into The Chee this week.
“They have very talented players, several that will be playing major college football in the near future,” Sorrells said. “ Everyone knows about their passing attack, however, their running game is extremely good also. They have a very big offensive line and a hard-nosed powerful running back. I think this is what makes them so successful.
“Sometimes you see spread teams that are only able to hurt you on the pass, but what makes Flowery Branch so good is that they have a two-dimensional attack. For us to have success this Friday, we need to try to limit the big plays. Against Habersham, we did a poor job tackling and we didn’t have 11 people rallying to the ball, which enabled them to have big plays. We’ve been working hard at those things the last two weeks and we will need to do those well this Friday to slow down Flowery Branch’s offense.”
