August 31, 2007. That date marks the last time that Winder-Barrow High School defeated Apalachee High School in the Battle of Barrow football contest.
This year’s event showcased Winder-Barrow head coach David Wagner looking to get his first win as coach of the Bulldoggs over the team that he used to be the defensive coordinator for. His attempt was halted, however, by the Wildcats’ dismantling of the Bulldoggs 47-0 on Friday night.
WBHS fell to 0-9 on the season after the loss as Apalachee improved to 4-5 with both teams having just one game remaining.
“It feels great, another year of bragging rights,” said AHS sophomore running back Stanley Williams.
Williams, who has verbally committed to the University of Georgia, had a huge part in the Wildcats’ offensive performance, reaching the endzone five times on the night, three on the ground and two through the air.
The Wildcats made it four straight years of winning the Battle of Barrow, something that has become a re-occurring trend.
“It’s just good for our seniors,” said AHS coach Shane Davis. “Our seniors get to go out with four in a row (against Winder-Barrow).”
The Wildcats came out ready to play. They may have also been trying to play some mind games as they waited until just 10 minutes before the opening kickoff before an Apalachee player stepped foot on the field.
AHS started the game on offense, on the first play from scrimmage junior fullback Eric Tanner went 27 yards, setting the Wildcats up at the Winder -Barrow 35-yard line.
It was just four plays later that Williams scored his first touchdown of the game, running in from 16 yards out to put the Wildcats up 7-0, less than two minutes into the contest.
“For the third week in a row we got the football first and were able to score first,” Davis said. “It got the momentum and set the tone.”
Apalachee forced a three-and-out on the Bulldoggs’ first possession, then got the ball back and scored again quickly, this time only taking three plays.
The two-touchdown lead came from Williams’ second score of the night. This time he dashed in from 50 yards out to put the Wildcats up 14-0.
“They’ve got extremely explosive backs that can run through arm tackles,” said Winder-Barrow head coach David Wagner. “And as soon as they run through an arm tackle, if you don’t have a couple of guys to put a pad on them, then they’re down the field in a blink of an eye.”
Williams finished the night with three rushing touchdowns and 134 yards on the ground. He also added two receiving touchdowns on two receptions that covered 117 yards.
His first touchdown reception came on Apalachee’s next possession when he caught the pass from quarterback Clint Ashe. Williams made a defender miss, and then reached the end zone untouched for a 60-yard touchdown.
“Our kids are doing a really good job,” Davis said. “They’re figuring out exactly what we are trying to get them to do.”
Williams shared some of the spotlight on the Wildcats’ next chance at the ball when junior running back Zay Henry rushed for 58 yards on three straight carries that culminated with a four-yard touchdown, putting the Wildcats up 27-0 with 8:02 to play in the second quarter.
“We made some changes up front after week four of the season,” Davis said. “Our kids have worked and continue to get better.”
Williams scored his other receiving touchdown just three minutes later when he took a simple out pass from Ashe and went 57 yards to the end zone. The sophomore standout Stanley out ran a couple defenders on the right side of the field that was, for the most part, vacant.
Williams would then score his fifth and final touchdown of the night when he cashed in from 48 yards on the Wildcats’ very next possession, putting Apalachee up 40-0 with just a couple of minutes to go before halftime.
“I talked to my offensive line before coming out of the locker room, telling them to block well and get me to the secondary and I’d take care of the rest,” said Williams.
Williams took advantage of a Winder-Barrow defense that has had issues stopping the run all season.
The Wildcats got their final touchdown on their first play from scrimmage in the second half when Tanner went straight up the middle and found a big hole that allowed him to race down the field for a 64-yard touchdown.
The offensive line for the Wildcats provided the backs with open running lanes throughout the night.
The Apalachee offense had all the exciting plays, but the Wildcats’ defense is what really impressed coach Davis.
“Our defense just played extremely well,” Davis said. “I am proud of our defense. I know the offense is going to get a lot of hype this week, but our defense played extremely well.”
The Wildcat defense held Bulldogg running back Jamonte Riden to just 24 yards on the night and prevented the Bulldoggs from reaching the end zone.
“I thought Apalachee played extremely well,” Wagner said. “I feel like they controlled the line of scrimmage a good bit and were able to get into our backfield pretty quickly.
The Wildcats enjoyed the return of some key defensive players that have been battling injury all season long, one of the healthiest Apalachee defenses that has been seen all season.
AHS will finish its 2011 campaign this Friday when its hosts Loganville. The WBHS Bulldoggs will finish their season on the road at Cedar Shoals.
