In the postgame victory huddle, Apalachee High School athletic director Brian Moore made it official.
“For the fifth year in a row, the Battle of Barrow trophy goes to Apalachee,” Moore said to the Wildcat players, coaches and fans.
AHS used a dominant first half to break open a 7-7 game to lead 35-7 by halftime. The Wildcats played it more conservatively in the second half and emerged with a 42-20 win although the outcome was not in doubt after halftime.
“It was good to end the season on a positive note,” said AHS coach Shane Davis. “When you get to this point in the season, most teams — unless you win state — finish the season with a loss. It was still tough for it to end since we missed the playoffs, but we won four of our last five games. The kids did a good job of battling back, playing hard and continuing to play focused.”
“Playing Winder-Barrow never gets old,” said Apalachee senior quarterback Clint Ashe.
Even though AHS knew the playoffs were out of reach for 2012, the Wildcats were focused and ready to play Friday night against their county and region rival.
Senior Eric Tanner put the first points on the scoreboard on a 15-yard run. Tanner, playing fullback in the Wildcat Wing-T formation, finished his high school career with 79 yards on 12 carries.
WBHS answered that score on another standout run by senior Chad Platt, who raced 69 yards to help even the score. Platt concluded his career with 147 yards.
After Platt’s score, the Wildcats would score 35 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
Zay Henry scored two touchdowns for AHS while Ashe connected with Jermaine Smith on a 25-yard score. Ashe finished the game with 133 yards through the air on a 7-of-9 night.
Von Heard scored the final touchdown of the game for the Wildcats, much to the delight of the AHS sideline.
Al Schotter added a touchdown for WBHS in the fourth quarter followed by a scoring run by Tony Santibanez with less than a minute to play.
“It means a lot to our senior class to graduate saying they never lost to Winder-Barrow,” Davis said. That’s big for them and I’m sure it’s something they will always remember and talk about down the road.”
Both programs will begin offseason work shortly with all eyes on the 2013 season. Both the Bulldoggs and the Wildcats will continue to compete in Region 8-AAAAA. WBHS will open the 2013 season against Jackson County while AHS will play Lanier High School.
“We played a competitive season,” Apalachee’s Davis said. “Still, when you are in a region like this, you have to find a way to beat one of the teams who finished ahead of you.”
