For the Apalachee High School football team, two words sum it all up: “playoff time.”
The Wildcats are still practicing this week after week 10 of the regular season. It’s the goal of every high school football team in the state. For the third consecutive season, coach Shane Davis’ team is among this elite group.
For the opening round, Apalachee draws the Rome High School Wolves on the road. Kickoff this Friday is set for 8 p.m. against the 8-2 opponent from Region 7-AAAA.
“It’s great to still be playing,” Davis said, as preparations began for the opening round. “We know this will be a tough one. Our kids have to realize it’s playoff time now.”
Winning last Friday against Salem was key for Apalachee because it was a victory on the road, Davis said, something his team will have to do this Friday.
“We won some big games on the road last year, but we really hadn’t done that this season until we defeated Salem,” the coach said. “That’s why I was glad to see us get that win with so much on the line.”
The victory against Salem locked up the No. 3 seed from the region for the Wildcats. A loss could have opened all sorts of scenarios as to who would have finished third and fourth. Loganville and Clarke Central earned the No. 1 and No. 2 spots while Cedar Shoals ended up with the fourth seed from 8-AAAA.
Breaking down Rome, Davis said the Wolves are a good team who run the Wing-T on offense and line up in the 4-4 scheme defensively.
“They are run oriented, running more than 80 percent of the time,” he said. “They have three quality running backs and a very athletic quarterback. They have a big bruising fullback as well. Defensively, they are big up front. They have two inside linebacks who can run to the football. They are a very physical football team.”
While some coaches argue the merit of playing at home or on the road, Davis is quick to point out Rome will have an advantage being on their home turf.
“I would rather be at home, no doubt about it,” Apalachee’s coach said. “They are going to have the edge there. When you are on a bus for two hours it puts you at a disadvantage. You don’t feel the same when you get there. That’s why it is called ‘home field advantage.’ They earned the right to play this game at home. That’s why regular season games mean so much.”
Rome head coach Sid Fritts said the two teams mirror each other in several ways.
“We are similiar in many ways, both offensively and defensively,” said Fritts, who like Davis is in his fourth season with his team.
“They run an eight-man front like we do defensively,” Fritts said. “They use a little more man coverage than we do. They appear to be very athletic on the defensive side of the football.”
The Rome coach praised the play of the Wildcat offensive backfield and said it will be key for his team to slow down Apalachee’s offense.
Fritts has now guided his team to the playoffs in each of his four seasons in Rome. Playing at home this week will be somewhat of an advantage for his Wolves, although only to some degree, he said.
“You always want to play at home,” the coach said. “However, each team knows what is at stake at this point. Everyone is trying to stay alive. Once the whistle blows you have 48 minutes to prove you are in fact the better team.”
Overall, Fritts said his team is healthy, as Rome’s off week was late in the season. One of his defensive linemen was banged up in the final regular season game last Friday, he said.
Kickoff this Friday will be 8 p.m., rather than the 7:30 p.m. most schools use now.
“The 8 p.m. kickoff is a long tradition here,” Fritts said.
Directions to Rome are on the Wildcat football website at www.apalacheefootball.com.
The game will be aired live on WIMO 1300.
