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•The game: Winder-Barrow High School @ Kell High School, Friday, 7:30 p.m., in Marietta, first round Class AAAAA state playoffs, $8 admission

•Records: WBHS 6-4 overall , 6-3 in Region 8-AAAAA, after defeating Heritage last Friday; Kell 10-0 overall after defeating Dalton 16-14 last Friday

•Coaches: Heath Webb, 6-4 in his first season at Winder-Barrow High School; 23-27 overall; Derek Cook, seventh season at Kell, nine season overall as head coach, 77-27 overall [Full Story »] 

It wasn’t easy, but the Winder-Barrow High School football team officially punched its state playoff ticket Friday night defeating Heritage High School 43-26 at W. Clair Harris Stadium.

The Bulldoggs capped a 6-4 regular season and will play at Kell High School this week in the opening round of the AAAAA playoffs. It will be the first postseason appearance for WBHS since 2003.

Friday night’s contest featured plenty of points, plenty of penalties and plenty of pass attempts by the two teams in a game which lasted just over three hours. In the end, WBHS rallied from a 26-19 halftime deficit to earn its sixth region victory of the 2014 campaign. [Full Story »] 

Winder-Barrow High School’s magical season continued Friday night with a 35-29 victory over region foe Clarke Central on the road in Athens.

The Bulldoggs (5-3 overall, 5-2 in Region 8-AAAAA) now have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge on the Gladiators, who fell to 3-5 overall and 3-4 in region play. The win sets up another huge region game this Friday at undefeated Lanier High School. The Longhorns are ranked No. 5 in the state.

WBHS trailed 16-7 at halftime last Friday, but came out with determination in the second half not to let the game get away. The Bulldoggs, after making some halftime adjustments, took the second half’s opening kickoff and marched 64 yards on eight plays to pull within 16-14 after a one-yard run by CeCe Green, who finished with four touchdowns on the night. [Full Story »] 

Few outside the inner circle of the Winder-Barrow High School football program would have predicted this.

As the game for Oct. 24 approachs, WBHS is in the middle of the playoff chase. Yes, the same Bulldogg program which hadn’t won more than three games in the last three years. The same WBHS program which hasn’t been to the postseason since 2003 and only twice since 1993.

But a strange thing has been occurring within this program. There is a new sense of enthusiasm. There is a new sense of confidence. There is a sense that this team is set to make one of the most remarkable turnarounds in, well, who knows when. [Full Story »] 

It was closer than some may have anticipated, but the Winder-Barrow High School football team held on for a 37-35 Region 8-AAAAA victory against Cedar Shoals last Friday.

The homecoming win, regardless of how close it was, keeps the Bulldoggs in playoff contention. WBHS (4-3 overall, 4-2 in Region 8-AAAAA) will travel to Clarke Central this week with the winner likely getting the fourth playoff spot from the region. Considering where the WBHS program has been, the fact that it remains in legitimate postseason contention at this point in the 2014 season is something that has caused many to take note.

For first-year Bulldogg coach Heath Webb, however, it is all just part of the overall plan.

“It’s great to be still in the conversation for the playoffs,” Webb said. “I’m not really surprised. I saw a group of players in February who were hungry and wanted it so badly.” [Full Story »] 

The Winder-Barrow High School football team has served notice the Bulldoggs of 2014 are not the Bulldoggs of old.

WBHS will look to continue on what many predicted would be an improbable playoff run when its welcomes Cedar Shoals High School for homecoming this Friday. Kickoff at W. Clair Harris Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.

Coach Heath Webb’s team is coming off its bye week and will look to continue the momentum it has built this season, including a 24-7 win against Flowery Branch on the road Oct. 3. [Full Story »] 

A report in Georgia High School Football Daily on Monday said “Winder-Barrow’s victories are becoming less surprising each week.”

The Bulldoggs probably still turned a few heads last Friday with their 24-7 victory against Flowery Branch, a program WBHS had not been able to defeat until this season. The win, which had the Bulldoggs solidly in playoff contention at 3-2 in Region 8-AAAAA, may be one of those that turns out to be a program changer.

“It very well could be,” said coach Heath Webb “For the last decade, Flowery Branch has been in the playoffs every year and have fielded several good football teams. They do things the right way. To go out and beat those guys means our program — and just this team — is going in the right direction.”
[Full Story »] 

The Winder-Barrow High School football team will have to find a way to put last Friday’s disappointing loss in the rear view mirror as the Bulldoggs prepare to venture to Flowery Branch.

WBHS (2-3 overall, 2-2 in Region 8-AAAAA) dropped a tough 31-24 game to Salem last week after CeCe Green was ruled short of the goal line on the game’s final play. The Bulldoggs will need a road victory this week to keep their playoff chances alive.

The Flowery Branch Falcons enter the contest 2-2 overall and an uncharacteristic 1-2 in region play. The Falcons have lost region games to Lanier (27-12) and Heritage (35-16). FBHS did defeat Cedar Shoals 17-7 last week for its first region victory of 2014.

Green is coming off another strong performance for the Bulldoggs, surpassing the 100-yard mark in receiving and passing against Salem. Green has established himself as one of the top players in 8-AAAAA and will need another strong game in order for WBHS to have a chance.
[Full Story »]