Until Friday night, I had never been to a Winnersville Classic, and I was hoping that my first Winnersville experience would not be a let down.
And boy did it not disappoint. Leading up to the game, I had my doubts about the quality of the contest which would be on display. Sure the tailgating, pregame festivities and general pandemonium was going to be fun, but to me, it comes down to the game on the field. If the game is bad, then it pretty much ruins the entire experience for me.
So after watching Valdosta get steamrolled for over 500 yards and 39 points against a rebuilding Colquitt County team last week, I was skeptical, to say the least, that a game against the mighty Lowndes Vikings was going to be close.
It appeared my thinking was right on point on the first play from scrimmage. The Wildcats talked all week about stopping Greg Reid, and on the first play, Reid took a pass and cut across the field for a 70-yard touchdown. 7-0 Vikings with 11:31 left in the first quarter. Here we go.
However, to my surprise and the surpise of 90 percent of the people at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, that would be the last big play of the night on offense for Reid and the Vikings.
Valdosta head coach Rick Tomberlin admitted that his defense was running on fumes last week after he pushed his players to hard in practice. Against the Vikings, the Wildcats’ defense swarmed to the ball all night, including deep in the fourth quarter, when it stopped Reid on third-and-4 and forced a punt down by only seven. Valdosta had its swagger back.
If people were paying attention to what Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson was saying during the week, then they would not be surprised that Valdosta made a game of it. McPherson said before and after the game that he knew his team was in a dogfight from the start.
This is a trend that the Vikings have learned as the season has gone on. It started three weeks ago against Tift, when Lowndes escaped with a 28-14 win. Then Lowndes battled Northside-Warner Robins for state supremacy in one of the most hyped games in the history of Georgia high school football. The Vikings then turned around and fought off a strong-willed Valdosta team in a game that went down to the wire.
Basically, when you are the defending state champions, the No. 1 team in the state and ESPN’s second-ranked team in the nation, every team on your schedule is going to bring it every time it suits up against you, because it can make its season by beating you.
All told, the game was a great one. As much credit as Valdosta deserves for displaying guts and playing as well as it did, Lowndes deserves equal credit for answering the enormous pressure put on them. The Vikings are good. So good, in fact, that it might be impossible for them to blow out everyone because too many teams in region 1-AAAAA refuse to let it happen.
I leave the game taking away one thought about each team. For the Wildcats, it’s if they can play with the heart, passion and defensive effort displayed on the field last night, then there are only one or two teams in the entire state that can beat them. For the Vikings, it’s if they can continue to be mentality tough and not suffer a letdown after close wins, then they will be holding a victory party in the Dome on Dec. 13.
Well, that wraps up my first Winnersville Classic. I would normally say that I was spoiled and not to expect another game like this again. But with these two teams, I’m sure I’ll be giving rave reviews again next year.
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Paul Leavy/The Valdosta Daily Times
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Column: Winnersville, teams live up to hype
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