BrunswickDawg
10-11-2013, 03:13 PM
This week Nick Fitzgerald and the Richmond Hill Wildcats (5-0, 2-0) face the Effingham County Rebels (4-1, 2-0). It will be a stiff test for the Wildcats. It looks like the winner of this game will be lined up well to challenge the Ware County Gators for the Region Title.
Gotta take the easy way out this week -been one of those weeks at work- so I am stealing this preview from the Savannah Morning News by Scott Thompson:
Richmond Hill is in the exact same position it was at this time last season ? 5-0 and preparing to face Effingham County in a key GHSA Region 3-AAAAA matchup.
But when the two teams tangle again Friday at Wildcat Stadium at 7:30 p.m., the Wildcats will be looking for a much better outcome than the one they got in Springfield in 2012. In that game, Effingham took advantage of 11 Richmond Hill penalties for 100 yards, including a crucial offsides on a fourth-down play that eventually helped lead to the decisive, last-minute touchdown in a 16-14 victory.
"It was the most penalized game we had the entire season," Wildcats coach Lyman Guy said on Tuesday. "We shot ourselves in the foot and had too many self-inflicted mistakes. Hopefully we can correct some of those mistakes this time around so we don't have a recurrence."
The Rebels (4-1 overall, 2-0 region), who are under the direction of first-year coach Buddy Holder, a long time assistant who took over after Rick Tomberlain?s retirement, got off to a rocky start this year, enduring a 41-7 thumping by Class AA power Benedictine in week 1. Since then though, they?ve improved, notching non-region wins over Screven County (27-23) and South Effingham (22-8) before opening the region slate with a 7-6 victory over Bradwell Institute and a 46-0 rout of Windsor Forest last week.
"I think with that first loss, they were getting the feel of things with a new coaching staff, but if those teams played again right now, I think the outcome would be much different or at least a lot closer,' Guy said. 'They're a very talented, very athletic team, and they've got the ball rolling right now, so we're going to have to play our best game this year to be able to win."
Guy said the Rebels are similar to Glynn Academy, whom the Wildcats defeated 47-28 on Sept. 27, in that they have a lot of speed on both sides of the ball and depth that makes it difficult to zero in on anyone. Junior quarterback Kemuan Tillman is a dual-threat who has a couple of big playkmakers in receivers Ashton King and Tyjon Williams to throw to, while Dusty Baker and Nieem Bartley lead a slew of talented running backs.
"Their ability to run and throw the ball effectively puts a lot of pressure on us defensively," Guy said. "We've had some problems with containment this season, especially on third down, and we?re really going to have to have our best effort out there to be able to slow them down some."
The Wildcats (5-0, 2-0), meanwhile, continued their offensive dominance last week in a 41-6 blowout of Groves. Senior QB Nick Fitzgerald has been strong in both the passing and running game, while a trio of backs in Ronnie Harris, Michael Clark and Daniel Winters have contributed to the barrage against opposing defenses. They?ll likely get their stiffest challenge so far this season against an Effingham unit that is yielding just 9 points a contest since the loss against Benedictine. The Rebels are strong across the defensive line as well as in the linebacking corps and secondary with senior middle linebacker Dalton Mydell, defensive back Mike Preston and junior noseguard Dajuan Mitchell among the top performers.
"They've been pretty stingy here lately," Guy said. "They're sound and very well-coached on that side of the ball, so it'll be a tremendous challenge for us to move the ball consistently and effectively."
Friday's meeting is the fourth overall between the two schools, with the Rebels emerging victorious in each of the first three, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association's website. It's also the start of a critical stretch of games for the Wildcats that will determine where they fit into the playoff picture in the region at the end of the year.
Next week the Wildcats visit ninth-ranked and region favorite Ware County and then have dates with Bradwell Institute and Jenkins, both of which are jockeying for a postseason bid.
"We've got to be able to put together some complete games for all four quarters to get where we want to be," Guy said.
Gotta take the easy way out this week -been one of those weeks at work- so I am stealing this preview from the Savannah Morning News by Scott Thompson:
Richmond Hill is in the exact same position it was at this time last season ? 5-0 and preparing to face Effingham County in a key GHSA Region 3-AAAAA matchup.
But when the two teams tangle again Friday at Wildcat Stadium at 7:30 p.m., the Wildcats will be looking for a much better outcome than the one they got in Springfield in 2012. In that game, Effingham took advantage of 11 Richmond Hill penalties for 100 yards, including a crucial offsides on a fourth-down play that eventually helped lead to the decisive, last-minute touchdown in a 16-14 victory.
"It was the most penalized game we had the entire season," Wildcats coach Lyman Guy said on Tuesday. "We shot ourselves in the foot and had too many self-inflicted mistakes. Hopefully we can correct some of those mistakes this time around so we don't have a recurrence."
The Rebels (4-1 overall, 2-0 region), who are under the direction of first-year coach Buddy Holder, a long time assistant who took over after Rick Tomberlain?s retirement, got off to a rocky start this year, enduring a 41-7 thumping by Class AA power Benedictine in week 1. Since then though, they?ve improved, notching non-region wins over Screven County (27-23) and South Effingham (22-8) before opening the region slate with a 7-6 victory over Bradwell Institute and a 46-0 rout of Windsor Forest last week.
"I think with that first loss, they were getting the feel of things with a new coaching staff, but if those teams played again right now, I think the outcome would be much different or at least a lot closer,' Guy said. 'They're a very talented, very athletic team, and they've got the ball rolling right now, so we're going to have to play our best game this year to be able to win."
Guy said the Rebels are similar to Glynn Academy, whom the Wildcats defeated 47-28 on Sept. 27, in that they have a lot of speed on both sides of the ball and depth that makes it difficult to zero in on anyone. Junior quarterback Kemuan Tillman is a dual-threat who has a couple of big playkmakers in receivers Ashton King and Tyjon Williams to throw to, while Dusty Baker and Nieem Bartley lead a slew of talented running backs.
"Their ability to run and throw the ball effectively puts a lot of pressure on us defensively," Guy said. "We've had some problems with containment this season, especially on third down, and we?re really going to have to have our best effort out there to be able to slow them down some."
The Wildcats (5-0, 2-0), meanwhile, continued their offensive dominance last week in a 41-6 blowout of Groves. Senior QB Nick Fitzgerald has been strong in both the passing and running game, while a trio of backs in Ronnie Harris, Michael Clark and Daniel Winters have contributed to the barrage against opposing defenses. They?ll likely get their stiffest challenge so far this season against an Effingham unit that is yielding just 9 points a contest since the loss against Benedictine. The Rebels are strong across the defensive line as well as in the linebacking corps and secondary with senior middle linebacker Dalton Mydell, defensive back Mike Preston and junior noseguard Dajuan Mitchell among the top performers.
"They've been pretty stingy here lately," Guy said. "They're sound and very well-coached on that side of the ball, so it'll be a tremendous challenge for us to move the ball consistently and effectively."
Friday's meeting is the fourth overall between the two schools, with the Rebels emerging victorious in each of the first three, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association's website. It's also the start of a critical stretch of games for the Wildcats that will determine where they fit into the playoff picture in the region at the end of the year.
Next week the Wildcats visit ninth-ranked and region favorite Ware County and then have dates with Bradwell Institute and Jenkins, both of which are jockeying for a postseason bid.
"We've got to be able to put together some complete games for all four quarters to get where we want to be," Guy said.