OAKWOOD -- Tony Lotti is hoping he is a good poker player.
The West Hall coach will once again guide his Spartans into the state playoffs -- this time in Class AAAA after securing the No. 3 seed from Region 7-AAAA.
And once again West Hall faces as murderous a draw as any team in the state in any classification -- and they will do so a day early, as the Spartans begin their playoff quest on Thursday in LaGrange, taking on Troup, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AAAA. (NOTE: The reason for the early start being that host Troup shares Callaway Stadium with Callaway and LaGrange College. As a No. 1 seed, Callaway got first choice for Friday night, and LaGrange plays a home game on Saturday, meaning West Hall must kick off a day early.)
Troup (8-2) was ranked for most of the season until suffering an ugly 68-0 shellacking at the hands of No. 1 Cartersville last week. If the Spartans manage to get past the Tigers, No. 2-ranked Thomson, the only team to knock off Jefferson this season, is sure to be waiting in the second round.
It is nothing new for Lotti and West Hall (6-4) which has had its share of rough opening round matchups. The Spartans took on No. 1 Cartersville in 2013 (28-26 loss) and No. 1 Calhoun in 2015 (34-7 loss) on the road.
The Spartans are looking for their first state playoff win since beating Northwest Whitfield in the first round of the 2000 Class AAAA playoffs.
“We never seem to get a good draw,” Lotti said. “But you just have to go out and play who is up next. We’ll just have to take the bad hand dealt to us and play it well. But I feel this time that our (non-region) schedule has helped us prepare for this.”
Eight of West Hall’s 10 opponents in 2016 advanced to the playoffs in their respective classifications, including a pair of region champions in Rabun County (Region 8-AA) and Blessed Trinity (Region 7-AAAA).
“We played a tough schedule on purpose,” Lotti said. “Now we’ll see if it pays off for us.”
Troup may not be on the scale of Cartersville or Calhoun, but it is 12th in scoring in Class AAAA (298, 29.8 points per game) and, until last week, had allowed just 19.7 ppg on defense. The Spartans are giving up just 21 ppg on defense. But West Hall’s offense, after averaging 26.8 ppg during a 4-1 start, scored just 19.2 ppg while going 2-3 down the stretch.
“Actually, I think our defense matches up fairly well with their offense,” Lotti said. “We have to make tackles and keep them from making big plays.”
The Spartans defensive line has been solid recording 27 sacks on the season. They have forced 16 turnovers (8 fumbles, 8 interceptions).
Quarterback Jacob Satterfield, who has emerged as a dual-threat, could be a key factor on the offensive side.
“Honestly, we’re going to need everyone to have a good game,” Lotti said. “The key for us will be everyone doing their job and playing their roles. We will need to control the ball. Jacob has gotten better as the season has gone on and he just needs to keep playing the way he has.”
WEST HALL at TROUP
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Thursday
-- WHERE: Callaway Stadium, LaGrange
-- WEST HALL (Region 7, No. 3) (6-4): Lost 34-13 to Blessed Trinity last week
-- TROUP (Region 5, No. 2) (8-2): Lost 68-0 to No. 1 Cartersville last week
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... Two programs that are looking for their first playoff wins in years. The Spartans have not won a playoff since beating Northwest Whitfield in 2000. ... The Tigers have won just one a playoff game since making the quarterfinals in 2003.
