Hamburger or chicken?
For two of northeast Georgia’s most successful football programs, this has become a key element when their teams hit the road on Friday nights.
For Lee Shaw and the Rabun County Wildcats, it’s hamburger. For Shannon Jarvis and the Mill Creek Hawks, it’s chicken.
Does either one have a secret ingredient for victories?
“We have a routine of eating hamburger steak, green beans, and other things that we usually find at a Golden Corral or a Ryan’s or some place like that. It has worked well for us over the years,” Shaw said. The Wildcats are 13-2 in their past 15 road games.
“Well, we retired the hamburger after a (road) loss to Colquitt County in 2010. We switched to chicken after that. It has been good to us over the years,” Jarvis said. “I don’t know if it’s a superstition, but you know if it’s working you stay with it.”
The Hawks have won 13 straight road games, 15 in a row in you count neutral sites.
Stalmate.
While those probably don’t constitute any major superstitions like rally caps or pet rocks or rubbing some back-up placekicker's head, both coaches believe that success on the road is about routine and comfort. And both will want all the positive routine and comfort they can get this week as they join a group of four area teams making tough road trips in the quarterfinals of the state football playoffs.
Mill Creek journeys to Powder Springs to take on McEachern in a battle of top 5 teams in Class AAAAAAA and Rabun County heads to Fitzgerald in a showdown of top 4 teams in Class AA. Meanwhile, Class AAAA No. 4 Jefferson travels to No. 6 Cairo, and, in Class A Public, Commerce travels to No. 4 and defending state champion Clinch County.
Three of the four teams -- Jefferson, Rabun County, Commerce -- are no strangers to long playoff treks. In 2015 Rabun County lost in the quarterfinals to Jefferson County in Louisville and Commerce fell to Clinch County in Homerville. In 2013 Jefferson journeyed to Barnesville and Lamar County only to come back disappointed.
All four area programs feature head coaches with similarities in their approaches to road games -- yet there are differences as well, each showing that there is more than one way to be successful away from home.
Jefferson coach Ben Hall said at this point in the season, even if you have a superstition, it’s more about the quality of the opponent. Since winning the Class AA title in 2012, the Dragons are a whopping 19-3 on the road, including a perfect 5-0 this season, but two of the losses came in the playoffs. They are just 1-2 in road playoff games since 2012.
“If there was (a superstition) that got us a win every time I’d be for it. The key really is keeping the same schedule you would if you were home,” Hall said. “Consistency is the key. We’ve been successful on the road. Once you get past the first round, every opponent is a quality one. That’s why you want that home field advantage. It’s tough on the road, especially in the playoffs.”
Commerce coach Michael Brown said his staff emphasizes player readiness, no matter the locale. The Tigers are 10-4 on the road over the past two seasons, including going 2-1 in road playoff games in 2015.
“We would rather play at home, but we’re also thankful to still be playing,” Brown said. “What we try to do is make it an experience they won’t forget, win or lose. It’s a great time for the kids to bond together and I think that is important at this time of year. We try to turn it into a positive.”
Shaw set a pretty good blueprint for road success when he led Flowery Branch to the 2008 Class AAA championship game on the back of four straight road playoff wins. His current Wildcats have gone 13-1 on the road over the past three regular seasons, including 4-0 in 2016. But, they have yet to win a road playoff game (0-3) since Shaw returned to his alma mater in 2012.
“For us, believe it or not, we try not to make a big deal out of it,” Shaw said. “I’ve treated it that way as far back as that Flowery Branch team that made it to the (Georgia) Dome. To me, if you treat it like it’s something bigger than just the next game, the kids will do that and will get tight and not perform like they are capable.
“The neat part I think is that you get to see different venues that you may not ever see again. You see the different communities and what they do. That’s kind of a fun part for me.”
For the current Mill Creek squad, however, it will be a new experience. The current seniors and the rest of the roster have never played a road playoff game. Jarvis is hoping the routines entrenched on regular season road trips will breed success this Friday. The Hawks have won 13 straight road games, 15 if you count neutral-site games, since a loss to North Gwinnett in 2013.
“Really it’s all about just trying to maintain the basic things you do when you’re at home only maybe do a few things earlier,” Jarvis said. “But we’re also looking forward to this for our guys. This is something new for this group so we're hoping to make it a little more memorable than just your basic road game."
Two things that all four teams will have in common Friday night will be charter buses and walk-throughs midway to their destinations. Each team will stop at a rest area or high school for a 30-minute preparation session.
Commerce is headed to Dublin High School, Rabun County will stop near Warner Robins, Mill Creek will go to nearby Hillgrove High School, while Jefferson will stop at a rest area near Macon.
“After a 2-1/2 hour drive, you need to get out and get stretched and the blood circulating,” Brown said. “We’ll do some mobility drills and break a sweat and then get back on the buses.”
“I think most coaches want to make it an experience for the kids," Jarvis added. "Charter buses give them a little more comfort and makea it a little more special.”
Shaw, however, summed up the importance of learning how to manage and win on the road.
“If you get to the championship game, it’s in the Dome. Essentially that’s a road game,” he said. “I tell our guys that if your goal is to win a state title, you will have to win at least one game on the road. Learning how to win on the road, from the travel to where you eat, when you eat, all those things are key factors.”
Hall, who was the offensive coordinator for Jefferson during the Dragons’ state title run of 2012, agreed.
“The great teams know how to win on the road,” he said. “Hopefully we have a good routine in place this year for us to be able to be successful. Again, we’ve faced some tough teams the last couple times we’ve hit the road. But I think this group understands what they need to do.”
