WINDER — Looking for a way to spice up your Friday evenings?
Try following Winder-Barrow football.
The Bulldoggs are the closest thing going to a living, breathing thrill ride -- and, so far, they have a knack for providing their fans with the perfect ending to edge-of-your-seat entertainment.
Winder went 3-1 last season in games decided by one possession -- a mark that helped seal the Bulldoggs’ first state playoff appearance in 11 years. And this year’s group looks determined to upstage that performance.
With three games remaining in the 2015 regular season Winder is already 3-1 in games decided by one possession -- including two fourth-quarter comeback victories in which Winder trailed by at least two scores heading into the final 12 minutes. And all three nailbiting victories have come in its last three contests. The performances have Winder right back in playoff contention, and, like so many adrenalin junkies, Bulldoggs fans could be excused for eagerly awaiting the next injection.
“Our fans know to stick around till the end; the game is never over until the clock hits zero,” chuckled Winder-Barrow coach Heath Webb, who has overseen each of the thrillers since taking over before the 2014 campaign. “It does make things exciting and fun. And winning games like this has built so much confidence in our players. They know it’s never over either.”
That in itself is an impressive development for a program that went 22-78 in between state playoff appearances.
“When I took the job I realized we weren’t really a competitive program, so I tried to start building that into everything,” Webb said. “We started competing at everything. Everything at practice is built on competition. Even in the offseason we’ll have a one-on-one tug-of-war competition, something just to get the kids competing.
“We also, and we may be living by this too much, talk all the time about winning the game in the fourth quarter. So all of this ability to win late I believe started long before we even played a football game.”
It is undeniably working. And now that coaches have allied that belief with the talent already on the roster, the Bulldoggs (4-3, 4-2 Region 8-AAAAA) provide the kind of challenge few opponents relish facing. It has also helped revive a 2015 campaign that looked like it might be over before it really began, as the Bulldoggs started 1-3 -- including that rarity, a one-possession loss (27-20 against Loganville).
After the lessons of last season (not to mention all those practices), however, Winder wasn’t about to let the campaign go without a fight.
“Last year we only had 12 seniors; they were a great group, but they were small, so we played a lot of younger players, and those younger guys learned a lot,” Webb said.
That education included a lot more than Xs and Os -- or even the competition factor.
“Last year’s seniors really taught the younger guys how to lead and how to follow,” Webb said. “And guys like (receiver/defensive back) Joey Junius are putting that to good use now. Joey was a leader by example last season; his personality isn’t really to be a vocal guy. But he saw how important it is to have a vocal leader last year.”
And so it was that Junius provided the inspirational speech to his teammates at the halftime of last weekend’s contest at Cedar Shoals -- a rallying cry that helped the Bulldoggs reel off 20 unanswered fourth quarter points en route to a 30-25 victory that proved Winder’s third straight.
That three-game run has catapulted the Bulldoggs right back into postseason contention and one that also saw Winder win despite battling injury and shake-up at key positions, including for standout running back Cece Green (team-high 899 yards rushing, 8 TDs), who went down with an injury. The senior returned with a vengeance last week, scoring all three fourth quarter TDs to trump the Jaguars. The quarterback position has also seen adversity, as sophomore Brock Landis (511 yards passing, 3 TDs, 3 INTs; 150 yards rushing, 6 TDs) was inserted as a starter after the 1-3 start and responded with a four-touchdown performance in a 35-34 overtime defeat of then-undefeated Salem to get the Winder revival started.
“We were not healthy at all, but we kept fighting and found ways to win,” Webb said. “Now we’re starting heal our bumps and bruises, and we’re hitting our stride.”
Now is the time to do just that if the Bulldoggs want to repeat their playoff appearance. Over the next three weeks Winder first faces an athletic and dangerous Clarke Central squad that put everything together in last week’s shock, 44-7 defeat of Gainesville that kept the Gladiators’ own postseason hopes alive. After that comes a visit from region leader and top 10-ranked Lanier before a regular season finale at currently-winless Heritage.
It is a stretch run that the Bulldoggs -- currently in fourth place in an 8-AAAAA that features seven teams battling for four playoff spots -- are eager to navigate.
“The guys are just more comfortable after last year’s experiences,” Webb said.
Like roller-coaster junkies, you can bet the Bulldoggs’ fans are the same way -- and you can also bet the opposition is well aware of those late rides that have become a trademark for Winder.
“Last week you could hear the kids talking on the sidelines about, ‘we’ve been here before,’ and, ‘we win in the fourth quarter,’ ” Webb said. “To hear that after where we came from is really satisfying.”
