SUGAR HILL — Prior to the season, Korey Mobbs had an idea this would be a big game.
And the Lanier football coach has been proven more than right, as Loganville prepares to visit his Longhorns on Friday with both teams sporting 4-0 records and looking to prove their worth as the leader in the Region 8-AAAAA race.
“We’re still early in the region schedule, but it’s nice to have some stakes on a game like Friday night,” Mobbs said. “It’s a great test for our kids.”
Even though Mobbs’ team is the defending 8-AAAAA champ, ranked in the Class AAAAA top 10 and features the top-rated collegiate prospect in the state, the Longhorns are talking like they are the ones with something to prove.
(NOTE: For a look at all of Week 5's contests, click here.)
“Personally, this is one of the games I looked forward to playing all season. I like competition, and Loganville’s gotten a lot better as a football team so I’m wanting to go out there and see what they’re about,” Lanier senior linebacker Devin Miller said. “And of course we’re going to show them how we do things over here at Lanier.”
The Longhorns have been doing it with a dominant defense and consistent rushing attack so far in 2015.
That top recruit -- defensive lineman Derrick Brown -- has made life miserable for opposing offenses with his ability to command double teams and also power through them. Through four games, the senior has four sacks and 16 tackles for loss, as well one recovered fumble.
But he is far from a one-man show, as the Longhorns also feature an athletic and punishing corps of linebackers and defensive backs.
“Our secondary is led by Isaiah Dozier, who’s our only senior. C.J. Burress has also kind of led us in the secondary at safety. He’s kind of an in-the-box guy and can also play over the top. He is a great open-field tackler,” Mobbs said. “At linebacker, Devin Miller, who is a two-time starter for us, is an outside backer that does a great job being explosive on the edge. Juwuan Jones is our middle linebacker, gets us lined up, super smart kid. Then Tyler Taylor is kind of our unsung guy right now that’s a junior, has great potential and has really lived up to that potential.”
The unit -- which is yielding just over six points per game, including two shutouts -- will face it’s biggest challenge to date in a Loganville offense that is scoring almost 34 points per game and features the kind of balance that keeps most defenses chasing shadows.
“They can run and throw, and it starts in the run game with their running back (junior Darryl Giles, 538 yards rushing, 6 TDs),” Mobbs said. “The quarterback (Cameron Perkins-McLeod) is doing a great job of making very good decisions, and he’s going to take what the defense gives him, makes very good reads and throws and then pulls it down and can run it.”
Perhaps most impressive, however, is an offensive line that has mauled a few opponents this season.
“They probably have a few more playmakers in place than who we’ve (played so far), but I think the most important element of what they do is on the offensive line,” Mobbs said. “I would say (they are) certainly the best offensive line we’ve faced. They’re big; they’re physical, and they’re in sync with each other, and it’s going to be a big test.”
Likewise, the Lanier offense knows it is in for a battle -- though the Longhorns believe they have recaptured their mojo after a hardfought 3-0 win over Flowery Branch two weeks ago that saw them lose senior running back Ashton Barnes for the season with a knee injury.
“I know we had struggles against Flowery Branch, but we’re a different team right now than we were two weeks ago -- we got stunned. And there’s no more stuns from this point forward, so I’d say we’re going to move the ball, and they should be ready,” said Lanier senior running back Marcella Baity, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 35-0 defeat of Cedar Shoals and has a team-high 270 yards rushing and 2 TDs. (Marcko Baity is also has 227 yards rushing and 4 TDs).
Lanier’s big key will be avoiding turnovers, which stunted some of the Longhorns’ early-season progress. Lanier has turned the ball over eight times, while forcing 11 on defense.
“We have to protect the football. That’s A-No. 1 for us, and we haven’t done as good a job at that this year that we’d like to,” Mobbs said. “Last week we decreased it down to one turnover, so we’re looking to be perfect in that area of the game so that we can play well, run the ball, run the ball and put us in good spots to score as well.”
Against Loganville, Lanier knows it cannot afford mistakes -- or allow the Red Devils any unearned momentum. And Mobbs says his team has been preparing like it.
“This is truly one of those weeks that takes care of itself from an energy standpoint,” Mobbs said. “Our kids have been locked in practice-wise, and we’re just looking forward to playing a good ballgame on Friday.”
