SUWANEE — Some fans might feel like asking the real North Gwinnett football team to stand up.
Are the Bulldogs the team that struggled against Brookwood in a 37-23 loss in their opener in the Corky Kell Classic with four turnovers? Or are they the team that has reeled off two straight wins, including last week’s 42-24 road win over Hillgrove?
North Gwinnett coach Bob Sphire offered this assessment:
“We just are who we are. We will have to grind out games to win. We can’t be sloppy and win,” he said Tuesday as the Bulldogs prepare to play host to No. 6-ranked, recent nemesis, and rival Norcross.
The Blue Devils are 2-0 and had a bye week to prepare for the Bulldogs. Norcross has beaten North Gwinnett three straight times, including in the 2013 Class AAAAAA championship.
The win over Hillgrove was the Bulldogs first over a playoff team since beating the Hawks last year. It also snapped the Hawks 10-game winning streak at home. Hillgrove’s last loss at home incidentally came against North Gwinnett in 2014.
For over a decade Sphire shaped North Gwinnett into one of the gold standards in the area, making 11 straight trips to the playoffs between 2003-14. But the streak ended in 2015 as they were only able to muster one win (Hillgrove) over a team with a winning record while slipping to 5-5 overall.
Now, the Bulldogs find themselves in the exact same spot record-wise as 2015 -- 2-1 and facing one of the top teams in Class AAAAAAA. North Gwinnett will certainly find out whether it can be considered back among the elites of the new Region 6-AAAAAAA or another team fighting for its playoff life. Beginning with Norcross, the Bulldogs’ next four opponents -- three within the region -- are a combined 10-1 so far coming into this week’s action.
Sphire, however, said there is little comparison between this year’s Bulldogs and last year’s.
“We’re a totally different team this year,” he said. “Last year was like herding cats. We were very young and inexperienced and I think that showed once we got into the region games.
“This team cares about one another; they care about getting better. We’re still a young team but we’re learning to improve from our mistakes. I really like this team.”
Does that mean he is predicting a run at a region title this season?
“Well, I’d have to say the region is a little different with Norcross moving out and (the new school Discovery) moving in,” Sphire said. “But, it’s Mill Creek and everybody else, really. I feel as long as we keep getting better we have a chance at the playoffs this year.”
Junior quarterback Cade Fortin has rebounded from a tough opener against Brookwood where he was just 14-of-30 for 198 yards with two touchdown passes but three interceptions. He has thrown for 463 yards and five touchdowns combined, with no interceptions, over his past two games. The offense has scored 85 points during their two-game win streak.
The running game, which managed just 130 total against Brookwood, pounded out 328 against Hillgrove behind Ryan Lovelace, who had 130 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs, to give Fortin some help.
Sphire feels the offense is progressing and is perhaps ahead of his early-season projections.
“I was worried about the (offensive) line but they’ve done a good job so far,” he said. “We’ve been taking care of the ball better, and it shows that this group is learning from its mistakes. Cade really has had only one bad decision so far this year.
“Two of those interceptions against Brookwood, one was a situation where it was a screen and we had three guys to block one and they didn’t get it done and it turned into a pick-six. Another came at the end when we trying to make something happen. I think Cade has really done a nice job.”
But Norcross, which throttled Walton 42-14 on national television in the Georgia Dome in the Corky Kell Classic, is a whole other animal, Sphire said.
“Norcross, in my opinion, is on a short list of teams that can win the (Class AAAAAAA) title,” he said. “It’s not a great matchup for us. I just hope we’re not in over our heads in this one.
“Their secondary is outstanding and it’s going to be tough for our receivers to get open. We’ll have to run the ball but we’re used to setting up the run with the pass so it’s just going to be a big challenge for us.”
Sphire has been reluctant to put any kind of expectations on his group, especially after last year. But, he said they will go into every game looking to win and doing what they can to compete.
“We got humbled last year,” he said. “We just tried to come into this season trying to get better each day and not put too much on this team. We’re going to do everything we can to try and win the game. If we can somehow come away with a win, we will definitely be ahead of where I thought we might could be at this point in the season. But, if we lose, I don’t think I’m going to feel any lesser about what I think this team can do.
“With this group we feel like we’re just along for the ride as they continue to improve. That’s fun to watch. We’re excited about this group, no matter what happens Friday.”
