GAINESVILLE — Both Dawson County and North Hall football have shown flashes of brilliance this season, moments of greatness.
But both the Tigers and Trojans know that "moments" will not suffice on Friday night -- not when the two face off in a key Region 7-AAA showdown at The Brickyard in Gainesville.
To ensure victory, both programs understand that they must sustain stellar play for a full contest.
“We've just been working on finishing blocks and containing the quarterback and playing hard every play, every down, for four quarters,” North Hall senior tight end/defensive end Mac Bennett said.
Dawson County too is preparing for a stout test.
“North Hall's a great program; they've always been a great program. We've never beat North Hall,” Dawson County senior linebacker Luke Martin said. “And they're always going to play you hard, so we've just got to come in ready to play.”
The Tigers (2-1) certainly looked ready to play last week, bouncing back from their only loss of the season -- a 30-23 overtime setback at West Hall -- with a commanding 46-0 defeat of White County. It was a victory that saw Dawson’s offense hit its stride behind quarterback Coey Watson, as the junior battled back from an injured arm suffered in the loss to the Spartans.
“I'm still a little banged up I guess, but it's a lot better than it was. I can actually pass now,” said Watson, who threw for 252 yards and a score, as well as rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win. “With me being able to pass it just opens up so many more things. And with all our receivers coming in at a great point -- Ryan (Glass) and everybody getting into the game and catching balls, it just helps to move the ball around instead of everything going to one person.”
But make no mistake, the defending Region 7-AAA champions are not some finesse pass-happy attack. And the Trojans are prepping for a physical battle against a Tigers team averaging 187 yards rushing and 186 yards passing per game.
“Dawson would prefer to run the ball first and throw second,” North Hall coach David Bishop said. “It's just a matter of our kids continuing to stay tough through the whole time.”
Like the Tigers, North Hall showed last week that it may be hitting its stride at the right time. The Trojans (4-1, 1-0 Region 7-AAA) put together a strong performance in a 28-9 win at Fannin County, rushing for 313 yards and holding a prolific Rebels offense to 285 yards while forcing five turnovers.
“We've got a long way to go, but we're starting to slowly get closer. I think last week was a great game for us. It kind of just brought us together, and we haven't totally been able to put four quarters together. And I think last week was the first game that we actually have,” Bennett said. “We've just got to keep that up and keep getting better as the week goes on.”
Dawson County too is prepping to slow down a potent rushing attack, as North Hall’s wing-T attack enters averaging 245 yards per game. Kyle Bacus has been the most potent weapon in the backfield, rushing for 700 yards and 7 touchdowns.
“They have three backs that can touch the ball at any time, and your young men can get confused,” Dawson County coach Sid Maxwell said of facing the wing-T. “And we've got to try and get them three-and-out on the field. If they can grind the ball and keep our offense off the field we're going to be in for a long night.”
Both teams understand that it could be a long and grueling contest – but both are filled with anticipation for what could prove a crucial showdown between programs coming off state playoff seasons.
“We've got Dawson County this week and then we're following with Lumpkin and then Union and GAC and then East Hall. So it's going to get a lot tougher, but like I said, we've just got to keep getting better. And we will. We will get a lot better,” Bennett said. “We've just got to keep getting together as a team and play hard every play, four quarters, and we'll be fine.”
Watson too expects a tough test – though he believes his team is up for the challenge.
“We don't give up, no matter what goes on, no matter injuries, no matter if we're down, we don't give up. That's one thing I've learned about this team, and I love it,” Watson said. “You've got 36 seniors on this team and this is it, most of them won't play football again. We're not going to go down without a fight. We're going to give it everything we've got all four quarters no matter what.”
DAWSON COUNTY at NORTH HALL
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
- WHERE: The Brickyard, Gainesville
- RADIO: Northgeorgiasportslink.com
- DAWSON (2-1, 0-0 Region 7-AAA): Defeated White County 46-0 last week
- NORTH HALL (4-1, 1-0 Region 7-AAA): Defeated Fannin County 28-9 last week
