Jefferson is one of the hottest teams in Class 3A and is not only winning games but doing it in dominating fashion over the past month. Hart County, however, may be even hotter.
The Bulldogs are 5-0 for the first time since 2014 and have outscored their opponents 193-62 over the first half of the season. The Dragons are on a four-game win streak outscoring their opponents 206-20.
Both teams are near the top in their classification in both offense and defense. Jefferson is fourth in scoring (226 points, 45.2 points per game) and second in defense (41 points, 8.2 ppg). The Bulldogs are ninth in scoring (193, 36.6 ppg) and sixth in defense (62, 12.4 ppg).
But even after steamrolling the likes of higher classification teams like Gainesville (41-7) and West Hall (62-7) for the Dragons, and Madison County (32-9) and Stephens County (26-13) for the Bulldogs, both teams will find out Friday night just where they stand.
The Dragons (4-1, 2-0 Region 8-3A) are trying to capture their first region title since 2016 (Region 8-4A). Hart County (5-0, 1-0 Region 8-3A) has not won a region title since 2001 (Region 8-3A).
The two teams will do battle in Hartwell in a showdown of region unbeatens with sole possession of first place squarely on the line. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
AccessWDUN caught up with Dragons’ coach Gene Cathcart and Hart County’s Rance Gillespie to discuss what is surely one of the top games in the state.
What Jefferson coach Gene Cathcart had to say...
Coach, your group is really playing well right now. You have a lot of guys back this season after a disappointing campaign in 2018 that was derailed by injuries. How much did last year’s struggles help in getting this season off to a good start?
"It's a very close group chemistry-wise. We had really one of the best offseasons I've ever been a part of in terms of our offseason workouts...We're blessed in that we've got leadership pretty well distributed throughout all four grades, which is a great thing for a team to have. A lot of the guys had to go through last year and understand a little better what you need to do and how to deal with that kind of adversity. They were very focused coming into this season. So far this year we’ve been fortunate to not have any injuries to this point, knock on wood."
You had what looked on paper as a tough non-region schedule. You dropped a tough opener to a very good Oconee County team but y’all have dominated your opponents the rest of the way, including a pair of region foes. Now, you have probably your biggest challenge of the season in an undefeated Hart County squad. Has it been tougher or easier getting your charges ready for what many expect to be a war with the winner controlling their own destiny toward a region title?
"I certainly think as a coach, you have to separate the pre-region and the region schedule mentally. You hope the kids up the effort, up the intensity a few notches once you enter region play just like you hope during the playoffs the same thing happens. I think it will be the first environment where two teams are fighting for what they know will give them at least the possible inside track at the number one seed in the region, still with plenty of work to do. It will be a playoff atmosphere, their crowd will be outstanding, they're excited and should be and we always travel well and our folks are awesome. I think it will be a great judge of who handles the intensity and who handles the size of stage going forward.”
Talk about what you see in Hart County and the improvement made by the Bulldogs over the past two seasons...
"It's just another step in the progression that you knew was coming up there. You knew when they hired coach Gillespie and he was able to put together such an outstanding staff of coaches. Certainly Hart throughout the years has had outstanding players and they've played those guys as sophomores and they took some lumps and then as juniors and while they're still playing some young players, a lot of the core of their team has grown up on Friday nights. I don't think anybody's surprised that they're playing that kind of football. You return the region defensive player of the year (DE Kaimon Rucker), you've got a tight end (Cane Berrong) going to Notre Dame, you've got two backs destined to each have over 1,000 yards rushing. You combine all that with the staff like they've been able to put together and certainly there's no surprise they're playing with a lot of confidence. You know, they really haven't had a close game yet."
What do you think will be the key area or a couple of key areas in this game?
"Offensively, we've got to execute. The strength of their team is their defensive front with Rucker and are just very physical, very well coached, so obviously executing the option offense against very good athletes and forcing them to play assignment football will be big. Defensively, they're just so explosive. Not a lot of people have had a lot of success blocking the guys they have up front, so we'll need to make sure that we read them well and execute what we do. The thing I don't think they get enough credit for is their offensive line is a good bit better. Even though their marquee players are at other spots, their offensive line is very physical. It allows them to run the football and set up play-actions and coach Gillespie has always done a great job of making you defend the whole field.”
Fans have been waiting to see your dynamic sophomore Malaki Starks have his breakout game on offense. He leads the team in rushing and receiving. However, you say there is a reason we haven’t seen Starks full-time on offense.
"He's (Starks) one of our most valuable commodities on defense. [Starks has TWO pick-6s in 2019 on defense]. There was a tremendous amount of criticism the first week for not having him carry the ball more against Oconee County, but we're facing a team that if we take him off the field defensively, we really weaken our ability to defend what they do well. He will not rest on defense, he will rest on offense. That's our belief in what we do and hopefully now that we're further into this season, the humidity and heat isn't as big of an issue as it was then."
What Hart County coach Rance Gillespie had to say...
Coach, what has been the difference this season, at least in the early going, for your team compared to the past few seasons?
“I think just the combination of all the things we’ve done over the last couple of years. They have worked hard. They’re a little bigger, a little stronger, a little faster. But probably the biggest thing is that they have matured on and off the field. That makes a big difference at this level of football. They’re seeing that all the hard work they’ve put in is starting to pay off.”
How much has playing in a tough region helped y’all improve and understand where you need to be to be competitive?
“I think it has really helped us a lot. This is a very tough region. Honestly, I wish it wasn’t so tough sometimes. But that has helped us develop our team a little quicker. It’s also a grind. But I think if we can get into the playoffs we’ll see how much playing great teams like Jefferson every year helps us.”
Most of us pundits and fans feel this game will eventually decide the Region 8-3A champion? Have y’all discussed that during your preparation this week?
“To us, this is just the next game. You can’t get caught up in the hype of this game or that game. When you do that you’re not focusing on what you need to do that week. There is still a lot of football left to play in this region, which is tough week-in and week-out. Whoever wins, it doesn’t mean you’ve won the title. If you lose, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost it. Way too many games left to play to worry about (titles) right now.”
With both teams sporting tough defenses and pounding offenses, what kind of a game do you see? High-scoring? Defensive battle? Is stopping the Jefferson ground attack [which is averaging over 300 yards a game] an essential must to have any chance to win the game?
“In big games like this the defenses become very important. You can’t win a big game like this without your defense playing well so that may be the difference if one defense doesn’t play up to its expectations. Jefferson can flat out run the ball. But they have the ability to really hurt you throwing it. The option is a tough offense to defend. If you crowd the line they have shown they can throw over the defense for big plays. We want balance (on offense) if we can get it but basically we’ll do whatever we think we need to do to win the game. If we have to run 60 times, we will. If we have to throw it 60 times, we’ll do that. I really just think it’s going to be a great game between two teams that are playing at a high level. It should be a great game for the fans.”
