OAKWOOD — Stan Luttrell conjured up the memories pretty quick for someone who has not been a part of the Johnson-West Hall rivalry, affectionately known as ‘The Battle of Oakwood,’ for more than 15 years.
“A 7-6 win for us. Great ballgame to watch and we snapped a long losing streak to them, if I recall. It was a lot of fun to be a part of,” said Luttrell, who was an assistant under Blair Armstrong on that 2003 squad. In fact, they snapped a seven-game winless streak to West Hall that season.
Now, Luttrell is back for the first time since that game as the head coach of the Knights. And the history of the series is showing that there could be some sort of cosmic elements in play.
Johnson (1-0) heads to Spartans Field on Friday to renew the long-standing rivalry. West Hall (0-1) has owned the series of late, having won six straight and eight of the last nine overall. The Spartans are 10-2 all-time against Johnson at home. The last road win for Johnson in the series came in 2009 in a 49-45 shootout.
“That is a little strange for sure and there may be some similarities as well,” Luttrell said. “I remember us still trying to rebuild the program back then and West Hall had handled them pretty good up to that point. We came into that game thinking we had a chance and played a great game.
“We feel we have a chance this week as well, but it’s going to take a great effort. They are very explosive on offense.”
The Spartans have more than manhandled the Knights of late. The average margin of victory during their current six-game win streak is 33.6 points per game. Johnson has been shutout twice and scored more than 10 points just once in that span.
For West Hall coach Krofton Montgomery, now in his second year at the helm of the Spartans but who has been on staff during the entirety of the streak, none of those numbers mean a thing.
“This is still a big deal in the community and we know that Johnson always is going to give us a tough, physical game,” Montgomery said. “We never take them lightly. It is still our biggest rivalry.”
However, momentum early in a season can help propel teams to bigger and better things. Johnson is looking for its first 2-0 start since 2012 while the Spartans are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2012.
Last week, Johnson pulled away in the second half for a 32-20 win over Oglethorpe County, while West Hall could not overcome some key turnovers and penalties in a 48-17 loss to Class A-Public No. 5-ranked Commerce.
“An 0-2 start would be a huge disappointment for us, for sure,” Montgomery said. “We feel we can compete with anyone so building some confidence is something we need to do.”
For the Knights, Luttrell says this game could be telling as far as early-season progress.
“We’re still at the beginning stages of building our program,” Luttrell said. “But I also think this could be an early measuring stick for us. West Hall has handled the series pretty good of late. If we can show that we’re competitive and have a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter that will go a long way for us. Which is kind of where we were back (in 2003).
“That win was a catalyst for that season [Johnson went 8-3 and advanced to the playoffs]. Hopefully, we can see something similar this year and get that added spark.”
Montgomery said the challenge is not putting too much emphasis on it, while still trying to keep that edge on their biggest rival.
“I don’t think either of the teams is putting more on this than just a rivalry game. We both have tough region schedules coming up,” Montgomery said. “The goal is just to try and get better each day, each week right now.
"But I will say that the (Battle of Oakwood) board needs to stay here. And we’re going to do everything we can to keep it at The Hot Gates.”
JOHNSON at WEST HALL
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Spartans Field, Oakwood
-- RADIO: WDUN AM 550
-- JOHNSON (1-0, 0-0 Region 8-5A): Defeated Oglethorpe County 32-20 last week
-- WEST HALL (0-1, 0-0 Region 7-4A): Lost 48-17 to Class A-Public No. 5 Commerce last week
-- NOTABLE: West Hall leads series 17-7-1. The Spartans won 41-8 in 2018. and has won six straight in the series overall. The average margin of victory in that stretch has been 33.6 ppg. ... The last Johnson victory in the series came in 2012 (19-13) at home. ... West Hall is 10-2 all-time against the Knights at Spartans Field. The last road win for Johnson in the series came in 2009 in a 49-45 shootout. ... The last 2-0 start for Johnson also came in 2012. The Spartans are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2012.
