Photo: Coffee County football

Robert Preston, Jr.
The Douglas News
DOUGLAS — It’s not going to be easy sitting at home this Friday night without a Coffee High Trojans game to follow.
It’s going to be even harder with the way the season ended. The Trojans should have defeated the Newnan Cougars Friday night. Coffee had the scheme, the players and the talent to advance to the third round of the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the team dug itself into a hole with a few costly miscues early in the game. When the Trojans finally did settle down, they just couldn’t catch up.
When the game ended, the Cougars had to breathe a big sigh of relief, knowing they had just won a game they probably should have lost.
Coffee amassed 384 yards of total offense (172 rushing, 212 passing), forced three turnovers and scored on both offense and defense. Those kinds of stats normally indicate a win, not a loss.
The collective memory of sports fans typically tends to be rather short. It’s very much a “what have you done for me lately?” kind of relationship. So while the detractors and the naysayers engage in their favorite activity in the wake of Friday night’s loss, people should probably take an honest look at the recent history of the Coffee High program and compare it to what the program has experienced the last two years.
In the last 10 years of Trojan football history (including Jerry Odom’s first year, 2005), Coffee has had four coaches. Over that time, the Trojans have a 48-54-2 record (a winning percentage of .462; this includes two games in 1999 that the Trojans won by forfeit; they lost both games on the field).
Included in there are but three winning seasons, all under former coach Bonwell Royal: 2001 (6-4-1), 2002 (7-3-1) and 2003 (6-5). The 2002 team earned the first seed in the playoffs by shocking the Valdosta Wildcats on Nov. 15, defeating the Wildcats 33-20 at Jardine Stadium.
But the last two years have been a different story. Coffee is 18-6 (a .750 winning percentage) with a pair of first-round playoff wins. A number of players off the 2006 team signed college scholarships and many more will sign this year. The Trojans, whose collective record against current 1-AAAAA opponents is nothing short of embarrassing, has an 8-4 region record in two years.
The point is, things are different. The success that has in many ways eluded the program for the last decade has been realized. But people aren’t satisfied — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s what happens with the lack of satisfaction.
If the players channel those feelings into a determination to get bigger, stronger, faster and more fundamentally sound, nine wins will be the tip of the iceberg. If parents and boosters use that lack of satisfaction to pour even more support into the program, the Trojans will be even more successful for many years to come.
But if it turns into back-biting, laying blame and pointing fingers, the program — and ultimately the kids — will suffer.
The 2007 football season has been a success. It didn’t start out that way, though. This team has had to deal with more adversity than befalls some professional teams. Just weeks before the season began, the team lost one of its best players due to a very unfortunate set of circumstances. Then, in one of the biggest games in the state, another of its best went down with a shredded ACL.
Through it all, the team stayed focused and took care of its business. The 2007 team wasn’t a flashy group that put on a high-octane show for the fans. Rather, they were efficient and controlled. Burke Batten quietly had one of the best seasons a Coffee quarterback has ever had. There was no go-to running back who dominated after Melvin Loving went down. Instead, a group of four or five running backs shared the ball and took care of business. A committee of linebackers held opposing offenses in check while a big defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage.
Were there problems? Of course. There always are. But for a team with the recent history of Coffee High, 2007 was a great season.
And the thing is, 2008 and beyond can be even greater.

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Photo: Coffee County vs Newnan

Robert Preston, Jr.
The Douglas News
NEWNAN — Missed opportunities.
That’s the story of Coffee High’s 28-25 loss to the Newnan Cougars Friday night in Newnan.
Two first quarter miscues put Coffee behind the eight ball and the team never seemed to be able to consistently mount a charge. What’s worse, the Trojans had opportunities at several different key points in the game and just couldn’t capitalize. Following the game, head coach Jerry Odom was at a loss for words. “I’ve got no words on that,” said an obviously disappointed Coach Odom. “Newnan played hard and deserved to win. Our guys are upset.”
Newnan took the opening kick-off and wasted no time in driving downfield and scoring an early touchdown. The Cougars added another seven points just a few minutes later after they recovered a fumbled handoff from quarterback Burke Batten to running back Demario Ingram.
The turnover gave Newnan the ball deep in Coffee territory and quarterback Russell Powell promptly guided his team into the end zone. The score put the Cougars up 14-0 very early in the game.
On their third possession of the first half, the Trojans showed they could move the ball against Newnan. The drove across midfield and built a little momentum. Faced with fourth and four, Batten found wideout Demario Bennett for a first down. The drive stalled and Batten’s offense found themselves with another fourth down situation. Deciding to go for it, Batten dropped back to pass. The Cougars’ defense did a superb job of covering Coffee’s receivers, giving Leyland Russell time to penetrate the offensive line and sack Batten.
The Trojan defense stood up to the Cougars on their ensuing possession and forced a punt. The kick was a bad one and Coffee took over with excellent field position.
But the turnover bug bit again.
Right at the beginning of the second quarter with the Trojans driving, a Cougar stripped the ball from Johnny Williams and returned it for a long touchdown. The score silenced the Coffee faithful and gave Newnan a 21-0 lead.
To the Trojans’ credit, they didn’t give up and took one away from the Cougars. After the touchdown, the offense stalled again and punted. The Newnan offense fumbled early in the drive and Corvoski Hutto picked up the ball and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. Coffee trailed 21-7 and was starting show some signs of life.
On the Cougars’ next possession, linebacker D’Juan Smith intercepted a Powell pass and returned the ball to the Newnan 45. The back-to-back turnovers shifted momentum in Coffee’s favor and Odom’s team looked ready to mount an offensive.
And they did — briefly. Batten methodically marched the offense toward the goal line. A score looked almost inevitable. Then the unthinkable happened — a Coffee fumble at the two-yard line gave Newnan the ball.
The Trojans managed to claw back late in the half and kick a 34 yard field goal. At half time, Coffee trailed 21-10.
Despite the turnovers, the Trojans moved the ball well and had chances to score. They amassed 141 yards of total offense in a fairly balanced attack (83 rushing, 58 passing).
Unfortunately, the Trojans couldn’t sustain the momentum. Newnan scored its only second half touchdown on its first possession of the third quarter. Coffee answered with a 23-yard touchdown from Mark Wilson and a successful two-point conversion by Akeem Wesley.
The third quarter ended with the Cougars leading 28-18. The Trojans scored again with about nine minutes left in the game on a 48 yard touchdown pass from Batten to Williams. The score brought Coffee to within three points, trailing 28-25.
Late in the game, the Trojans had more chances to score. They got the ball back for their final possession with about two minutes left. But the two-minute offense, which Coffee has run pretty efficiently this season, just wasn’t there. With 25 seconds left, a fourth down pass from Batten to Williams fell incomplete, effectively ending the Trojans’ season.
A look at the numbers tells a convoluted story: Coffee gained 384 total yards (172 rushing, 212 passing), forced three turnovers and scored on both offense and defense. Teams rarely put up numbers like that and lose. Unfortunately, it happened Friday night and the Newnan Cougars move on to round three to face North Gwinnett, which upset Brookwood 17-3.
The Trojans finished with a 9-3 record for the second season in a row.

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Robert Preston, Jr.
The Douglas News
DOUGLAS — For a long time, just making the playoffs was good enough. Last year, winning a first round game was good enough.
Pardon my use of the vernacular, but this year, that ain’t gonna cut it.
“So far, our focus has been good. I don’t think this team is going to be satisfied with winning one playoff game,” said Coffee High head coach Jerry Odom Monday afternoon as he described his team’s preparation for Friday’s second-round playoff game with the Newnan Cougars.
The 2007 campaign has been a difficult one for Odom’s Trojans. Adversity has come from all sides and from the most unlikely sources. This team has had one excuse after another to mail it in and wait until next year.
But before the season began, the Trojans decided they weren’t going to let circumstances get them down. They demonstrated that very fact emphatically Friday night at Memorial Stadium in Savannah.
The Jenkins Warriors came in with two Division-I commits and a strong, athletic team. Didn’t matter. Coffee made a statement early, forcing a safety and then scoring five touchdowns en route to a 37-0 win over the Warriors.
The Trojans played as complete a game as they have all year. They held the Warriors to just 54 total yards and didn’t allow Jenkins a first down in the first half.
“We didn’t give them a chance. We played solid and we prepared well. We had a good week of practice. We didn’t make mental mistakes and there were no busted assignments on defense,” said Odom.
That translated into a very efficient performance by the Trojans. They played hard, they played with intensity and they had fun.
Odom had said his team had to play well on special teams and not turn the ball over. They achieved their goals, and forced a few of Jenkins’ bad plays along the way. “We’re getting better at the right time,” said Odom.
Which is always a good thing. Odom said all year that he didn’t want to peak in September. If Friday’s game was any indication, they are peaking at exactly the right time.
And with the Newnan Cougars next up, that’s perfect timing.
The Cougars have been a bit of a surprise. With only a handful of starters returning from last year’s 7-4 team, this season was supposed to be a rebuilding year. However, Newnan is 10-1 and went undefeated in their region. The Cougars are coming off a big 17-6 win in round one over the Redan Raiders.
“They’re good. We’re going to have to play well to win,” said Odom.
Coach Robert Herring likes to spread out the offense and utilize a 3-3 on defense. “They are well coached and look a lot like Tift last year,” said Odom. “I think we stack up well against them.”
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Drake Stadium in Newnan. Tickets are $10 for all ages. No advance tickets will be sold.
Here are driving directions: Take I-75 North. Get off on exit 205, which is the Griffin/Jackson exit. Turn left off the exit ramp on to Highway 16. Continue on 16 all the way through Griffin (about 40 miles) until the highway ends at Highway 29. Turn right on to 29 North and go approximately three miles. Turn left on to Sewell Road (at the Hot Spot Station). Stay on Sewell until you see the stadium/parking lot.
Players of the Week: The Players of the Week from the Jenkins game are D’Juan Smith (defense), Mark Wilson (special teams) and Corey Davis (offense).

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Photo: Coffee vs Jenkins

Robert Preston, Jr.
The Douglas News
DOUGLAS — The Coffee High Trojans can hold a lead. And they couldn’t have done so at a better time.
The Trojans took made a big statement Friday night, defeating the Jenkins Warriors 37-0 in Savannah in the first round of the state playoffs.
For the first time since 1981-1982, the Trojans have won playoff games in consecutive years. And they did so with an exclamation point.
The Warriors found themselves in trouble from their first possession and they never recovered. Jenkins received the opening kick-off, but Coffee pinned the Warriors deep in their own territory. Jenkins punted, but the snap sailed over the punter’s head and into the end zone. The Trojans ended up with a safety and got the ball back with great field position. A good run by fullback Dermaine Gaskins and a 13-yard completion from quarterback Burke Batten to Josh Ellerton put the Trojans well inside the red zone. Batten capped the drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Corey Davis.
Jacob Moore’s point after was true and Coffee went up 9-0.
The Warriors didn’t fare much better on their next possession. They were forced to punt again, and Randy Brown made it into the backfield and blocked the kick. The muffed punt gave the Trojans the ball at the Jenkins 13. A pass to Demario Bennett moved Coffee to the two-yard line. A procedure penalty backed the Trojans up, but the Batten’s offense was undaunted. A play or two later, Demario Ingram punched the ball in from the two. Moore hit the PAT again, and Coffee had a 16-0 lead.
Jenkins’ next possession ended in a punt. Coffee took over, and the Warriors made a stand, forcing the Trojans to punt for the first time of the game. The punt was a good one, and Jared Wooten downed at the Jenkins High two-yard line.
Once again, the Coffee defense stymied Jenkins and the Warriors had to kick the ball away. The punt gave the Trojans the ball in Jenkins territory. A great catch by Mark Wilson and excellent blocking by the offensive line helped set up Coffee’s next score, a nine-yard run by Johnny Williams. The PAT was good; with time running out in the first half, Coffee had a comfortable 23-0 lead.
Lately, the Trojans have had trouble holding a good lead in the second half. Things looked a little shaky as the third quarter began. Coffee took the opening kick but the drive wouldn’t go very far. Batten threw a pick that Jenkins returned inside Trojan territory. However, they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity and had to punt.
Coffee moved the ball but missed a 39-yard field goal.
As had been the case all night, Jenkins couldn’t launch a drive and had to punt. The kick went to Williams at the Coffee 40 yard line and he blasted through the Warriors’ punt coverage for a 60-yard touchdown.
With Moore’s extra point, the Trojans enjoyed a 30-0 lead.
The Trojans would add another touchdown on a 20-yard run by Josh Ellerton near the end of the third quarter. The PAT put the Trojans up 37-0.
The fourth quarter opened with a running clock and neither team added any points over the final 12 minutes.
The win gives the Trojans some much needed momentum heading into round two. The offensive line played well and gave Batten (6 for 8 for 88 yards, one touchdown and one interception) time to make his throws. The big linemen also cleared lanes for Coffee’s corps of running backs. The Trojans only amassed 220 yards of total offense thanks to having great field position all night. They simply didn’t have to move the ball much to get to the end zone.
Dermaine Gaskins was Coffee’s leading rusher, running for 48 yards. Akeem Wesley caught three passes for 49 yards.
“We prepared well and when you do that, you give yourself a chance to win. They’re a good football team and have some great athletes. Our guys did a great job tonight. That’s one down; we’ve got four more to go,” said head coach Jerry Odom after the game.
Coffee has to travel to face Newnan in round two.

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Robert Preston, Jr.
The Douglas News
DOUGLAS — Friday night’s game between the Coffee High Trojans and the Houston Bears was supposed to be easy. The Bears came into the game with a 1-8 overall record and 0-5 in the region.
It was anything but.
The Trojans escaped with a 30-21 win, but once again they squandered a first half lead and found themselves fighting for their lives at the end of the game. Maybe Coffee was looking ahead to its first round playoff game against Jenkins next weekend. Maybe the Trojans thought Houston would be a pushover. Either way, one thing was clear — Houston came ready to play and wasn’t about to lay down.
But as tough as the Bears were, it was Coffee’s little guy — the diminutive freshman kicker Jacob Moore — who carried the team to victory.
The Trojans looked like they would turn the game into a rout, scoring on its first two possessions. Quarterback Burke Batten found Demario Bennett for a 10 yard touchdown on Coffee’s first possession. He connected with Akeem Wesley for a 15 yard touchdown on the offense’s next trip down the field. With 2:10 left in the first quarter, the Trojans had a 14-0 lead.
Houston stepped up and held the Trojans for the remainder of the first half, and added seven points of their own to the board on a long drive that ate up the clock in the second quarter. Coffee’s lead was 14-7 with 2:58 to go in the half.
The Trojans had another opportunity to score. With time winding down, place kicker Aaron Lott attempted a 39 yard field goal that sailed wide right. The second quarter came to a close with the Trojans ahead by seven.
Coffee didn’t look very explosive in the first half, and head coach Jerry Odom’s Trojans needed to make an adjustment to shift momentum back in their favor. When the third quarter opened, things looked good for the Trojans. Batten led the offense on a 65-yard drive that ended with a Josh Ellerton touchdown. Moore’s PAT was good, and Coffee had a 21-7 lead.
But Houston came roaring back, scoring two unanswered touchdowns to tie the game at 21 with 1:25 left.
Once again, the Trojans found themselves with their backs against the wall and time running out. Somebody needed to step up, and that person came in Josh Ellerton.
Ellerton took Houston’s kick and blew through the coverage team. His teammates opened a lane, and Ellerton raced down field for 48 yards to the Houston 29. Dermaine Gaskins moved the ball to the Houston five yard line. Rod Jones got the ball next, and nearly found the end zone. He was stopped at the two-yard line.
With six seconds on the clock, out came Moore to try a 19-yard field goal. “I was so nervous,” said Moore after the game.
You certainly couldn’t tell it. He split the uprights and gave his team a 24-21 lead.
On the ensuing kick, Houston tried the lateral drill but fumbled. D’Juan Smith recovered the ball for a touchdown with no time on the clock to give Coffee a 30-21 win.
“We made enough plays at the end. If you turn the ball over like we did and don’t get points in the red zone, you’re going to struggle. We looked rusty, and we have to play better next week,” said Coach Odom.
In commenting about Moore, Odom said, “He’s big time. He’s the man.”
Batten was 7-14 for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Rod Jones led the rushing category, running for 106 yards. Ellerton had 15 yards rushing, 46 yards receiving and 48 yards on his kick return.
For the night, the Trojans had 303 yards of total offense.
For the first time since 1981 and 1982, the Trojans are in the playoffs two years in a row. They travel to Savannah to face Jenkins next weekend in round one.

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Robert Preston, Jr.
The Douglas News
DOUGLAS — A little time off can do a person good. That’s what CHS head football coach Jerry Odom is counting on heading into the regular season finale with the Houston County Bears Friday night at Jardine Stadium.
The Trojans would just as soon forget their last outing, a 35-7 drubbing at the hands of the Valdosta Wildcats, who have made a resurgence after a 1-9 2006 season.
“We didn’t play well against Valdosta. That’s no big secret. They had an effective plan and we didn’t handle it well. We turned the ball over four times. We haven’t done that all year,” said Odom Monday afternoon.
The Trojans stand at 7-2 on the season and have clinched the third seed in the playoffs. With their postseason already solidified, it would be easy to overlook the last game of the year, especially against a 1-8 opponent like Houston.
But that’s not Odom’s way of doing things. Friday’s game is an important one, and he’s not underestimating Houston at all.
“It could very well be the seniors’ last game at home, and I want them to go out with a win. I want to finish the season right and head into the playoffs with some momentum,” said Odom.
He expects a mixture from Houston. They run a little wing-T, but are also capable of spreading the offense if a defense focuses on the ground attack. “They’ve got a good receiver. He’s a lot like Akeem [Wesley] and Mario [Bennett]. He’s a big guy, and they have an athletic quarterback with a good, accurate arm,” said Odom. He plans to use a 5-3 or 4-4 defense and play a lot of cover three to combat the Bears’ weapons.
Though Coffee won’t be able to host a home playoff game in the first round, the Trojans have a postseason draw that Odom likes. Unless Bradwell Institute upsets Camden County Friday night, Coffee will travel to Savannah to face the Jenkins Warriors.
The Warriors have lost one game this season, a 37-0 shutout courtesy of Camden. Should the Trojans best Jenkins, Coffee would face an opponent from the Atlanta area in the second round. “There are a lot of ifs there,” said Odom. “We’ve got to take care of Houston, and the focus on Jenkins.”
Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Jardine Stadium. It will be Senior Night, and all senior players, cheerleaders and band members will be recognized before the game.
Thursday night, the athletic booster club will sponsor a pep rally and bonfire at Jardine Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

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Photo: Coffee High vs Valdosta

DOUGLAS — What a difference a week makes.
Last Friday, the Coffee High Trojans found themselves with their backs to the wall and fought back to take a win in overtime. This week, Coffee ended up in the same position, and did the exact opposite.
The Trojans fell to the Valdosta Wildcats Friday 35-7 in what many believe was a battle for second place — and home field advantage in the playoffs — in Region 1-AAAAA.
Coffee came out and made a bold statement early. Johnny Williams took the opening kick-off 85 yards for a touchdown, giving the Trojans a seven-point lead a mere 16 seconds into the game.
Williams’ touchdown wouldn’t be a mere highlight of the game for the Trojans. It would be their whole game.
After that, it pretty much went downhill.
Lackluster blocking and poor tackling enabled the Wildcats to march down the field and chew up big chunks of both time and yards. Valdosta coach Rick Tomberlin used a punishing ground attack to take advantage of the Coffee defense.
On Valdosta’s first possession, the ‘Cats drove 78 yards, eventually scoring on a short run by quarterback Michael Turner.
On the Trojans’ next drive, the Coffee offense was moving the ball well, but Valdosta recovered a fumble on their own 43 to stop the drive. They didn’t waste the opportunity and scored on a run by David Arnold. With 3:26 to go in the first quarter, Valdosta was up 14-7.
A big kick return by Josh Ellerton gave the Trojans good field position, but they couldn’t do anything against the Wildcats’ defense. The big Coffee offensive line didn’t know what to do with Valdosta’s defense, and there were yellow and black jerseys in the backfield all night long.
Coffee had to punt again, but managed to hold Valdosta, forcing their punt team into action.
The punt was a good one, and neither one of Coffee’s two return men went after the ball, and Valdosta downed it on the Coffee 11. Once again, Valdosta stopped the Trojan offense, and Jared Carver had to punt again, this time from his own end zone.
A Wildcats’ defender eased to the outside before the snap, and he charged in untouched to block Carver’s kick and recover it in the end zone for a touchdown.
With 9:32 left in the first half, Valdosta was up 21-7.
The Coffee coaching staff made a few adjustments, and appeared to favor a three-man front later in the half. The adjustment worked, and Coffee kept Valdosta out of the end zone for the remainder of the half.
The second half began with the Wildcats receiving the kick. The Trojan defense held, and Valdosta had to punt. The kick was another good one, pinning Coffee deep in its own territory.
Things didn’t go any better for the Burke Batten and the Coffee offense in the second half. Carver had to punt again, and the Wildcats took over with great field position on the Coffee 27 yard line.
Once again, Turner and his offense took advantage of the opportunity and scored to go up 28-7.
The Trojans had chances to add points, but just couldn’t get it done. On their third drive of the second half, Batten and company moved down field, thanks in large part to a long pass from Batten to Akeem Wesley. The completion put Coffee inside the Valdosta five yard line.
Batten then attempted a pass to tight end Corey Davis. But Patrick Moore was in Davis’ back pocket, and he reached out and intercepted the pass to douse any hopes Coffee had of a comeback.
On the Trojans’ next drive, the offense missed another scoring opportunity with a dropped pass in the end zone.
Valdosta scored again on another Coffee turnover, this one the Trojans’ second fumble of the game. Jeffrey Knight picked up the loose ball and ran it in for a touchdown.
All in all, it was just a bad game for Coffee. The Trojans had eight yards rushing in the second half, and Batten found himself on the run for the entire game. The offense line couldn’t keep the Wildcats out of the backfield, and the defense had trouble wrapping up and making tackles.
Coffee had 204 yards of total offense (52 rushing, 152 passing). Dermaine Gaskins was the leading rusher with 22 yards. Wesley had 59 yards receiving. Batten was 15-31 for 152 yards. He threw one interception and lost one fumble.
All told, Coffee turned the ball over three times, in addition to the blocked punt for a touchdown (the third one in three weeks).
“We didn’t play well tonight. It all falls back on me. Give them all the credit. They played outstanding, we played terrible. We’ve got show some character,” said head coach Jerry Odom.
The Trojans are off next week, and welcome the Houston County Bears to Jardine Stadium on Nov. 9.
Despite the loss, the Trojans are still in the playoffs. A win against Houston would likely give Coffee the third seed in the playoffs.

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DOUGLAS — Like it has so many times in the past, a great deal of how well things end for the Coffee High Trojans hangs on a showdown with the Valdosta Wildcats.

After dispatching the Warner Robins Demons 41-38 in an overtime thriller, the Trojans turn their attention to a fast, athletic Wildcats team that would love nothing more than put an end to Coffee’s two-game winning streak over the storied program.

To extend the winning streak to three games, the Trojans will have to draw upon the education they gained in the dramatic come-from-behind-win this past Friday. “We learned a lot about ourselves against Warner Robins. We learned we can handle adversity. Our kids never got down,” said head coach Jerry Odom.

Monday, Odom said his team played well on both sides of the ball, though had a little trouble with consistency on defense. “We’d play well for four plays and then mess up,” said the coach.
The second half was difficult to watch. Coffee had a two-touchdown lead at half time, and slowly, play by play, the lead unraveled until the Demons found themselves sitting pretty with a 35-28 lead with less than two minutes to go. “We couldn’t get off the field on third down,” said Odom.

Warner Robins was six of nine on third down conversions, and converted three fourth downs.
But when the chips were down, the offense stepped up to the plate and pulled together as a unit. “On that last drive, the line provided solid protection. The receivers ran good routes and caught the ball. And Burke made the throws,” said Odom.

Quarterback Burke Batten had the weight of the world on his shoulders during the game-tying drive. He did exactly what Odom has asked him to do: Make good decisions and not try to do too much. “I simply want him to drive the bus,” said Odom.

And that’s exactly what Batten did. He had a little help from Demario Bennett, who caught a long pass to get the Trojans in position to go for the end zone, and Akeem Wesley, whose hands were true on Batten’s pass that tied the game.

After Warner Robins held the Trojan nation breathless on a 44-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left, the two teams squared off in overtime.

That’s when Batten and his offense finished the game with a two-play drive that ended with an eight-yard Dermaine Gaskins touchdown.

The offense has scored 107 points over three games, and amassed nearly 1,000 yards of total offense during that stretch. And the unit has done so with a balanced attack that is equally at home in the air as on the ground. For example, against Tift, rushing accounted for about two-thirds of Coffee’s offense.

Warner Robins keyed on the ground game, and stacked the box to stop the Trojans’ talented corps of running backs. So Odom spread out the offense and Batten took to the air, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns. “I like balance. Balance is hard to defend,” said Odom.

The Wildcats have that to look forward to Friday night. While Coffee has been clicking on all cylinders for the last three weeks, Valdosta has also been playing well.

Both the Trojans and the Wildcats have identical records, and have lost their one region game to the same opponent: Lowndes. Should the Vikings win out, which most pundits expect, Friday’s game could decide the number two seed in the region (and earn the winner a first-round home playoff game).

“They’re well coached, and have a lot of speed on defense. They’ve got a four-year starter at quarterback in Michael Turner. He’s a good athlete,” said Odom.
Odom expects to see a good mix of play action, counters and sweeps, with a few trick plays thrown in. “They’re a very strong team, and Coach Tomberlin has done a good job with the program,” said Odom.

The game will be played at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta at 8 p.m.

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DOUGLAS — How would the Coffee High Trojans respond if they had to play from behind with the game on the line? That was one big unanswered question going into Friday night’s showdown with the Warner Robins Demons.

Thankfully, the Trojans proved they could answer when faced with adversity.

After blowing out the Demons in the first half, the Trojans sputtered in the third and fourth quarters, and allowed Warner Robins to take the lead late with 2:09 to go in the game.

But Coffee didn’t lay down and quit, and battled back to tie the game with about 90 seconds left, eventually forcing overtime.

The game didn’t even look like it would be close early on. Coffee scored on its first three possessions, and took a 21-7 lead into half time.

After dominating the Demons through much of the first half, Warner Robins made an adjustment on its final drive of the second quarter and marched 71 yards in six minutes to score.
Coffee received the kick-off to start the third quarter and made a terrible mistake that set the tone of the final two quarters. The Demons defense blocked a punt and Atian Jones picked it up and ran it in the end zone for a touchdown to make the score 21-14.

The Trojans didn’t fare much better on their next possession, and had to punt again. The punt was a little short, and the Demons took over on the Coffee 43 yard line. After a few plays, including a 30-yard run by Brandon Jordan, Warner Robins found the end zone again to tie the score at 21 with 6:38 to go in the third quarter.

Burke Batten and the Coffee offense showed some life on their next possession, scoring on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Batten to Akeem Wesley. With 2:12 left in the third quarter, Coffee had a 28-21 lead.
But the lead wouldn’t hold.

Warner Robins struck again with 5:46 to go in the fourth quarter, tying the score on an Aaron Allen sweep.

About three minutes later, the hapless Coffee defense watched as B.J. McAllister scored to give the Demons their first lead of the game.

This is where the Trojans had to test their mettle. Batten’s offense trotted back on the field with 1:45 to go in the game. Batten managed the drive well, and eventually connected with Demario Bennett for a long gain deep into Warner Robins territory. After what could have been a costly motion penalty backed the Trojans up to the 15, Batten found Akeem Wesley in the end zone to get Coffee to within one. Jacob Moore’s foot was true again, and the game was tied at 35 with just seconds on the clock.

Warner Robins tried to end the game in regulation, going for a 44 yard field goal with 11 seconds left for the win. The ball sailed wide left, forcing overtime.

Head coach Jerry Odom has had pretty good luck in overtime during his stint as a Trojan, and he was going to need a little more of that luck as his team faced a hungry Warner Robins squad in the extra period.

The Demons took the ball first and kicked a 37-yard field goal to take a 38-35 lead.
With their backs to the wall, the Trojans stepped up and showed they can fight back when the chips are down. On the second play of Coffee’s overtime drive, Batten handed the ball off to fullback Dermaine Gaskins, and the little running back darted through the line off right tackle and scored the winning touchdown.

The score gave Coffee a 41-38 win and improves the Trojans’ record to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the region.

“The offensive line really opened it up,” said Gaskins following the game. “I didn’t want to go to overtime. It’s a great win for our kids. They kept fighting and fighting,” said head coach Jerry Odom.

Burke Batten had 49 yards rushing with a touchdown, and was 11-18 for 253 yards passing and three touchdowns.

Wesley had three touchdown receptions (21, 10 and 15 yards).

Bennett had 132 yards receiving, including the big 50-yarder that set up Wesley’s game-tying score. Rod Jones also scored on a four-yard run.

The Trojans racked up 389 yards of total offense (136 rushing and 253 passing).

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Perfectionists are seldom 100 percent satisfied with the results of a particular activity. That pretty much describes Coffee High head football coach Jerry Odom’s reaction following the Trojans’ 31-14 win over Tift Friday night.

“We didn’t play as well as we could have. But it is a positive to win by 17 when you don’t play well and still win,” he said.

In particular, Odom wasn’t too keen on the way his offensive line played. Several of his linemen had their worst games of the season, and, he said, played a fundamentally poor game. “You’re just not going to win many games playing like that,” said Odom.

Still, the Coffee offense amassed over 400 yards of total offense, an accomplishment due in part to great blocking by the running backs and stellar play by quarterback Burke Batten.

“The backs blocked well for each other. That helped overcome some of the inadequacies on the offensive line,” said Odom.

He couldn’t be more positive about his quarterback. In three region games, Batten has averaged around 65 yards rushing and 125 yards passing. He has four touchdowns to just one interception, and is reading the option well.

In addition, Odom says he is making solid decisions under center. For example, on third down from the Tift 12 yard line Friday, Batten received a bad snap. Instead of trying to force something and potentially make a bad situation worse, Batten threw the ball away and let his field goal team put three points on the board.

“He’s really stepped it up in region play,” said Odom.

Speaking of the field goal unit, that’s a story all its own. Earlier in the week, Odom found himself without a kicker, and had to force freshman Jacob Moore into action. The diminutive Moore has been kicking on the ninth grade team all season, and suddenly found himself on the biggest stage of his young career.

He handled the pressure flawlessly, converting each of his PAT attempts and driving home a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter.

“He’s something else,” said Odom.

Defensively, Odom said his team played well, and his linebacker corps probably had their best game yet.

All in all, it was a good game and a good test heading into Friday’s showdown with the Warner Robins Demons at Jardine Stadium. The Demons are having a tough year, and stand at 2-4 on the season, and 1-1 in the region.

Last Friday, Warner Robins lost 20-0 to Valdosta. However, Odom said his team will be ready to play, and isn’t taking the Demons lightly. “Last year, the Warner Robins game cost us the region championship. We’ve played well at home this year, and we just have to take care of our business,” he said.

Kick-off is set for 8 p.m. between the hedges at Jardine Stadium.

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