Trojans eye Newnan in round two
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).
