Surprise starts lead to big game for Twiggs County, Tattnall Square

It takes a lot to displace the FPD-Stratford rivalry as the most meaningful game of the night in GHSA Region 7A-1A.

Twiggs County, however, has managed to create such a situation.

Back-to-back victories over the Vikings and Eagles have Twiggs County (5-1, 2-0 sub-region) in a first-place tie with Tattnall Square (6-0, 2-0). They meet at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Tattnall’s Jack Baynes Field, and a win for the Cobras would entrench the team in the driver’s seat for a spot in the region championship game, with games against Mount de Sales (2-4, 0-2) and Wilkinson County (0-6, 0-2) remaining.

Tattnall, meanwhile, looks to extend its hot start under first-year head coach Chance Jones to 7-0, with games against FPD and Stratford still to be played.

“A lot of people doubted us, they weren’t sure if we were going to be any good this year,” Tattnall running back Ahmad Barron said. “We’re just working hard and proving them wrong.”

This turn of events seemed unlikely heading into the season. Both teams came off four-win seasons, with Tattnall falling to FPD and Stratford last season by a combined 72-20 score and Twiggs County losing to the same two teams by a 102-38 margin.

Twiggs County, however, has bought into second-year head coach Ashley Harden’s system. That has meant a hard-nosed style of play on both sides of the ball, focusing offensively on a grinding run game with running backs who are difficult to bring down.

“They believe in what they’re doing,” Stratford head coach Mark Farriba said following the Eagles’ loss to the Cobras. “It’s not real complicated. They don’t do things to hurt themselves. They shorten the game, just keep the ball away from you. They just have people playing well, doing what you ought to do.”

Senior Ja’mon Height surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in last week’s 21-0 win over Stratford. He’s at 1,052 yards and five touchdowns, complemented by junior Javoris Smith’s 529 yards and seven scores.

Twiggs County has yet to lose to an in-state team this season.

“You never want to be behind, and right now in the region race, we’re ahead of the game,” Harden said. “That’s always good.”

Tattnall, meanwhile, is thriving with veteran players and coaches.

With 20 seniors and a coaching staff that includes former Warner Robins head coach Bryan Way, former Westfield head coach Ronnie Jones and former Mount de Sales boys basketball head coach Jim Massey, the Trojans have won all six of their games by convincing margins.

Although the combined record of Tattnall’s opponents so far is 6-31, the Trojans’ point differential has turned some heads. Tattnall has outscored opponents 243-23, not allowing a first-half score until last week’s 55-10 win over Mount de Sales.

The Trojans’ misdirection offense gives plenty of players the opportunity to make big plays. Barron has run for 578 yards and six touchdowns and is the No. 2 rusher in Bibb County behind Central’s Antonio Sanders Jr., while Jimmy Marshall has caught eight passes for 206 yards and four scores.

“We feel good about things, but we also know that Twiggs has a good team that has some huge players,” Jones said. “We’ve got to play well to beat them, for sure.

“Twiggs has a big ol’ team, and they’re a lot bigger than us. We’ll have to figure out a way to be successful.”

FPD (5-1, 1-1) and Stratford (4-2, 1-1) meet at 7:30 p.m. at FPD’s George S. Johnson Stadium, with the winner remaining in the hunt for first place should Tattnall beat Twiggs County. Mount de Sales, meanwhile, travels to Wilkinson County.

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Surprise starts lead to big game for Twiggs County, Tattnall Square."