Playoff power play: Excitement builds for Stratford, Tattnall rematch
Christian Rodgers thrives on the type of game that takes place when Tattnall Square faces Stratford.
Both teams run versions of the wing-T. Tattnall runs the ball most of the time, while Stratford runs it just about every time. And both teams place a premium on line play, especially when it comes to blocking and getting a push up front.
In other words, both teams’ front seven will be getting after it at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Tattnall when the teams meet for the second time this season in the second round of the GHSA Class 1A private playoffs.
Rodgers, a defensive tackle who is the Trojans’ vocal leader on that side of the ball, wouldn’t have it any other way.
“This is my favorite kind of game, when you’ve got guards pulling and there’s false reads everywhere,” Rodgers said. “Since we run close to the same offense pretty much and the plays are all similar, that’s great. Most of the season, we’ve worked on these plays, so that’s good for our d-linemen and our linebackers.”
According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association website, this will be 50th meeting between the Macon private schools, the 10th that has come in the postseason. They faced off in GISA championship games four times, with each team winning twice. But this is the first time that two Macon private schools have met in the GHSA playoffs, making Friday’s game at Jack Baynes Field an historic affair.
If it’s anything like Tattnall’s 7-3 victory Oct. 28 at Stratford, it could be a memorable one.
When the teams met three weeks ago at Stratford, fans were treated to a grind-it-out battle in which each team ran for 179 yards and threw for fewer than 100. It took until the game’s closing minutes for either team to reach the end zone, with speedy Trojans running back Ahmad Barron breaking free for a 40-yard score that Stratford was unable to answer.
“The first game was tight,” Stratford head coach Mark Farriba said. “They had a couple of turnovers, we had a turnover, both teams had missed opportunities. The score could have been a lot different than that. Still, they’re obviously a very good team. Coach (Chance) Jones has done a great job coaching them, and they have good experience. I feel like our team has really come a long way and progressed. It will be a great game, a great atmosphere. We’re very excited and looking forward to that type of atmosphere.”
No. 12 seed Stratford (8-3) enters the rematch with a little more defensive depth and a run game that has recorded two strong performances.
Middle linebacker Larson McDaniel has returned from a concussion, beefing up an already solid front seven that also has a pair of strong defensive linemen in Tobe Umerah and Jourdain Irvin.
Also, after finishing with negative passing yardage against Tattnall, Stratford has doubled down on the run, going for 316 yards against Aquinas in the region crossover and 401 yards in its first-round victory over Holy Innocents.
Tattnall, meanwhile, finished off a 10-0 regular season two weeks ago with a 47-21 victory at Washington-Wilkes for the Region 7-1A championship in which it ran for more than 300 yards. The fifth-seeded Trojans had a first-round bye.
“It’s a combination of a lot of things, but their offensive line is well-coached,” said Jones of Stratford’s run game. “They block who they are supposed to. Their wingbacks also will block you. They use a lot of the fullback game and getting the wingbacks the ball off of that.”
Friday’s winner will meet the winner of another rivalry, Savannah Christian-Calvary Day, on Nov. 25 in the quarterfinals. Calvary Day is the No. 4 seed and will host next week if it wins, while No. 13 seed Savannah Christian would travel to Macon if it prevails.