Hard to beat the same team twice. How Dublin football is prepping for Brooks County.

Dublin’s quest for a state championship goes through a familiar foe.

Brooks County, the team Dublin will face Friday at 1 p.m. in the GHSA AA state title game at Georgia State, is a big reason why the Fighting Irish is playing in the championship.

In the third game of the season, Dublin knocked off the Trojans, 49-35. The Fighting Irish staged a second-half comeback after being down by a score going into halftime. That game was the launching pad for the team’s success this season, according to Dublin running back Jacques Evans.

“We were down. I told them boys at halftime we just got to fight harder,” Evans said. “(The turning point) was definitely against Brooks County.”

Dublin reeled off six straight wins following the game against Brooks County. A big part of that was the team’s ability to run the football. This was something that led the way for them against the Trojans in the first meeting.

Three different running back rushed for over 150 yards against the Brooks County defense. Dublin head coach Roger Holmes expects for Brooks County to make some adjustments to slow down that run game.

“You go back and you study your film from when you played earlier in the year,” Holmes said. “(You) evaluate what you did successfully against them and then turn around and say ‘if I were them what would I do differently.’”

Dublin preparing for Brooks County

One of the keys is not over preparing, Holmes said. This can be one of the disadvantages for the team that won earlier in the season.

It’s easier for the team that won the earlier matchup to get caught up in trying to guess those adjustments. This distracts the team from what worked well in the first game.

Holmes said they want to strike a balance when it comes to preparing for this second meeting.

“They are studying the same film so it goes both ways,” Holmes said. “You can over prepare. You can try to do too much. You have to guard against that. It is a big game and if you’re not careful, you can get away from what got you to where you are in the first place.”

Despite its early-season win over Brooks County, Dublin isn’t circling this as another win and a lock to win the state championship. Holmes and his team are more than aware of the saying that “it is hard to beat the same team twice.”

“I don’t think that old saying is a wrong thing,” Holmes said. “If you are trying to compare scores all you’re doing is setting yourself up for failure. You prepare for teams.”

Dublin is hoping to wrap up its season with a state title. The last time the Fighting Irish made it to the title game was in 2006, when they won they’re fourth state championship in school history. Holmes said winning this title would not only be big for him and his players but the entire city of Dublin.

“For our program it is huge. ...There is so much that goes into having a successful football season,” Holmes said. “Our support here in Dublin ever since I have been here since 2002 has been phenomenal.”