After two close meetings, Stratford takes on Aquinas for region football title
During the past two seasons, few teams have come as close to defeating Aquinas as Stratford has.
Currently ranked third in the Georgia Sports Writers Association Class A poll, Aquinas has just one regular-season loss in the three seasons James Leonard has served as head coach. That loss came in the second week of this season, when the Fighting Irish fell 42-12 to second-ranked Prince Avenue Christian.
Outside of that loss, only three of Aquinas' regular-season games the past two seasons have been decided by a touchdown or less. Two of those games took place against Stratford.
The teams meet again Friday at Stratford, with the GHSA Region 7-A championship and an automatic Class A private school playoff berth on the line.
"The past two seasons, they got us at the end," Stratford split end and defensive back Quintez Cephus said. "It's been close every year. They have a great program and a tradition of winning."
How close has this series been? The 2014 meeting in Augusta was decided by a 3-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds remaining, while this year's regular-season meeting was decided by a 15-yard scoring run with 1:09 to go.
Stratford's loss this season to Aquinas (8-1) served as sort of a turning point in the season for the Eagles (7-2). After a bit of a slow start in which the program was trying to work in some new pieces, things started to click in the weeks following the Aquinas loss. Stratford has won six straight since then, with the closest margin of victory being a 20-point win over rival FPD.
"The last few weeks, there's been two good things," Stratford head coach Mark Farriba said. "One, we've gotten off to a good start, and we've played much better defensively. I think that's been one of the big keys, just being a much better defensive team."
The Stratford ground game has come into its own, with the Eagles' top three rushers -- O'Showen Williams, Kasey Sanders and Tyler Jordan -- combining for 2,241 yards. Quarterback Sim Patrick has thrown for 952 yards while completing 56.8 percent of his passes and achieving a 16-to-3 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions, and Cephus -- who has football offers on the table from Georgia Tech and Wisconsin -- has 692 receiving yards and 12 scores.
Stratford's defense, meanwhile, will have to deal with a veteran Aquinas offense that is led by Samford commitment Liam Welch, who has thrown for 1,336 yards and run for 349 while accounting for 19 touchdowns.
The top two Aquinas rushers, D'Angelo Durham and Chris Gates, have combined for 1,319 yards.
Both teams are likely in the playoffs. A loss likely forces Stratford (ninth in the power ratings) to open the playoffs on the road, while Aquinas -- currently third in the power ratings -- isn't guaranteed a first-round home game should it lose.
"We're fighting for the best possible spot in the playoffs," Cephus said. "I feel if we prepare well and focus and play our best game, we have a great chance to knock these guys off."