Benedictine on a roll as Fitzgerald visits
If not for a three-point loss in the semifinal round a year ago, Fitzgerald would have gotten a shot at Benedictine in the state championship.
And while the stakes might not be quite as high this time, the Purple Hurricane gets their chance to take down the defending GHSA Class AA champion Friday when Fitzgerald (11-1) travels to Savannah to take on the Cadets (12-0) in the quarterfinal round.
Simply put, Fitzgerald will have the task of doing what has not been done very much in recent years: defeat Benedictine.
The Cadets have lost a total of two games since the start of the 2013 season. One was to Lamar County in the semifinals of the 2013 playoffs with the other being a regular-season defeat to Vidalia last year, a season that ended with Benedictine winning the state championship.
That success will put Fitzgerald up against a Benedictine team that has not shied away from heavy expectations.
"I think the kids have handled it well," Benedictine head coach Danny Britt said. "There are huge expectations, but we've built in a process within the program where you don't worry much about it. "You worry more about the end of the season and focus on each day and making each one the best that you can."
Fitzgerald finds itself going for a second trip in a row to the semifinals, where the winner of Friday's game would face either Jefferson County or Rabun County.
The Purple Hurricane have tasted defeat just once, 21-17 to Region 1-AA rival Brooks County, which is also in the quarterfinals.
The offense of the Purple Hurricane is a chief reason for them being on another deep run into the postseason. Fitzgerald has scored fewer than 30 points just three times this season, and its wing-T offense is a major reason for that production.
"They have a lot of speed and play very well," Britt said of Fitzgerald. "They have a lot of speed an offensive line that does a good job of blocking you."
J.D King, who earlier this week was named the Region 1-AA offensive player of the year, is at the heart of Fitzgerald's offensive prowess. He has piled up 1,832 yards on 254 carries and has scoring production to go along with it, rushing for 28 touchdowns.
He has been a reliable go-to option for the Purple Hurricane when in need of a score, finding the end zone at least once in all 12 of Fitzgerald's games this season.
Benedictine won't be able to focus solely on King. James Graham has been a very formidable threat from the quarterback position, rushing for 1,083 yards on 151 carries with 14 touchdowns.
He has found his stride since the season's early stages, cracking the 100-yard mark in six of Fitzgerald's past seven games.
Needless to say, Benedictine is well aware of what the Purple Hurricane are capable of when they have the ball.
"You can't give them a crack," Britt said. "If you do, they'll take it and take it the distance."
This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Benedictine on a roll as Fitzgerald visits ."