Demons, Eagles to get after each other early

There’s rarely the need to come up with something new when discussing Northside and Warner Robins playing each other.

The rivalry between the programs barely three miles apart is enough on its own.

And yet here they are, getting ready to play with a slew of topics on the debate table.

The Demons and Eagles kick off their seasons Friday night, and it’s the first time in the long history that the teams have opened the season against each other.

“This time of year, the kids are ready to play,” Northside head coach Kevin Kinsler said. “To open up with this game, when you add the rivalry to it, everybody is super focused. Everybody’s got a little pep in their step.”

There’s a new head coach at Warner Robins and only the second new leader since 1966 who wasn’t promoted from within. Robby Pruitt came from Fitzgerald for the 2003 season and then returned to Fitzgerald and is now at Coffee.

And Friday night will be the first time a graduate of one of the two programs will face his alma mater, as Mike Chastain will do for Warner Robins.

The connection isn’t even the last thing on Chastain’s mind, since it’s nowhere near being on Chastain’s mind. What is on his mind is improving the Demons’ sharpness on offense with new quarterback Dalton Hedden. He was a backup offensive lineman at Northside last year and is now at the controls of a no-huddle offense.

“Every day, he’s gonna keep getting better,” Chastain said. “And our receivers are starting to pick up what we’re asking them to do.”

Warner Robins welcomed Westside for a scrimmage at the end of the first week in pads. The Seminoles held on 21-20. Northside entertained Peach County a week later and won by the same score.

Both teams have quality running backs in Javian Bradford-Jackson of Warner Robins and Desean Dinkins of Northside, although the Eagles have a skill-position advantage, including veteran quarterback Tobias Oliver. Both teams have talent up front. Northside’s Caleb Kelly is committed to Georgia Southern, and Warner Robins features prospects in tackles Christian Armstrong and Tez Raybon.

Practice has been a little more intense for both teams with such a headliner to open the season. Warner Robins has started with Peach County four times in recent years, along with two-game series to begin the season against Veterans, Wheeler and Camden County. Northside has taken on North Cobb, Flowery Branch, Union Grove, Perry and Houston County in the past decade.

The Demons and Eagles last played in the second game in 2007, with the Eagles claiming a 34-7 win.

Of the 58 games in the series, none have been played in August, and only nine kickoffs have been in September. In fact, 10 of the first 12 games were played in September or October, with every game from 1976-2004 going in November.

So some of the issues facing both teams might be exposed more than usual, thanks to the pressure of the rivalry. Northside is searching for depth up front and filling some experience gaps on defense, while Warner Robins has some similar experience issues and is breaking in a new quarterback.

“Even experienced players who have played in the game a time or two still get caught up in all the stuff that’s going on and the enormity of the game,” Kinsler said. “The young guy that’s playing in it for the first time, you do worry about them getting caught up, getting stage fright.

“It’s a big stage, a big atmosphere.”

Northside has won two straight in the series, five of the past six and nine of the past 11. Last year’s 58-14 Northside win was a record-setter in the series, with the most points scored by the winner and tying the largest margin. Kinsler said the score was deceiving, thanks to some quick scores by the Eagles, courtesy of some Demons turnovers in bad spots.

The Demons rebounded to go 2-2 after that, but the game is old news for both teams.

“Our kids, they understand from year to year, it doesn’t matter what happened the year before,” Kinsler said. “It’s still your cross-town rival for the last 50 years. They understand that.

“When Northside and Warner Robins get together, it doesn’t matter if we played in April. It would be a big game.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Demons, Eagles to get after each other early."