High School Football Will Always be Special

There’s something special about high school football.
Books have been written about it. Movies have been produced about it. Television shows are based on it.

To me, there’s always been something unique about high school football and Small Town, USA. The two seem to fit like steak and potatoes, hamburgers and hot dogs, bacon and eggs, America and apple pie and any other perfect combination you can think of.
The players and coaches for Piedmont Academy will get to experience something unique this Friday night. In fact, it probably goes beyond unique. They get to not only compete in a state championship game, they get to host the event. It’s something they will remember the rest of their lives.

Already members of the Cougar program have experienced something special in 2010. They have been as dominant as any team in school history, including others who have advanced to the state championship game.

In fact, this year’s team has been beyond dominant. Crushing opponents on its way to a region title, compiling an undefeated regular season and now winning two state playoff games, Piedmont has secured a lock on the No. 1 ranking for Class AA in the Georgia Independent Schools Association and shown no signs whatsoever of letting go.

Even the title game opponent—Edmund Burke—has fallen once to the Cougars this season.

However, second-year head coach Rhett Farmer, who knows a thing or two about state titles from his coaching days at Tattnall Square, will not let his players assume anything this Friday.
Games are won on the field and the same effort which has produced the first 12 wins of 2010, must be present again this week to claim the school’s first football state championship.

What I hope for this Friday at Cougar Field is a massive turnout of fans unlike any the school has ever seen.
Our community has a football team playing for a state championship and we should all embrace it. I believe in being one community, especially when it comes to supporting our youth.

This group has worked countless hours to be in this position. It’s about being part of a team from the players to the coaches to the cheerleaders to the managers to anyone who has a hand in supporting the 2010 Cougars. There’s one final step to be taken in order to accomplish the ultimate goal.

The players will get to practice on Thanksgiving, a reward instead of a punishment. All high school football players still want to be practicing at this time of the year because it means a deep run in the state playoffs. Piedmont players have that chance.

Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to playoff football and especially when it comes to playing in a state championship game. Crazy things do happen.

However, this year’s Cougar team has shown it has been up to any test thrown its way. I have a feeling when the final 48 minutes of the season are over this Friday night, nothing will have changed.
One thing I do know is that it will be fun. How else could it be when you are talking about a high school football state championship game? It’s about the atmosphere. It’s about getting there early and soaking it all in. It’s about living for the moment and never wanting it to end.

Those associated with the Piedmont Academy program have that opportunity this week. They are on the verge of a special thing, perhaps the most special of things in high school athletics. Let’s all cheer them on to this ultimate goal.

See you there.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal in Winder. He has covered Cougar athletics since 1988.
He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.