By — Samir Ajy
Coming off of a thrilling upset victory at Grayson last week, the Collins Hill Eagles look to keep their momentum going, as they host last year’s 6A State Runner-ups, the Woodward Academy War Eagles, for their home opener.
Collins Hill head coach Drew Swick sees the win as a testament to the work his team has put in throughout the offseason and the week leading up to the game, along with the faith they had in one another.
“The whole week of practice, everybody was locked in.” Swick explained. “Everybody was doing what they were supposed to. We had some issues of guys pointing fingers at each other and every time we did that, we ended up stalling out on offense, giving up a big gain, or missing a tackle, but that did not happen Friday. Even when we were down by 16 points going into that rain delay, every kid was locked in. I never once thought that we were out of the game, and none of our kids did, either, nor our coaches.”
Football games are won at the line of scrimmage and the play of Collins Hill’s defensive line significantly contributed to the team’s comeback victory. The Eagles’ front seven executed timely sacks and QB hits, including a strip sack by sophomore defensive end Katrell Webb with Collins Hill trailing 19-3 late in the first half. The strip sack accounted for one of Webb’s four sacks, whose efforts earned him Defensive Player of the Week by Gwinnett Daily Post. The turnover helped shift the momentum of the game in favor of the Eagles. Webb looks to continue to contribute at a high level for a front seven headlined by Collins Hill’s all-time sack leader, junior defensive end Deuce Geralds.
“Momentum is definitely a thing in football. I don’t care what anybody says and that was what changed the tide.” Swick said when asked about the play. “We had been on the quarterback all game, and he made a lot of high throws because of our defense. There might have been some plays where he was seeing some ghosts, because we were getting back there a lot and Webb made a huge play right there.”
The question regarding who the Eagles will start under center on Friday has yet to be decided. Junior AJ Bush got the start at Grayson but was swapped out for sophomore Mackyree Cross in the second half. Swick and his staff will look to roll with the hot hand and have yet to name a starter ahead of Friday’s game.
“Both quarterbacks are getting equal reps right now. Said Swick. “I think keeping that competition going will get both of them where they need to be at.
Woodward, contrarily, is coming off of a tough loss at home against #4 ranked Carrollton. The team put forth a valiant effort on both sides of the ball before coming up short. It was the team’s first home loss in two years and Head Coach John Hunt sees both last week’s and this week’s game as a learning experience for a young War Eagles team, which looks to make another run at a state title this season.
“Going into last week against Carrollton, it was unknown how these young kids would play. Hunt said. They played hard and were coachable, and they showed a lot of character and no quit. Going into this game, we certainly feel we’re outmatched in terms of size and experience, but we just have to keep coaching these young kids and hope that you know they continue to get better every game.”
They are a relatively young team, consisting of just nine seniors. They graduated GHSA First Team All-State players, such as wide receiver Ben Grice, linebackers Andrew Hines and Myles Graham, kicker Hudson Hanges, defensive back CJ Heard, and offensive lineman Bradley Smith. Defensive end London Merritt and running backs Amarri Irvin and Lucas Farrington all transferred elsewhere. Nonetheless, the War Eagles still have a lot of talent returning that Hunt is expecting big things from. Offensively, the team returns senior quarterback and Navy Landon Walker, wide receiver and Virginia commit Josaiah Abdullah, and wide receiver/defensive back and Norte Dame commit Jerome Bettis Jr., the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis. Defensively, they return senior defensive backs RJ Harrison, son of former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and Tyree Myrick, a Wofford College commit. Hunt believes that getting a player like Abdullah involved in the offense, can impact the outcome of the game.
“Most of our experience comes back at the skilled positions.” Hunt explained. “We look for big things from Josiah Abdullah this year. Looking back at the last game, for example, there were multiple opportunities in which we just missed him and it could have been a difference in the game if we were able to execute those plays.”
When asked about Collins Hill’s quarterback situation, Hunt provided his own perspective and discussed implementing a similar strategy last season and does not expect Collins Hill to drastically change their offensive gameplan between the two.
“If he’s anything like me, I’d play them both. Hunt stated. “I did it last year, matter of fact, when I had both Landon and our initial starting quarterback. I’m sure they’re taking that same approach, but I don’t think they’ll drastically differ offensively.
Loading ...
