Announcement
Raiders Try to Fight Through Another Week
Reprinted from The Madison County Journal October 12, 2006 edition
by BEN MUNRO
Raider head coach Randell Owens acknowledges rigors Georgia must face on the college level. The Bulldogs, of course, have to play the Floridas, the Tennessees and the Auburns of the world.
“But they don’t play them back-to-back-to-back,” Owens said with a laugh.
As for his Raiders, they do have to play the power of their schedule without a breather.
Madison County is coming off a gamut of consecutive games with Dacula, Clarke Central and Habersham Central. And they’ve still got to play Loganville Friday before it can enjoy its off-week next week to heal.
Owens, whose team was shutout Friday against Habersham Central, said it’s been a tough road that’s come with injuries along the way.
“Football is a tough game,” he said. “It’s tough to ask the kids to show the maturity to rise above their circumstances week after week after week.”
Against Loganville (2-3), Madison County will have to deal with a power football team which Owens said hasn’t hit its stride yet. The coach said that the Red Devils are big upfront, play hard and like to pound the ball and then hit a defense with play action passes.
And the Raiders have seen how tough a game with Loganville can be.
These two teams battled to two overtimes last year before Madison County won 23-20. Thirteen starters return this year from that Red Devil team.
“I don’t know that their record is indicative of the quality team they have,” Owens said.
Loganville trailed 23-7 this past Friday before rallying for a 30-23 win over Winder-Barrow. Madison County, however, had its worst night of the year, losing to Habersham Central 24-0.
“We’re still kind of licking our wounds from last week,” Owens said.
Besides being shutout, Madison County was held to just 15 yards rushing and 177 total yards. That coming after putting up 34 points on Clarke Central the week before.
Owens said the team was embarrassed and it’s time for the Raiders to respond. He said they have so far in practice.
“That’s the interesting thing,” he said. “You hope that they’re going to show the maturity to go out there and respond.”
There’s added incentive. Unless some upsets occur over the next three weeks in the sub-region, it’s likely that Madison County, at 1-2 in 8A-AAAA play, won’t have the right to host a region playoff game come week 10.
So there’s a good chance that Friday is the final time Madison County will play at its home field this year.
“It will be a time for the real Red Raiders to show up and play like we’re capable of playing,” Owens said.
Reprinted from the Madison County Journal October 12, 2006 edition.
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