Madison County Red Raiders

Reprinted from the Madison County Journal October 26, 2006 edition by BEN MUNRO Don’t let Jackson County’s 1-6 record fool you. There’s something of a fear factor that goes along with playing Frank Caputo’s team Madison County head coach Randell Owens said. Just ask Dacula. Jackson County, which hosts the Raiders Friday, eventually lost 28-7 to the Falcons Sept. 29, but had an upset brewing for a half over the Class AAAA power, tied at intermission 7-7. That halftime score raised more than a few eyebrows in the area since the Panthers had found the end zone against Dacula’s vaunted defense and held them to just a single score. “You look at them on film against Dacula. You realize at the time they played them (Dacula) had given up only one touchdown the four games prior and that was to us ... Dacula kicks off to them and they click the football on down the field and stick it in the end zone,” Owens said. It’s the Panthers putting four quarters of football together now that worries the Raider coach. They did it last year in a stunning upset of Heritage. Owens hopes it doesn’t happen this weekend against his 5-2 team that’s currently in control of its own destiny for the third seed out of the sub-region for the region playoff. “They’ve come out like gang-busters and put out two quarters, a first half, of football as good as a lot of folks,” he said. “They’re capable if they ever got it together and put four quarters of football together,” Owens added. The Panthers’ Jekyll and Hyde tendency was showcased in the Panthers’ loss to Loganville this past Friday. Jackson County controlled the first half, Owens observed, before losing 31-14 to the Red Devils. “They really handed it to Loganville in the first half,” he said. The Panthers’ strength lies in keeping opponents off-kilter on both sides of the football. Defensively, Jackson County employs a 3-5-3 scheme, confusing foes with different alignments and disguising blitzes. Offensively, the Panthers operate out of the Wing-T, making it hard for an opposing defense to pick up exactly who’s got the football “They do a great job with the misdirection game,” Owens said. Right now, Jackson County is a program looking for direction. Jackson County has had a woeful football tradition that’s been particularly addled as of late. The Panthers have won just eight times since 1998 and carried a 28-game losing streak from 2002-2004. But Caputo hopes to turn all that around, coming to Jackson County after an ultra-successful run at Salem. The coach revived the Seminoles’ program, leading it to a 22-4 record in his final two years, including a trip to the Georgia Dome in 2004. “Coach Caputo is a good football coach and he’ll have them well-prepared.” As for Friday’s game, the Raiders will have to see what Panther team shows up. “They’re kind of unpredictable,” Owens said. “You don’t really know what you’re going to get.” Reprinted from the Madison County Journal October 26, 2006 edition