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Published Friday, November 06, 2009 in Sports

Cougars, Indians a rivalry by any definition

By Chris Goltermann

The Times-Herald

The colors of navy and purple can certainly clash. So maybe it's no real mystery that Newnan and East Coweta's respective football coaches see tonight's annual meeting with unique comparisons.

For Indians head coach Clint Wade, it might as well be David vs. Goliath, despite East Coweta's 7-2 record. Newnan's defense is stout, it's offense diverse. In fact, only on special teams may the Indians, on paper, be able to see a slight advantage against the 9-0 Cougars.

"If that's right, that's not saying a whole lot," said Wade. "I'd much rather have it the other way around."

Wade, the son of a college football coach, has seen this scenario time and time again, and was able to keep his sense of humor during an intense week of practice.

"It's like David and Goliath except we've got a bunch of BBs," said Wade, joking. "And instead of a slingshot, we're just throwing 'em at them."

As much as Wade and Newnan head coach Mike McDonald are cut from the same cloth, each humble, down-to-earth kind of guys, McDonald isn't exactly buying the above theory.

"We know what they're trying to say over there," he said with a smile following practice this week in preparation for tonight's 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Drake Stadium. "But they're a dangerous team. They're one or two plays away from being 9-0 too."

Pride, bragging rights and more importantly, momentum, heading into next week's Class AAAAA playoffs are what's on the line tonight, with each team's fate in Region 4-AAAAA already settled. Newnan is set to host at least the first-two rounds starting next Friday. East Coweta awaits one of three talented 8-1 lineups after the dust clears tonight in a three-way tie atop Region 1-AAAAA.

Elsewhere in the county, a playoff atmosphere is in full swing. Tonight, The Heritage School opens the GISA Class AA state playoffs with a trip to Bulloch Academy in Statesboro. In the semifinals of the Independent Christian Schools of Georgia and Alabama football league, Trinity Christian School of Sharpsburg hosts North Georgia Christian of Gainesville at East Coweta Middle School.

All three games tonight have 7:30 p.m. kickoffs.

Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon, Northgate travels to Lakewood Stadium to play Mays at 4 p.m., with the winner moving on to the Class AAAA state playoffs. The Vikings will look to repeat last year's region playoff upset, where they beat Banneker.

Even with nothing at stake in the region standings, tonight's game between East Coweta and Newnan may easily mirror last year's nip-and-tuck battle at Garland Shoemake Stadium, where Newnan held on for a 12-0 victory, it's sixth-straight in a series that began in 1992.

Only twice in its history has a team been able to rebound from a loss the previous year, 1993, when East Coweta won its first of 10 consecutive victories over the Cougars and 2003, when Newnan began its own streak with a 17-14 win at Drake Stadium.

In order for the Indians to regain its hold of the county's bragging rights, East Coweta will have to not only find a way to score consistently on a Newnan defense that has given up just four touchdowns through nine games, but keep a Cougar offense averaging just over 33-points per contest off the field.

Lendall Arnold has accounted for 15 Newnan touchdowns, throwing for 1,088 yards and 10 scores to five different receivers led by senior Alec Ogletree, who had a pair of TD catches last week.

"We've got to keep their offense off the field," said McDonald.

During practice this week at East Coweta, the Indians tried their best to simulate what they'll see out of Cougar receivers including the 6-foot-3, 210-pound standout also known as just "Tree." At one point, Wade pointed to a cornerback lined up against a scout teamer imitating Ogletree and said, bluntly "Just grab on and hold tight. You may be in for a ride."

"I can't imagine what it's like for (Newnan offensive coordinator) Kenny (Morris)," said Wade with a bit of a chuckle. "They've got a good quarterback, a bunch of receivers to throw it too and three real good running backs. And their third guy, No. 42, (Bryant Ball) is as good as their other two guys, (Chris) Robinson and Nick Hill."

East Coweta's defense has held strong for much of the season, starting with a victory over Sandy Creek in the Class AAAA's No. 3-ranked team's only loss of the season. Outside of a 34-29 loss to Westlake, the Indians have held region opponents to no more than three scores per game.

Last week's 45-22 victory over Riverdale, though, kept longtime trainer Lloyd Knott busy. As many as four defensive starters were held from parts of practice this week, some in street clothes, another in shorts and others wearing red pinny's to avoid contact.

"Let's just say we're a bit banged up," said Wade, knowing it was somewhat of an understatement. "But hey, we said before the season that our depth was going to be challenged at some point. Well, here we are."

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