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Published Sunday, November 22, 2009 in Sports

Cougars forced to become road warriors this week

By Sports Staff

The Times-Herald

Newnan will have to go from the comeback cats to road warriors this week in the GHSA Class AAAAA state quarterfinals.

Unbeaten Grayson will host the Cougars this Friday in Loganville after winning a coin-flip to decide home field between respective region champions. The Rams, also 12-0, are the No. 1 seed from Region 8-AAAAA. The coin flip was forced decide home field after Newnan defeated M.L. King 15-7 and Grayson beat Roswell 24-14 on Friday night.

Kickoff for Friday's game is set for 7:30 p.m.

It will be the third consecutive trip to the Class AAAAA quarterfinals for both programs after each reached last year's state semifinals on opposite sides of the tournament bracket. Both wound up losing, Grayson 13-10 in double overtime to Peachtree Ridge, and Newnan 27-7 to Camden County. Each also made the state quarterfinals in 2007, each losing.

Regardless, one of the two teams is ensured of returning to the semifinals on Friday in what will be a matchup among teams of similar makeups in 2009.

Both Newnan and Grayson have scored at least 30 points per game (Newnan 33, Grayson 30) and have allowed an average of less than 10 (Newnan 6, Grayson 8). Each will have a powerful running back at their disposal, Newnan's Chris Robinson and Grayson's Ean Pemberton, who rushed for 155 yards last week. Each team uses three-man fronts defensively with a pair of linebackers -- Grayson's Terry Williams and Newnan's Adam Strakose -- leading respective teams in tackles.

Special teams, though, equally carried Grayson to a win last week. The Rams scored a touchdown following a fumbled Roswell kickoff, also scored on a punt return and kicked a field goal that put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter.

The field goal came on a drive where Grayson coach Mickey Conn successfully gambled on fourth-and-1 at his own 28 yard-line, using the 275-pound Williams, who also plays fullback, to get the needed yardage.

Defensively, the Cougars have yet to allow a touchdown during the postseason, having held M.L. King to a pair of first-half field goals. Valdosta scored its only touchdown on a 93-yard kickoff return.