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Published Saturday, November 08, 2008

Friday's game all that we expected of rivalry

After squinting through rain-splashed spectacles into the stands on both sides of the field at Shoemake Stadium Friday night, I came to two less-than-startling conclusions:

(1) Umbrellas are like what scientists tell us about snowflakes. You know, no two are the same.

(2) And, football fans are crazy.

How else can you explain the psychological motives behind sitting out in what at times was downpouring rain and watching an athletic event?

But despite the rain that would have done the term monsoon proud, Newnan and East Coweta fans turned out in droves to root for their favorites.

I played around with the idea early Friday evening that perhaps the weather would dwindle the crowd somewhat and dampen the enthusiasm of those who braved the elements.

I was wrong on both accounts.

Some might have stayed away because of the rain, but not many and there was certainly no noticeable lessening of enthusiasm.

Both sides did their best to pull their teams through.

Newnan won, 12-0, in what turned out to be a defensive slugfest.

The rain and slippery field, which by the way was in remarkably good shape, might have had something to do with the low score, but mostly it was strong defensive play on both sides that stymied offensives that had hitherto been extremely effective in not only moving the football, but putting points on the board.

Yogi Berra's writers once had him saying that good defense beats good offense every time and vice versa.

Whatever that means, good defense was the determining factor Friday.

Anyone who watched the game knows it could have gone either way, but Newnan's defense bailed the Cougars out big time.

The turning point, you know how we love turning points, came in the second quarter with the game still scoreless when a bad snap on a punt gave East Coweta its golden opportunity at the Newnan 23.

A clutch third-and-10 pass from Zack Hutcheson to Tay Willis went all the way to the three and it looked like the Indians were on the verge of going ahead.

Two plays netted nothing, but the third down snap got the Indians to the very threshold of gloryland, a scant six inches away from the goal line.

But on fourth down, there was movement in the Indians' offensive line and they were penalized out to the five for proceeding illegally.

The subsequent field goal attempt went awry and the Cougars' shutout was intact.

EC never really threatened again until late in the game when, down by then by the final 12-0 count, drove to the Newnan 13 only to be halted by two penalties and an interception on fourth down.

Nobody knows what would have happened if EC had scored on that second quarter golden opportunity.

Newnan might still have won, 12-7, or the Indians might have snowballed that first offensive success into even more forays into the Cougar end zone.

All we know is what happened.

Newnan completed only its second undefeated and untied regular season in history and won its third straight region championship in the process.

East Coweta got third place in 4-AAAAA out of the deal. The Indians finished tied with Chapel Hill for second with two region losses each, but EC lost to the Panthers head-to-head in one of those stick-in-the-craw defeats that came back to haunt them.

The Indians must now travel to Hinesville next week for their playoff opener instead of playing at home.

Newnan will host Johnson of Savannah Friday.

This year marks the seventh straight playoff appearance for the Cougars and the 12th in a row for the Indians and their 17th in the last 19 years, quite an accomplishment for a program that made it only twice prior to 1990.

You might say that Friday's game, with the exception of the rain, was what we have come to expect when the two rivals play.

They go after each other with all the intensity they can muster, but when it's over, they're still friends.

That's the way it should be.

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