Sweet Water, Washington County geared up for semifinal rematch
SWEET WATER — With their fourth matchup in just over a year set for Friday night, there is little mystery left between Class 2A semifinalists Sweet Water and Washington County.
“They’re still dangerous. Real dangerous.,” Sweet Water coach Stacy Luker said of the Region 1 runner-up. “They are just so athletically gifted at all their skill positions and are just big up front on both sides.”
Sweet Water won the first Bulldog battle in the current series on Oct. 12, 2012 by a 20-6 margin.
Some six weeks later, Washington County got 337 yards on 16 Tyrone Kidd carries to help topple Sweet Water 41-33 in the Class 2A semifinals.
Even though Sweet Water got 289 yards and five touchdowns from Jakoby Aldridge to fell WCHS on Oct. 11 of this year, Luker knows that game means very little as his team again stands on the precipice of a potential state title game berth.
“I don’t know that we were, as a team, mentally prepared for the intensity and the passion they were going to bring with them in the (2012) semifinals. I think our kids have a good memory of what happened,” Luker said. “As I told them earlier in the week, what happened in October doesn’t mean anything now. Their kids don’t think anything about it. They know what happened this time last year, that they beat us in the semis. This is the one that counts.”
Washington County is 25-3 since the start of the 2012 season with the trio of losses coming 28-14 against Tanner in the title game a season ago and the aforementioned Sweet Water setbacks.
The WCHS Bulldogs have found their success by way of a versatile offense keyed by senior quarterback Kerrigan Pennington.
“He gives them an extra runner. He’s a great athlete, a good smart kid,” Luker said of Pennington, who topped 100 yards rushing in the 56-42 quarterfinal win over Mobile Christian last week. “He can throw. He can run. He is one of their best defensive players. He’ll be one of the best athletes on that field Friday night. That’s for sure.”
Pennington runs an offense that also includes the dangerous tailback combination of DeAnthony Holcombe and Keyshaun Abston.
“We’ve got to stay on our keys and not run ourselves out of position. And with somebody like DeAnthony Holcombe, you’ve got to tackle him to the ground. You’ve got to finish your tackles with him. He’s had some big games. He’s been real consistent all year long,” Luker said of the junior who ran for 271 yards and five touchdowns against Mobile Christian a week ago. “The great thing about them is that they have a guy that really offsets him. They’ll rest DeAnthony some on offense and then they’ll bring in a kid named Keyshaun Abston He’s a burner. He brings a different style when he’s running the ball. He’s a good changeup for him. They’ll bring him in and he’ll get 10 to 12 carries a game.”
Bulldogs #41 DeAmonte Greene and #7 Xavier McIntosh tackle the Wash Co.RB for a loss in a key 4th quarter play in a game earlier this season.
Washington County presents itself a difficult challenge largely because of its ability to employ a downhill running game and a spread attack.
“They’re just the kind of team that they’re able to get up under center and bang on you and then they’re able to spread the field with equal success and run it and throw it,” Luker said. “Defensively, they are able to stand in the box with you physically and play you. They’re hard to block.”
Luker’s Bulldogs punched their ticket to Round 4 of the state playoffs and Round 4 against their developing rival with a 34-24 come-from-behind win over Luverne a week ago.
“That’s really why we put them through the fire so to speak with our schedule,” Luker said of the composure his team showed in overcoming an early two-touchdown deficit on the road against a game Luverne squad. “We don’t want them to be in shock if we are down one or two touchdowns. We want them to keep fighting. I was really impressed with their maturity. They just keep fighting. We’ve been down before and we try to preach to them all the time that teams are going to get their plays but you’ve got to keep playing, you’ve got to keep responding.”
Sweet Water will look to respond again Friday night when it hosts Washington County at Nolan Atkins Stadium at 7 p.m.