It had been 23 years since Southeast Whitfield had defeated Northwest Whitfield in football, a span of 18 games, so it's understandable the 3-1 Raiders are enjoying life during their open week.
A year after ending a postseason drought that was approaching three decades, coach Sean Gray's team continued to check off goals with its 21-12 win over the Bruins, their Region 7-AAAA and intracounty rivals.
"It was a huge monkey off our backs to finally beat Northwest after all these years," said Gray, a Southeast graduate who is in his fourth season leading the team. "It gives our program more credibility and our kids some confidence. It's a big, big win for our community and our school."
Southeast rushed for 252 yards in the region opener against the Bruins (2-1), with Tyler Brown gaining 131 and fellow senior Devin Fields adding 94. The Raiders also showed off an improved defense, limiting Northwest - which was without starting quarterback Luke Shiflett (broken collarbone) in the second half - to 140 total yards.
"Defensively, we had talked this summer that we had a chance to be improved on defense," said Gray, mentioning the play of noseguard Leo Gandara and defensive end Britt Hasty. "We've gotten a tougher mental attitude on defense, and we're proud of what we've done there."
Colts get breakthrough win, too
The improvement in his team was evident to Coahulla Creek coach Chad Barger from the start of camp, yet the win column remained bare for the Colts.
Until last week, that is.
Coahulla Creek ended a 16-game losing streak with a convincing 40-16 win at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe last Friday, the first victory for the Colts' second-year coach. After playing well in losses to Southeast Whitfield and Armuchee, Coahulla Creek finally put it all together against the Warriors.
The Colts used 159 yards and four touchdowns from Aaron Croom and amassed 341 yards of total offense.
"That's a big win," said Barger, a former Sequatchie County coach. "We went through a lot of stuff with injuries and kids quitting on us last year. We ended the year with 33 kids on the roster, and it's hard to win in AAA in Georgia with those numbers.
"The win itself boosts the kids' morale and confidence. After the first drive, there was never a doubt who was going to win. We got happy early."
Bledsoe blitzes way to good start
A large chunk of Bledsoe County's success this year dates back to last year.
In their first season under head coach Josh Owensby, who was offensive coordinator last year, the defense has shown improvement. The Warriors (2-1, 1-0 Region 3-2A) shut out Whitwell last week, holding the Tigers to 92 yards of total offense.
"We're playing a little more of an aggressive style, and we're pretty blitz-happy," Owensby said. "We were already in the 3-4, then made adjustments in the secondary. The transition started about week seven or week eight last year."
The Warriors, who play at winless Polk County tonight, have not had back-to-back shutouts in the past 15 seasons. They concluded the 2006 season with winning scores of 34-7, 30-8, and 40-0.