Ridgeland's Jalyn Shelton's stiff-arm takes off Northwest Whitfield player Connor Romo's helmet during their prep football game at Ridgeland High School on Friday, Sept. 23, 2016, in Rossville, Ga.Eric Edwards knew the question was coming, and the veteran coach didn't want any part of it.
Comparing this year's Ridgeland football offense to the 2012 squad that ran its way to a Georgia state championship game is a popular topic around Rossville. After all, even with a new head coach in Wesley Tankersley, the wing-T offense is still in place and the Panthers again are putting up huge numbers.
The 2012 Ridgeland 13-2 team scored more than 20 points in 10 games and had three with 35. The 2016 4-0 team is averaging 46 points per game, the highest number in Georgia's Class AAAA.
Edwards, the program's longtime offensive coordinator, is the obvious person to ask for a comparison - so he came prepared.
"I don't like comparing teams," he said with a shake of his head, "but I will say that with either group I would sign a contract and take them every year."
Pressed, Edwards discussed the obvious and the not-so-obvious similarities between the two teams.
"We've got speed, and when you have that you have a lot better chance of succeeding," he said. "We have a lot of speed here year in and year out, but the difference comes when the kids want to block. We had that in 2012, and we have that this year.
"Last week we had plays where we had receivers 20 yards downfield blocking. Everybody was just going all out. They have bought into the fact that if they play hard on every down, good things are going to happen. A lot of credit has to go to Coach Tankersley for that. We've had kids play hard here all the time, but to get all 11 playing hard at the same time is rare."
Adding that effort to the talented group of skill players Edwards gets to scheme around, it's no wonder Ridgeland fans are dreaming of another trip to the Georgia Dome. Much like 2012, this year's team has multiple weapons and may have more overall skill talent.
"We have more athletes than the Dome team, but they had the same thing we have in that they played together and found ways to win," senior running back Grayson Moore said. "We're just doing our jobs, each player on the team. If we do them right, we have success and put a lot of points on the board."
On any given night any number of Panthers may light up the scoreboard. Last week it was Moore's turn as he accounted for five touchdowns in a narrow win over Northwest Whitfield. For the season he has 414 yards on just 32 carries (12.9 ypc), second on the team to Jalyn Shelton's 572 yards on 55 carries (10.4). The two have combined for 17 touchdowns despite playing in the second halves of just two games.
"Grayson has a burst of speed, and he's just a hard competitor," Edwards said. "The tougher it is, the better he likes it. Jalyn is just so strong. He had a stiff-arm against Northwest where the kid hit the ground and his helmet flew off. It was something else, but that's just who he is."
When defenses start clogging the middle, it's Butter time. Markeith "Butter" Montgomery hasn't had to run the ball very often, but the electric wingback can make defenses pay on the outside, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry.
"I tell you, Butter has always been fast, but his blocking has been phenomenal this year," said Edwards, who also praised the team's small but athletic offensive line. "He had three or four pancakes against Northwest, and he's just knocking kids backwards. When Butter is on one side, people mostly knew we were going to run to the other side. Now, with the way he's blocking, I would just as soon run the ball his way."
When the Panthers really want to throw a curve, Montgomery and wideouts Stephon Walker and Marquie Davis can take short passes and turn them into big plays or get behind defenses on streaks. Walker, a dynamic sophomore, has just three catches this year, but all three have gone for touchdowns.
"We talked about it this week," Edwards said with a laugh. "I've got to get him the ball more. When a guy has three catches and three touchdowns at this point in the season, he needs to see the ball more. We've really needed him on defense this year, and he's helped us there tremendously."
All's well so far, but can this run-heavy offense be successful against an elite defense in the playoffs? Talk to the Panthers and you get the feeling there are other layers to the offense that haven't been displayed yet.
"There is more out there, a lot of weapons we haven't pulled out yet because we haven't had to," Montgomery said. "The Northwest game was tough, but they never really stopped us. We know we can hang with anybody. People can keep doubting us, but that's OK with us."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22