50 Years of Georgia HS Football: Thrills and Agonies

You’ve probably heard the slogan from the classic sports show that featured ‘the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” and in my 50 years of following Georgia High School Football, I have had my share of each. Here are some of the Thrills and Agonies which immediately come to my mind when I think back to the games I have experienced.

Thrills

Clinch County 7, Jeff Davis 6 

November 12, 1976

This is the one that got it started for me.  My dad took me to this game, and it had a thrilling end as the Panthers scored with less than a minute left in the game, converted the extra point and won the game.

Villa Rica 20, Darlington 14 (ot) 

October 19, 1979

Villa Rica trailed most of the game but rallied and won in overtime on a screen pass to Keith Glanton which started a three-game winning streak which put the Wildcats in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.  

Villa Rica 3, East Rome 0

November 9, 1979

The Wildcats continued their incredible season with dethroning the two-time state champions on a field goal in a downpour in the Region 7AA semifinals.

Warner Robins 21, Northside 14 (ot)

November 8, 1985

This was my first Warner Robins-Northside game.  Warner Robins came from behind to tie the game on a touchdown run by Lane Maddox with 47 seconds left. Maddox completed a pass on fourth-and-10 earlier on the drive, and the Demons controlled overtime. Lester Efford scored the game-winner in overtime with a 17-yard touchdown with 1:01 left in the second overtime. Northside went for a gadget play for the second straight year, but a hook-and-lateral came up short, and Ben Smith recovered the fumble.

Villa Rica 13, Worth County 0

December 20, 1986

For the first time since I left Villa Rica, I returned for the Class AAA championship game.  After a scoreless first half, Villa Rica got on the board with a 74 fumble return for a touchdown by James Bailey.  Later, Santray McCoy tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Rodney McCoy to take a 13-0 lead.  Worth County had been favored to win this game, but the Wildcats took the title for the first time in school history.

Northside 31, Tucker 28

December 7, 2007

Tucker jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the first half then Northside quarterback Marques Ivory, who hadn't played due to a broken left fibula earlier in the season, entered the game and engineered an incredible comeback.  He tossed a 69-yard touchdown to Kevyn Cooper in the third quarter, then both connected again on an 82-yard passing score to cut the lead to 28-21 with 9:28 left in the fourth. Northside tied the game at 28 with 2:32 remaining when Ivory threw a 31-yard touchdown to Brandon Jordan. Ivory, who completed 11-of-13 passes, finished with 302 yards passing. The Eagles' defense clamped down and got the ball back as Devon Pike made an 18-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in the game. You can watch a replay of the game here: https://youtu.be/HZMGQVcREFc?si=6OQ_7nZ3-V--z_f8

 

Warner Robins 21, Northside 20

October 30, 2009

This was my last Warner Robins-Northside game.  It is known as the "Miracle at the MAC".  Warner Robins trailed 20-0 going into the fourth quarter.  You can see video of the winning score in this report: https://youtu.be/QnNrzfqP8UQ  

Warner Robins 62, Cartersville 28

December 30, 2020

After coming up short in the previous three state title games, Warner Robins finally won the championship.   Although the final score looks lopsided, no one felt completely safe until some late scores put the game away.   You can watch the game here:  https://youtu.be/zu0ACe93rWo?si=EwvZ4HKN652Kgt7A

Agonies

Northside 7, Warner Robins 6  

November 10, 1989

Warner Robins entered the game as USA Today’s top-ranked team in the nation. It left as the second-best team in Warner Robins. The Eagles scored early in the first quarter on a touchdown catch by little used Jo Shuttlesworth. Those points ended up being enough. Eric McDowell connected with Chad Bowen from 22 yards out with a minute to play, but Jeff Meade missed the extra point to end the Demons’ quest for another national championship. 

Lowndes 31, Northside 28

December 10, 1999

In the years when the balance of power shifted to the Northside of town, the Eagles advanced to the Class AAA semifinals with a chance to play in their first state title game.  Northside could do nothing wrong in the first half as they took a 28-3 into the locker room at halftime.  It was a totally different game in the second half as Lowndes rallied for the win.  

Parkview 12, Northside 7

December 22, 2001

This was Northside's first appearance in a state championship game.  Parkview was a dominant team during this span and was seeking to repeat as Class AAAAA champions.  Late in the game Northside was driving to take the lead but then the stadium lights went out for some unknown reason.  After a long delay, the game was resumed and Northside fumbled.  The Eagles' defense held to force the Panthers to punt but the returner fumbled which was recovered by Parkview.  You can watch the game here:  

 

Bainbridge 47, Warner Robins 41

December 11, 2018

This one was perhaps the most agonizing game I have ever witnessed.  It was such an emotional roller coaster.    Warner Robins rallied from a 28 point deficit in the first quarter. The team went back down by 28 with 9:42 left in the third quarter.  Dylan Fromm then engineered a comeback for the ages that came up just short. He led the Demons on multiple scoring drives down the stretch, threw for a pair of touchdowns and caught one from his twin brother Tyler Fromm. Jahlen Rutherford added a touchdown in between. The teams would end up tied at 35 with under two minutes to play. The Demons then intercepted the pass thrown by Quayde Hawksin. This set up Warner Robins with a field goal as time expired but it was blocked, forcing the game into overtime. Warner Robins would play defense first in overtime and forced Bainbridge to kick the field goal. The offense would stall out on the goal for the Demons as they were forced to settle for a field goal to go to a second overtime.  In the second overtime, Warner Robins was once again forced to kick the field goal. The Bearcats tied the game again to go into a third overtime. This time, the Bainbridge offense was up to the task when it closed out the Demons with touchdown in the third overtime despite not getting the mandatory two-point try. The defense would make the stop and clinch the title for the Bearcats.  Watch the game here:  https://youtu.be/qGeQQSlRzbg?si=xDD0rWnERxal4rwQ

Being Anxious for Nothing?

The Bible says to “be anxious for nothing” but can you?

I know that I often have troubles with this one.

Anxieties are a part of life. I spend a lot of my time working to keep my anxiety level down. At times, it takes a lot of effort.

I recall one time in my previous work life when I was doing my job in the courtroom during a trial and my equipment had failed me, but I was able to resolve the issue and get everything back. During the break one of my co-workers commented on how I had been calm but I told him that although I appeared calm on the outside that I was freaking out on the inside.

I'm sure that all of those years of suppressing my anxieties have contributed to my high blood pressure issues.

I know the Bible tells us not to worry but I still do. Why is that? Honestly, it’s hard to let go and exactly how do we do that?

Psalms 94:19 tells us that “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul.”

What does THAT mean?

Our anxieties are also addressed in 1 Peter 5:7 when it tells us to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

How does one “cast” it?

There isn’t a tangible way anyone can just “cast” their cares and anxieties on God and let his comforts delight our souls. I have no way of explaining this to you. I do know from firsthand experience that when I have gotten to a place where I have accepted the peace of God for my heart that I wasn’t anxious anymore. When I have fully and completely put my trust in God, I have found peace from my worries. I won’t sugar coat it or give you some Christian cliche about this. It isn’t easy to do but once you do, you will understand.

Worrying doesn’t do anything for us. We all worry but have to know that when we have reached to the end of ourselves that we can’t control everything, but we can relinquish control to the one who is in control whether we like it or not.

The only way I have been able to "cast" my cares and anxieties on Christ was to just take a mental timeout in the middle of my worrying and refocus my mind and emotions. I have to remember that I can put my trust in God to take care of me regardless of the outcome. Many times, I find songs which encourage me and renew my faith. I can tell you that every time I have needed a song that I have found it. Over a year ago when I was cut from my job, you can imagine the anxiety and worry I was going through. During that time, I found the song "Desert Road" by Casting Crowns which I played at least once a day to help me through it and keep my focus when the anxieties overcame me.

That's what has worked for me. It may be something different for you, but you just have to find what that is. It's never easy but when the load on us gets heavy, we must find a way to get through it.

Life Experiences Make Us Bitter or Better

If you have lived any length of time you have likely tallied up many life experiences both good and bad.  There are some that we cherish in our memories and others that we wish we could erase. 

One thing is certain - rarely does life go as we planned.  

Stuff happens.  

I can only look at my own life and see the twists and turns my path has taken me to where I am today.  These life experiences can either make us better or make us bitter people.  The idea of this blog came when I saw a man walking through a parking lot with a scowl on his face.  It looked like a permanent one etched with years of life which made me wonder if life had dealt him some bad experiences and hardened him.  

We are all formed by the experiences of our lives.  I can tell you from personal experience that I haven't always handled some experiences very well nor have I always made wise decisions.  Those decisions have shaped my direction in life and what I have left of it.  What I have done in the past - both good and bad - are in the past.

I do not attend class or family reunions because people have your frozen in time.  To most of my relatives, they know me as "Little Milton" because my grandfather was also Milton.  They only remember as the "Little Milton" version of me and haven't seen me since I was a teen.  I cringe when they hug me and say they love me.  Love me?  They don't even know me now!

Life changes us. We are no longer the frozen photo in the family album or the class yearbook.   

So how has life changed you?  Are you a hardened or are you a better version of yourself?  We all make those choices but it's never too late to become a better person.

God has given us free will to make our own decisions.  It is important to remember that God will be with us through it all.  Sure, we need to trust God but we can't expect Him to make them for us.  He can make all things work together for good in our lives.  I know that I have done that in my own life. I was once totally OCD with being in God's will and driving myself crazy to make the absolute right decision and when I didn't it really brought me down.  I have learned that God is much like our GPS apps.  Yes, we won't always make the right decision but He will get us back on track again.  

In Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Remember to Remember" he sings:

And now I'm looking out at the road that's waiting
But my eyes can only see so far out ahead of me
As sure as the sun will shine there'll be more mountains I will climb
And more deep dark shadowlands where desperate faith is all I have
Until I'm home, I'm resting all my hope and trust
In the only One whose name is: God with us

On this life's road, we do the best that we can.  Can't look back with regrets but press forward to be a better version of us.