In over sixty years of football at Norcross High School, two state titles have been won. Head Coach Keith Maloof and his Blue Devils squad not only made history with the 2012 6A trophy, they did it again in this year’s 2013 season finale.

While both seasons concluded with the same result, the path to standing on that championship stage each December was different.

A 15-0 season paved the way for their 2012 state finals appearance, while hopes of a consecutive undefeated season shattered quickly. A rocky season opener against one of the nation’s best teams out of Miami, Booker T. Washington, ended scoreless for Norcross. The final score: 55-0. Onlookers were quick to question the team’s ability to repeat. But the Blue Devils wouldn’t allow one game to spoil what they knew they were capable of.

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Change can be difficult. It was for North Gwinnett when in 2010, Lanier High opened and split the schools. But North head Coach Bob Sphire, who’s led the Bulldogs since 2006, says what might’ve been considered a negative in 2010, was turned into a positive by his squad.

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It’s playoff time, folks! We’ve broken out the brackets and things are truly coming down to the wire as 160 teams compete tonight for a spot in the second round of the GHSA playoffs next Friday. Football fans all across the state are ready for some ‘edge of your seat’ action and the matchup we’re featuring tonight on GPB has the potential to provide just that.

A region title earned the 7-3 Lassiter Trojans a home game for the first round, as they get set to face the 7-3 Lions of Peachtree Ridge–in other words, a Cobb County-Gwinnett County classic.

Peachtree Ridge Head Coach Mark Fleetwood says his starting quarterback, junior Chance Thrasher, is a terrific game manager, but is constantly working on improving his game.

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High schoolers experience challenges of all kinds. But Flowery Branch students may feel that some of the challenges they thought to be big are actually somewhat small when compared to the trials faced by senior Keaton Coker.

A senior guard on the Falcons football team, Keaton experienced a seizure in the summer of 2012. A brain tumor was soon discovered and the Coker family eventually learned that the youngest of their three sons had brain cancer.

An incredibly strong sense of spirituality within the Coker family and a rally of support by the Flowery Branch community are what Keaton’s mother, Sharon Coker, describes as being the driving forces behind Keaton’s strength.

“It was definitely quite a shock when we found out,” said Sharon. “Our preacher, Tom Smiley, has always said, ‘It’s not IF you will go through a trial, it is WHEN you will.’ “So, we knew this was WHEN!”

We often hear that patience is a virtue. But in a world constantly searching for quick results and immediate satisfaction, how often do we actually take this virtuous statement to heart?

Patience is often learned as the years add to one’s life but for some, it doesn’t need to be taught.

ML King outside linebacker, Alanmichael Harkness, began his senior football season with only the highest of hopes for himself and his Lions. But an injury quickly changed the direction of those plans.

“I tore my meniscus during the Ely game. That was our Florida-GA game, battle of the borders. So, when I tore it, I was a little devastated but I had my teammates behind me every step of the way,” Harkness explained.

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As GPB Sports’ social media correspondent, I spend a great deal of time each week sifting through Twitter and Facebook to find out how students, schools and athletes are showing their spirit and what everyone is saying about each week’s match with the pigskin. I visit the schools’ football practices and cheerleading practices and make sure that I’m on the up-and-up about all that’s going on with the teams. Getting to know the kids before the end of the week is a blast and allows for the whole “shabang” to come together once we all meet under those Friday night lights.

Now that social media is around, there is a completely new outlet for students and schools to express their feelings and excitement about upcoming games. Through my tweeting and Facebooking this fall, I’ve found that there is often a strong connection between the football teams and the coaches, the cheerleaders, the bands, the parents, and the student bodies.

Zeroing in on that student body, many non-athletes may often wonder how much that crowd noise and encouragement really assists in maintaining momentum and drive for those brave souls on the field. From what I’ve gathered, it means a whole lot. Although the athletes often learn to tune out the “extras” and remain focused, they rely on that peer support from the stands that tower over their field, especially when things don’t go quite as planned between the lines on the turf.

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A lot is said through the leadership and playing abilities of McEachern quarterback Ty Clemons. But there’s a lot more behind the face mask. My Thursday night coversation with the senior quarterback, provided below, will get you more familiar with the leader of the Indians football team.

Me: What year did you start playing football?

Ty: In 3rd grade

Me: What position did you first play?

Ty: I played running back.

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Watch Marietta linebacker Ty Tomlin play football, and you’ll know exactly why he’s nicknamed, “The Phenom.” Get to know more about that “Phenom” in my one-on-one with the Marietta senior as he prepares for Friday’s rivalry game against the McEachern Indians.

Me: Where did you originally get your nickname, “The Phenom?”

Ty: Me and two other friends, we were just talking one day and we were just talking about sports and they came up with theirs, which are “Super Fly” and “Prophet” so I decided to call myself “The Phenom.” I came up with it myself.

Me: Do you remember the moment you knew you loved the game of football?

Ty: My eigth grade year was my first year playing football. In my first game, I just fell in love with the game. I can’t really explain it, I just fell in love with the game. Playing, the fans, I’d never been in that type of environment so it really just got to me.

It’s that time again…time for some “Football Fridays in Georgia!” Tonight, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs meet the Norcross Blue Devils in a game that could ultimately determine the winner of Region 7 AAAAAA. At this point, this is no cold hard fact but based on recent history, the probability of one of these teams claiming the region is HIGH (the winner of this contest has gone on to win Region 7 AAAAAA the past six of seven years.)

To give you a more up-close-and-personal look at tonight’s game, I caught up with North Gwinnett quarterback Hayden Sphire. We most often hear observers assess athletes’ roles among their teammates but here, one of the Bulldogs primary offensive leaders gives us his take on his role within the Bulldogs squad and what Friday’s region rivalry game means to him. 

Me: Describe the type of quarterback you think you are.

Hayden: I’m the definition of a pocket passer. I have the ability to escape the pocket but I prefer to stay in the pocket.

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The high school football playoffs, especially those in the South, are understatedly an exciting time of year for loyal alumni, fans, parents, students, athletes, school administration, bands, cheerleaders and everyone else that helps make high school football tick.

But who says you have to wait until November and December to enjoy that wildly spirited atmosphere that accompanies those postseason contests?

Tonight, in Gainesville, Georgia…WEEK TWO of the regular season, that overly-crowded, intensely-spirited playoff atmosphere will fill the air at Bobby Gruhn Field.

Two 2012 state champions, both currently ranked No. 1 in their respective classifications, will face-off under the September evening sun between stands packed with what is expected to be nearly TWELVE THOUSAND fans…and no, that is not an exaggeration.

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