Bulldogs preparing for déjá vu

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Hurricane defense resembles Hornets’

Jamie Wachter The Times Enterprise Thu Nov 06, 2008, 10:42 PM EST

THOMASVILLE — Thomasville may see déjá vu tonight.

When Thomasville faces Class AA No. 8 Fitzgerald at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the Bulldogs may have flashbacks to Oct. 17, when they visited Cook.

“They take a lot more chances than they did last year,” Thomasville coach Richie Marsh said about Fitzgerald’s tough defense, which has allowed just 10.5 points per game. “We’re going to have to be focused that when they take those chances, that we can pick it up — that we block them. They’re a little more risky, their style is a little more like Cook than it has been in the past, and we didn’t get it done in Cook, as far as taking care of their risky play. So we have to get better at that this week.”

While the Bulldogs (5-4, 5-1 in Region 1-AA) pulled out a 14-7 win at Cook, Thomasville committed seven penalties to help short-circuit a couple of drives deep in Cook territory, allowing the Hornets to stay close. In the three weeks since, Marsh is hoping his Bulldogs have progressed with the playoffs just a week away and the right to host a first-round game on the line.

“That’s the thing with Cook — when you play Cook, you’re either going to get better, drastically better the next week, or you’re going to get worse, because they’ll destroy your confidence,” Marsh said. “It’s either one or the other. So, there’s two ends to the spectrum. I hope we got better at picking those risky fronts up.”

While Fitzgerald’s defense has changed strategy, little else has been altered with the Purple Hurricane (8-1, 5-1). After three straight years of close games, Marsh expects another defensive battle tonight.

“They’re fast, and they hit,” he added. “It’s going to be a battle with them. But usually in battles, what will happen is, a player will make a play and those are the differences in the ballgame.

“If we’d sum it up, that’s what we see with their defense — very fast and very physical. Now, we think we can be physical, too. We think we have a little bit of speed, too.”

With both teams featuring quick and physical defenses, Marsh said the teams may be even more balanced than last season, when Thomasville edged Fitzgerald 28-14.

“Last year, we played them and we were blessed — we had some big plays,” he noted, adding that Fitzgerald’s offense is more dangerous this year with a host of key returners from last year. “Now, we’re a lot more evenly matched than we were last year. I think last year there was a discrepancy there between our offensive line and their defensive line.”

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