Knights face Statesboro, again

Sports Writer

Same result, different way of getting there.

That's basically how the Upson-Lee football team feels heading into the first round of the state playoffs Friday night.

The Knights, who lost a heartbreaker last week to Troup Co. 23-20, finished third in region 2-AAAA and will travel to Statesboro to face the Blue Devils, the No. 2 seed from region 3-AAAA.

That's when the story becomes familiar.

Last year the Knights visited Statesboro in the first round of the playoffs and came away with a 14-6 win over the defending state champions, but this year's rode to Statesboro was a little different from last year's for the Knights.

Last year the Knights started the season 2-3 and was all but out of the playoff picture before they won five straight games to close the season, and with some help from Columbus were able to force a mini-game playoff to decide the final two playoff seeds from the region. The Knights beat Hardaway in game one of the mini-game playoff and Troup Co. beat Hardaway in the second game to give Upson-Lee the third seed in the region.

This year was a little easier.

Upson-Lee didn't need a five-game winning streak to get into the playoffs this year as they finished region play 7-2, but even with the better record this year, last week's loss to Troup Co. sent the Knights back to Statesboro.

"We are looking forward to the opportunity," Upson-Lee head football coach Mike Majors said after Monday afternoon's practice. "Last year we were able to go down there and get a win and we are planning on doing it again this year. The win last year definitely gives us some confidence going into this week's game. We are just glad to be playing this week. This is what you play for during the regular season, a shot in the playoffs. We are only one of 32 teams that are still playing football right now. Everybody else is putting up their equipment and going to watch football games this week."

And the Knights need all the extra confidence they can get after last week's loss to Troup Co., in which the Knights lost a four point lead with 37 seconds left in the game. And Coach Majors' and his staff know they will have a challenge of regrouping their team after the loss.

"There is no doubt that our guys were down after Friday night's game," Coach Majors said. "Before practice we talked about the importance of every play and I think they realize that now. I'm hoping that Friday night's game was a blessing in disguise in that our kids will realize how important it is to play every play. We have a fairly young team and maybe we can use that experience as a learning tool. But we have put that game behind us and are focusing on Statesboro now."

The Knights' trip to Statesboro isn't the only thing familiar about this season. Friday night marks the fourth straight playoff appearance for Coach Majors' Knights, something that has never been done at Upson-Lee.

"It's a sign that we've gotten the program back on the right track," Coach Majors said. "We are supposed to be in the playoffs every year and the kids realize that. The kids have an attitude going into the year, that they are going to make the playoffs. That's something that was missing a few years ago."

While the Knights defeated Statesboro a year ago, things aren't exactly the same for either team.

Last year Statesboro attempted no more than seven passes against the Knights and weren't very successful when they did. But that has changed this year, in a way. The Blue Devils still line up in the wishbone and try to win the game on the ground, but they have thrown in a few more formations this year, causing the Knights to work on more than one formation.

"Offensively they do a little more this year than they did last year," Coach Majors said. "They are still going to try to control the game with their running game, but they have a quarterback that can throw it a little better than last year and they are going to get into some different formations. We are going to have to stop their running game first and force them to try to throw the ball to beat us. I think if you force them to line up and throw it, you have an advantage."

Last year the Knights held Statesboro to just one first down in the second half and intercepted a pass for a touchdown that helped seal the win.

"Turnovers are going to be a big part of the game," Coach Majors said. "Last year we were able to recover a fumble in the first half that really changed the momentum of the game and then we were able to get the interception for a touchdown that really knocked them out. I like our chances going into this game, but we are going to have to play hard and not make any big mistakes. It's a game between two fairly good teams and the team with the fewer mistakes will usually win."

The Knights' game with Statesboro is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Statesboro. The winner of the Knights' game with Statesboro will play the winner of the Ware Co./Douglass Co. game next week.

"This is a big game for us," Coach Majors said. "It's another chance for us to take a step as a program. We are going to go down there and play hard, just like we have all year."