With Round 1 in the rearview mirror, top-ranked Ware County has begun preparations for visiting Chamblee Friday inside Memorial Stadium with a 7:30 p.m. kick.
The Region 1 champion Gators (10-0) are playing for the 16th consecutive season in the second round following a 58-14 beating of Region 2 fourth-seed Jones County.
“To go and play a rival game (Coffee) for a region championship and come back the following week to face a very good team was challenging,” head coach Jason Strickland said of his squad’s back-to-back performances. “Last week was not a first round matchup ... it was a quarterfinal one. Our performance just shows the maturity of this team.
“We’re playing our best right now. Our quarterback (Nikao Smith) is playing his best ball which has opened up the run game. Defensively, we’ve played at a high level all year. We’re running to the ball at an elite level.”
Ware County is 9-9 all-time in the second round posting an 8-5 home record. The last two second round tilts in Memorial Stadium (2019, 2021) ended with losses to fifth-ranked Buford (2019, 34-6) and sixth-ranked Calhoun (2021, 49-42).
Buford went on to beat Warner Robins in the 2019 state title game. Calhoun lost to the Demons in the 2021 finals.
Ware County and Chamblee are meeting for the first time. The Gators are in their 65th season with the Bulldogs in their 73rd season. Ware County has 390 victories while Chamblee has 360.
While the Gators have played in 62 state playoff games, Chamblee has participated in just 14. The Bulldogs are 1-1 in the second round with the lone victory coming in 2007 when they reached the Class AAA semifinals.
Chamblee is one year removed from playing a non-region schedule in 2020 and 2021 as the athletic department tried to rebuild the program. The Bulldogs suffered through a six-year stretch (2014-19) of mediocrity going 7-52 which included a 27-game losing streak from 2017-2019.
Chamblee posted a two-year non-region mark of 14-2 going 9-1 last year under first-year coach Bob Swank averaging 50.4 points a game and allowing 12.2.
This year, the Bulldogs are scoring at a 41.6 clip and allowing 15.8. Chamblee has scored 37 points or better eight times including three times over 50 points. The highwater mark came in a 62-13 thrashing of Region 3 third-seed McIntosh in the first round, the Bulldogs first playoff appearance since 2009 and first home playoff game since 2007.
“This is a scrappy bunch that’s coming in,” Strickland said. “This is their (Bulldogs) first game on grass this season. Secondly, this is their first real road game. All of their games have been pretty much inside a 25-mile radius. Now they have to travel about four hours on a bus.”
Chamblee operates mainly out of a one-back, spread formation with senior Fabian Walker (6-foot-1, 185) at the controls. The Bulldogs lean heavily on the passing game averaging 167 yards with 98.7 coming on the ground.
Walker has completed 60 percent of his passes throwing for 1,668 yards with 19 touchdowns against three interceptions. He’s rushed for six touchdowns.
“The quarterback is dynamic,” said Strickland. “He is a better athlete than the quarterback at Jones County because he can run. Walker presents problems with his ability to run. We can’t just rush up the field past him. We’ve got to be disciplined and keep him in the pocket.
“Jones County had better receivers ... the best we’ve seen in a long time. This group is pretty good, too. While Jones County was more up-tempo like Tennessee, this group is not.”
Three receivers have combined for 82 receptions for 1,222 yards and 15 touchdowns. Senior Jordan Thornton (5-8, 175) leads the team with 30 catches for 408 yards to go with five touchdowns.
Junior Tristian Sizemore (5-10, 180) has 26 catches and leads the team in yards (412) and touchdowns (six). Senior Levi Bradham (6-2, 180) also has 26 catches for 402 yards and four touchdowns.
Junior Larry Harris (5-11, 165) is the featured back nearing 500 rushing yards. He has scored seven times.
Chamblee’s defensive unit is senior laden. The Bulldogs use a 3-3 base with a two-high safety look.
Senior defensive linemen Daniel Chavez (6-4, 225) and Miller Meeks (6-2, 205), along with senior linebackers Mason Carrington (5-8, 175) and Marc Hawkins (6-2, 210) anchor the Bulldogs’ front seven.
“They don’t blitz a lot,” stated Strickland. “It looks like they read and react. They will drop eight into coverage and it looks like the underneath guys have some length to be able to bat balls down. The safeties are deep and try to keep everything in front.”
Strickland added Chamblee does some unique things in the punt game by formations.
“They (Bulldogs) give you different looks to prepare for,” he said. “Special teams will be big this week.”
