Ware County returns to action this week after a three-week break since last playing a game.
The Gators (2-3) dropped three of four and two straight before Hurricane Helene arrived falling out of the Atlanta Journal- Constitution Top 10 poll.
Ware County, which played five straight weeks (scrimmage, four regular season games) to begin the season, will play its second game in a five-week span when it travels Friday night to Savannah to face second-ranked Benedictine (3-2, 1-0 Region 1) in what was originally an open date.
The Cadets, ranked first in the pre-season poll, opened region play at Warner Robins defeating the sixth-ranked Demons 35-21 last Friday night for a third straight win following two losses to start the season.
The BC-Ware County game, the first of two consecutive cancellations for the Gators, was origi nally scheduled for September 27 in Waycross. The October 4 New Hampstead game in Savannah has been penciled in to November 8 as a home game.
The date is an extension of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) moving the playoffs back one week to complete the regular season schedule.
Ware County will travel October 18 to Perry, host Warner Robins October 25 and go to Wayne County November 1.
The Gators and Benedictine are meeting for the fifth consecutive year and first as region foes. The two programs have split the first four matchups with each winning twice at home. BC prevailed 31-24 last year in Savannah in a matchup of No. 1 teams in their respective classifications.
Injury-plagued Ware County hopes to have some key players back on the offensive side this week. The defense benefitted with the return of starters and backups in the last game against Lincoln High of Tallahassee.
“That was the first time we had all 11 projected defensive starters on the grass this season,” Gators head coach Jaso Strickland said of the September game with Lincoln, a 10-0 loss. “We’ve just got to stay positive. The key is we’ve got to go out and play well and try to get off to a 1-0 start in region play. That gives you an opportunity to host a first round playoff game.”
Benedictine quarterback Stephen Cannon threw touchdown passes to John Lilly, Joshua Washington and Jack Ganem in the first half against Warner Robins.
“They (Cadets) have a plethora of skill guys who could easily be the fastest we see all season,” the veteran coach said before the first meeting was cancelled. “The quarterback is a highly recruited athlete. They (coaches) are giving him easy throws to get the ball out quickly to some very talented players.
“They’re going to play uptempo and do a lot of window dressing to get your eyes moving. What we have to do is prevent the big play and tackle in space” Offensively, Strickland said he’s hoping for the returns of quarterback Luke Hooks, wide receiver Cole Cox, backup quarterback Isaiah White and center Landon Smallwood. Hooks and Cox and were injured in the Gators’ last game with Smallhood hurt in practice and White hurt in the last junior varsity game.
“We’ve had some tough breaks with injuries, and nobody is going to feel sorry for us,” said Strickland. “This break has been positive in the fact we’re getting all of our guys back on the grass this week. The thing for us (coaches) is making sure our players are mentally committed. The real season starts this week.
“Their (Cadets) defensive front and inside linebackers do a good job of cutting off running lanes. The safeties play a Cover 2 shell and don’t let anything get behind them. It’s a defense that makes dink and dunk the ball down the field. It’s hard to run 12-13 plays each time you need to score.
“The bottom line is we have to make teams outexecute us to beat us. We can’t have turnovers and beat good teams. We can’t commit the number of penalties we had in the last game.”
BC vs. WCHS Series tied 2-2 BC WCHS
2020 .........21.............43 2021..........49 ............42 2022..........10.............14 2023..........31.............24
