The season is over for both the McIntosh Chiefs and the

Fayette County Tigers. Logistically speaking, it was over about a week

and a half ago. The Tigers were knocked out of playoff

contention by Griffin while the Chiefs were knocked out before

that. Though there are things that are disappointing for the teams,

one must be impressed with how the teams dealt with and

overcame adversity.

McIntosh may not have improved on their win-loss

record this season but Coach Clint Ashmore feels the team has

made some key strides. " We did not give up as many points as we

did in games last year and we were only shutout once, in our

game against Newnan,"Coach Ashmore said.

The defense was much better for the Chiefs this year,

keeping the team in games on several occasions. One reason for this

may be the seniority of the defensive unit . Players like

Kelechukwu Oparah, Ronnie Melton, Nate Wesley and Lucas Smith

were defensive standouts for the Chiefs.The Chiefs will

graduate four members of their defensive line this spring.

There were some offensive standouts for the Chiefs this season in DJ Dunlap, Nick Dixon and Dion

Stokes. Stokes was a spark to the team on several occasions, gaining over 1,000 all

purpose yards this season despite playing hurt in a few games.

Nathan Bittner, McIntosh's quarterback, played with some pain as well.

Coach Ashmore did not want to release the information earlier in the season but

Bittner played the last three weeks with a broken thumb. He surpassed expectations

and continued to do what the team needed him to do. Bittner also had his jaw

dislocated in the game against Griffin. That is an undeniable sign of heart and dedication to

his team.Both Stokes and Bittner will graduate this year as well.

McIntosh is taking steps towards improvement and no one promised a quick

fix. The team will have their linebackers and defensive backs back next year as well

as their wideouts and three members of the offensive line. Coach Ashmore is

installing scheme to the players on JV but has worked this year in giving the younger guys

on varsity some key playing time and experience. The Chiefs will continue to

improve and that's all that anyone can truly hope for.

The season is always a little more disappointing when playoff hopes are

dashed and nobody knows that more than Fayette County. The Tigers finished the

season 6-4 this season, while they went 8-2 last year. One more win this season would

have led Fayette County to the playoffs where they could avenge last year's first

round loss to Tift County.

Some reasons behind the decline were injuries and playing shorthanded.

Wes Clark was a major loss for the Tigers because of his strength both offensively

and defensively. He was the leading rusher for the Tigers, pushing with his line for

decent yards every carry. The passing game was great for Fayette County, Gerald

Johnson's passes to Brandon Croft set new school records, but any passing game suffers

when the running game isn't firing on all cylinders.

Fatigue played a role in some of the team's losses late in the season. Almost

all of the members of the offensive line, which is key to the run, were

playing defensively as well. When the defense is forced to battle against seemingly

unending drives and then take the field to protect their offense , it's easy to see how

breakdowns occur.

"We salvaged a great deal by finishing the season strong," Coach Clint

Burton said. " We hit a slump at a bad point in the season and had some key injuries that

hurt us but we had a winning season and finished tied for fourth in the region."

The Tigers will lose 13 players to graduation, including Brandon Croft and

Gerald Johnson. Kicker Michael Ruff and a number of linemen will also graduate

leaving Fayette County searching for some new weapons. "It is obviously difficult

when your quarterback of the last three years graduates along with a great deal of

your starting offense and defense but we'll have a larger senior class to step it up

next year," Coach Burton said. The Tigers will have over 20 seniors on the squad

next year, each hoping to get their team back to the playoffs.

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