Football Friday Night: Week 9

It was strange that all of my teams were off last week. They will all be back in action this week.

With the regular season winding down, I will list my teams' Post Season Ranking (PSR) and who they would play in the first round.   The PSR is a new thing that the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is using for playoffs instead of the region standings they have used in the past.  It's a dumb system.

WARNER ROBINS (5-2, 3-0) vs. OLA (6-2, 3-1)
Warner Robins has won three straight games before their two-week bye. They won their last game against Locust Grove 38-0. This week they host Ola. Ola shutout Locust Grove 37-0 last week. This one could be a test for a very rested Warner Robins team. Warner Robins is 2-0 in the all-time series, winning their last meeting 28-27 in 2023.

PSR ranking:  #17 

If playoffs started today, they would play at Cedartown in the first round.

VILLA RICA (5-3, 1-3) at DALTON (6-1, 2-1)
Villa Rica desperately needs a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. They have lost two straight including a 39-19 loss in their last game against Allatoona. This week Villa Rica plays Dalton. Dalton demolished Woodland 62-6 last week. Villa Rica leads the all-time series 3-1. They won the last meeting 34-28 in 1991.

PSR ranking:  #30

If playoffs started today, they would play at North Oconee in the first round.

CLINCH COUNTY (4-3, 1-1) vs. LANIER COUNTY (0-7, 0-2)
After being upset by Mitchell County 12-10 two weeks ago, the Panthers will try to get things back on track this week against winless Lanier County. Lanier County lost to Irwin County 49-14 in their last game. The Panthers lead the all-time series 28-0 against Lanier County. They won last year's meeting 48-0.

PSR ranking:  #14

If playoffs started today, they would host Wheeler County in the first round.

Thoughts About Inspiration

I haven’t had much inspiration to post anything lately. My inspiration has been running on empty.

Life does that to you sometimes. It drains you. All I can do is put one foot ahead of the other. I call it pushing through. Not all days are easy in life.

Unfortunately, I have tied my emotions to platelet counts. I have obsessed with results from blood labs. I know better.  It has zapped my inspiration. How can I write things to inspire you when I don’t even feel it myself? I’m not going to fake it. You would see right through that.

I have had my share of Christian cliches and Bible quotes but honestly those aren’t helping me. I’m not the only one who has asked where God is in all of this?

If He’s building my character then I have obviously not had much to work with. Why would He concern Himself with me anyway? Who am I?

We all search for answers during the difficult times in life. We question our faith and the reason we believe in the first place.

I will be honest with you, I have wondered this week if I have believed in all this my whole life for nothing. Shocking I know but this is life in the valley. I hear the voice asking where is my God now?

Christian singer Franni Cash released a song recently called “Honest to God” which has been some of what I’m feeling. The chorus says:

Honest to God
It's been a long night, been a hard fight
I'm barely making it through
I need someone I can lean on
Can I really count on You?
I'm down on my knees, I wanna be
Honest to God

Throughout my life I have had to be many things to people. It’s a lot. I want to inspire people with a real God for real life but what do I do when I need it? How do I inspire myself?

I can’t even pray now. The best I can do is to sit in silence. There are no magic prayer words to pray. It’s hard to be in this place.

So, I’m sorry that I can’t inspire you right now or encourage you to be a believer but this is an honest time that real people go through when there are no easy answers. The only thing I can do is to go through this season in life.

During this season, I have often referred myself to the passage in 1 Samuel 30:6:

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.  

Football Friday Night: Week 8

This week I had one team off and my other two suffered region losses.  This is a strange week coming up as all of my teams have bye weeks this Friday Night.   Here's the latest on each team:

WARNER ROBINS (BYE)
Warner Robins is off again this week after beating Locust Grove 38-0 two weeks ago for their third straight win. This week they will host Ola on October 23rd at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins. Warner Robins is 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the region. Warner Robins is 2-0 in the all-time series, winning their last meeting 28-27 in 2023.

ALLATOONA 39, VILLA RICA 19
Villa Rica's playoff hopes took a hit as this game got away from the Wildcats in the second half. Leading 12-10, Allatoona took control of the game in the third quarter with 29 unanswered points. Frank Young’s 33-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion run gave Allatoona an 18-12 lead early in the quarter. On the next possession, Matthew Benede’s 55-yard run as well as Young’s second successful run on a two-point conversion increased the lead to 26-12.

Next: Oct 23 at Dalton
Villa Rica is 5-3 overall and 1-3 in Region 7-5A. Dalton is 5-1, 1-1. Dalton was off last week after beating Allatoona 49-7 in their last game. Villa Rica is 3-1 in their meetings with Dalton. They won 34-28 in 1991.

MITCHELL COUNTY 12, CLINCH COUNTY 10
Mitchell County stunned the Panthers for their first win in 71 years. Mitchell County took a 12-3 lead with 3:40 left in the third quarter on Jadarian Hudson’s 25-yard run on a fourth-and-1. Hudson was 7-of-12 passing for 78 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Mitchell County led 192-185 in total yards.  Clinch County is 4-3, 1-1.

Next: Oct 23 vs. Lanier County