Class 6A championship: Northside vs. Lee County - preview, results, history, top 10, notes

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Kevin Kinsler has seen it come, on video and live.

          A team is playing Lee County tough, hanging in there, inspiring thoughts of the upset.

          And then?

          “You see some games and at halftime or right before the half, they’re up by seven or 14,” the veteran Northside head coach said. “Then after two possessions of the secnd half, they’re up 21. The come out with that speed and they steamroll you.”

          Northside led Lee County 7-3 at halftime in their first meeting, and watched the Trojans put up 14 points in less than two minutes in the third quarter for a 24-7 win back on Oct. 12.

          A 48-yard touchdown pass at the 9:30 mark put Lee County ahead, and a 70-yard punt return gave the Trojans a little cushion.

          Lee County had just 260 yards on offense, but the defense held Northside to 133 on two more snaps. Once they got in the hole, the Eagles couldn’t climb back out.

          Still, there was plenty from that game to inspire confidence on the Eagles’ sideline. There was the disparity in yardage, but Lee County had only one more first down, and Northside had a seven-minute advantage in time of possession in Lee County’s closest game of the season.

          “I thought we did a pretty good job up front,” Kinsler said. “I think we made some plays in the secondary on some of their pass pays. Defensively, we were able to take care of some of the run game.”

          The seven points broke a streak of four straight games of at least 30 points, including against Warner Robins and Coffee.

          “Offensively,  we were doing just enough to move the sticks,” Kinsler said. “Then we get that one score. When you play a game like that against a very good team, you gotta kep that focus the entire 48 minutes. Our kids were pretty locked in.”

          Until Lee County forged ahead.

          “We defensively lost focus  after they made those two big plays right there in the third quarter. We kinda lost a lot of focus. That’s something we struggled with up to that point.

          “Hopefully we’ve gotten past that.”

          The Eagles were able to counter a size disadvantage throughout much of the season with technique and fundamentals, and that’s magnified that much more against a Lee County team that seems to refresh each year the past few seasons with talented newcomers.

          The 2018 season being what it’s been, Northside has been in a rare position.

          “Our kids since about week 4 or 5 have had that underdog mentality or underdog label,” Kinsler said. “And our kids have had to handle it. I know that’s crazy because of our success. That’s something of what our kids have been battling.”

          Lee County kept Region 1-6A player of the year Jadin Daniels in check, giving up only two rushing yards on 13 carries. Daniels was 9 of 15 for 72 yards and a touchdown.

          Running back Eric Smith is still playing despite a torn ACL, and those two along with Zikhyree Hill have to keep the offense on the field and avoid giving up that big play.

          Defensively, Northside brings some quickness to counter the size, and the Eagles will have to repeat some things from the first game, and come up with at least one turnover that leads to points.

          “You’ve got to be good in technique and fundamentals,” Kinsler said. “The last few years, probably the last three or four years, we’re kinda used to the size disadvantage.

          “So we’ve had to be good technicians as far as how we use our hands, how we read our keys, things like that. Not doing that is a prime example of why we struggled so much early in the year.”

          Playing hard has been a constant, and Northside is playing smarter. Executing above and beyond any level the Eagles have achieved is up next.

          Kinsler knows his team has some confidence, even against the top-ranked Trojans.

          “We were able to battle with them up front,” he said. “They’re a lot bigger than we are, but we were able to battle with them and keep it close.

          “The biggest thing I know that they rely on sometimes is they have that huge wave where they come out and just steamroll you. We can’t let that happen to us. If we don’t let that happen …”