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  • GMC Prep senior quarterback Will Parker, shown here earlier in the season, has been on target the last few weeks. David Brent Martin

    GMC Prep offense must click versus Wolfpack

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November 6, 2009

GMC Prep offense must click versus Wolfpack

The Bulldogs will try for their fourth win of the season in their final home game

David Brent Martin

It’s been a long time since GMC Prep (3-6) won three road games in a row according to GMC head coach Brad Owens. And one could bet it’s been even longer since the school won four in a row.

Tonight those ‘comeback kids’ will have a shot at history and could really set the tone for the future as coach Owens and his staff continue to put the winning building blocks in place. North Paulding (4-5) from Dallas are a 7B-AAAA school that will be fighting and clawing tonight for a chance to finish .500 on the season.

GMC Prep has proven to much more than a Will Parker to Matt Harrison offense, and has surprised many with their stingy and relentless defense. Teams of the past could score at will versus GMC Prep, but this breed of Bulldogs is something entirely different.

Wednesday’s practice session was held on GMC Prep’s soccer field so the team could benefit from the lighting. Head coach Brad Owens and his team were polishing up their patterns and coverages and seemed quite up-beat after their three big road wins.

“We had a great practice yesterday. The kids are real enthusiastic — and I feel like we’re closing the season on the upswing,” said Owens. “We’ve got a real good shot Friday night.”

North Paulding will present challenges for the Bulldogs, but GMC Prep’s defense will need to put together their sharpest performance of the season in order to give their offense a chance at good field position and shots at the end zone.

Defensively, Donovan Smith and John Layfield will be looked upon for their bone-jarring hits and takeaway capabilities, and J.T. Stevens, Skyler Walker, Matt Harrison and Taylor Payne will also be a presence whenever the Wolfpack try to do something sneaky. Ben Crawley and Zoe Lumpkin have also stepped up their game this season and will get some shots on the quarterback.

Coach Owens stressed that North Paulding’s offense could present some problems if GMC’s defense isn’t on their toes.

“They are bringing 50 good ball players. It’s going to be a challenge. Their quarterback led 4-A in passing yardage last season with 2400 yards,” said Owens. “They’ve also got a junior wide receiver who’s ranked as one of the top prospects in the state for next season — and is a quality football player. That’s their main threats. But they’ve got a lot of good weapons.”

Owens said his team hasn’t forgotten what happened last season versus the Wolfpack.

“Last year they jumped out on us early, and we weren’t able to stick to our gameplan which was to run the football — and this was because we got behind so quick. But we put up 21 points on them last year and did some good things offensively. We feel like we match up pretty well with their defense. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Kickoff for tonight’s big game is 7:30 p.m. A big crowd is expected and should make for some fun family entertainment.

And it doesn’t get much better than historic Davenport Field.

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