ATLANTA — When Emanuel County Institute suits up today, the football field will still be 100 yards long. The rules will all still be the same, and the Bulldogs will still be trying to beat the 11 guys lined up on the other side of the ball.
Of course, there will be a few extra thousand fans in attendance and much more than just another win or loss on the line.
ECI (12-1) kicks off the second day of the GHSA state football championships today at the Georgia Dome as it takes on Dooly County (11-2) in the Class A public school title game.
The Bobcats are looking for their first state title in program history and are in the championship game for just the second time. Dooly County lost to West Rome in the 1983 Class AA championship.
The Bulldogs are in the title game for the third time in six seasons. A win would give ECI its third state title in the school’s history.
“This is where everyone wants to be,” said ECI coach Chris Kearson. “We’ve played well all year and won the games that we had to. (Today’s game) is obviously bigger, but we’re focusing more on what we have to do to win instead of what a win would mean.”
The Bulldogs grabbed the No. 3 seed in the 16-team state tournament and have rolled through the postseason, beating each of their first three opponents by 10 or more points. Two regular season losses for the Bobcats dropped them to a No. 5 seed, but Dooly County fought its way through Turner County and Seminole County before upsetting No. 1 Lincoln County last week.
If ECI wants to prevent Dooly from pulling another shocker, it will have to contain Bobcat running back Chanin Hamilton.
Dooly’s main running threat is just a sophomore, but has racked up 12 touchdowns and 1,358 yards while no other Bobcat has reached 100 yards for the season on the ground.
Quarterback A.J. Smith also gives Dooly County a presence through the air.
Smith has passed for nearly 2,000 yards and has tossed 17 touchdown strikes, but has also offered up 14 interceptions — something that the opportunistic Bulldog defense hopes to capitalize on.
“We definitely need to keep track of where (Hamilton) is at all times,” Kearson said. “Dooly is a lot like us. They mix things up and have a few ways that they can beat you. They’re big and athletic up front, which will be our biggest challenge.”
ECI will look to counter on offense with its three-headed running attack of Greg Purcell, James Brown and Michael Sutton. The three have combined for 2,593 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns while wearing down team after team.
Quarterback Caleb Pressey (880 passing yards, 15 TD) is also a threat, providing the balance necessary to keep defenses on their heels and unsure of where the ball is going.
The blueprint of hard-nosed running and controlled passing has worked for the Bulldogs all season — a fact that won’t be lost on them when they set foot on the GHSA’s biggest stage.
“We aren’t going to get away from the stuff that got us here,” Kearson said. “I don’t think that the circumstances of the game will affect us. We’ve played an early game and in a big stadium when we began the season at Paulson. We’ve played in loud places like the ‘House of Pain’ at Washington County. I think that we’ll handle it well.”
The Bulldogs had a chance to get settled in as they departed Twin City early Friday morning. ECI was able to get an afternoon practice in before going out to dinner and having a few hours to relax and focus on today’s game as the first three title games were contested on Friday night.
With 13 games under their belt, the Bulldogs are as prepared and ready to compete for a title as they’re going to get.
Aside from the result of the game, only one thing is still up in the air for ECI.
“I really haven’t thought about what I’m going to say before we take the field,” Kearson said. “I usually just like to wing it. It’s worked so far, so I guess we’ll see how it goes.”
Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9404.
ECI looks to cap season with title