GHSA 7A State Champs
GHSA 7A Football Championship
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
December 12th, 2018
Milton 14 – Colquitt County 13
The US Geological Survey reported a 4.4 magnitude earthquake, centered just north of Chattanooga, TN, shook north Georgia at 4:15am on December 12th, 2018. I was up at the time, thinking, that’s weird, a big gust of wind must’ve shook the house. I walked to the window and saw the limbs and leaves motionless and forgot all about it until I heard the news report, still not dawning on me until I heard the time of occurrence.
The biggest aftershock occurred about 20 hours later that evening.
Five scores, four lead changes; two blocked field goals, one by each side; one field goal rejected, clanked high off the upright; a 57-yard field goal attempt with the distance, wide-right; four kick-offs beyond the end zone; three kick-offs returned to mid-field; one goal line interception; one 66-yard touchdown pass; two speedy interchangeable tailbacks; one wildly athletic QB; three fourth downs converted on the game winning touchdown drive; one epic game, one epic season.
This might be where I catalog the ups and downs of the season, the late game loss to cross-town rival Roswell, and earlier, the second game of the season victory against Archer, a 2018 final four state playoff team, and even earlier in the season, perhaps a reference to a pre-season scrimmage. But no. I did not attend any of those games. I did attend a summer scrimmage, a seven-on-seven drill, but it was another team, my nephew’s, another state, Ohio. My sister’s boy playing for Lake Catholic High School against my alma-mater, Painesville Riverside, who capped their regular season a few weeks ago with a first-ever playoff victory on a game-ending, fifty yard Hail Mary completion to a player whose mom I graduated with.
I make no claim to the Milton team’s success, other than teaching two of the starters, a linebacker and defensive end, and in an attempt to take their minds off the game, burying them with physics problems. Don’t believe for a second it worked.
The Milton game was the first game I’d attended in years.
By the time Friday Night Lights shine, I’m worn out, in bed, dimming the lights.
Good thing this game was on a Wednesday night, postponed four days from its original Saturday night slot, courtesy of the preemptive Atlanta United’s unplanned run to the Major League Soccer Championship Game against Portland on the night originally planned for the GHSA playoffs.
I watched some of the Atlanta United game last Saturday on tv at my brother-in-law Scott’s holiday party. I attended the Milton-Colquitt game with him and his younger son, a freshman at Georgia Southern. Scott played high school football at Rabun County whose team made the State 2A Final last year. Scott had planned to attend the game last year at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but was turned away, six of the eight championship games rescheduled that day due to snow. A week later, Rabun County hosted the game in their own stadium against Hapeville Charter. Scott is a mountain of a man and played football at Appalachian State where he manages to get to and watch a game every year. His older son is a senior at Appalachian State and rides for their mountain bicycling team.
A few years ago, Appalachian State played Ohio University, my alma-mater, in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. Scott and I shared a (somewhat) good-natured bet on the game that Appalachian State won on a game-ending field goal.
We left the Milton game near midnight thoroughly impressed and entertained. And worn out.
The team bus returned to Milton HS campus around 2:00 am Thursday morning. A student told me this morning a large crowd welcomed their return. Yesterday at school was anticlimactic, as most students slept in and stayed home.
All the players wore their white GHSA Football Champion t-shirts and gray knit hats in school today. Broad smiles everywhere. High fives, slaps on the back. The defensive end told me today the team will get fitted soon for Championship rings. I hope he wears it for a short while then stores it in a display case. It took all of three months after I bought it for me to lose my senior class ring. To this day I miss it. In some light, it was deep purple. Alexandrite, I think. I still have my varsity letter and football pin.
We’ve all got our glory days. Our stories. Different takes on epic.