The Oglethorpe County football team has scored 13 points in four losses and has dealt with costly injuries, but the season is far from over. Region 8-AA play begins on Oct.16, giving the Patriots a chance to recover.
“The teams that we're playing, they’re winning games,” OCHS coach Mike Holland said. “I’m trying to get my guys and my staff to understand that we’ve played quality competition in those four games, and it’s not like we’ve played teams that weren’t very good and lost to them.”
The Patriots’ four opponents — Hephzibah, Washington-Wilkes, Putnam County and East Hall — are a combined 14-6.
OCHS has a young roster, and injuries to key players have forced even younger Patriots to step up.
Hayden Williams, starting junior wideout and defensive back, tore his left ACL during the Washington-Wilkes game. He had just come back from a torn right ACL he suffered last September.
“At one point, we were out our tight end, a tackle and a starting guard for one game,” Holland said. “It’s valuable experience for these kids, but it takes a minute to get used to playing varsity football (and) to get ready for it.”
Sophomore Zion Pass leads the Patriots in rushing yards with 207. Freshman Cooper Davenport, who sees snaps as a running back and quarterback, is second in rushing yards with 148.
“Those two guys are standing out on the offensive side of the ball,” Holland said. “On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore Tristan Cooper is leading us in tackles, so we're young. We're starting two freshmen on the offensive line.”
Davenport is a hard runner, Holland said, and coaches design plays for him as quarterback — behind starter Nathan McCalla — to keep defenses honest. Pass sees the wildcat formation.
“During the last game, when we switched to the new offense, when we scored in like two minutes, I knew we could be something really special,” Pass said. “If we stop fumbling the ball, get snaps right and stay consistent, it’d be a really good thing.”
Last year, the Patriots were 2-2 through four games, and finished the regular season 6-4. That turnaround resulted in a spot in the Class A Division I state playoffs.
“I think they understand that just because things haven’t gone the way that we wanted them to go so far, doesn’t mean that things can’t go the way we want them to go moving forward,” Holland said. “I’ve always said that we have a resilient bunch, and we have kids that for the most part, show up and buy into the idea that, ‘Hey, I'm trying to go one and zero this week.’”
OCHS players keep coming back to practice, and Pass keeps his head up despite the record. He knows he is a leader. Positivity is key.
“I love my team; it’s like family out there,” Pass said. “It makes me happy. I love the game of football, so I just stay positive, and I’m a leader on the team. I feel like I need to stay positive.”
Coming off the bye week, Oglethorpe County travels to Banks County at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Patriots defeated the Leopards on the road 42-20 on Halloween last year. Holland said he hopes they will put together a full game, something he knows his team can do.
“In the Putnam game, we played a very competitive first half,” Holland said. “The defense was playing really well in that game, and then in the second half of the East Hall game, we started to click a little bit on offense. So we’re yet to put it all together.”