THOMASVILLE – First a region championship. Then a five-game winning streak to end the regular season. What's next for these Brookwood Warriors? A state championship?
The Warriors' path to a state title will begin at home on Nov. 18.
“Obviously, we're excited about getting another win,” said Brookwood coach Shane Boggs following Friday's 19-18 win over Valwood. “That win actually set a Brookwood record for most consecutive region wins and then tied in terms of winning three region championships in a row. We've won 11 region games in a row now over the last three years. Our kids are excited about that.
“We're going to enjoy this thing this weekend. Of course, we've got the bye week. We'll be excited to play either Pinewood or Southland.”
Boggs' Warriors finished the regular season with a No. 2 ranking in the Georgia Independent Athletic Association's Class 3A. With that accolade comes a bye in the first round of the state playoffs. Brookwood and defending champion John Milledge Academy open the playoffs with byes. Brookwood hopes to heal up during this week's open week, while keeping that level of sharpness that's sustained them through the region schedule.
“I feel like there has to be (different) focuses. One of them has to be to get healthy. The old saying is, Brookwood can't beat Brookwood during an open week. We're not going to go out there and have some crazy physical practices that are going to set us back,” Boggs said. “Goal one is to get healthy. Goal two has to be to correct mistakes. I think we can go ahead and start game planning. We've already played Southland and then try to get a feel for Pinewood and try to get a little bit ahead of the game and get some of that stuff installed moving forward into next week.”
Brookwood enters the playoffs following its closest win of the season, a 19-18 win over rival Valwood. But Boggs believes the close victory will serve his team well heading into the playoffs.
“I think it proves that we've got the right kind of mindset. We know how to work through a bunch of adversity. We turned the ball over three times,” Boggs said. “Just some stuff you don't normally see happened in this game. (But) Rodge (Walker) and Destin (Moore) converted a big fourth-and-16 that was huge, and we went on to score. Rex (Schofill) makes basically the game-ending interception.”
Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.