Brookwood looking to keep playoff hopes alive
Warriors looking for a region win against Southland Academy
THOMASVILLE — Brookwood’s football team is officially at a crossroads.
After dropping their first two region games to Valwood and Tiftarea Academy, the Warriors (4-3, 0-2) have their backs against the wall in terms of playoff scenarios, and hope to turn things around tonight on the road against Southland Academy.“Losing stinks, but we’re just trying to get better every day,” Brookwood coach Shane Boggs said. “We worked pretty well last week. We’re just trying to eliminate mistakes and prepare for a really good Southland team.”
Right now, the Warriors sit in last place in the GISA Region 3-3A standings. Deerfield-Windsor, Valwood and Southland are all in contention for playoff spots. With only two games left on its regular season schedule, Brookwood is in must-win mode.
“I feel like we certainly have to win them both to have any chance of getting in,” Boggs said. “We could end up in a really nice spot if we pull it off but the only way to win them both is to win them. We’re trying to win every play from here on out.”
That’s certainly a good way to go about that tall task after two straight losses where the offense could not get into gear early. The Warriors were shut out at home by Valwood on Sept.
22, and before last week’s bye, they were down by 28 points against Tiftarea Academy before taking a 34-26 loss. Boggs saw a lot that his team has to improve on. “There’s so many things,” Boggs said. “The first drive, we take it from our own 20 out across their 40 and turn the ball over. I feel like that was a huge momentum killer in a 0-0 game at the time. We had three offensive turnovers total. We muffed a punt. We had a few letdowns defensively. I’m really proud that we kept fighting there at 34-6 and made a game out of it.”Southland currently stands at 8-1 overall, but that could be a little inflated due to some easy games to start the season. In region play, the Raiders are 2-1, with the only loss being a close 20-17 game against Deerfield. Brookwood will have to stop a running game led by Clay Owens. The Warriors’ offense will have to contend with a defense that has allowed just 7.6 points per game in region play.
“They’re really fast and really physical, probably the best team speed we’ve played this year,” Boggs said. “I watched them live against Valwood, and I think their team speed is a little bit better than Valwood’s. It’s probably the best defense we’ve seen overall. They do a good job of creating threats in the pass game and the run game. It’ll be a tough challenge for us.”
Brookwood School
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.