Today’s interviewee is Douglas County coach Johnny T. White, whose team lost in last week’s Class 6A semifinals to Grayson 35-28 and lost last month to Carrollton 49-28 for the Region 2-6A championship. White gives his thoughts on next week’s Grayson-Carrollton matchup in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
1. What’s the key to beating Grayson? “Be ready for that pace. The offensive pace is fast. You have to contain the quarterback, and you have to limit explosive plays. When you’re on offense, you’ve got to limit that mike linebacker. That Tyler kid is legit. He’s definitely a sideline-to-sideline player.” [Junior quarterback Travis Burgess has thrown for 2,075 yards and rushed for 539. Tyler Atkinson is the consensus No. 1 junior linebacker prospect in the nation.]
2. What’s the key to beating Carrollton? “You’ve got to find a way to make Ju Ju uncomfortable. I don’t know that that’s possible. He’s such a special talent. The running back is better than advertised. You’ve got to limit him, which is going to be very hard to do. On defense, they play very sound and have a strong secondary. You have to hope for a mistake.” [Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis is Carrollton’s quarterback. Running back Kimauri Farmer has rushed for 1,256 yards.]
3. What’s the key matchup in the game? “The key matchup to me is whether Grayson’s offense can play with that same pace against Carrollton’s defense. That’s going to be important. For Grayson, it’s can they limit Carrollton’s big plays.”
4. Who’s going to win? “Ooh, I don’t know if I can say that. I respect both coaches. I think it’s going to be a hard game. The team that makes the fewest makes will win. It’s a tossup. Carrollton should be the favorite. They’re undefeated, and they’re ranked No. 8 in the nation, but Grayson is on a 13-game winning streak for a reason. It’s two well-coached teams, too. It’s going to be a great game.”
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