Today’s interviewee is Ware County coach Jason Strickland, whose team jumped back into the Class 4A top 10 this week after a 38-14 victory over then-No. 2 Benedictine. Ware trailed 14-3 in the first half. Ware has three losses, two against Florida teams, one of those in overtime, and the other by four points to Coffee of Class 5A.
1. What turned the tide in the game Friday? What was the halftime message, and where were you attacking them? “I think the tide turned on our third possession of the game. We were down 14-3, backed up at our own 20. We had to punt, and our punter, William Bates, kicked a 64-yard punt that flipped the field. Our defense then held Benedictine to a three-and-out. They shanked their punt, and we got the ball inside their 40. Our offense was able to drive down and score a touchdown with three seconds left in the half to make it 14-10. At halftime our message was simply that it was going to take everyone in the room and all three phases to get the win. Our offensive staff put together a really good plan to be patient and trust our offensive line. Our guys up front did a great job of leaning on them in the second half. We were going to try to run a bit of the clock and try to keep their dynamic offense on the sideline.”
2. The Ware-Benedictine rivalry predates the GHSA putting you in the same region this year. How and why did it get started? What has that rivalry come to mean? “First off, me and Coach [Danny] Britt are friends and have a ton of respect for each other. We played each other three times when we were at Fitzgerald. When we got to Ware, both he and I were having trouble finding enough non-region games, so we decided to get each other on the schedule. That game has become sort of a measuring stick game for both of us. We know they are going to be extremely well-coached, and their kids are going to play their guts out. It has become a friendly rivalry. Our players respect the heck out of their program and look forward to playing them every year.”
3. Not counting the playoffs, have you ever had a schedule stretch tougher than the one you’re on – Benedictine, Perry, Warner Robins? Are there concessions/changes you make in practice to handle the toughness of this stretch? And was it made harder with the storm-related issues you’ve faced? “I can’t think of a tougher stretch. There’s going to be several sleepless nights going forward. We tried to prepare our guys for the region schedule by playing really good people in our non-region schedule. We knew we were going to be tested mentally and physically, so we wanted our guys tested going into region play. I think we are in the toughest region in the state, and our guys know they are going to have to prepare and play at an exceptionally high level to have a chance. We have begun to dial back a little bit of the contact at practice at this point, but there are certain things you are just going to have to do to be physically prepared for the type of people we are going to be playing. The storm created a ton of disarray for our community. We had several guys displaced, but I have been so impressed with the resilience of our players. They were as happy as anyone to have a chance to practice and play and get back to some normalcy.”
4. What do you like about your current team, and what are some concerns that need to be addressed? And I know you’ve been missing R.J. Boyd [star running back committed to N.C. State who is being treated for cancer]. How is R.J. doing? “The thing I like most about this group is their ability to block out outside noise. They like playing with each other and really pull for each other. Losing R.J. has been a big blow, but it’s also given us a chance to put things in perspective. R.J. is tough as nails, and he is going to win his fight. He has been around as much as he can, and I think that has been very positive for our team. He has been Jamir’s [R.J.’s younger brother] biggest supporter this year. [Jamir Boyd rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the Benedictine game.] R.J. has been an inspiration for us, and it’s given us an opportunity to understand that nothing is guaranteed. He will not be able to play this year. He still has several treatments, but thankfully he is getting positive news. N.C. State is getting one heck of a player. There is no doubt in my mind when he gets through this, he is going to be scoring a bunch of touchdowns in the next several years.”
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