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December delight: Playing football in the final month of the year is ultimate thrill for Tigers
Nov 30, 2009 12:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Written by Alex Farrer, Rome News-Tribune sports writer, published 11/30/2009
Few high school football teams get to play into late November. Even fewer get to play into December. But with their recent outstanding play in the playoffs, the Darlington Tigers have become one of those teams.
Coming off a 17-0 shutout of an explosive Twiggs County team last Friday, the Tigers will now ready themselves for No. 2 Savannah Christian Prep in the semi-finals.
Darlington coach Tommy Atha said that the run to the Final Four has brought the Tiger community together unlike anything has in a long time.
“We’ve had a lot of activities and different parents step up to cook meals for the team and the families,” said Atha. “It was amazing, by the time I flipped the coin on Saturday, within 10 minutes I was flooded with phone calls and text messages from people wanting to know what happened and saying good job. Over the last few weeks when I go out in town wearing Darlington stuff, somebody will step up and say congratulations. From that standpoint, it’s been rewarding and the kids are very excited about what they’ve accomplished.”
The Darlington defense has led the way through the first three rounds of the playoffs getting clutch stops and turnovers in all three games. This past week the unit shut out a Twiggs County offense that had scored 40 or more points in their past five games.
Atha said that the way his team has played over the last few weeks has led to a strong sense of confidence among his team.
“I think our team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and they feel like they’ve become a really good football team,” said Atha. “I certainly don’t think we’re overconfident by any means. They understand what a huge test it’s going to be this week, and they always get tougher and tougher as you go along.”
Atha said that Savannah Christian would be one of the most physical teams his squad has played all year. The Raiders have a tough defense that prides itself on stopping the run and shut out Lincoln County this past Friday, 7-0.
“They are going to crowd the box and bring pressure by running their linebackers through and they’re going to force your hand,” said Atha. “They’re going to make you make plays based on what they do.”
Savannah Christian linebacker has ties to Rome
Even though Savannah Christian will be at Darlington Friday night, Raiders linebacker Tanner Burch will have a plenty of hometown support.
Tanner is the son of Mark Burch who played linebacker at Armuchee from 1976-79 before playing at Mars Hill College. He also has family and friends in the Armuchee and Summerville area.
“The biggest thing for me is that his grandparents are going to get a chance to see him play,” said Mark of his parents who live in Everett Springs, which is north of Armuchee. “We’ve got family from the area that have said they were going to be there, probably 20 to 30 people.”
Few high school football teams get to play into late November. Even fewer get to play into December. But with their recent outstanding play in the playoffs, the Darlington Tigers have become one of those teams.
Coming off a 17-0 shutout of an explosive Twiggs County team last Friday, the Tigers will now ready themselves for No. 2 Savannah Christian Prep in the semi-finals.
Darlington coach Tommy Atha said that the run to the Final Four has brought the Tiger community together unlike anything has in a long time.
“We’ve had a lot of activities and different parents step up to cook meals for the team and the families,” said Atha. “It was amazing, by the time I flipped the coin on Saturday, within 10 minutes I was flooded with phone calls and text messages from people wanting to know what happened and saying good job. Over the last few weeks when I go out in town wearing Darlington stuff, somebody will step up and say congratulations. From that standpoint, it’s been rewarding and the kids are very excited about what they’ve accomplished.”
The Darlington defense has led the way through the first three rounds of the playoffs getting clutch stops and turnovers in all three games. This past week the unit shut out a Twiggs County offense that had scored 40 or more points in their past five games.
Atha said that the way his team has played over the last few weeks has led to a strong sense of confidence among his team.
“I think our team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, and they feel like they’ve become a really good football team,” said Atha. “I certainly don’t think we’re overconfident by any means. They understand what a huge test it’s going to be this week, and they always get tougher and tougher as you go along.”
Atha said that Savannah Christian would be one of the most physical teams his squad has played all year. The Raiders have a tough defense that prides itself on stopping the run and shut out Lincoln County this past Friday, 7-0.
“They are going to crowd the box and bring pressure by running their linebackers through and they’re going to force your hand,” said Atha. “They’re going to make you make plays based on what they do.”
Savannah Christian linebacker has ties to Rome
Even though Savannah Christian will be at Darlington Friday night, Raiders linebacker Tanner Burch will have a plenty of hometown support.
Tanner is the son of Mark Burch who played linebacker at Armuchee from 1976-79 before playing at Mars Hill College. He also has family and friends in the Armuchee and Summerville area.
“The biggest thing for me is that his grandparents are going to get a chance to see him play,” said Mark of his parents who live in Everett Springs, which is north of Armuchee. “We’ve got family from the area that have said they were going to be there, probably 20 to 30 people.”
