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Putting the ‘D’ in Darlington
Nov 25, 2009 12:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Written by Alex Farrer, Rome News-Tribune sports writer, published 11/25/2009
It’s often been said that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. And as Darlington prepares to host No. 6 Twiggs County in the third round of the state playoffs, the Tiger defense has certainly made some championship-worthy stops in the most critical times of their first two playoff wins.
The first game-changing stop came against Warren County in the first round. After the Darlington offense had taken a 10-0 lead in the first half, the Screaming Devils drove down the field in an attempt to score to pull within three before the half.
On a fourth-and-one, the Tiger defense got a solid push up front and defensive end Alex Sentell made a hit on the Warren County running back at the line before the rest of the defense swarmed to the ball to prevent the score as time expired in the half.
“I said it after the game, and I still believe that play was huge in the game because they had momentum and they were going to get the ball back after the half,” said Darlington coach Tommy Atha. “Keeping them out right there made the difference in the game.”
Last Friday, the defense came through again with a momentum-shifting play in their 28-14 win over Commerce. With Darlington holding a seven-point lead, Commerce drove down the field to the Tiger 10-yard line. On a third-down play, the defense forced and recovered a fumble that allowed the Darlington offense to methodically drive down the field for the game-clinching score.
“Russ (Arnold) and I had seen that the quarterback had been sticking the ball out at end of his runs so we said we were going to try and knock it out,” said Darlington linebacker Chase Butler. “When I saw the ball get knocked loose on that play, I just reached out and grabbed it, and luckily the referee was right there to see it.”
Atha said that the defense has been big all year and has found a way to keep the team in close games.
“They fly around, and they aren’t afraid to run up in there and hit,” said Atha. “They may not be the strongest or even the fastest, but somehow they always get to the ball. You can always measure height, size and 40-times, but you can’t always measure the heart of a player. That’s the biggest thing with this defense. We’ve got kids who play with a lot of heart.”
That defense got a lift early in the season from an unexpected addition. Butler, who has been best known for his baseball exploits over the last three years, decided after watching the team scrimmage Cedartown that he wanted to get back into football his senior year after not playing as a sophomore and junior.
Butler’s brother Brad is the starting quarterback for Darlington and was a big reason Butler wanted to be a part of the team.
“Just seeing him out there was a reality check and made me realize how much I really missed football,” said Butler. “So I talked to coach Atha and after he thought and prayed about it a few days, he gave me the guidelines to what I would have to do to be on the team.”
As part of Atha’s decision, Butler had to sit out the first two games and run extra after practices in order to “pay his dues” to be a part of the team. Atha said that his addition has been a welcomed one.
“It definitely brought a lift,” said Atha. “He plays with a passion and the other kids rally around him. He’s gone above and beyond everything I’ve expected of him.”
It’s often been said that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. And as Darlington prepares to host No. 6 Twiggs County in the third round of the state playoffs, the Tiger defense has certainly made some championship-worthy stops in the most critical times of their first two playoff wins.
The first game-changing stop came against Warren County in the first round. After the Darlington offense had taken a 10-0 lead in the first half, the Screaming Devils drove down the field in an attempt to score to pull within three before the half.
On a fourth-and-one, the Tiger defense got a solid push up front and defensive end Alex Sentell made a hit on the Warren County running back at the line before the rest of the defense swarmed to the ball to prevent the score as time expired in the half.
“I said it after the game, and I still believe that play was huge in the game because they had momentum and they were going to get the ball back after the half,” said Darlington coach Tommy Atha. “Keeping them out right there made the difference in the game.”
Last Friday, the defense came through again with a momentum-shifting play in their 28-14 win over Commerce. With Darlington holding a seven-point lead, Commerce drove down the field to the Tiger 10-yard line. On a third-down play, the defense forced and recovered a fumble that allowed the Darlington offense to methodically drive down the field for the game-clinching score.
“Russ (Arnold) and I had seen that the quarterback had been sticking the ball out at end of his runs so we said we were going to try and knock it out,” said Darlington linebacker Chase Butler. “When I saw the ball get knocked loose on that play, I just reached out and grabbed it, and luckily the referee was right there to see it.”
Atha said that the defense has been big all year and has found a way to keep the team in close games.
“They fly around, and they aren’t afraid to run up in there and hit,” said Atha. “They may not be the strongest or even the fastest, but somehow they always get to the ball. You can always measure height, size and 40-times, but you can’t always measure the heart of a player. That’s the biggest thing with this defense. We’ve got kids who play with a lot of heart.”
That defense got a lift early in the season from an unexpected addition. Butler, who has been best known for his baseball exploits over the last three years, decided after watching the team scrimmage Cedartown that he wanted to get back into football his senior year after not playing as a sophomore and junior.
Butler’s brother Brad is the starting quarterback for Darlington and was a big reason Butler wanted to be a part of the team.
“Just seeing him out there was a reality check and made me realize how much I really missed football,” said Butler. “So I talked to coach Atha and after he thought and prayed about it a few days, he gave me the guidelines to what I would have to do to be on the team.”
As part of Atha’s decision, Butler had to sit out the first two games and run extra after practices in order to “pay his dues” to be a part of the team. Atha said that his addition has been a welcomed one.
“It definitely brought a lift,” said Atha. “He plays with a passion and the other kids rally around him. He’s gone above and beyond everything I’ve expected of him.”
