By Whitney Jones
On October 19, the Chamblee Bulldogs will play the Therrell Panthers for Homecoming. The Bulldogs, ranked number two in region 5-AAA, are ready and motivated. They don’t want this game to be a disappointment like last year.
For Homecoming last year, the Bulldogs played the Banneker Trojans. The team played hard, but it was all in vain. They lost the game 56-0. Coach Wade Beale says the reason the team is better now than last year is because they did a lot of work in the weight room over the summer.
He says on the field the team “got pushed around.” This year, the team is stronger and more determined. The Bulldogs have not had a winning season since 1986, and the last time they went to the playoffs was in 1984.
Top defensive players for the team are Bendrick Cade, Demarcus Fleming, Dexter Hunt, Kevin Gomez, Devin Floyd, Arlance Jenkins, and Travis Chambers. The top offensive players are Charlie Britt, Jason Allen, Maurice Strickland, Lorenzo Peterson, Aidan Clifford, and Louis Grabowski. Defensive back Dexter Hunt has the most interceptions in the nation. Charlie Britt and Travis Chambers are offensive and defensive players of the month, respectively. All players perform well, even under stress.
The team suffered a minor setback on September 28 when they lost to the Westminster Wildcats, 52-7. The game, Westminster’s homecoming, put the Wildcats into sole possession of first place in region 5-AAA.
The Bulldogs next opponent is Lovett. This team is very strong and is among the many teams to whom Chamblee lost last year.
Lovett is a hard team to play, but Coach Beale thinks the Bulldogs can win. The September 21 game versus the Cross Keys Indians turned out to be another victory for the Chamblee Bulldogs. They won the game 35-0. The defense held CrossKeys for fewer than 50 yards. Maurice Strickland, Clifton Dortch, and Terence Ware all had touchdowns in the game. Devin Floyd caught two interceptions, while Dexter Hunt caught one.
Because of the tragedy on September 11, many athletic activities were canceled. The Chamblee v. Harper-Archer game scheduled for September 15 was one, much to the disappointment of everyone.
Ryan Avery, Varsity football player, was upset because he didn’t get to play a good team like Harper-Archer and possibly be able to move up in their standards and make their record higher. Coach Beale understood the situation but wished the administration had given earlier notice because the players had trained very hard for the game.
He also stated that the cancellation of the game would not deter the team’s performance. There is no room for disappointment this year. Fans are excited and the players are ready. “I feel like we have a good chance of winning because of our defense. They are unstoppable and once our offense starts clicking, we will be unbeatable,” expresses Maurice Strickland.
With an attitude like that, there’s only one place the Bulldogs can be headed: victory!