Top two teams in Class 5A square off

By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
Russellville may be ranked No. 1 and Athens No. 2 heading into tonight's showdown between the top two teams in Class 5A, but Golden Tiger coach Perry Swindall said his team is the one playing the role of underdog.
"We probably are," said Swindall, whose team has won 38 consecutive games in Region 8 play. "The state rankings are based more on reputation than on what you've accomplished. We've won five games, but so have they. They're a great football team. This is a team that [Athens head coach Allen Creasy] has been building for the past three years. Most of those guys started as sophomores, and they've paid their dues. I think this is the best team he's had since he's been at Athens."
The Golden Tigers (5-0, 3-0) have won the last six meetings between the two teams, but Swindall said making it seven straight will be a tremendous challenge.
"If we play great, we'll have a chance to win," he said. "If both teams play great, we probably shouldn't beat them. That's just a fact.
"We're nowhere near as athletic as they are. We just don't match up well with them on paper. We have to hope they make a few mistakes and commit some turnovers that give us a short field to work with, and we have to avoid doing those kind of things ourselves."
Creasy has heard this kind of talk from Swindall before, and he isn't buying it.
"You can't always believe everything Perry says," Creasy said with a laugh. "We're a confident team and we've had some success this year, but until somebody proves differently Russellville is the team to beat in our region. They haven't lost a region game since 2000. They've been a dominant force for a long time."
Russellville has won five consecutive region championships, and the winner of tonight's clash will have the inside track to this year's title as well as statewide bragging rights as the No. 1 team in Class 5A.
"We're definitely looking forward to the game, as I'm sure they are, too," said Creasy, whose squad is also 5-0. "We're excited about all of the things that go along with the game like the rankings and things like that, but when the game kicks off on Friday night that stuff won't matter. It will just be Athens versus Russellville, our players versus their players. It should be a good one."
Swindall's concern about the Golden Eagles centers around one player in particular, senior quarterback Rob Ezzell. In his third full season as the starter, Ezzell has the ability to take over a game with his arm and his legs.
"Their quarterback is a wizard with the things he can do with the football," Swindall said. "People don't realize it, but he's like a Michael Vick when it comes to elusiveness. He can run around, run around, run around, and then when somebody comes open, pop it to them downfield.
"He's just a playmaker. If we're not careful when we pressure him, he'll shake loose and be 25 yards downfield. I haven't yet seen anybody wrap him up and bring him down on the first hit. He's just a great high school football player, and he's got a good supporting cast at running back, wide receiver, and on the offensive line."
Creasy said that, while Ezzell's tendency to improvise can sometimes be frustrating from a coaching standpoint, it is essential to Athens' success on offense.
The Golden Eagles have scored 182 points this season, one fewer than Russellville.
"Every great player has to have the ability to make plays, and Rob is definitely a playmaker," Creasy said. "Sometimes, his efforts to make plays can end up hurting us, but more often than not it works in our favor. He certainly knows how to make a conventional offense unconventional.
"I know one thing: I'd hate to have to defend against him, because you never know what to expect."
Russellville opponents have come to expect one thing for sure in recent weeks-a heavy dose of 6-foot-1, 241-pound junior running back Mike Abernathy.
After struggling to play through an ankle injury in the first two games, Abernathy has exploded for 544 rushing yards on 57 carries over the past three weeks. For the season, Abernathy (642 yards on 78 attempts) and senior Kirby Nelson (358 yards on 56 carries) have already combined for 1,000 yards on the ground.
"We're running the ball better now than we have in a long time," Swindall said. "Mike is a great running back, and Kirby complements him very well. Our offensive line is doing a solid job. I can't remember us ever having a 500-yard rusher this early in the season. Last year, Mike finished with 999 yards on 141 carries in 14 games. He's already got more than half that amount of carries, and we've only played five games. We're just running the ball with a little more proficiency right now, and that's why we've been successful."
Russellville's passing attack has been prolific at times and practically nonexistent at others, but Creasy said his team can not afford to focus only on the running game.
"Just as in the past, I think Russellville takes advantage of what they do well," he said. "They've got some great running backs and a big, strong offensive line, so they've been running the ball really well. But we can't just come in there and think that all we have to do is stop the run. Their quarterback throws the ball better than most, he just hasn't had to do it as much. They're still very capable of doing everything they always have."
Last season, Russellville out-rushed Athens 194 yards to 59, but duplicating that feat will be tough against the Golden Eagles' stellar defensive line.
Six-foot-3, 315-pound senior Alfred McCullough has already committed to the University of Alabama, and fellow defensive tackle Carlos Jones (6-foot-2, 280 pounds) is also being heavily recruited.
"They're big, fast and strong," Swindall said. "They have a couple of SEC prospects on the defensive line, and their linebackers and guys in the secondary run really well.
"We have to be able to make enough plays down the field in the passing game to open things up for the running game. Our passing game has been a little erratic at times, but when we've had the opportunity to stretch the field we've been able to do that, for the most part."