Just one more step: Deerfield-Windsor looking for elusive GISA football title

ALBANY — Football in November is a tradition for the Deerfield-Windsor program.

The Knights have reached the semifinals of the GISA Class 3A playoffs each of the past 10 years, with five of those years leading to a spot in the championship round.

The GISA championship trophy, however, has not gone the Knights’ way recently. It has been five years — 2012 — since Deerfield-Windsor won its fourth and most recent state championship.

That’s not to say Deerfield-Windsor (8-5 in 2016) hasn’t been in the mix. The Knights fell two points shy of a state title two years ago in the championship game against Valwood, and last year’s semifinal loss to Gatewood came down to the final minute, as well.

With an offense that returns its quarterback and tailback, there’s a strong possibility that the Knights will be right back in the middle of things this season in GISA Class 3A.

The road to Five Star Stadium in Macon and the GISA championship games Nov. 17 begins this weekend. Deerfield-Windsor opens the season Friday night at Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg, with Westwood (Friday at First Presbyterian Christian) and Terrell Academy (Friday vs. Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate in the SECIS Showcase in Montgomery, Ala.) also in action.

“We’re just trying to get there,” junior quarterback Jack Kimbrel said. “Every year, we just try to get as far as we can, and we’re going to try to make it all the way this year and win it.”

For Deerfield-Windsor, a big plus heading into the 2017 season will be experience in the offensive backfield.

Kimbrel (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) was a first-time starter last year as a sophomore, stepping up and throwing for 1,200 yards.

Tailback Garrett Jones, a 6-foot, 205-pound senior, also put up some quality numbers last year, rushing for 1,400 yards.

That run-pass balance is something Deerfield-Windsor likes to establish, and the Knights, who have six starters returning on offense, are looking to use that to their advantage this fall.

“Last year, our playbook was thinned out because we were young at the skill positions,” Deerfield-Windsor head coach Allen Lowe said. “Now we hope to expand out a little bit more, having those two guys.”

There are a few more holes to fill on defense, where only five starters return. The Knights had just one shutout last season, allowing a single touchdown in two other games.

Deerfield-Windsor’s home opener is Aug. 18 against Miller County.

“We’ve got a good bit of our skill guys back,” Lowe said. “The line of scrimmage was very young last year, too. We feel like we have a good nucleus. We did lose some good players. We think our depth is going to be much improved across the board, but we still have to fill in some blanks.”