Dougherty football: The five who brought the playoffs home

After a 42-point playoff loss, Dougherty’s offensive linemen went to work. A year later, the 9-1 Trojans host Gilmer at Hugh Mills Stadium Saturday afternoon

ALBANY — The scoreboard at Jefferson read 55-13 when Dougherty’s season ended last November. Richard Washington remembers what he and the other offensive linemen did with that feeling.

They took it to the weight room.

“We came together and we didn’t like that feeling after losing like that at Jefferson,” Washington said. “We decided we were going to start working and get better. We don’t want to lose any more.”

Dougherty had made the Class 4A playoffs as the 32nd and final seed. A 23-19 win over crosstown rival Monroe, the Trojans’ only region victory, got them in. They went on the road to face No. 1 Jefferson and came home 2-9.

On Saturday afternoon, the Gilmer Bobcats come to Albany.

Dougherty is 9-1, the Region 1-4A champion and the No. 6 seed. The Trojans host Gilmer (5-5) at Hugh Mills Stadium in the first round of the state playoffs. A win gives them another game at home.

Before the season, coach Uyl Joyner recalled how upset his linemen were after Jefferson. As soon as offseason workouts opened, they went to work. At the time, their coach could point to what they were doing in the weight room. Now he can point to what they’ve done on Friday nights.

Cam Hines is in his second season coaching Dougherty’s offensive line. Jaiden Walker starts at center, with Amar’ee Jones at left guard and K’nyron Holliday at right guard. Richard Washington starts at left tackle and Kyle Jackson at right tackle.

“These guys work hard. They never complain,” Uyl Joyner said. “They are all quiet guys who don’t say a lot but put the work in.”

Walker said the group calls itself Death Row. He explained what the name means to them as “doing everything at the highest level of winning.” Walker, who has grown more vocal as the season has gone on, described how the five put that into practice.

“We help each other, and keep ourselves accountable,” Walker said.

Washington, Jackson and Jones are sophomores. Walker and Holliday are juniors. All five can return next fall.

Some of their best work shows up under somebody else’s name in the box score. Sophomore quarterback Micah Joyner has thrown for 2,269 yards and 31 touchdowns and run for 490 yards and three more scores on 54 carries. Florida A&M commit David Burgess, Jherel Gibson, Alonzo Hammong and Detavious Poole are among the receivers who have helped turn those numbers into a region championship.

Asked how he felt about Micah getting the attention and the headlines, Washington had a ready answer.

“That’s OK, we look at this as a team effort,” he said.

Micah had an answer of his own.

“These guys are the backbone of the offense,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to grab the headlines without them. They make it all possible.”