Northside-Warner Robins presents another challenge for Lee County

LEESBURG — With just one more day before Northside-Warner Robins meets Lee County for the Georgia High School Association Class 6A state football championship, both head coaches share similar views of the extra preparation time.

The championship games, originally scheduled for Dec. 7-8 were pushed back to Dec. 11-12 when the Atlanta United soccer team earned the right to host the MLS Cup on Dec. 8. That means that by the time the game kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Tuesday night at 8 p.m., both teams will have had exactly 11 days of preparation time since the semifinal round.

That’s enough time to install a new wrinkle on offense and allow some nagging injuries to heal.

“Everybody’s different,” said Northside head coach Kevin Kinsler, who is seeking his team’s first state football title since winning the Class 5A crown in 2014.

“We’ve used the extra time to get some guys healed up. But it’s like this. When you spend time cramming for a big test and then you forget everything you studied for because you studied too hard, that’s not good. So we have paced things in practice.”

It’s been similar at Lee County, where head coach Dean Fabrizio doesn’t doubt his team’s focus.

“We’ve had some time to heal and get some guys well,” he said. “Then it’s been good for our coaches, who have had a little time to rest up as well. We practiced Saturday and Sunday, which we never do. But it’s a state championship game. You have to practice hard.”

The challenge for Lee County is trying to figure out how to beat a Northside team it defeated 24-7 earlier this season. The Eagles (9-5) are playing their best football of the season. They are the only team in the state above Class 1A to reach the semifinals and not be a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.

Dual-threat quarterback Jadin Daniels has rushed for 1,549 yards and 17 touchdowns, while passing for 1,565 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Fabrizio knows trying to shut down the Eagles again, especially Daniels, will be a challenge.

“The schedule they’ve played has prepared them well,” he said. “Their quarterback is very good, their running back is good and their receivers are very good. On defense, they look like Northside … big, fast and strong.”

Which is why the extra preparation time has been valuable.