Northside streak will be on the line

Published 11:18 pm Wednesday, August 27, 2008

MOULTRIE – The last time Northside-Warner Robins lost a football game was on Dec. 2, 2005, when the Eagles fell to Statesboro 13-10 in the Class AAAA state championship game in Statesboro.

Since then, 30 wins in a row. And even including the loss to the Blue Devils, Conrad Nix’s teams have won 44 of their last 45.

That remarkable streak will be on the line on Friday when the Northside plays host to Perry in its 2008 season-opener.

Northside, which moved up and into Region 1-AAAAA this year, has perhaps the most challenging schedule in the state this year, with Georgia Class AAA Carver of Columbus and Florida state champion Washington High of Miami also on the slate.

While Perry might not be held in the esteem of those two teams or of the rest of the Region 1-AAAAA that Northside must face down the road, the Panthers are not likely to be a pushover.

The two schools are renewing a series that ended in 1987 with Northside holding a 7-3 advantage.

But the Panthers are coming off one of the best seasons in school history, going 9-4 and reaching the third round of the Class AAA playoffs under Coach Andy Scott.

Much has been made of Northside’s loss of a number of talented skill position players from last year 15-0 Class AAAA state championship team.

But two talented defensive players – lineman Abry Jones and linebacker Eric Fields – are back and the Eagles still have one of the state’s most successful coaches – Conrad Nix – on the sideline.

Nix brings a 237-61 record into the season and the last time a Northside team of his won fewer than 10 games was in 1997 when the Eagles went 9-4.

After going 18-4 at Irwin County in 1971 and 1972, Nix went to Northside where he stayed until 1985, when he went to Fayette County for one 1-9 season.

He went back to Northside in 1994 and has been a fixture ever since.

Also in Region 1-AAAAA on Friday:

• Coffee at Ware County. The Trojans are coming off back-to-back 9-3 seasons, but Jerry Odom, who was the head coach the last three years, has left for arena football. Ken Eldridge, a former Trojans quarterback, has taken over as head coach and faces a daunting season-opener.

Ware County was the state Class AAAA runner-up, falling to Northside 21-14 in the state championship game. The Gators are ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA.

• Houston County at Groves. Greg Robinson, the former Colquitt County High quarterback and Dodge County coach, will lead his first Houston County into its season-opener in Garden City against the Region 3-AAAAA Rebels.

The Bears were 1-9 under interim head coach George Collins last year and the school has turned to Robinson to try to turn the school’s football fortunes around.

Groves was 3-7 last season.

• Woodland at Lowndes. The defending state champion Vikings are not expected to be challenged as they play their first game on the new SprinTurf at Martin Stadium.

Woodland is a second-year school in Stockbridge.

The Vikings, who won their final 14 games last season en route to their third state championship in four years, should have little trouble with the Wolfpack.

• Roswell at Tift County. This could be the most interesting game featuring a region team on Friday.

The Blue Devils were 6-5 last year, losing in the first round of the playoffs to Camden County 21-14.

Tift County has some excellent players returning, including quarterback Nick Prostko and receivers Jared Davis and Jarrod Bateman.

The defense boasts defensive tackle Shayon Green, who has commited to Purdue, and linebacker Josh Abbott.

Roswell, from Region 6-AAAAA, went three games deep into the playoffs last year before being eliminated by Lowndes 31-20.

The Blue Devils received six votes in The Associated Press preseason Class AAAAA poll. The Hornets got three.

• Jenkins at Valdosta. The Wildcats went 9-3 last season to prove the 2006 record of 1-9 was an aberration.

Region 3-AAAAA Jenkins will be playing their second straight Region 1-AAAAA opponent.

The 2007 Warriors took an 8-1 record into the playoffs, where they were quickly eliminated by Coffee 37-0.

• Warner Robins at Wheeler. The Demons will try to rebound from last year’s 3-7 record, the school’s worst since the 1966 team went 1-9.

Warner Robins lost four of its last five last year, beating only Colquitt County down the stretch.

Coal Tom Flugum’s Wheeler Wildcats, playing in Region 6-AAAAA, were 5-5 last year.