Perspective: Newnan coach Herring en route to 300 wins

Some say Newnan can’t be judged until it plays a Top 10 team. Robert Herring, the coach of the third-ranked Cougars, insists his team has done that.

“We probably have a tougher time on Monday and Tuesday against our defense than on Friday nights,” said Herring, 67, who is in his 45th season on high school sidelines. “They’re holding people to 3.5 [points per game]. They just about kill us in practice, so I know how good they are, and we can score on them once in a while.”

Newnan is running through Region 4-AAAAA like no school in history — averaging 42 points (No. 2 in Class AAAAA) and allowing 3.1 (No. 1 in AAAAA).

The Cougars defeated Mundy’s Mill, a winless team, 49-0 Friday night at home. That means the starters, benched early in the third quarter, will be well rested for Monday’s big game.

Despite Newnan’s No. 3 state ranking, many fans are assuming a wait-and-see posture for a team that was never ranked in 2007 despite losing in the quarterfinals to North Gwinnett, the state runner-up, 38-35.

Newnan is 9-0, and no victory has been closer than the 31-10 opener against LaGrange. LaGrange is a Top 10 team, but in Class AAA.

Herring has seen a few good teams while winning 297 games, and he can’t say that he has had a better one than this. He won state titles at Winston High in Mississippi in 1975 and 1983 and at Oxford High in Alabama in 1988, 1989 and 1993.

For his defense, which lines up in a 3-5, Herring loves the idea that his three down linemen — Dustin Russell, Durlandis Hill and Braland Geter — are faster than the five linebackers, with Russell the swiftest at 4.6 in the 40.

The free safety, Alec Ogletree, is a junior and will be one of the elite recruits in the state next season.

The offense, with 11 senior starters, has a legitimate all-state candidate at four major positions.

Quarterback Russell Powell has thrown 19 touchdown passes. Running back Keandreas Wynn has scored 20 touchdowns. Receiver Alan Bonner has 30 catches. Lineman Ray Beno is committed to Georgia Tech.

Powell, also a four-year starting point guard on the basketball team, is the leader, a left-hander with quick feet and surprising zip in his arm despite being only 5 feet 10. He has run or passed for a touchdown in every start of his career, 21 games.

“I really believe we have the No. 1 team in the state,” Powell said. “I feel like you can put us up with anybody.”

And if Herring might not want that opinion made public, give Powell credit for doing a little homework.

At the start of the season, Powell watched Camden County, Norcross and Walton play at the Corky Kell Classic, and on Thursday he went to Columbus to watch Carver play LaGrange.

“I’m real confident our defense is going to hold [any team’s] offense,” he said. “We’re going to score 35 points, that’s truly what I believe, on any defense on any night, and I know our defense isn’t going to give up 35.”

Herring is decidedly less eager to commit to that kind of talk, but he can’t hide the fact that he’s eager to find out.

There’s even talk that this could be his final season, his last chance to win titles in three Southern states.

He won’t comment on that, but he likes this team.

“We’ve got as good a chemistry as I’ve ever been around, and we’ve got the best offense and best defense that complements each other that I’ve been around,” Herring said. “I’ve never coached a team that averaged 40 points, and I’ve never coached a team that gave up 3.5. It’s almost unbelievable on that.”