The progress of the Sonoraville football program was kind of blurred this season in the wake of the outstanding seasons experienced by state-ranked teams at Calhoun and Adairsville. But when the second round of the playoffs are played on Friday, Sonoraville will be a host site for the first time.
In an unusual turn of events, Sonoraville earned the right to host the game when Westside-Macon, the No. 4 seed from Region 2, won its playoff opener. That enabled the Phoenix, which won its first-round game at East Hall, the ability to hold the game at its campus.
“We’re playing pretty good football right now,” Sonoraville coach Jim Kremer said.
This is the third straight year the Phoenix (8-3) have been in the state playoffs, but it’s their first time to get past the opening round. They’ve succeeded thanks to a strong offense, which has scored 30 or more points in seven games. And the defense has posted two shutouts and limited five opponents to single digits.
It’s a wonder the team has been able to recover from season-ending injuries to three key players, a running back, an H-back and a slot receiver. The Phoenix, who were also breaking in a new offensive coordinator, were able to get past the injuries and establish a school record for wins.
The heart of the offense has been quarterback Cody Long, who has run for 1,600 yards and thrown for 1,000. Running back Hunter Lay has surpassed 1,000 yards rushing and H-back Kenny Cooper has been a big piece of the success.
Cooper (6-4, 300) played in the Georgia High School All-Star game and received 20 mid-major offers before choosing Western Kentucky. He also starts at nose tackle.
Other defensive standouts include middle linebacker Jonathon Novicki, outside linebacker Morgan Holt (who set a school record with 106 tackles) and cornerback Tarik Holmes.
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