Douglass knocked out a defending champion. Can it beat No. 1 Sandy Creek?
Douglass football players crunch through dead leaves on a crisp November morning as they trot to the practice field. Shoulder pads are layered over hoodies and sleeves.
For coach Stanley Pritchett, these are sights and sounds of success.
Pritchett is coaching a red-hot program that just earned its first quarterfinals appearance since he took over five years ago.
A 12-0 win on the road over reigning Class 3A state champion Calhoun meant that for the first time in the Pritchett era, Douglass is practicing during Thanksgiving break.
It was a signature win for Pritchett’s rebuild. Not only did Douglass dethroned the No. 2-ranked team in the class, but the Astros handed Calhoun their first shutout at home since 2016 and limited star receiver Justin Beasley — the state leader in receiving yards — to a season-low four catches for 35 yards.
Douglass also avenged its 38-14 elimination loss at Calhoun in the same round at the same stadium last season. And on paper, there was no way that Douglass’ defense should have improved.
Pritchett lost his two most talented defenders this offseason in 4-star cornerback Jontae Gilbert, now a freshman at Georgia, and 5-star safety Casey Barner, who transferred to McEachern.
The Astros’ defense suffered growing pains, starting the year 0-2 with a 27-0 loss at West Forsyth and a 35-7 loss at Westlake.
“Losing Jontae and Casey moving out, that really hurt us at the beginning, but the guys stepped up,” Pritchett said. “The next man has to step up and take on the challenge of setting the championship standard that we have on defense.”
Douglass’ defense found its stride in a 34-0 win over Mays the next week. The Astros shut out five of their next six opponents.
“The next man stepped up in the secondary, and we’ve been moving forward since,” Pritchett said. “There’s been some guys in the program that didn’t get an opportunity to play that got an opportunity to play … and they made the most of their situation.”
Douglass lost some talent on the back end of its defense, but Pritchett has plenty of confidence in his front seven, led by Georgia State defensive line commitment John Amafa Jr.
Douglass will need a strong performance from its defensive front this Friday when it faces Sandy Creek, Class 3A’s top-ranked team that has bullied teams all season with a physical attack led by 4-star Wisconsin running back commitment Amari Latimer.
Pritchett remembers the last time he faced Latimer when Sandy Creek and Douglass shared a region in 2023. Then a sophomore, Latimer rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries.
So Douglass has made a point of stopping tough running backs all week at practice.
“We’ve been doing tackling drills all week,” senior linebacker Caleb Roberson said. “Our coach is just trying to get it in our minds that we know where to line up, we know what to do, and we know what they’re going to do because they have a 5-star in the backfield.
“So he wants us to make sure that we get low, wrap up, and drive our feet. That’s been the main goal this whole week.”
Douglass went 1-9 in Pritchett’s first season. The Astros finished 3-8 the next year, and they finished 6-5 and made the playoffs the year after that.
Last season, 8-4 and won its first playoff game under Pritchett. Now, Douglass at 9-3 can add another accomplishment with its first upset of a No. 1-ranked team under Pritchett’s leadership.
Senior offensive lineman Joshua Tucker is playing his fourth season for Pritchett. He watched the program gain more focus and discipline over his high school career.
Tucker knows that if the Astros are going to shock the state, they’ll need to keep the same identity that rebuilt the program.
“The players trust the players, the players trust the coaches, the coaches trust the coaches, and the coaches trust the players,” Tucker said. “And I feel like each year, it has grown more and more, and our bond and our connection has become even stronger. We trust each other so much that we really are fighting for each other out here.”
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
