‘There’s a huge buzz around Bremen’ ahead of Heard County game
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Bremen coach Davis Russell, whose team is 6-0 and ranked No. 4 in Class 2A heading into its road game Friday night against No. 1 Heard County, also 6-0. It’s the first time since 2018 that Bremen has played in a game in which both teams were in the top five of the AJC rankings. (That game also featured Bremen vs. Heard County). It’s the first time since 1973 that Bremen has played in a game in which both teams were 6-0 or better. (That was Bremen vs. West Point.) Russell is in his 11th season as the Blue Devils’ coach.
1. How does this regular-season game rank in terms of community excitement?
“Luckily for us, we started the season playing Bowdon and Haralson County, two of our biggest local rivalries, so we started with two huge atmospheres to play games in. However, this one this week has been building for the last month. There’s a huge buzz around Bremen and a huge buzz around Franklin in Heard County. It’s the atmosphere you want your players to play in, and you hope 10 years from now when they’re talking to their buddies, they’ll talk about the opportunity they had to play in a huge game like this.”
2. What concerns you about Heard County?
“Oh man, where do I start? Heard County is extremely well-coached, they’re super talented, and their quarterback, Ethan Tisdale, is a Memphis commit in his fourth year starting as a dual-threat guy. The game looks really slow to him by now. He’s surrounded by great athletes. The running backs and receiving corps are really good. The offensive line, anchored by Tatum White, who has been offered by Georgia and several others, is also very good.”
3. Your team was 5-6 last season. It’s obviously much stronger this season. Why?
“One of the most underrated stats in high school football is birthdays. We’ve had a lot of birthdays. We’re playing with a lot of seniors who have been playing varsity for two or three years, and the game has slowed down for those guys. We have a good staff. I’m proud of all my assistants. And this team really likes each other. It’s one of the closest teams I’ve ever been around. They play really hard for one another.”
4. You’ve been at Bremen for a long time now. What do you like about Bremen, and if you had friends coming to town, what would you show them?
“Bremen is the best little town in America, in my opinion. I’ve been here 11 years, and I’ve been able to raise a family. My wife teaches special education and coaches volleyball. My daughter is 13 and my son is 11, and they play multiple sports. If somebody came to Bremen to see something, the thing we’re most proud of is our school system. We have an excellent school. They say we’re an everything school, and I believe from academics to arts to sports, we do well in everything we do. We’re a very well-rounded school system.”
Note: The only Class 2A public-school coaches who have been at their jobs longer than Russell are Dublin’s Roger Holmes (25 seasons) and Screven County’s Ron Duncan (15 years).