After taking No. 1 from Toombs, Appling County has another tough test ahead
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Appling County coach JD Sellers, whose team defeated then-No. 1 Toombs County 11-7 on Friday. Toombs entered the game averaging 58.0 points per game. The win moved Appling County to the top of the AJC Varsity Top 10. The Pirates next play No. 3 Pierce County.
1. On Friday you knocked off top-ranked Toombs County, which had the highest-scoring offense in the state. What was the key to that win?
“The most important component was really just making sure we handled the moment, handled the emotion of the situation. Anytime you’re in a game with No. 1 versus No. 2, sometimes it’s about who makes the fewest mistakes. And it was a game where each team, you know, made some good plays, but each team made some bad ones, and it really just came down to who handled the pressure of the situation the best as it was coming down the stretch.”
On the defensive battle:
“When you look at it, both defenses were the top-two-ranked defenses in the state, statistically. So usually, when two great defenses play against each other, you know, it kind of balances out what each team may do on offense. It was a situation where — what they do on defense, they do a great job of outnumbering you so you can’t run the ball, and then they have great coverage guys to keep you from being able to throw the ball. So we knew we had to come away with a couple of gimmicks to try to steal some things, and so you can only create that so much. We knew our opportunities were going to be limited and we’d just have to hold strong.
“ … Certainly we went out and played well on defense, and that’s kind of been our M.O. all year. We created two turnovers, and that was one of our goals going into it. They have not turned the ball over. And so, by being able to get those turnovers, it put a little stress on the situation and helped us out."
2. Despite beating Toombs, you are still seeded lower than them in the PSR and will likely get a lower seed than them in the playoffs. What is your reaction to that and the PSR as a whole system?
“It’s not something that I’m a huge fan of with the (PSR). I think it’s subjective. It’s impossible to know what teams are going to be like going into the year when schedules are made, so on and so forth. I prefer the traditional way where it was completely objective. It was how you finished, based on your win-loss record in the region, and then you went into the seeds based on that. That’s just my personal take on it, but that’s the rules of the situation, so we’ll have to line up and play however the cards fall.”
3. You have a standout running back in Jaiden Knight. Tell me about what he means to your team.
“When you look at his statistics, that’s not indicative of his season at all. We’ve had a running clock at halftime of every game we’ve played this year. So he’s only played two quarters of every game all season, and he’s only been getting eight to 10 carries, maybe, per game. He’s still over 1,000 yards (rushing) with more limited touches than most people. He is definitely who the offense goes through and he does a great job of competing.
“He also starts at linebacker for us on the other side of the ball. That’s another thing that is very easily overlooked, and the speed that he brings on both sides of the ball is tough to match, and it gives us a great advantage when we can get him rolling.
“And another (underrated player) I’ll mention is (senior) Titus Wallace. He plays receiver and running back for us on offense, but he’s also playing safety, and that’s really probably his number one spot. I think that’s what he’s gonna be in his future career. It’s great when you’ve got him rolling around on the back end, helping you out in coverage and helping you out in run fits. And so those two are definitely leaders for us from a playmaking standpoint.”
4. You’re coming off a win over top-ranked Toombs, and then you’ve got to go right back out there and take on another really strong team in Pierce County. How do you keep the energy and focus in back-to-back weeks playing really good teams? And what do you expect when you look at Pierce County for Friday?
“Pierce County’s one of the most physical teams in the state. That’s their M.O., and they create their identity off of that. We’ve known all year long that our first eight games were going to be pretty manageable, and then the whole season was going to have to be based around being able to gear up for two weeks in a row. That’s going to be the toughest challenge for us is bringing that same level of intensity and focus that we brought against Toombs and having to carry it over in one more. They’re coming to our place and this is a game that’s always very emotionally driven.
“Both teams are going to be on a high and we’ve got to manage our practices and manage our situation to try to get us as healthy as we can, as recovered as we can after getting a little banged up on Friday, and try to be able to go out and create at an even higher intensity than we did this past week.”