This the week that DeKalb County schools and Decatur can join in the high school football fun. And no one is looking forward to hitting the field on Friday any more than two-time region champion Southwest DeKalb, which is looking to defend its title as King of the Hill in a deeper, tougher league.
Coach Damien Wimes, whose teams are 19-3 over the last two years, have had some hurdles to navigate during the Corona Crisis. But Wimes was proud that his players adhered to the restrictions, followed the plan and stayed safe.
“It’s been a great learning experience for our players to know that everything’s not always going to go your way and you have to put your faith in God,” Wimes said. “You have to be persistent and have faith and our kids have done that. They have been resilient and they’ve stuck to the guidelines.”
Southwest DeKalb will open the season on Friday against Tucker at Hallford Stadium. Other Class 5A teams from DeKalb County teams making their season debut this week are Lithonia vs. Stephenson at Hallford on Thursday at 7 p.m., and a Friday docket that includes Chamblee at Woodland (7:30 p.m.), Cross Keys vs. Notre Dame Academy at Adams Stadium (7:30 p.m.), Decatur vs. Arabia Mountain at Godfrey Stadium (7:30 p.m.), King at Hughes (7:30 p.m.), and Stone Mountain at North Springs at (7:30 p.m.)
“I’m ready to see the kids compete and see the rewards of their hard work and perseverance,” Wimes said. “We’re 19-3 over the last two years, but we’re still climbing. We’ve talked about how you can’t just add water and win a state championship. Our kids want to show they’re still climbing and getting better.”
The Panthers lost two key pieces of their offensive puzzle when the shutdown was announced. Quarterback Rion White and running back Khoreem Miller both transferred to South Gwinnett.
“We had to move fast and take a next-man-up mentality,” Wimes said.
SWD found a pair of prospective quarterbacks – Wimes calls them 1A and 1B – who will handle the duties. Junior Sadir Ryan, a Division I baseball prospect, and sophomore Sabian Campbell will get the ball to start the season. They’ll have reliable Robert Grady (27 catches in 2019) and an experienced offensive line returning to ease the transition.
The COVID-19 lockdown also messed up wedding plans for Wimes. He and finance Hillary Harris had planned to wed in December, that’s been pushed back to April.
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