By Will Grimes
Cherokee Tribune Sports Writer
On Friday night, Hillgrove will face off against Creekview in a matchup of two teams that have a lot in common.
Creekview and Hillgrove have identical 7-1 overall records for the year with both teams losing their fourth game of the season by a close margin. The Hawks and the Grizzlies both enter the game with four-game winning streaks.
Most importantly for the Hawks and Grizzlies, this matchup will serve as a measuring stick for both teams for next season when the programs become eligible for the playoffs for the first time.
Hillgrove is playing its first full varsity season this year while Creekview is in their second year of varsity play. Friday night's game is an opportunity for both teams to see where they stack up against similar competition.
"This game should be a good barometer for us to see where we are at as a program going into next year," said Creekview head coach Al Morrell. "Hillgrove has a very good team and it should be a very competitive game."
The Grizzlies have been impressive on both sides of the ball this season as they have racked up 320 points and surrendered only 112 in eight contests so far. Creekview has scored over 40 points five times in 2007 and have defeated their last four opponents by an average of more than 34 points per game.
"We have had these kids since they were freshmen and we have all been working towards the same goal," said Morrell. "We wanted to develop our fundamentals and get better on a week-to-week basis so things have gone well this year."
Hillgrove has been equally as successful as the Grizzlies this season, with a 10-point loss to Holy Innocents' as their only loss on the year. The Hawks haven't overwhelmed teams this season, but have found a way to win close games. The Hawks are 5-0 in games decided by six points or less.
The Hillgrove offense will lean heavily on sophomore quarterback Synjyn Days, who is Cobb County's second-leading rusher with 1,095 yards thus far. Defensively, the Hawks look to continue their solid play over the last four games as they have allowed an average of just 10 points per game.
The Hawks will be looking to improve upon last year's effort against Creekview, where they were defeated, 55-7.
"Creekview is a very physical team and they have done a very good job getting their program where it is in such a short time," said Hillgrove head coach Phillip Ironside. "They look like they have been around awhile."
The matchup will be important for the young Hawks, Ironside believes, because it will not only allow them to see how far they have come since last season but will give his players valuable experience for 2008.
"This game will be a good way for us to see how much better we have gotten in the past year and to see what things we need to continue to work on," said Ironside. "It is another step for us as we try to build on the foundation that we have laid down for this program."
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