Round three of the playoffs starts tonight

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

It seems Christmas has come early this year.

We are now in the month of December and three local teams are still playing football. They are all one win away from a trip to the Georgia Dome.

Tonight, two teams travel to take on their opponents, while the East Coweta Indians look to continue their winning streak at home. Both East Coweta and Starr's Mill remain undefeated.

East Coweta (12-0) hosts Parkview at Garland Shoemake Stadium tonight. The Indians have won with a balanced offensive attack and a great defense. They have set a school record for consecutive wins and have gone as far as the 1994 team.

Parkview is also undefeated. They have only allowed seven points in their two playoff games, while scoring a total of 52 points against their opponents. The Indians must force turnovers and capitalize on them, as they did early in last week's game, to keep their streak alive.

Starr's Mill (12-0) is on the road again this week, as they travel to take on the Brookwood Broncos. They have been on the road for all three weeks of the playoffs though. Their first game was not held at their home stadium and last week they upset Warner Robins in overtime in their home stadium. The Panthers seem to thrive on adversity and will look to continue their multi-faceted ground attack tonight.

The defense must also continue to stand strong. Brookwood is 11-1 on the season and their only loss was by one point to Parkview. The Broncos have allowed 12 points in both of their playoff games but are averaging just over 25 points on offense. It won't be easy for Starr's Mill, but they like it that way.

The Northgate Vikings (11-1) have the toughest road ahead of them, possibly because it is the longest. They will travel to take on the Americus Panthers (12-0). Both of the Vikings postseason wins have been very close. They have established a solid offensive attack and scored when necessary, but they will need to slow the Americus attack down.

The Panthers have scored 108 points in their two playoff games and have only allowed 20. During the season, they had two shutouts and only allowed one opponent to score over 20 points. Big games from Kenny Strozier and quarterback Mitch Stewart will certianly help the Vikings, who will also need some key turnovers to work in their favor.

Enjoy the games tonight. Kickoffs are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. See you at the Dome next weekend.

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