By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Sports Editor

This has not been the best season for the McIntosh Chiefs and the Fayette County Tigers.

Both teams have dealt with injuries and every other form of adversity that can be thrown a high school football team's way, and the season has felt extra long because of it. All of the bad feeling can go away this Friday, though, for the one team that walks away from the long-standing rivalry between the two schools.

The Tigers hold the advantage in the overall record between the two teams, but in this matchup anything can happen.

Last week saw both teams lose by large margins to their opponents. McIntosh fell to Newnan 35-7, while Fayette County took a pounding in Griffin, losing 42-0. McIntosh was close to the Cougars at the half, trailing 14-7. Luke Wiggs connected with Travis Van Winkle for a touchdown, as the Chiefs held Newnan to only 54 yards passing on the night. Newnan took over in the third and built a 28-7 lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. McIntosh played a strong game and did not throw in the towel.

The Tigers on the other hand played perhaps their worst game of the season Friday. They had -1 yards of offense in the first half and had two field goals blocked in the loss. The two teams have shown flashes of brilliance during the season, but they never gelled long enough to secure more wins. Hence, this could be the most even match between the Chiefs and the Tigers in years.

Fayette County still relies heavily on Wes Clark, who is capable of having a big game on any given night. Quarterback Nathaniel Enloe has found his targets, namely Trevor Bowman, for a number of huge plays and touchdowns, but he has also thrown interceptions that have occurred at the worst possible moment.

The Tiger defense is still pretty big and capable of controlling the pace of a game.

McIntosh has had some trouble putting up points lately, but blame that on the high caliber of opponents they have played in recent weeks. Their one win came in dramatic fashion against Stockbridge, proving that if they can keep it close, this is a team capable of winning. Jim O'Shea, who took over quarterback duties for a few weeks when Luke Wiggs was injured, is back running while Wiggs is seeing the most time at quarterback. Tony Franks and Rico Blackman have shown some skill at wide receiver, but McIntosh's main concern will be defense.

The game will be played at Tiger Stadium Friday at 7:30 p.m. It is always exciting when these two schools battle, be it football or physics. Get there early, dress warm and support your local team.

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