Lincoln County runs the football to win games. Johnson County stops teams from running the football to win games.
Whoever does that best today at the Georgia Dome goes to the state championship game. That's it in a nutshell for the Georgia High School Association Class A semifinal at 3 p.m.
The Red Devils (10-3) win with diversity in every facet of the running game. That goes for the different ways Lincoln can block at the line of scrimmage. It also goes for the variety of runners employed to gash defenses.
There's at least six different Lincoln County running backs who could get carries. The running game is how the Red Devils have clicked off 10 Class A wins in a row since losing their first three games to higher-classification teams.
So it will be the main thing Johnson County schemes to try and take away. Bet on that.
"They will line up a minimum of eight and sometimes even nine men in the box to stop the run and dare you to throw the ball," Lincoln County coach Larry Campbell said.
The Red Devils will extend a state record for Georgia Dome appearances today. That's nice for the historians to talk about. But Campbell's main concern is far from a potential state title rematch with Washington-Wilkes should both win at the Georgia Dome this weekend in the semifinals.
"I can assure you none of us are worried about Washington-Wilkes this week," he said. "We're worried about Johnson County."
The main reason is what the Trojans (12-1) have accomplished rolling along to 12 consecutive wins after a loss to Dublin.
"Anyone that can win 12 games in a row coming through a region with Hawkinsville and Twiggs County concerns us," Campbell said.
"I can tell you that any team that can beat Hawkinsville 20-0 concerns us quite a bit."
Campbell's other pre-game thoughts on the Trojans center on team speed, college prospects and quarterback Cordele Johnson.
He also mentioned Johnson County tailback Kelvis Whitley and tight end Cedric Rawlings as great football players.
"I could just roll off the numbers," Campbell said. "Bill Bonds is a class act at Johnson and he's got a bunch of fine football players. That number 14 (Rawlings) is just a junior but he's got breakaway speed. He's on everyone's recruiting list for next season already. The whole state knows about him."
That's not Lincoln County's style.
Quarterback Brandon Barden started at tight end in the program's sixth Georgia Dome appearance last year. He hasn't thrown for 1,000 yards. The run game comes from five different names who each have around 400-to-500 yards.
"We don't have any of those senior college prospects on our sideline for our team," Campbell said. "That's not us. We are a total team in every sense of the word."
Johnson, a four-year starter, took the snaps when Johnson County beat Lincoln County 14-13 in 2002 at Buddy Bufford Field. Lincoln County turned the ball over five times in that game.
"We can't have no turnovers," Campbell said. "No turnovers. No turnovers. No turnovers. We can't have stupid penalties like last week. We had three touchdowns called back last week to penalties. We need that and we have to control the clock with long drives."
THE MATCHUP
What: Lincoln County makes its record seventh appearance at the Georgia High School Association Class A semifinals at the Georgia Dome. The Red Devils face Johnson County at 3 p.m. today.
Category Lincoln Co. Johnson Co.
Record 10-3 12-1
Record vs. playoff teams 8-1 6-1
Opponents W-L (pct.) 83-63-1(.565) 81-64 (.558)
Points per game 24.2 27.4
Points allowed per game 11.9 15.4
College prospects (senior) 0 3
Higher classifications teams faced 3 1
Record since 2002 (pct.) 44-11 (80.0) 26-20 (.565)
Georgia playoff schedule
Today's Games at Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Class A
Lincoln County vs. Johnson County, 3 p.m.
Class AA
Greene County vs. Charlton County, 9 a.m.
Calhoun vs. Grady, noon
Class AAAA
Northside-Warner Robins vs. Baldwin, 6 p.m.
Statesboro vs. Griffin, 9 p.m.
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