Gretna draws Goochland again in Region B

GRETNA — At most high schools, when the football team qualifies for the state playoffs, words like “excitement” and “anticipation” can usually be used to describe the mood in the classrooms, the hallways and the community.

But at Gretna High this week, there’s been almost a “business as usual” approach, both for the players and for the student body as a whole. After all, the Hawks and their fans are accustomed to playing deep into November, and often into December as well. Since 2003, they are 71-4 overall and have captured three state titles.

“I think here they’re used to it,” fourth-year head coach Chris Thurman said Wednesday. “If we can make a run, it’ll be four state championships in six years. It’s to the point now where they kind of expect it.”

Gretna (9-1 overall, 4-1 Dogwood District) has earned the No. 1 seed for the Class A Region B Division 2 playoffs, and will host No. 4 Goochland (6-4, 4-1 James River District) at 7 p.m. on Friday. If the Hawks win, they would continue playing at home through the state semifinals.

The Hawks and Bulldogs need no introduction, having met in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Goochland handed visiting Gretna a 6-0 defeat in a wet and muddy 2006 regional final, but the Hawks returned the favor last season with a 52-14 victory.

“They’re a good, solid football team and well-coached,” said Thurman. “Coach (Joe) Fowler, I’ve met him several times. (He’s a) great guy, a great coach. He’ll have his kids ready to play. They’re always in the playoffs every year, so he does a great job with those kids.”

Since dropping a 34-18 decision to eventual district champion William Campbell on Oct. 17, the Hawks have won three straight games by a combined 112-23 margin, and appear to be peaking at the right time.

“This time of the year, at some point during this stretch, you’re going to need some luck,” Thurman said. “We’ve won three state championships, and every year, somewhere along there, you’re going to need the ball to bounce your way. But I’m comfortable with the way our kids are playing, and I like who we are as a team.”

In order to sustain its momentum, Gretna will have to contain a Goochland squad that has rushed for 2,634 yards this season, according to MaxPreps.com. Seven players have produced at least 200 yards on the ground, led by David McKenna with 559.

The Bulldogs rarely go to the air. Through 10 games, they have compiled just 401 passing yards.

“I don’t think they average but about 40 yards passing per game,” said Thurman. “But their running game, you have to stop. They don’t really rely on a (single) kid. They’ve got three backs back there and they give the ball up to all of them. And you just have to defend the run against them.”

The Hawks, meanwhile, feature a more balanced attack. Senior quarterback Jayme Barksdale, who replaced the injured Nick Miller in the preseason, has thrown for 1,399 yards and 16 scores while rushing for 1,298 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Junior tailback Kwame Berger has rushed for 407 yards and six touchdowns this season while averaging nearly six yards per carry. In last week’s 35-0 win over Altavista, he produced a season-high 92 yards and a score.

Berger likes the way his team is approaching this week’s contest.

“We’re pretty focused,” he said. “If you’re not focused, you’ve got to get focused. … We’ve got to win four straight games. We’ve got to play well four times, and we can win.”

With 18 players on their roster who were on board for last year’s championship run, the Hawks have the experience factor firmly in their corner.

“It’s hard — it’s not impossible, but it’s hard — for a group of kids to know what it’s going to take and have the confidence to go through and win it all without some playoff experience,” Thurman said. “I think if you’re a first-year team getting in the playoffs, it’s difficult to win it all. You need to get in and play in a couple of games the year before and then come back.”

If Gretna wears a bull’s eye on its collective back as the defending state champion, it’s not impacting the team’s preparations.

“We really don’t even talk about it,” Thurman said. “I mean, those 10 games we just got through playing were just to get set up for this four-game tournament. When you get down to 16 teams, it’s every man for himself. I don’t think it’s any more of a bull’s eye right now than if we were a (No.) 4 seed coming into the tournament.

“We’re in. That’s all that really matters.”

—Long is sports editor of the Danville Register & Bee.