Is 2010 going to be the year for Madison County to get back to the postseason?
That seems to be the question as the Red Raiders prepare to start the season this Friday against Flowery Branch.
Replacing the worst team in the region with a team that had a serious bid in the playoffs last year, just means that Madison County gets to welcome the newest quad-A school and see if the Flowery Branch Falcons live up to their hype.
While it’s no secret that Madison County is ranked as the underdog in Friday’s game, head coach Randell Owens knows that the Red Raiders are not going to panic.
“Our biggest strength is the attitude of our kids,” he said.
Solely on the “X and O stuff,” as Owens calls it, Madison County is hard pressed to surpass the physical prowess that Flowery Branch can put on the field. Yet, the very nature of the game depends on how well the Red Raiders can roll all that ability together as a unit.
“The work ethic and the attitude, is going to be our strength,” Owens said. “These kids are a close knit group that are going to go out and play hard and give it their best. We have the opportunity to go out and knock off a state-ranked opponent and get that state-wide recognition – if we can pull off the upset.”
Madison County will not be going blind into Friday’s game. ...
News and Announcements
reprinted from The Madison County Journal online September 9, 2010 edition by Justin Poole
Three weeks into the season and Madison County is still looking to break into the win column. This week, the Red Raiders meet Winder-Barrow (0-2) on the road to see which team will pick up its first 2010 win. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. in Winder.
Last week’s loss to Salem wasn’t all bad news though, as coach Randell Owens was pleased with the improvements made from the opener against Flowery Branch.
“Our offensive line improved greatly, but they need to improve that much again,” said Owens.
There are still things that Owens pointed out that the Red Raiders have to work on. Mostly the focus is on ball control. Owens said the team still has to work on eliminating turnovers and the passing game.
“We have had mental errors and fundamental mistakes – all those types of things are correctable,” Owens said. “We just have to improve on those skills.”
“Our kids got better as the [Salem] game went on, … our kids bowed up in the second half and played harder and put themselves into a position to win the ball game in the fourth quarter.”
This Friday, as Madison County heads to Winder-Barrow to take on the Bulldoggs, the Red Raiders are going to have to play just as hard to push past the wing-T offense and man coverage defense Winder-Barrow likes to play.
According to Owens, the Bulldoggs are a physical and aggressive team, which has also been on the short side of the stick for the previous two games.
“They are struggling at the moment, but have played two traditionally strong opponents and came out on the short end. Their kids play hard and like us are getting better every week so what we look at on film is not the same team we play on Friday night. They see us the same way we see them, a chance to get into the win column. It will be a dogfight.”
Winder-Barrow is coming off a loss against Rockdale and Flowery Branch into this week and are looking to eat Madison County for an easy win as the Red Raiders visit. Madison County has came out on top in the past four meetings, but Winder-Barrow holds the record 16-8 in the series with Madison County.
Owens and the coaching staff were working on Monday to adjust the depth chart for the Red Raiders before Friday’s game to combat changes Winder-Barrow is likely to make.
The primary goal for Madison County is still to improve overall and hopefully pick up a much need win.
“We try to get better every week," Owens said. "We take what we got and the kids play with all their heart and you get better everyday. I illustrate with my hands about three feet apart that this is where we have got to go and you can’t do that in a day. You get this much better a day and I am holding up thumb and finger about two inches apart. Over the course of time a bunch of inches will equal that three feet and they are working hard to do that.”
Three weeks into the season and Madison County is still looking to break into the win column. This week, the Red Raiders meet Winder-Barrow (0-2) on the road to see which team will pick up its first 2010 win. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. in Winder.
Last week’s loss to Salem wasn’t all bad news though, as coach Randell Owens was pleased with the improvements made from the opener against Flowery Branch.
“Our offensive line improved greatly, but they need to improve that much again,” said Owens.
There are still things that Owens pointed out that the Red Raiders have to work on. Mostly the focus is on ball control. Owens said the team still has to work on eliminating turnovers and the passing game.
“We have had mental errors and fundamental mistakes – all those types of things are correctable,” Owens said. “We just have to improve on those skills.”
“Our kids got better as the [Salem] game went on, … our kids bowed up in the second half and played harder and put themselves into a position to win the ball game in the fourth quarter.”
This Friday, as Madison County heads to Winder-Barrow to take on the Bulldoggs, the Red Raiders are going to have to play just as hard to push past the wing-T offense and man coverage defense Winder-Barrow likes to play.
According to Owens, the Bulldoggs are a physical and aggressive team, which has also been on the short side of the stick for the previous two games.
“They are struggling at the moment, but have played two traditionally strong opponents and came out on the short end. Their kids play hard and like us are getting better every week so what we look at on film is not the same team we play on Friday night. They see us the same way we see them, a chance to get into the win column. It will be a dogfight.”
Winder-Barrow is coming off a loss against Rockdale and Flowery Branch into this week and are looking to eat Madison County for an easy win as the Red Raiders visit. Madison County has came out on top in the past four meetings, but Winder-Barrow holds the record 16-8 in the series with Madison County.
Owens and the coaching staff were working on Monday to adjust the depth chart for the Red Raiders before Friday’s game to combat changes Winder-Barrow is likely to make.
The primary goal for Madison County is still to improve overall and hopefully pick up a much need win.
“We try to get better every week," Owens said. "We take what we got and the kids play with all their heart and you get better everyday. I illustrate with my hands about three feet apart that this is where we have got to go and you can’t do that in a day. You get this much better a day and I am holding up thumb and finger about two inches apart. Over the course of time a bunch of inches will equal that three feet and they are working hard to do that.”
reprinted from The Madison County Journal online September 3rd, 2010 edition
by Justin Poole
Anyone who was expecting Flowery Branch to waltz over the Madison County Red Raiders last Friday night was sorely disappointed as the Red Raiders’ defense put up a fight against the visiting Falcons.
While Flowery Branch would come out on top, 21-0 over Madison County, the Red Raiders made a strong effort, which pleased head coach Randell Owens to see the team battling for all four quarters.
“I was very pleased with the effort and the enthusiasm of our kids,” said Owens. “They battled for four quarters and they never let down, or laid down and fought as hard as they could right to the end.”
Taking lessons from last week’s loss, Madison County looks at eliminating turnovers and concentrating on ball control during practice as the Red Raiders prepare to hit the road heading to Salem this Friday night.
While Salem fell to Heritage during last week’s opener, Owens is expecting to see the Seminoles bring lots of pressure Friday night and be similar to what the Red Raiders have already faced against Flowery Branch.
“Defensively it will be similar; they will try to bring pressure,” Owens said. “They are very athletic and will be a wing-T team offensively. They had some trouble with their kicking game against Heritage, but we will see how much correction they make there.”
According to Owens, the key for Madison County to overcoming the Seminoles on Friday will be focusing on fixing the things they can control - themselves.
Eliminating mistakes on the field is the primary goal and Owens said the team is studying the film from last week’s game to find all of the mistakes that can be corrected before Friday night.
Looking at the breakdown between the Red Raiders and Salem, Madison County is 2-4 in the series against Salem, having defeated the Seminoles 21-16 last year.
With both teams 0-1 after the first week, the hunger for a win is gnawing at both teams. Last week Heritage defeated Salem 24-7.
Madison County will still have to battle on Friday, because as Owens added, Salem has a lot of talent and will be looking for the win, same as the Red Raiders.
Friday’s game is the first away game for Madison County. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. in Conyers.
For more Red Raiders' football, see the print edition of the Madison County Journal.
Region standings after Week 1 (Region,Overall)
Heritage (1-0,1-0)
Flowery Branch (1-0,1-0)
Apalachee (1-0,1-0)
Clarke Central (0-0,1-0)
Rockdale Co. (0-0,1-0)
Cedar Shoals (0-0,0-1)
Winder-Barrow (0-0,0-1)
Loganville (0-0,0-0)
Madison Co. (0-1,0-1)
Hab. Central (0-1,0-1)
Salem (0-1,0-1)
Each game week, three varsity players will be chosen as an Offense, Defense or Special Teams Player of the Week for their performance in the previous Friday night's game.
Congratulations to these players and to the rest of the team!
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RED RAIDERS vs. Chestatee Game!
Offense: Chase Boyett #77
Defense: Dustin Howard #56
Special Teams: Tad Wilson #4
RED RAIDERS vs. Walnut Grove Game!
Offense: Kyle Metts #31
Defense: Cordelius Lumpkin #5
Trey Watkins # 16
Special Teams: Dewitt Wood #13
****************************************************************************
RED RAIDERS vs. Monroe Area Game!
Offense: Christian Shupe #55
Defense: Xavier Duncan #2 and Beau Gentry #30
Special Teams: Garrison Harris
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RED RAIDERS vs. STEPHENS CO. game!
Offense: Ethan South Defense: Dustin Howard & Tad Wilson, Special Teams: Tanner Garrison
Red Raiders vs Lumpkin Co. game!
Offense: Ethan South #19
Defense: Malik Freeman #10 & Chase Boyett #77
Special Teams: Dewitt Wood #13
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Red Raiders vs Eastside game!
Offense: Cameron Stevenson #12
Defense: Chase Boyett #77
Special Teams: Levi Larkins #34
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MCHS vs Oconee game!Defense: #16 Trey WatkinsOffense: #2 Xavier DuncanSpecial Teams: #59 Tanner Garrison
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MCHS vs Franklin Co. game
Offense: #1 Garrison Harris
Defense: #16 Trey Watkins
Special Teams #36 Mason Mallard
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Raiders vs North Oconee Game
Offense: Cade Hancock #14
Defense: Dustin Howard #56
Special Teams: Beau Gentry #30
***********************************************************************************
Raiders vs Lanier Game
Offense: Malik Freeman
Defense: Dustin Howard #56 & Tyler Gary #51
Special Teams: Clint Barksdale #23
Pigskin Preview -- Will the Red Raiders Rise in 2010?
Posted by Randell Owens at Aug 26, 2010 5:00PM PDT
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reprinted from The Madison County Journal online August 27, 2010 edition
by Justin Poole
reprinted from The Madison County Journal online August 27, 2010 edition
by Justin Poole
After holding region newcomer Flowery Branch back in the first quarter, Madison County's defensive could withstand a constant barrage from the Falcons option.
149 yards rushing, with 65 yards passing for Flowery Branch and the Falcons had added their first 8-AAAA region win.
Madison County will shake off tonight's loss as the Red Raiders head to Salem next week in game two of the 2010 season.
See rest of story at the printed Madison County Jounal August 27, 2010 edition.
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