Region role reversal headlines start of Region 1-AAAAA play

Carver senior Kobe Hatcher had to catch himself when discussing his team’s matchup with Columbus on Thursday. Asked how important the game was, he nodded his head.

“It’s a big, big deal,” he said. “Columbus is the only undefeated team. We just want to make a name for — .”

He stopped abruptly, realizing what he was saying.

“Well, we’ve already made a name for ourselves, I guess, but we just need to go out and get a big region win,” he finished.

The truth is, given Columbus’ hot start and Carver’s mixed bag of results, his team is actually feeling a little bit like the underdogs. That’s exactly how coach Joe Kegler wants his Tigers (3-1) to approach the Blue Devils, who lack historical success but are the only Region 1-AAAAA team yet to suffer a loss this season.

“I don’t look at past years,” Kegler said. “Just this year. Right now, they’re undefeated. Coach (Phil) Marino has done a great job wight hose guys, and I’m sure they’re going to be ready to play. It’s the start of region play, so we need to come out like we’ve got something to prove.”

In a way, they do.

For the first time in eight years, the Tigers aren’t defending region champions. They failed to win at least 11 game for the first time in eight seasons last year. This year, they are 3-1, but struggled in the first two games and lost 51-20 in the third. Last week, they got back on track with a 48-14 win over Troup.

So Hatcher’s feeling that Carver has a bit of a chip on its shoulder may be justified.

On the other side, Columbus still feels the lack of respect coming its way. Sure, Marino’s team is 4-0, but after years of losing records, he said his team is taking nothing for granted, especially against a program as successful as Carver’s.

“We’re extremely confident right now,” he said. “But I think some people look at our schedule and say, oh, well we haven’t played anyone. We just look at it as not being given the right respect. I don’t know if this game will definitely change that, but, for us, I think there is definitely a chip on the shoulder.”

While both teams may enter the game feeling like the team with the most on the line, one thing is certain: A win for a team many expected to be near the bottom of the region standings and a loss for a team many expected to be at the top would, in every sense of the word, flip the division on its head.

Hatcher was quick to put it in perspective, though.

“We approach this like every game,” he said. “We need more than this one to win the region. We need to win this one first, and then we’ll focus on the rest.”

Elsewhere around Region 1-AAAAA, Shaw will face Northside at Kinnett Stadium and Hardaway will travel to LaGrange this week. Harris County is off.

Shaw coach Chuck Stamey said the Raiders’ game against Northside is a big one because it ultimately kept his team out of the playoffs last season. Northside won a close one and earned the No. 4 seed in the region. Shaw knows it could be a big one again this year.

“This one decided our year last season, when you get down to it,” Stamey said. “We know there are a lot of good teams in the region, and Northside is one of them. It’s really important for us to go out and play well on Friday and try to get a good start in region play.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Region role reversal headlines start of Region 1-AAAAA play."