Albany State, Fort Valley State get set for 26th annual Fountain City Classic
Albany State and Fort Valley State football coaches, players and alumni kicked off the 26th annual Fountain City Classic week at a press conference and luncheon on Tuesday at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center.
As it is each year, opposing coaches discussed the game itself as well as the festivities, and area high school coaches and players were welcomed to get to know the two programs at the luncheon.
This year, the game, which will kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium, is more than just bragging rights and pride for the two rivals. It’s also a win-or-go-home scenario in which the winner advances to the SIAC championship game next Saturday at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
“All the records are out the window,” Fort Valley coach Donald Pittman said on Tuesday.
A lot of the talk from coaches centered around one particular player for Fort Valley State. Former Carver wide receiver Drelon Freeman is one of the biggest threats from a number of places on the field for the Wildcats. So far this season, he has 27 catches for 341 yards and five touchdowns, but his biggest contribution perhaps has come in the return game. He has returned 19 punts for 278 yards (14.63 average) and a touchdown, giving the Golden Rams’ special teams something else to think about heading into Saturday.
“They always try to put the ball in Freeman’s hands,” Albany State coach Dan Land said. “We know what he’s capable of and we know that’s what they’re going to try to do. So we just have to make sure we game plan for it and try to control what he does.”
One of the players tasked with defending Freeman will be senior defensive back Cedric Ashe, a graduate of Shaw.
“We just have to cover,” Ashe said. “It’s nothing new. We played against him last year. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. He’s great, but it’s just like any good receiver. You game plan and you take it to him.”
Freeman said he’s just looking forward to playing the game back in his home stadium.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “I’m from Columbus and there’s always a big home crowd. I’m excited to come back home again.”
The game will be broadcast on the radio at 1340-AM in Columbus as well as 98.1-FM in Albany.
The rivalry between the teams began in 1945, but did not move to Columbus until 1990. Fort Valley State leads the overall series 33-31-3, but Albany State has won 19 of the 25 games played in Columbus. Albany State won last year 32-21.
This year, Albany State is 5-3 overall and 3-0 in the SIAC, the same as Fort Valley State. The winner will claim the East division championship and advance to the conference championship next week.
David Mitchell, Follow David on Twitter @leprepsports.
This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Albany State, Fort Valley State get set for 26th annual Fountain City Classic."