Green Waves to crash in second round storm

Published 1:24 pm Thursday, November 10, 2011

A week from Friday, the Green Wave will be on the field for the third round of Class 3A playoffs.

Whether the Green Wave is from Leeds or Gordo will be decided in the second-round game, set to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday at Homer Smiles Field.  The two teams, who share the same mascot, met for the first time in last year’s semi-final game, which Leeds won 25-7 on the way to the state championship.

Friday’s winner advances to play either Clay County or Bayside Academy in round three.  Leeds (9-2) is ranked sixth in the most recent ASWA poll, while Gordo (8-3) was unranked.

“They’re still pretty dadburn good,” coach Keith Etheredge said while watching film of Gordo’s Green Wave Monday morning.  “They have as much speed as they did last year, and we’re going to have to play perfect if we expect to beat them.  We’re glad to get to play them at home.”

Leeds approaches the game after a 28-27 squeaker against Abbeville last week that the Green Wave won in the game’s last two minutes.

“They had a good football team,” Etheredge said.  “I tried to tell everybody.  That was not your normal first-round playoff game.  It took everything we had to win it.  We trailed two or three times, but our guys did a good job of keeping their heads up and making big plays when they needed to.”

Freshman Adam Mitchell made the play that had everyone talking, a late-game interception that gave the Green Wave the chance to store the go-ahead touchdown.  

“He picked it off with one hand,” Etheredge said.  “We’ve expected something like that out of him all year.  He came in and took on the tough role of following an All-American who graduated.  We’re proud of the way he’s handled it.”

On the drive following Mitchell’s interception, the Green Wave faced fourth and 11 with 1:40 left in the game.  Quarterback Dylan Shelton threw what Etheredge described as  “a dadburn perfect pass” to Christian Blaylock, tying the score at 27.   Keaton Glass’ extra point gave Leeds the narrow winning margin.

“Did we play perfect?” Etheredge said.  “No, but everybody  made plays when they had to make them.  What we’ve got to do this week is get into the zone and stay there on every single play, rather than just when we have to.”

Despite being filled with anxious moments, the Abbeville game “was sort of what he needed,” he said.  “It really woke us up.  Besides that, it was just an exciting game.  It was fun to be on the winning side of it.”