But now that the end is so tantalizing close, it’s become increasingly more difficult for the Dragons not to take a peek toward the yellow tape.
“At this stage of the season, it is kind of hard for us not to look ahead to the region championship game,” said Pepperell quarterback Jonathan Watters. “But we know we have to stay focused on what we are trying to do.”
The No. 3-ranked Dragons have two more milemarkers to pass — they visit Coosa on Friday, and visit Model on Oct. 31 — in their quest to win their second straight Region 7-AA South title.
If they accomplish that mission, the Dragons (7-0, 3-0) would face the top seed from 7-AA North on Nov. 7 in the region title game. The winning team gets a No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
But before any of that even enters the picture, the Dragons have other goals to cross off.
“Right now, it’s easy to start looking at all those ‘what-if’ scenarios,” said Pepperell coach Jeff Shiflett. “But we don’t need to get caught up in that. Our No. 1 goal coming into the season was to make the playoffs (regardless of what seed). And the quicker we can reach that goal, the better off we’ll be.”
Pepperell can essentially assure itself of a playoff berth with a win on Friday, but the Dragons will be facing a Coosa team that has postseason aspirations of its own.
The Eagles (4-3, 2-1), who held off Armuchee in a 7-6 thriller last Friday, are jockeying for the No. 3 spot in 7-AA South. If they finish the season in that position, they would face the No. 2 seed from 7-AA North in the final week of the regular season. The winner of that game goes to the state playoffs.
“We’re in a situation where we just need to take care of ourselves,” said Coosa coach Chad Perry. “There are still two games to be played, and a lot can happen.”
Perry said his team will need to be in a playoff mindset Friday night against a Pepperell team that appears to be getting stronger by the week.
“The good thing about playing a postseason-caliber team like Pepperell is that it prepares us for the type of talent we will face if we make the playoffs,” said Perry.
Pepperell has steamrolled its way through the first seven weeks of the season, outscoring its opponents 278-57 while winning all seven games by 21 points or more.
The Dragons have been particularly dominant against 7-AA South foes. They opened the subregion slate with a 42-15 win over Armuchee, followed by a 53-0 whitewashing of Temple.
Last week, in perhaps their most impressive showing of the season, the Dragons downed Rockmart 48-14 in a game that many thought would come down to the wire.
All told, the Dragons have outscored their South opponents, 143-29, and have owned halftime leads of 21 or more points in all three games.
Now, with two weeks to go, they are hoping to parlay those impressive stats into a subregion title.
“It would be a big thing to us if we can do it,” said Watters. “We’ve put in a lot of work — going to different camps last summer and lifting weights every morning — to put ourselves in this position.
“To be honest, we feel like we deserve it,” Watters said of the subregion title. “Now we just have to go out and get it.”
NOTE: Calhoun and Rome High are likewise in the driver’s seat for subregion titles.
Rome can clinch the 7-AAAA championship with a win over Dalton on Friday, while Calhoun can move a step closer to the 7-AA North title if the Jackets win at Dade County.
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