With last Friday’s win over Sonoraville, Gordon Central assured themselves of a state playoff appearance for the second straight season.

Now, their goal is to make a little history.

The Warriors (7-1, 4-1) head on the road Friday to visit Adairsville, and with a win, they would almost certainly clinch their first home playoff game in school history.

“I think it would mean a lot,” said Gordon Central coach Chad Fisher. “Being able to do something that we’ve never done before at Gordon Central is great for the kids, the school and the community. But before we can think about that, we have to worry about taking care of business against Adairsville.”

Gordon Central enters the contest off a big win over their Gordon County rival Sonoraville, 59-18, last Friday in which the Warriors seemed to dominate every phase of the game. Gordon Central’s MJ Reynolds accounted for seven TDs in the contest, five through the air and two on the ground, to lead the way.

“I think we put together a good game in all three phases,” said Fisher. “It was a big game for Gordon County, and our guys knew how important it was. We could feel the excitement in the atmosphere and to put it all together like we did was great to see.”

Adairsville (5-3, 3-2) on the other hand, isn’t riding high coming into Friday’s game after taking a tough 45-3 loss last Friday against their Bartow County rival Cartersville. Still, the Tigers have been one of the best teams in Region 5-AAA so far and are also looking to set themselves up with a home playoff game with wins in their final two games.

“They are a good team and do a lot of things really well,” said Fisher. “I’m surprised that they’ve lost two region games because they’ve played very well. We know they are going to be physical and fast so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The series against Adairsville, who is coached by former Calhoun defensive coordinator Jim Kremer, has been a tough one for the Warriors as they are 1-6 all-time against the Tigers, including losing their last four in a row. Their last win over Adairsville came in 2006 when the Warriors won 41-14 on their home field.

With so much on the line for both teams this coming Friday, it will a playoff-like atmosphere. Fisher said his team has to be disciplined and focused on the task at hand.

“We’ve got to play well in all three phases, and we have to make sure we hold on to the ball,” said Fisher. “We want to put them in some uncomfortable positions and not let them dictate the game.

“They’ve got some playmakers that scare you, especially at quarterback, so we’ve got to be in the right place on the field and everyone do their assignments.”

Prediction:

These are obviously two of the top four teams in Region 5-AAA and have aspirations of hosting in the first round of the state playoffs. Cartersville has all but locked down the top spot in the region so this game is more than likely for that other home playoff game that comes along with earning the No. 2 seed.

Gordon Central rebounded last Friday after falling to Cartersville the previous week. Adairsville was defeated by the same Cartersville team last Friday.

Both offenses have shown they can put up points in bunches so expect a high-scoring affair. Gordon Central’s defense has a slight edge, and they will come up with a few stops in a game that won’t have very many.

Score:

Gordon Central 42, Adairsville 36