Coming into the season, Gordon Central coaches, fans and even teammates knew that the team’s success was going to hang heavily on the play of senior quarterback MJ Reynolds.

Well, if he’s as good throughout the fall as he was on Friday night, this could be a special season for the Warriors.

After a 35-0 win over Coosa in the season opener last Friday, Reynolds and the Warriors turn their attention to their Week 2 opponent, Southeast Whitfield.

Gordon Central coach Chad Fisher said he was happy with his team’s first step of the 2012 against Coosa.

“We did a lot of good things,” said Fisher. “We still had a lot of mistakes, but anytime you can start 1-0, it’s extremely good for your team and the guys’ confidence. Overall, I’m pleased with how we played.”

Reynolds led the Warriors in their opener with 214 yards passing and three TDs through the air. He also ran for 133 yards on 16 carries and a TD. Chandler Curtis (84 yards), Kagan Flemming (25 yards) and Nate Mays (seven yards) all had touchdown catches, and Tyshaun Clemmons had a two-yard TD run.

DJ Prather had a big night on defense, recovering two fumbles and pressuring the Coosa quarterback all night.

Now, the Warriors will focus on their Week 2 opponent, Southeast Whitfield, who will roll into Ratner Stadium after losing 37-14 last Friday to North Murray. Fisher said he isn’t putting too much stock in the Raiders’ first game and expecting a really good opponent.

“They play extremely hard because that’s what their coach requires of his players,” said Fisher. “They are a big team with good athletes, and we know they’ll be ready to play. We’re going to have to play extremely well to win.”

Sean Gray took over as the new Southeast Whitfield coach a few months ago after David Crane was let go after four years at the helm.

Even coming off the big win over Coosa, Fisher said there were still some areas that concerned him in the opener.

“We had a hard time getting lined up a few times on offense and defense, and we aren’t doing a good enough job running crisp routes like I would want to see,” said Fisher. “Another big thing is we had way too many penalties again and really had some discipline lacking in some situations. We’ll just have to get back to work this week to correct these things.”

The Warriors, who are playing in Region 5-AAA this season after spending the last several years in Region 7-AA, are trying to start 2-0 for the fifth straight season. They are 13-3 all-time against Southeast Whitfield, but lost their last meeting against the Raiders in 2007, 29-0. Before that they had one the 13 in a row against them.

Fisher said there would be several keys to his team’s success on Friday night.

“We have to execute extremely well,” said Fisher. “We’ve got to do a really good job on defense containing their skill guys because they do a really good job with their schemes on offense. We also match their physicality because they are going to be a very physical football team.”

Prediction:

The Warriors sent a warning out this past Friday to all their opponents on the schedule this season, as they looked to be clicking on all cylinders.

The offense was explosive, led by Reynolds, and the defense didn’t disappoint either, pitching a shutout behind a strong performance by Prather.

They get to be back at home this Friday, and the results shouldn’t be any different. Gordon Central clearly has the upper hand in talent in this one.

Score:

Gordon Central 42, Southeast Whitfield 14