As far as Griffin High coach Steve DeVoursney is concerned, Friday’s game against crosstown rival Spalding is the best tune-up his team can have for next week’s play-in game whether it faces Eagle’s Landing (1-8) or Dutchtown (5-3).

Griffin will host whichever of the two finishes fourth in Region 4-AAAA Div. A. It’ll be ELHS if Dutchtown beats Woodland-Stockbridge (2-6) on Friday or Dutchtown if the Bulldogs lose to Woodland.

But next week is neither here nor there for Griffin.

The Bears’ sole focus this week is Spalding (1-6-1), a team which took the Bears scoreless into overtime last year. Griffin (7-1) expects nothing less than a heated game again this year.

Fresh off last week’s 28-14 Region 4-AAAA Div. A championship clinching victory at Upson Lee, No. 8-state ranked Griffin has been well versed in what to expect this week against Region 4-AAAA Div. B last-place Spalding.

“Last week was a good lesson against a team that was struggling,” said DeVoursney. “We came ready to play and had a chance to blow the game open and didn’t.”

The Bears led 14-0 at the half and 21-0 going into the fourth quarter. Then, as quick as lightning, Upson-Lee scored on back-to-back, two-play drives to cut Griffin’s lead to 7.

“We let them back in it and the next thing you know we were fighting to win and had to make a drive late in the fourth quarter to put the game away,” added Devoursney. “It was good to see the kids respond to that.”

Nonetheless, DeVoursney hopes his team takes last week’s message — not to let teams stick around and to finish them off them off when you have the chance — to heart beginning this week. He really doesn’t want this week’s game to come down to a late-game drive. Especially against a Spalding team which took Griffin scoreless into overtime just last season, a game the Bears prevailed in 3-0.

“Our kids looked at the tapes (of Spalding) and know they’ve won only one game, so anything can happen,” said DeVoursney. “I have to make sure our kids show up to play and play with the some emotion.”

While both teams come from opposite ends of the spectrum on offense — Griffin is averaging a region-best 35 ppg and Spalding a region-low 7 ppg — they are nearly identical on defense where Griffin is allowing 17 ppg against and Spalding is allowing 18 ppg again.

Historically, Griffin — which has won the last four meetings in the all-time series between the two schools — holds a 5-3 edge in a series which dates back to 1949.

REGION 4-AAAA STANDINGS

Division A

School Overall Region PF PA

Stockbridge 7-1-0 3-0 23 11

Locust Grove 6-2-0 2-1 23 20

Dutchtown 5-3-0 1-2 32 23

Woodland-Stock. 2-6-0 1-2 19 28

E. Landing 1-8-0 1-3 26 39



Division B

School Overall Region PF PA

Griffin 7-1-0 4-0 35 17

Jonesboro 7-1-0 3-1 31 14

Riverdale 6-3-0 3-2 22 19

N. Clayton 2-7-0 2-3 14 22

Upson-Lee 3-5-0 1-3 24 24

Spalding 1-6-1 0-4 7 18



THIS WEEK’S GAMES

Griffin @ Spalding

Locust Grove at Stockbridge

Woodland-Stock. at Dutchtown

Upson-Lee at Jonesboro

Bye: E. Landing, Riverdale and N. Clayton



LAST WEEK’S GAMES

Griffin 28, Upson-Lee 14

N. Clayton 12, Spalding 0

Stockbridge 34, Woodland 7

Locust Grove 35, E. Landing 34

Jonesboro 15, Riverdale 7

Bye: Dutchtown