Age is just a number
Rome makes it to the state championship game with plenty of young guns starting.
Rome makes it to the state championship game with plenty of young guns starting.
To get this far into the season, a high school football team normally relies on a solid group of seniors to be the foundation for their success.
Rome has senior leaders, but the majority of its starters and impact players are juniors, sophomores or even freshmen, and they’ve helped carry the team to the Class 5A state championship game Friday against Buford.
The make-up of its roster may surprise Rome’s opponents, but to the team it’s just the natural way of things.
“Those are the kids we have to play,” Rome coach John Reid said. “They’ve matured as they’ve played in games last year and now this year, and I don’t even think about it at this point. And I don’t think anybody on this team thinks about it.”
The core of younger players begins in the backfield, where quarterback Knox Kadum and running back Jamious Griffin are both sophomores. Junior running back Jalynn Sykes rushed for 1,062 yards before he suffered an injury in the first round of the playoffs.
Kadum and Griffin were vital in the Wolves’ 28-21 win last Friday against Stockbridge in the semifinals, with the pair combining for 306 total yards.
Kadum completed a touchdown pass in the third quarter, while Griffin ran for three more.
The two started as freshmen and, aided by the impressive veterans around them, Kadum has already set a school record for career touchdowns with 38 while Griffin has set the record for career rushing touchdowns with 44.
from B1
There are plenty of other young stars on offense, like junior receiver Jordan Watkins and junior center Jackson Norton. Whenever one of them is asked about their impact, the praise often goes to the coaching staff and players around them.
“I got experience that I never thought I would have at this point in my football career,” Kadum said. “It’s a definite advantage because it has all slowed down for me now. And I’ve got good solid players and coaches around me that have been there the whole way.”
The youth continues with a defensive line full of juniors, including Adam Anderson, Jamarcus Chatman, T.J. Cammack and Ja’Quon Griffin. The unit has combined for 24 sacks and has been trouble for any team attempting to run the ball.
According to Reid, the difference in ages is not a problem because everyone has been under the same system for two years. Each player is given a role, and it doesn’t matter what year they are.
“Until we have time to ponder it, we never really think about the age,” Reid said. “It’s your job, get it done and let’s roll.”
Rome plays a Buford team that features seniors like quarterback Mic Roof, fullback TD Roof, and linebackers Jake Simpson and Jack Ness. All four players have made the state championship game every year of their career.
But Rome hasn’t worried about senior-laden teams all season, and it does not intend to start. Every player on Reid’s squad has showcased his talents and competed. The age makes no difference.
“We don’t look at any of that,” Ja’Quon Griffin said. “If we are all playing the same as we have been, and we are doing what we are supposed to do, we got the game.”