Face the challenge
Now state champions, Rome opens the 2017 season against Harrison on Friday.
Now state champions, Rome football opens the season against Harrison on Friday.
A season of fighting to get to the top and proving themselves time after time gave the Rome Wolves a state championship last year. And they’re not afraid to do it all over again.
The first step in that journey happens Friday night as Rome hosts Harrison in a highly-anticipated non-region matchup at Barron Stadium that has football fans buying tickets early and setting the stage for an early-season showdown.
Rome reeled off 12 straight wins en route to the Class 5A state title last year and returns several key pieces, leading to a No. 1 ranking in many polls headed into this season. It’s a taste of the rise in expectations head coach John Reid and the Wolves are facing.
“When you have those expectations, you just need to win one play at a time,” Rome coach John Reid said. “Win one at a time and know you’re not trying to win championships. You’re trying to beat Harrison on the first play of the first game.”
If the Wolves are looking to prove themselves early this season, it might have found the perfect opponent in Harrison.
The Class 6A Hoyas are led on offense by quarterback Justin Fields, a player many consider the consensus top prospect in the nation. The senior was 11-of22 passing for 228 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 44-14 win over East Paulding.
Reid said he respects Fields as a player, but also trusts his team enough to defend him well. The Wolves faced plenty of offenses or key players last season on their championship run, and now it’s about getting back to that mindset.
“He’s clearly a tremendous talent, and a possible future NFL guy, but we’ve also seen a lot of good players at a lot of good positions,” Reid said. “And in this state, you’re going to see great players every single week.”
Countering Fields and the Harrison offense will be a Rome defensive line that includes several Division I prospects such as defensive ends Adam Anderson and Jamarcus Chatman, and tackles Ja’Quon Griffin and T.J. Cammack. Anderson is rated as the No. 4 prospect in the nation and was selected as the Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In many aspects, there is a different buzz than when the team started last season, but many players claim they
are approaching things the same exact way. Quarterback Knox Kadum mentioned that Reid has emphasized maintaining composure with every game.
“I treat this game just as I would a game against a team we’re expected to beat by 50 points,” Kadum said. “It is just another game, we have to come out prepared and work just as hard. It doesn’t matter if we are playing a Harrison, a Carrollton or a Buford.”
Kadum and his teammates know talk surrounding the team is probably going to hang around all season. But no matter how much coverage comes their way, the Wolves are determined to remain on top.
Tickets for Friday night’s game are available online through a link on www.romewolvesfootball.com or in person at Barron Stadium today from noon until 2 p.m. Students can purchase tickets during their lunch at Rome High School through Friday.