Friday, Oct. 30, 2015.
Martin Stadium.
The annual Winnersville Classic, the Valdosta-Lowndes County community’s version of the Hatfields and McCoys. Friend against friend. Co-worker against co-worker. Neighbor against neighbor. Family members against family members.
It’s a unique experience, for sure. Few communities in Georgia (or anywhere else) have two teams in the highest classification that compete at such a competitive level. Everyone knows Valdosta’s winning tradition. While Lowndes sports neither the number of region or state championships, their success has come more recently, and despite a few lean years of late, the Vikings are still regarded as one of the elite programs in the state.
Valdosta still can’t be counted out but the Wildcats haven’t experienced much post-season success in the last few seasons. And neither the ‘Cats nor the Vikings have won a region championship in several years. It used to be that the winner between Valdosta and Lowndes had an almost open pathway to the region title. Lowndes last won region in 2010; that year, the Vikings defeated the Wildcats 24-17. The following year, Valdosta won its most recent region championship, thanks in part to a 21-17 win over Lowndes.
The 2012 season saw Camden County come into the region. At the same time, Colquitt County was launching its rise to the top of Georgia’s football heap. What followed were two straight region championships by Camden and one by Colquitt. During that same time period, the Vikings have defeated the Wildcats twice. Over that same three-year period, Valdosta has made the playoffs every year but never advanced past the first round. Lowndes made the playoffs twice – in 2012 (first round) and 2013 (quarterfinals). Last year, the Vikings didn’t make the playoffs (and, interestingly enough, lost to Valdosta during the regular season).
So what does this mean? Not much, except that Winnersville doesn’t carry the same postseason implications that it used to. That may mean that outside interest in Winnersville isn’t what it used to be. But that doesn’t mean that the game is any less important for the Valdosta-Lowndes County community. Emotions run high during Winnersville week and while the community doesn’t come to a complete stop, it does come pretty close. In this month’s edition, during my conversation with Valdosta’s linebacker Todd Bradley, he specifically mentioned that his biggest moment to date was beating Lowndes last year. “Beating Lowndes means bragging rights for a year. We all know each other personally and we see each around town a lot. It makes for a great year,” he said. He made that statement with a laugh but you could tell he was also very serious. And the guys at Lowndes feel the same way.
The story of this year’s game will be Lowndes’s new spread offense against what has appeared to be Valdosta’s porous defense. Valdosta has a strong offense as well; it will come down to which defense can stop the other at the right time. In recent years, Winnersville has featured relatively low point totals. This year should be different and maybe, just maybe, the game will catapult the winner into a deep playoff run.
Special Feature/South Georgia/October 2015
It’s Winnersville Time Again
Robert Preston Jr.
