Chestatee set to chase history against Monroe Area

GAINESVILLE -- All the momentum, all the wins, all the history... there will be plenty for boosters and fans to chew over before Friday night’s kickoff.

The task at hand for Chestatee football is to forget about all the window-dressing and focus on the task at hand.

The War Eagles will play host to Monroe Area in Gainesville, knowing that a victory would net Chestatee’s first ever region title, first ever eight-win season and first-ever home playoff game.

For War Eagles coach Stan Luttrell the key for the War Eagles is forgetting about all of that and play as they have all season.

“We deal with it every week whether it’s the best team or the worst team we’re playing -- it’s just the next team we’re playing,” Luttrell said. “It’s not so much about who we’re playing, it’s about us executing our schemes. It’s about us playing hard, fast and physical and playing Chestatee football.”

The War Eagles (7-1, 5-0 Region 8-AAAA) are expecting plenty of hard and physical play from the visitors. The sixth-ranked Purple Hurricanes (8-0, 5-0) enter the contest averaging almost 49 points per game and featuring an explosive spread offense led by quarterback Stanton Truitt and running back Kwan Brooks (1,100 yards rushing this season).

Access North Georgia.com sports editor Morgan Lee recently caught up with members of the Chestatee football team and former War Eagles head coach and current Monroe Area coach Matt Fligg to talk about tonight’s showdown. To watch a video presentation on the game, simply scroll down and click play.

Preview-Chestatee vs Monroe Area from WDUN TV on Vimeo.

“They’ve got a bunch of athletes,” said War Eagles linebacker Baker McCormack, who leads the team with 83 tackles. “But if we can just swarm tackle, I think we’ll be OK.”

Likewise, Monroe Area is concerned with facing a Chestatee offense that enters averaging just over 40 points per game and 380 yards rushing per game. The War Eagles are led by quarterback Jordan DeGraff (523 yards rushing, 432 yards passing, 14 total TDs) and a stable of talented running backs, including Quan Clark (1,045 yards, 10 TDs), A.J. Sijiye (687 yards, 11 TDs) and Brandon Thompson (400 yards, 5 TDs).

“Both teams have scored a lot of points,” Monroe Area coach Matt Fligg said. “I think the challenges are for both defenses. Which defense can step up and take over the game?”

The Purple Hurricanes also know that they are set for the type of test they haven’t faced often this season, taking on just their second opponent with a winning record. And while they did post a comeback win over 6-2 Stephens County at home (21-17), Monroe’s opponents are a combined 17-47 this season. Chestatee’s foes are a combined 33-32.

“We’ve had a good start, but our big challenges are in front of us, starting with Chestatee, and we’ve got Eastside next week,” Fligg said. “I just hope we can continue what we’re doing, but it’s going to take a better effort against the War Eagles.”

The contest holds an interesting twist for Fligg, who began the Chestatee program when the school opened in 2002 before leaving after the 2005 campaign.

“Any time you start something new, you kind of feel like you never let it go,” Fligg said. “We took some lumps because we started a varsity region schedule with 19 freshmen. I’ve never ever had a group of kids who persevered, who never gave up, who fought tremendous adversity like those kids. I’ll never forget them, and that’s what makes Chestatee a very special place for me.”

The War Eagles are more concerned with making it a special place for themselves and their fans tonight.

“I think coach Fligg did an excellent job starting the program, but right now we’re just focusing on this game and ourselves,” said Luttrell, who took over from Fligg. “Everyone is very excited about a game of this magnitude being in our stadium. I do think we have a home-field advantage when everyone comes out. And it’s an exciting time to be a War Eagle, no doubt about it.”

MONROE AREA at CHESTATEE
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
-- WHERE: War Eagle Stadium, Gainesville
-- RADIO: 102.9 FM
-- MONROE (8-0, 5-0 Region 8-AAAA): Defeated Madison County 63-6 last week. The Purple Hurricanes are ranked No. 6 in Class AAAA.
-- CHESTATEE (7-1, 5-0 Region 8-AAAA): Defeated Lumpkin County 49-17 last week.
-- HISTORY: Monroe Area won the last meeting, 41-35 in 2011. The Purple Hurricanes lead the series 2-0.

Link: To see all the games lined up for area teams in Week 10 of prep football action, simply click here...