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  • Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen The North Murray defense reacts to stopping Southeast Whitfield on a fourth-down play earlier this season in a game in Chatsworth. The Mountaineers are 3-0 for the first time in the history of the program and will host No. 8 Cartersville on Friday night.

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Discussion

September 19, 2012

Make some noise

Fan support is crucial for North Murray

Before this year, North Murray’s only victory in two seasons of varsity football was a 35-21 win against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe on Sept. 24, 2010, at Mountaineer Stadium.

Just three days shy of that two-year anniversary, North Murray is heading into the most relevant game in the program’s short history. And Friday night, more than ever, the Mountaineers need a home-field advantage to be just that — not only because they’re facing a top-notch opponent, but to shed the previous two seasons and show the North Murray community is buying in.

Make no mistake. When Cartersville comes to Chatsworth to take on North Murray in a Region 5-3A opener between two 3-0 teams, it will be the biggest game in the area. For the first time, North Murray can be part of that type of relevancy.

David Gann is in his first year as the Mountaineers’ coach, but because he’s not new to the area he understands the impact of the matchup with Carters-ville, the eighth-ranked team in The Associated Press Class 3A state poll.

“It’s the biggest game in our program’s history by far,” Gann said. “We’ve never been undefeated playing an undefeated team unless it was the opening game. This is a situation that our kids have never been in, and the North Murray community has never been in.”

Cartersville is an established program that has enjoyed status as a Northwest Georgia and Peach State power over the years, winning state titles in 1991 and 1999, with the latter coming under coach Frank Barden, who has been leading the Purple Hurricanes since 1996. The Georgia High School Football Historians Association’s website (ghsfha.org) lists games for Cartersville as far back as 1909; the Purple Hurricanes have more ties in their history (29) than North Murray has varsity games played (27).

And while the Purple Hurricanes have had their ups and downs in recent years, they’ve played well so far in 2012 after a summer that included winning the title at The Daily Citizen’s South-eastern 7-on-7 Championship.

“They’re the front-runner right now to win the region going into the season,” Gann said. “They’re the team to beat in our region.”

They are also coming to Mountaineer Stadium, and that should be a factor in North Murray’s favor. The key word is “should.”

Some of my favorite memories come from my high school years and all the Friday nights spent as a fan of my school. Going to Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans was an obligation more than an option. Crowding the student section near the railing and behind our sideline was a routine more than a choice. Sweating, screaming, cheering and jumping for 48 minutes was an expectation more than a challenge.

We truly believed we were influencing the game no matter whom we faced, and we rose to a higher level in the biggest games. We believed we, as a crowd, were the 12th man.

I was at the season-opening game three weeks ago when North Murray hosted Southeast Whitfield. I’ll be blunt: I was underwhelmed.

I’ve seen larger (and heard louder) crowds, and I’ve certainly seen and heard larger and louder student sections. If I had to make a rough estimate, I would say the North Murray side was half full. There were certainly some fans doing everything they could, but the overall impact left something to be desired.

What I chalked it up to was that North Murray, only in its third season of varsity play, had no history of success on the football field.

One win, 19 losses was all you needed to know.

“Maybe the fans don’t know what to expect,” I thought that night in the middle of the Mountaineers’ 37-14 victory.

Here’s the deal: That can’t happen Friday. It needs to be an all-in move.

The stadium should be packed, with standing — or sitting-in-the-grass — room only. It also should be the loudest Mountaineer Walk, the loudest run-through banner cheer, the loudest opening kickoff.

I’m not saying show bad sportsmanship. There’s a difference. A good crowd is effective in forcing that timeout because the offensive linemen can’t hear their quarterback’s audible. A good crowd reminds the opponent this isn’t a home game. A good crowd will make Cartersville realize it is 12-on-11.

A good fanbase brings it in the biggest of games. This is one of them.

Cartersville is the toughest test yet. But the Mountaineers have an advantage — it’s called “home-field,” and it should matter, not just in this game but every one moving forward. The fans can be just as much a part of this as the players wearing helmets or the coaches wearing headsets.

And if North Murray wins?

The ceiling is gone.



Devin Golden is a sports writer for The Daily Citizen. You can write to him at devingolden@daltoncitizen.com.

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