The Edmund Burke Academy Spartans football team is currently 3-0 and is on track to be back in a Georgia Independent Athletic Association (GIAA) state championship game in late November.
The Spartans defeated Gatewood 16-10 in last year’s Class AA state championship.
The Spartans, however, will not get the chance to repeat as GIAA Class AA champions, as they have been moved to Class A.
“We were one of the five smallest 11-man football-playing schools in the state,” coach Andy Woodard said. “It’s nothing on our end, we are just going to roll with the changes.”
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There are only four teams in GIAA Class A: Edmund Burke, Flint River, Robert Toombs and Thomas Jefferson. The playoff format is a four-team bracket that is seeded by an online power ranking formula. This means that all four teams are automatically in the playoffs no matter their record.
EBA lost GIAA Player of the Year Grant Mobley to graduation, but has since found a new star in Marc Owen Chancey, an Evans quarterback transfer.. Chancey started six games for EBA, before transferring to Evans to play his sophomore and junior seasons.
Chancey decided to return to Edmund Burke to finish his high school career with the team that he was familiar with.
“Marc is a huge addition for us,” Woodard said. “He’s done a good job of picking up the offense and creating the rhythm that we didn’t have at times.”
This season, Chancey has led the Spartans to wins over St. Andrews (42-0), Robert Toombs (28-14) and Trinity Christian (41-28). Chancey had 200-plus passing yards in his each of his first two games and, coming into the Trinity game, had tallied five total touchdowns for the season.
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The senior duo of Owen Redd and Aden Hickman has worked in the Spartans’ favor on offense. Redd has just under 250 all-purpose yards on the season, while Hickman has just over 400 all-purpose yards.
“They are the two most unselfish teammates I have coached,” said Woodard. “They are both speedsters and can play just about anywhere you ask them to, including being our two safeties on defense.”
The defense, which is led by junior linebacker Matthew Hood, has held strong in both games this season. The Spartans limited a Robert Toombs’ team which rushed for over 500 yards and scored 48 points against Pinewood Christian on Aug. 15, to just 14 points.
“Our focus on defense is just being the more physical team on the field,” Woodard said. “Our defensive line has picked up right where we left off last year.”
Woodard knows what it takes to be a championship-caliber team and is spreading that message to the entire staff and every player.
“We want our identity to be a tough physical team that no one wants to play against, “Woodard said.
Although the Spartans were moved down to Class A, their region consists of both Class A and AA schools. They will still face Brentwood which is also undefeated and will play state runner-up Gatewood. The Spartans will look to avenge their only loss last year against returning Region 4 champs, Briarwood on Oct. 25.
The Spartans’ game with Trinity Christian in Dublin on Aug. 30 had a little extra special meaning to coach Woodard. Trinity Christian is where Woodard grew up and got his first coaching position out of college. Woodard’s father and current defensive coordinator for the Spartans also coached at Trinity Christian for four years.
“Some games mean more, and this [was] one of those games,” Woodard said. “We are getting to go back home and to have my dad by my side for it [meant] a lot.”
This week the Spartans will enjoy a bye, giving them an extra week to prepare to travel to Glascock County (1-2) on Friday, Sept. 13.
