Dublin Fightin’ for Region Title Hopes Against the Royals

The Dublin Fighting Irish (5-2, 5-1) look to lean on physical, disciplined football against the Bleckley County Royals (6-1, 5-1) come Friday night for The End Zone's Week 10 Game of the Week

DUBLIN, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – With just days remaining in the regular season, two teams are locked in a tie for top spot in Region 2 of Class A Division I heading into Week 10. The marquee matchup this week pits the Dublin Fighting Irish against the Bleckley County Royals at the Shamrock Bowl for The End Zone’s Game of the Week.

Dublin enters the game at 5-2, sitting in a four-way first-place tie in the region with a 5-1 record overall. Under head coach Roger Holmes, the Irish are averaging 28 points per game while holding opponents to roughly 14. Holmes says, however, that his team plays every week with the playoffs in mind, not just for regional titles.

“There’s always been ultimate respect since I’ve been here,” Holmes said of the coaching connections with rival head coach Von Lassiter. “You had Tracy White, who was on our staff and then went back and took the head coaching job. Prior to him was Sam Barrs, who was the head coach in Dublin before me. Von Lassiter was actually an assistant coach early on in his career at Dublin. Matt Gibbs was the high school principal at Bleckley, he was one of my assistants when I first got to Dublin. So there’s a lot of connections, a lot of ties. At the end of the day, it’s a big game. It gives you a chance to stay in the region hunt. But our goal around here is always just make it to the playoffs and be playing your best football when you get to the 11th game of the year.”

Offensively, the Irish employ a methodical, run-first attack. Junior running back Travion Bostic leads the squad with 668 rushing yards, good for 13th in the state in Class A D-1, while averaging about 8.5 yards per carry. Teammates Dontavious Cannon and Jamarcus Knight are also making an impact, averaging nine and seven yards per carry respectively. Combined, the trio has produced over 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.

On defense, Dublin has improved its discipline and execution. Eight players have at least 20 tackles this season. The team’s resiliency has been fueled by limiting turnovers and playing tough on the line. Junior center and defensive tackle Mandarian Stanley emphasized the team’s mindset heading into Friday’s showdown.

“We haven’t beaten a top 10 team, so this is really the chance to do that,” Stanley said. “Defensively, we have to play a physical front line. As long as we’re playing physical up front, the QB can’t do much, and that gives our back end an advantage.”

Holmes, who holds a 15-2 career record against Bleckley, 5-1 against teams led by coach Lassiter. He knows the challenge ahead is formidable. Holmes praised the Royals’ skill position talent and lauded their execution.

“A lot of times when people run that offense, they may have a really good quarterback, but they only have one go-to receiver. Their receivers all have great hands, they catch the ball in stride, they run good routes. Their running back is explosive. Their offensive line always seems to be in the right place, so their execution is going to be good,” Holmes said. “And defensively, we’ve got to find a way to stop them and move the football ourselves. Sometimes the best defense is controlling the ball on offense.”

Though Holmes called the contest “just another game,” he acknowledged the stakes: the winner could have a different path heading into postseason play. Friday’s meeting will mark the 20th all-time between the Fighting Irish and the Royals, and Dublin is gunning for its 18th win in the series.

“You’re going to get Bleckley’s best when they get a chance to come at Dublin,” Holmes said. “Our young men read the papers. They know Bleckley is coming in as the favorite, rightly so. But, go make the plays. Who knows, maybe we’ll pull off a big upset Friday night.”

Kickoff between Dublin (5-2) and Bleckley County (6-1) is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. Catch highlights from this game of the week, along with several other games, on The End Zone, on Friday night during 41NBC News at 11 p.m. Tune into pregame coverage live from The Shamrock Bowl during 41NBC News at 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m.