Don’t beat yourself.

That is the message Flowery Branch coach Chris Griffin has preached to his team this week as the Falcons prepare to play a winless Apalachee team tonight at Falcon Field.

This is an important game for Flowery Branch (4-3, 3-3 Region 8-AAAAA) as the team continues its push for the playoffs. The Falcons are in a battle for the fourth seed in the region with Salem (3-2 in region), Winder-Barrow (3-2) and Clarke Central (2-3).

A loss tonight will almost assuredly mean Flowery Branch will need to win their last two games (Salem and at Gainesville) to have a chance at the playoffs. A win means they will more than likely be able to afford to drop one of their final two games and still make the playoffs.

Apalachee (0-6, 0-5) presents an interesting challenge: One that will test Flowery Branch’s mental fortitude.
Not only is Apalachee winless, they have scored a total of 12 points this season including being shut out four times. On paper, Flowery Branch should dominate, but senior running back Trey Wilcoxson knows nothing is a given.

“You can’t really take a game for granted,” Wilcoxson said. “It’s a fight every game.”

To keep his team focused, Griffin is putting an emphasis on the little things. He wants to eliminate the mental mistakes like penalties, turnovers and missed assignments.

“We’ve got a ton of things we haven’t done well all year long,” he said. “Those are the things that we talk about, and we just hope our kids show up on Friday focused.”

Flowery Branch has also had struggles in the red zone the past few weeks.

“We tend to move the ball up and down the field, not necessarily at will, but we’ll have spurts where we get down close to the end zone, and we’ve had some trouble,” Griffin said.

Apalachee has a sound defensive scheme that can cause a lot of problems, according to senior offensive lineman Jesus Alvarado.

“They’re sneaky on their defensive side,” he said. “They’re not that good, but we can make them look good if we don’t play our offense and our style.”

The key for the Falcons on defense is how effectively they can tackle.

“When we tackle well, we’re in the ball game, and we typically win,” Griffin said. “When we don’t tackle well, we’re not winning, or struggling to win.”

For Griffin, the game plan is not about how to beat Apalachee, it’s about how not to beat themselves.

“We tell our guys all the time that our biggest enemy is us,” he said. “If we take care of that enemy of us and win that battle, we feel like we can play with anybody.”

Junior quarterback Kory Graham will look to have a solid, turnover-free outing against the Wildcats as he continues to be the starter for the Falcons.

“He doesn’t have to try to win the game, but his play can lose us the game,” Griffin said. “He’s done well with that mentality. Just don’t make the critical mistakes.”

Wilcoxson and senior receiver Cortez Davis will be the two for Flowery Branch expected to handle the load on offense.

“Trey’s our horse,” Griffin said. “Cortez, of course, has big play potential. He’s a guy we feel we can take advantage of with the vertical game.”

The mission is clear for Flowery Branch: Win and remain in a favorable position for the playoffs. The message is also clear; don’t overlook Apalachee. This message was reiterated over and over by players at Wednesday’s practice.

“Don’t overlook them,” Davis said.

“Just be mentally sound,” Graham said. “We prepare the same way as we prepare for any team, so we’re ready for the challenge.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Alvarado said. “Have the mentality that we’re playing a good team like when we were playing Lanier and how we played against them.”

The Falcons are clearly focused on the task at hand, and have high expectations.

“A shutout on defense,” Davis said “And a blowout.”

Watch the latest Game Changers video with East Hall quarterback Austin Parker here:

Read preview capsules of all area high school football games here:

Friday's games

Flowery Branch vs. Apalachee

Gainesville at Clarke Central

West Hall vs. Franklin County

Chestatee at Stephens County

Johnson vs. East Hall

North Hall at Madison County

Lakeview at Athens Academy

Riverside Military vs. Oglethorpe County

No. 3 Buford vs. Monroe Area

Jackson County vs. Hart County

Jefferson at East Jackson

White County at North Oconee

Banks County vs. Lumpkin County

Dawson County at Fannin County

Habersham Central at Centennial