QUITMAN, Ga. (WTXL) — The past two seasons have ended in heartbreak for the Brooks County football team, as the Trojans have finished state runner-up in back-to-back seasons.
"We've got a constant reminder," said head coach Maurice Freeman as he pulled a coin out of his back pocket. "We keep this thing in our pockets all the time. It's the coin we earned from being in second place. And we don't want another coin, we want a ring."
That coin holds a lot of power in this Brooks County program. It has the power to both remind this team about last season's end, and it also has the power to motivate this team to finish what they started.
"We're working very hard trying to get all of our teammates to realize that we can't be a runner up anymore," said running back Omari Arnold. "We've got to get to game 15 and actually win game 15."
Doing so will fall into the hands of the Trojans upperclassmen, leaders who will hold the rest accountable and keep this developing team striving to play up to the Trojans standard of football and always bring the hammer.
"I think our leadership skills, our leadership abilities have gotten a little better," said Freeman. "So when that gets better they've got the talent and they work hard so we're excited about that."
For Arnold, being the leader of a position group as talented as the running backs has added a new wrinkle to weave into his practice routines.
"It's definitely fun coming out here and telling them what to do, what they're doing wrong," he said.
Arnold and the many seniors alongside him all play a vital role in making sure everyone is on the same page because after all, there's no more room for coins, only rings.
