Photo by Army National Guard
On Thursday, Jan. 23, MaxPreps went down Route 75 to honor the
Griffin Bears football team on a prefect season and their first state title since they shared their first with Valdosta in 1978. As part of the ninth annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by National Guard, Griffin held a rally at the end of school in honor of the team as well as the senior players and their JROTC.
The Bears were ranked No. 101 out of 16,000 boys football programs in the country ranked by MaxPreps. The Bears only allowed an average of 12 points per game and also posted five shutouts, while averaging 35 points per game. They claimed the Georgia 4A title by defeating Carrollton High School 56-35 in the championships game.
While MaxPreps and the Georgia Army National Guard displayed the prestigious Minuteman trophy during lunch, many students engaged with the Guard. Staff Sergeant Russell and Staff Sergeant Jeane interacted with the students, especially the JROTC members. The players were excited to show off all of their awards received during the season. While talking to coach DeVoursney, he mentioned how one of the reasons his team was so successful is that his players understood leadership and teamwork.
During the pep rally, SSG Russell got the audience excited by handing out National Guard gear and explaining the pillars of the National Guard, which are similar to a championship football team. He then congratulated coach DeVoursney and the team on a successful season and presented the Army National Guard national ranking trophy to the team.
Coach DeVoursney asked his senior starting quarterback
Jaquez Parks to give a few words of encouragement to the team and the audience. Parks mentioned how important leadership and teamwork were, reiterating that if the team follows the same guidelines as used during the previous season, they will be state champions all over again. Not only were the Bears dominant on the field, but in the classroom as well. Coach DeVoursney made a point of saying that the senior class had an average GPA of 3.6 during this school year.
Congratulations to the Griffin High School Bears on their first state title since 1978 and national ranking. We hope to see you on the Tour of Champions again next year!
