Friday Night Lights are Never Forgotten

The roar of the crowd…the feel of the turf… the sounds of helmets and shoulder pads crashing into each other. For football players, coaches, and fans alike, the emotions of the game never really leave you. Years can fade into decades but every Fall, those emotions come rushing back as former players flock to stadiums on Friday nights to watch the next generation pick up the pigskin and battle for glory on the gridiron.

But this Friday night will be different as former players for the Trion Bulldogs and Gordon Lee Trojans will gather, not in the stands, but on the field…

Imagine Randy Peace, 60 year-old running back, and one of the original Four Horseman from the 1974 State Championship team, taking a hand off and rushing up the middle. Imagine 39 year-old quarterback, Garrett Brown, rolling out to the right looking for Cody Simpson, 23 year-old wide receiver, in the end zone. This is no dream team, nor is it an actual dream, this is the brain child of Cartersville High School Assistant Coach Michael Bell’s Southeastern Football Rivals. Bell created the concept of Alumni games and the idea has taken off all across the southeast where football exists on a different plane. And in the mills of Trion and Chickamauga, there is no rivalry game that matters more that the Trojans vs the Bulldogs. Long billed as “the oldest football rivalry in the state,” the Gordon Lee/Trion match up has always been the single game by which each season was measured. If you only won only one game…. it better be this one.

Backing up Peace at running back will be a few former Bulldog favorites, including Daniel Calhoun who holds the Bulldog Single Season (1627) rushing record Career Rushing (5500) records. Jarin Blevins will also be carrying the rock and lead blocking as fullback. Trion also looks to have some size advantage with players like the massive, Adam Lee, who towers over his teammates at 6’6″ and 300 lbs.

In addition to the players themselves, alumni cheerleaders and band members will also be a part of the Rivalry Game. Over 85 members of the Pride of Trion will be on hand to belt out some Bulldog tunes while nearly two dozen cheerleaders show off their moves to pump up the crowd. Fans are advised to arrive early for good seats to witness history in the making.

For the past few months, both teams have been polishing their roster and determining their starting line ups and Friday night, fans from across Chattooga and Walker Counties will be gathered at Gordon Lee’s Billy Neil Ellis Stadium to watch a spectacle that will never been seen again. Grown men acting like kids. Playing like kids. And feeling like football gods.

A full roster is listed below and the game will be Friday, May 6, 2016 at 7:30 pm. Billy Neil Ellis Stadium is located behind Gordon Lee High School / 105 Lee Circle, Chickamauga, GA 30707.  Honorary Captain Clarence Blevins will be on hand for the coin flip.

TRION ALUMNI FOOTBALL ROSTER

NAME                  NUMBER

Glen Emery            2

Blake Reynolds      3

Corey Barnes         7

Cody Simpson       9

Dusty Brown         10

Garrett Brown      11

Casey Hunter        20

Daniel Calhoun     21

Ryan Wilson          22

Justin Baker           23

Austin McGraw      25

Josh Hampton        26

Randy Peace            27

Jarin Blevins           30

Trent Wilson           32

Colter Sanford         40

Zach Carpenter        50

Eric Brock                 54

Terry Eller                56

Jim Brooks               61

Daulton Hegwood  62

Rusty Brown            69

Adam Lee                 70

Gene Callan              71

Chase Stoner            72

Drew Casteel            74

Jim Searles              76

Coray Helms           78

Morgan Stowe        79

Buster Bynum        82

Brandon Espy        83

Greg Baker             85

Adam Everett        89

Coaches: Bryan Edge, Garrett Brown, Dwayne Tinney