So, here’s one for you... 

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had a popular song when I was...well... younger... 

The chorus... 

The waiting is the hardest part 
Every day you see one more card 
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart 
The waiting is the hardest part 

So, my question is this: If you had the chance to do something in reverse order of everyone around you, would you do it? 

The reason I ask is: If you’re in Blakely, that’s what you’re doing.

Frank Killingsworth is in his first season as head coach for the Early County Bobcats and in Region 1, Class A-Division II, you’re done ... and you have been.

They’re 6-2, and their only losses have been out of region play -- a Week 3 shutout in Ellaville to Schley and last week in Quitman to Brooks County. So, that means as I do the math, they’re 6-0 in region and have clinched the region title with two (or three) weeks to spare on the schedule. The Bobcats have a bye this week and host Irwin County and go to Eufaula (Ala.) to wrap things up before the postseason starts.

Early County

The Bobcats began with a preseason scrimmage against Pelham.

Credit: Early County Facebook

If you had the choice, would you want to be in the barn and know what everyone else around you needs to do while you wait? Or, would you want the chase? Would you want the idea of the neck-and-neck race (like we see in a bunch of regions right now) and have the adrenaline push to get you to game week 10 to decide what your next steps are? 

Killingsworth’s predecessor, Joel Harvin, started this cycle last year and they did the same thing on the field then as well -- winning their first seven, sweeping region play, and losing to Brooks, Eufaula and Irwin before making it to the quarterfinals before getting knocked out by Bowdon. 

Early County gets to wait and see what Seminole, Randolph-Clay, Miller County and Terrell County do with their final three games of the year to sort out all the distance behind them.

But, what would you do? Would all that gap time to work on your own game make you the least bit nervous about the whole thing? Would you take that step that meant you would be 180-degrees away from everyone and everything else?  

The waiting is the hardest part 
Every day you get one more yard 
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart 
The waiting is the hardest part 
Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part 

The win over Terrell County last Tuesday (that’s right, Tuesday) solidified the title, but then having to turn around on three-days-notice to play Brooks meant an understandably tired result was the 14-6 loss. They were held to less than 200 yards of total offense, but Season Two is done. Season One still has some writing left. You get to figure out what questions you have leading into Season Three. 

Early County

Early County has already clinched its region championship with two non-league games remaining.

Credit: Early County Facebook

Writing that out was even a little weird... 

So, how weird is it, Dear Reader? Coach Killingsworth (kind of) had to face an inversion back when he was head coach of Miller County in 2008 and 2009 when the last game of the season was a non-region game. But that isn’t as extreme as this... and for someone who has been a head coach, on and off, for the last three decades this has to be a bit of an odd duck.

We’ll all see just how weird in a month’s time... 

A tip of the hat to Early County for being the first No. 1-seed in 2023. Now, for the waiting... 

It is the hardest part... 

Play it safe, everyone... I’ll talk to you soon...