Spartan football team cap off difficult season with impressive playoff run
The scoreboard clock shimmers in the dark November sky. After a miraculous touchdown catch by Tight End Garrett Sapp (12), Arlington leads by just one point at a score of 28-27. With no time left on the clock at all, the White Station Spartans need a two-point conversion to win the game and advance to the second round of playoffs. Junior Quarterback Drew Lyons hands the ball off to Greg Williams (12) who gracefully dives into the Arlington end zone for the win. Cheers erupt from the bench as both Spartan fans and players rush the field to celebrate.
Ending the regular season with an abysmal 3-7 record, the Spartans were not favored to make a successful playoff run. After a first round playoff win against Arlington High, however, the team found themselves picking up steam late in their 2017-18 season.
“I believe the schedule, which was the hardest in Tennessee, was what prompted our playoff run,” Sapp said. “Of course it hurt our confidence a little bit with the losses but we knew how to play in close games, which gave us an edge late in the season.”
The momentum accrued from the Arlington game allowed the Spartans to topple the formerly undefeated Germantown Red Devils in the next round of playoffs. This was the second playoff game in which last-second points on the board from Williams would give White Station the edge to win 17-14.
“I would just want to take my team to state because we all wanted to accomplish that goal and we almost did,” Williams said when asked about his motivations during the Germantown game.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, their impressive playoff run came to an end against rival Whitehaven in a 41-20 loss.
“The biggest competition is always Whitehaven because of the physicality of the games. You always wake up the next day after that game hurting worse than usual,” Sapp said.
Despite an incredibly difficult regular season schedule, the Seniors on the White Station Varsity football team overcame the odds to cap off their last season with a truly entertaining playoff run. Both Williams and Sapp plan to pursue their passion for the sport by potentially playing for a Division 1 football school after graduation.
“I will miss every second of high school football,” Williams said. “It was wonderful being under the lights, great crowds, and the band playing great music.”.
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