Westminster Heads to Ga. Dome

carries its Region 6-AA rivalry with Greater Atlanta Christian into the Georgia Dome Saturday.

“It’s a great opportunity for the kids, playing in a professional stadium and where the SEC championship is held” said Westminster assistant coach Joe Sturniolo.  “The kids are excited about it. It’s a challenge to keep their focus on the game and not where it’s being played.”

Westminster plays GAC at 5 p.m. Saturday as part of the Great American Football Classic, a showcase of four high school games. Creekside plays Mount Zion at 11 a.m.; Drew goes against Sandy Creek at 2 p.m.; and Central Gwinnett and South Gwinnett battle beginning at 8 p.m.

The Wildcats have quite a bit at stake in the game itself. Although GAC is in the 6-AA-A subregion, the result could determine who goes to the playoffs in case of a tie in Westminster’s 6-AA-B subregion. After three nonregion games, the 1-2 Wildcats remain within the region for the rest of the year.

“Now it’s for real,” said Sturniolo, who likened Westminster’s first games to preseason play. “Every single game is going to mean something.”

Sturniolo said GAC, 3-0 for the year, has been looking forward to the same since last year, when Westminster won. The Spartans, he said, see the game as a chance to show they are the top team in their subregion outside of Buford, the dominant AA team in the state.

The Wildcats enter the game off a big 27-21 win at home over Providence of Jacksonville, Fla., in which the offense rolled up nearly 400 yards.

“The offense really stepped up last week,” Sturniolo said. “We had a nice mix of running and passing.”

The ground game suffered a serious setback with the loss of running back Parker Tuthill to an ACL injury. Nigel Walker filled in well for Tuthill, gaining 63 yards on 11 carries.

Quarterback Danny Catan, who threw for 214 yards and a touchdown last week, shows a clean turnover slate for the year: no interceptions, fumbles or penalties. “He’s turned out to be a very steady quarterback for us,” Sturniolo said.

Sturniolo figures Westminster has a slight edge on special teams, especially with junior Harrison Butker’s kicking. Butker’s been booming kickoffs into the opposing team’s end zone for touchbacks — six last week — and  blending power and accuracy on field goals. He’s had 13 kickoffs in the end zone this year, and has college scouts taking notice after booting field goals of 42, 43, 45 and 51 yards.