Wildcats miss playoffs but finish strong

Ending the season on a four-game win streak is a crescendo any football team would envy.

Unfortunately for , it was too little to put them in the playoffs for a third straight season.

The Region 6-AAAA Wildcats couldn't overcome their 0-3 season start, even by winning six of their last seven games. The result was a fifth place region finish behind playoff qualifiers Tucker, Marist, Southwest DeKalb and Mays.

"At 0-3, a lot of teams could have mailed it in and it could have turned into a very difficult season," said Wildcats coach Jim Showfety. "Our kids hung in there and kept plugging along. They deserve a lot of credit."

Missing the playoffs was a disappointment for Dunwoody, a state quarterfinalist in 2008 and a second-round team in '09. The Wildcats weren't picked to win their highly competitive region where every game counts toward the regional standings, but they were considered in the running for one of four playoff berths, despite playing for their third coach in as many seasons.

"We thought we were at least one of the top four teams going into the season," said senior halfback Josh McKay, son of Olympic track medalist Antonio McKay. "We went in with high expectations. We ended like we should have started."

Linebacker Justin King, who suffered a concussion in Game 1 and sat out Game 2, replaced quarterback Ryan Gaines in Game 3; Gaines broke his collarbone in Game 2. The result was 250-plus rushing yards in Game 3, and though the Wildcats still lost to Redan 12-10, Showfety said a shift in momentum was palpable.

"We saw at that point we could run the ball pretty well," Showfety said. "(King) played a big role, but clearly, we were starting to get more comfortable with our offensive system."

McKay wound up the team's leading rusher with 523 yards and three touchdowns this season, while King added 413 and three scores. Tracey White, Breon Isaac and Dwayne Brown combined for another 1,100 yards and five touchdowns apiece.

Once the Wildcats turned things around, they finished the season by running the table against Marist (20-0), Carver (38-9), Chamblee (31-0) and Douglass (41-0). Showfety credited defense for outscoring those opponents 33-2 on average. Linebacker Aaron Easterling led the way with 70 tackles and three sacks, while Josiah Terrell-Perica and Jake Hudgins followed with 62 and 53 stops, respectively.

"Our defense was continuously solid (in the season's second half)," Showfety said. "We also started getting a little more leadership."

Showfety said Dunwoody's best half of football was the first against Carver.

"We were clicking on all cylinders," he said. "We were moving the ball extremely well. Our linemen were coming off the ball hard, and our backs were making plays."

Looking back, King considered the season's 0-3 start motivational.

"We really knew we had to finish strong," the junior said. "Everybody just gave it their all each game in the end. That 0-3 start kind of gave us a reality check."