No matter how East Forsyth's season ends, players and coaches probably will look back and ask -- what if?
What if a shanked punt didn't lead to an unlikely late touchdown in a 21-14 loss to Mount Tabor, a setback that started a five-game losing streak? What if East had scored against Reynolds after getting two cracks from the 1-yard line in a 14-7 loss?
Almost a year removed from a 12-2 season that ended with a loss to eventual champion Richmond Senior in the NCHSAA 4-AA quarterfinals, East has had to scrap and claw for its 5-5 record and a very important regular-season finale coming up Friday.
For the first time in years, the Glenn-East Forsyth game will mean more than bragging rights in Kernersville. It's a Piedmont Triad 4-A game that means much to both teams.
For Glenn (8-2, 4-1), a win will mean no worse than a second-place finish. For East, which is 3-2 in the conference, a win means a potential second-place tie.
"I think I will look back and say we could have had a real good record," Coach Todd Willert said. "We have a good group of kids.
"We are satisfied, but as the players and coaches, everyone said it's a rebuilding year, but it never is rebuilding when you have seniors. They don't want to hear that because it's their last year. We had an awesome senior class (last year), but a couple of fumbles here and there and things could have been a lot different for us this season."
Darrell Anderson, a senior linebacker, said he never expected anything other than another great season. And it was Anderson and his fellow seniors who started applying Band-Aids to open wounds during the five-game losing streak.
"It was like we had a whole lot of individuals, and everyone started to give up," Anderson said. "Some people thought to themselves that they would keep their head up and we could get it together."
The Eagles rebounded to win three straight, including a 14-9 victory over Northwest Guilford last Friday. Before that game, Danny O'Brien -- East's quarterback the past two seasons who now plays at Maryland -- addressed the team.
"He told us we need to cherish this," Anderson said. "He said ‘This is one of your last senior games and you need to play your heart out and everything will work out great for you.' And I think it was a big help for us. It's all about finding a way to win.
"Now everything is on all cylinders. Everyone is clicking and everyone wants to make plays. They don't just depend on themselves but depend on the person beside them."
For East Forsyth, the game against Glenn never needs a flashy introduction. The stakes this time give both teams all the motivation they'll need.
As for Anderson, who is considering entering a culinary-arts college, this probably will be one of the last football games of his career.
"It's a do-or-die situation," he said. "And this being my last year, I will give it everything I have."
mlinker@wsjournal.com.
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