Area players help lead Lions to state semifinals

Tonight for the fourth time in five seasons, the Lovett football team will be playing in the state semifinals and a solid core of Smyrna and Vinings area players are a big reason why.

The Lions (10-3) will travel to face Region 6-AA rival and state power, Buford, as the 7:30 p.m. game will be broadcast live on WDUN AM 550 and 102.9 FM.

Despite heavy personnel losses from last year's team, Lovett and head coach Mike Muschamp have managed another deep playoff run with a mix of senior leadership and young talent.

Included in the group are a handful of players from just across the Chattahoochee River, such as senior center Hunter Rich of Vinings. He leads an otherwise young line that has anchored an offense that has averaged 350 yards per game. Meanwhile, cornerback Grant Haley (Mableton), a freshman, and linebacker John Coletti (Vinings), a sophomore, represent the new wave of Lovett stars.

And a strong junior class featuring area players such as fullback Cory Palmer (Mableton), linebacker Patrick Emerson (Vinings), defensive lineman Will Flood (Mableton), and tight end/defensive lineman Ian Crosby (Smyrna), has kept the Lions at the top of the class.

Rich is one of the team's stabilizing forces, as the 6-foot-2, 277-pounder is one of the upperclassmen that a young roster looks up to.

"At the beginning of the season, it was a little tough for them just because a lot of them are so young that they didn't have any game experience at the varsity level," Rich said. "But once we got some guys in and got some chemistry, their confidence just went up."

It didn't take long for two of those youngsters, Haley and Coletti, to win both starting spots and the respect of coaches and older players, alike. Haley, the only freshman starter on the team, had a key interception in the Lions' second-round playoff win over Dade County. The 5-foot-9 defensive back/running back/kick returner is extremely quick and leads the team with four interceptions.

"It's been an interesting year because I've learned a lot from the upperclassmen," said Haley. "They're really nice to me and they help me out … they just keep me on track."

Like Haley, Coletti is also in his first year as a varsity player. The sophomore strong side linebacker has thrived in leading the team with 66 total tackles. Playing so many snaps of varsity football was a big change of pace after he spending most of the 2009 year on the freshman squad.

"It's been tough," admitted Coletti. "It's been nerve-wracking at times, to be totally honest. But [the young players] really grew into our roles."

Buford had won five straight over the Lions, including a 50-0 state championship win in 2007, before Lovett upset the Wolves last year in the regular season. Buford rebounded to win its third straight state championship last December, and whipped Lovett 37-14 on Sept. 24 of this year. In that game, Lovett led 14-13 in the second quarter before Buford rolled to the easy victory.

"We're a different team than we were then," said Coletti, proclaiming the Lions have the ability to "shock the state.''

Rich agreed, adding that team confidence is high after three straight playoff road wins. "The first step to winning a game like (Buford) is making sure everyone on the team believes. And right now, there's not a player on the team that's expecting to lose."