Shawn Cahill is in his first season as the head football coach at West Forsyth. He moved to West from Lanier, a move he describes as terrific. He gets to see daughter Emma, 14, a freshman at West, around the halls of the school during the school day. In our warm up to this interview, I asked Coach Cahill, as I do all my recorded interview subjects, to recite the alphabet. This is to get a “level check”, to make sure the subject sounds clean and clear before we start the recording. It’s the same in theory as the sound check you hear at a concert. “Check, one two. Check, one one one. Check two two two.” But that won’t work for me, because I need to hear the soundcheck conversationally, cause that’s what we’re about to do. Converse.
Coach Cahill joked that his kids would get a kick out of the fact he knew his alphabet. I’m guessing the reaction will be Emma and son Jack, 12, a 6th grader at Liberty Middle, just rolling their eyes. “That’s great, Dad”, they’ll say. This is probably going to get a more positive reaction from 4 year old Quinn and two year old Nolan. “Daddy, you know your ABCs!!”, they’ll giggle. So for the kids of Coach Shawn Cahill, here’s the warm up.
And so I did frame it like that. Nice job Coach. And you better have a good handle on the ABCs of football, because here comes the game we, and many other Region 5 Class 7A observers, have had circled on the calendar since it was first announced over the summer. Here comes South Forsyth, ranked 6th in the state in Class 7A, the only blemish on the War Eagles splendid 2017 season an ineligible player forfeit against Pinecrest. Two weeks ago they were 4th. But 6th is better than 7th, and a Top Ten ranking is still something to crow about. South Forsyth, deep, talented, physical, enters The Den Friday night with the winningest Senior Class in school history, and thus undoubtedly one of the winningest in Forsyth County history as well. The only thing standing in the way of the War Eagles undefeated Region 5 title is West.
Coach Cahill is excited about the contest. West still has the mathematical chance at a Region 5 title themselves. If all the planets align just right. Coach Cahill explains the formulas in our interview with him below.
The four teams from Region 5 are set. South Forsyth, West Forsyth, North Forsyth and Milton. What remains is the order of finish. Also at stake is a home playoff game. Or two. Or three. Two years ago, South Forsyth won then Region 7 Class 6A and played three playoff games at home. And then there’s the bragging rights. Coach Cahill addresses all this and more in our interview with the leader of the Wolverine pack ahead of Friday’s splendid season closer, in the same stadium where we opened the season. The Den at West Forsyth. Enjoy the interview here. Then be sure to tune in to our LIVE podcast of the game Friday night. Pregame is at 6:30, Kickoff is at 7:30. Senior Night at West Forsyth vs South Forsyth. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.
