With football season just a few weeks away, the Swainsboro Tigers look ahead to a mountain of an obstacle that lies in wait…their regular season schedule. The Tigers’ coaching staff has already made mention of this possibly being one of the most challenging schedules in the school’s history. That proclamation piqued my interest and I decided to take a look into the 2012 list of opponents and see what all the fuss is about.

Well, there’s no doubt Swainsboro’s preseason scrimmage game is no cupcake. The Tigers will travel to Burke County to shake off the rust against the defending AAA state champs. That game really ought to get the black and gold in the mindset of playing the best. Up next, Swainsboro travels 135 miles south for their regular season opener in Sylvester to battle Worth County. Worth County is a AAAA school and had a mediocre season in 2011 with a 5-6 record. After a week off, the Tigers will host Grovetown. Grovetown is a AAAAA school that finished 6-4 last season.

The following week will see the Tigers face another road test as they travel south to Blackshear to play Pierce County. Pierce finished 8-3 last season, but boy are they a tough team to play at their facility. Having warmed up with that roster of slightly unfamiliar foes, Swainsboro will tighten their chin straps against some familiar rivals. A trip to the Shamrock Bowl to face Dublin is always a war. Dublin played deep into the postseason in 2011, settling at 11-2. Next, Swainsboro will host their neighbors from the east, Statesboro, 10-1 last year. Any year, any sport, Dublin and Statesboro will bring out the fans as they represent two long time historic rivals.

Ready for a breather? Well, there won’t be room to take much of a breath here. The Tigers will have a home game against always tough, Thompson. The Bulldogs wrapped up a good 2011 season with a 9-2 record. Swainsboro hits the road again the following week against Washington County. The House of Pain is known for being unpleasant to visiting teams, though Washington County was just 7-4 last year.

Three games to go! Let’s throw a single A team in there to balance the scales, shall we? However, when that team is Wilcox County, no opponent will feel safe. Wilcox made another deep playoff run last season, finishing 11-1. Luckily, the Tigers will play host and try to make the visitors uncomfortable. Game #9 will have Swainsboro traveling to face their biggest rivals, the Jefferson County Warriors. Jefferson County started off slow last season before reeling off seven consecutive victories and two playoff games. The Warriors always bring out the best in the Tigers and this season it should be no different. Swainsboro wraps up the regular season with a home game against Dodge County, who were 5-5 last year.

Whew! I think the coaching staff is dead on. 2012 should be one exciting year with interesting matchups every week. The black and gold will certainly be battle tested facing truly one of the toughest schedules in the school’s history.