Team of the Week: Spalding Jaguars

GRIFFIN, Ga. - Two schools, five miles apart in the city of Griffin are still alive in the HIGH 5 State Quarter Final. One won't surprise you: The Griffin Bears are back in the quarter finals are to the seventh time in the last 15 years.

The other: The Spalding Jaguars have reached the elite 8 for only the second time in that stretch. That has earned them our HIGH 5 Sports Team of the Week award!

HIGH 5’s Cody Chaffins paid them a visit Wednesday morning to present them with the coveted HIGH 5 Hand Trophy.

They’ve never been considered the big dogs in town, but the Jaguars are looking to change that mentality.

"And these kids have been beat up and called Spalding's step-child and all of that for so long it just, it does my heart good to see them walking around with pride and their head held high. That's what's important," said Spalding Head Coach Nick Davis.

The Jaguars went 10-2 last year, but couldn't get to the elite 8. This year the team's 8-4, but while their record is worse, Coach Davis said that the team is better.

"I told our team that at the beginning of the year i didn't care if we were 8-2, 7-3, 6-4, once you start the playoffs, you're 0-0. And we're battle tested. We played Lovejoy, if you look at 8 of the teams that we've played in the regular season all done made the playoff," said Davis.

The tests keep getting harder. After taking care of Ridgeland way up in northwest Georgia last week, the Jags head to Thompson outside of Augusta and their infamous Brickyard. But the coach doesn't mind hitting the road one more time.

"You know, we don't care where we have to go our ultimate goal is playing state championship. And guess what? That's on the road, too. So we'll take that!" expressed Davis.

The Jags are the only Number 3 Seed still kicking the quarterfinals and they have their eyes on the semifinals this week.