By LAWRENCE CONNEFF

It’s only natural for the Dublin High football team to feel a little drained right now.

The Fighting Irish pulled out a one-point win last Friday to complete a brutal 10-game schedule as Region 3-AA champions. And Dublin has played nine straight games since an open date in early September, few of them with a full complement of starters.

But there’s no time to recover from here on out, as Central-Macon will visit the Shamrock Bowl at 7:30 p.m. Friday for a first-round Class AA playoff match up.

“When you play a regular season schedule that’s got 10 meaningful games, it’s hard to be at that emotional high every week,” Dublin coach Roger Holmes said.

“When you get to this level you kind of put it on autopilot and start grinding. What you’re doing right now is playing for your football life.”

What the Irish (9-1) also seem to be doing is conserving their collective energy for the moment they get under the lights on Friday. All of Dublin’s veteran players have been through this before (on consecutive runs to at least the state semifinals), so they would appear to know the best way to approach the postseason.

“It seems like we haven’t had the enthusiasm on the practice field you need to have, but that’s understandable and it’s not a problem as long as you have that desire to play at a fever pitch on Friday night,” Holmes said.”

“You don’t win games on Monday and Tuesday with energy. You win them on Friday night with energy. Our concentration has been good and our focus has been good.”

The defense will especially need to maintain that concentration through Friday if the Irish are going to make the first step toward another deep run, as Central brings in an option offense that will force Dublin to play with discipline.

“They run every type of option that you can run,” Holmes said, and have a pair of big wide receivers who stand six-feet, three-inches tall.

The Chargers also have a dangerous weapon in senior Adam Crump, a running back and kick returner they will deploy in a variety of ways.

Holmes compared the Central defense, led by standout lineman Reshar Knight, to that of Laney, which held the Irish to their lowest point total of the season in a 21-11 road loss.

“They’re not the best defense we’ve played against, but they’re right up there with some of the best,” he said.

Central is making its first playoff appearance since 1997, having finished 5-5 overall and earned the No. 4 seed from Region 4-AA.

The Chargers have yet to beat a team with a winning record, but did beat a Class AAAA Hardaway team that went 5-5 and two of their losses came to perennial powers LaGrange and Westside-Macon. And they’ll be facing a Dublin team that, for all its success this year, continues to battle injuries.

Last week’s slugfest at Jefferson County has slowed several more players this week, though they’re expected to play on Friday.

Meanwhile, senior wide receiver and placekicker Briceton Cannada continues to recover from a knee injury, so sophomore David McManus will again handle the kicking duties.

“(McManus) is gaining a little experience and he’s doing a better job for us,” Holmes said.

Despite all they’ve been through on the injury front, though, the Irish have kept up their winning ways, and their coach said he expects them to be ready for yet another postseason well before kickoff.

“Mentally, we’ve got to refocus and have our emotions where they need to be,” he said. “Emotionally, we’ve got to be at a playoff pitch. They’ve got to get their motors running and ready to go.”