"If I recall correctly it even rained a good bit that year," Young said. "This year's team and that '82 team have a lot of similarities."

Similarities that include hearing "tackle on the play by Stacy Young" over the public address system at Bobby Gruhn Field.

Young's son, also named Stacy, is the starting strong safety for the Gainesville defense. The11th-grader is second among Gainesville defensive backs in tackles with 80 and is regarded as a Division I prospect, getting early looks from Southern Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia, among others.

"Dad's always joking with me that we aren't as good as they were," said young Stacy. "But I think we are."

Family discussions at the Young house have been football-heavy this season.

"Stacy and I talk about it a lot," the elder Young said. "He has a lot of questions about the '82 team.

If the questions are about the coach of the 1982 team, then young Stacy probably has the answer. The late Bobby Gruhn, whom the field is named after, coached him as a 9-year-old on a Gainesville Parks and Recreation team.

"It meant a lot to me (to be coached by Gruhn)," he said. "It feels good to be a part of what he built."

The family ties are not restricted to father and son.

Cousin Sidney Garner was on the 1972 Gainesville team that lost to Southwest DeKalb, 16-12, in the state championship. In the fourth quarter, Garner intercepted a pass and scored a touchdown, only to have the play called back because of a phantom clipping penalty.

"Stacy plays the same position that Sidney played," said the elder Young. "Sidney is the No. 1 person that I would like to win this championship for."

The Georgia High School association later sent Gainesville High a letter of apology, admitting there was no clip on the play.

With the success of this year's team, young Stacy feels like he finally belongs to a special club within the family.

"I'm just glad I'm not gonna be left out," he said. "It feels good to be a part of this season."