We are previewing all of the 2020 GHSA playoff games. Next up is Class 6A. This will be a four part series. This preview features games between Rome-Habersham Central, River Ridge-Kennesaw Mountain, Alcovy-Brunswick and Lee County-Tucker.
Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
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The Skinny
The Rome Wolves are the No. 2 seed from Region 5 and are in the post season for the sixth consecutive year. Rome has won five straight games and all of their losses were to teams that are in the playoffs. It looks as though quarterback Reece Fountain has taken most of the snaps lately for the Wolves. The Freshman has thrown for 680 yards and 5-TDs. Through 9 games, E.J. Lacey and freshman Shaun Nelson have combined to rush for 1, 043 yards and 5-TDs. Jay Wise still leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs. Through nine games, linebacker Brant Wilkinson has tallied 8 sacks. Rome is averaging 23.2 points per game while the defense is allowing 19.1 points per game.
The Habersham Central Raiders are the No. 3 seed from Region 8. This marks the second time in three years that the Raiders are in the post season. The Raiders have won their last three games. Habersham Central sports two thousand-yard rushers in quarterback Joshua Picket, (1,521 yards, 21-TDs) and Jackson Cloutre, (1,101 yards, 9-TDs). Picket has also thrown for 954 yards and 9-TDs. Patrick Tedder leads the team with 109 total tackles. Austin Wood has intercepted 9…yes 9 passes on the season and the team has picked off 17 all-together. Habersham Central is averaging 30.6 points per game while the defense is allowing 27.7 points. The Raiders have defeated one playoff team this season. That’s something that raises our eyebrows. We like Rome by 13.
The Skinny
The River Ridge Knights are the Region 7 Champions, the first in school history. The Knights are in the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and for only the second time in school history. River Ridge also set a record for number of wins in a season. River Ridge is powered by Junior running back Amehre Morrison who’s rushed for 1,549 yards and 23-TDs this season. Quarterback Carson Lathem threw for 1,260 yards and 14-TDs. The Knights also have three really good receivers in Jackson Head, Riley Caines and Andrew “Big Play” Bingham. The Knights are averaging 33 points per game while the defense is allowing 16.4 points per game. River Ridge has defeated two playoff teams this season.
The Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs are the No. 4 seed from Region 6 and have qualified for the post season for the first time in school history. Head Coach and Kennesaw Mountain alum Caleb Carmean has done a good job guiding his team through the season and reaching this milestone. The Mustangs have won four of their last five games after dropping their first four games. In the last two weeks, the Mustangs have put up 114 points and have given up 17. Running back T.J. Jenkins has rushed for 1,173 yards and 13.TDs. On the season, Kennesaw Mountain is averaging 30.5 points per game while the defense is allowing 22.6 points per game. We should note that the Mustangs have not defeated a playoff team this season. We think the Knights will get a big game from Morrison. River Ridge by 27.
The Skinny
The Alcovy Tigers are the No. 2 seed from Region 3. They are making their first playoff appearance since 2013. Alcovy comes into this game winners of two of their last three. Quarterback Ashton Evans has thrown for 1,086 yards and 14-TDs while Tristan Mayweather has rushed for 465 yards and 4-TDs. Mathias Height and M.J. Stroud have combined for 54 receptions and 668 yards and 10-TDs. Alcovy beat two playoff teams this season, but did not beat any teams with a winning record.
The Brunswick Pirates are the No. 3 seed from Region 2. It’s the third time in four years that Brunswick is in the playoffs. Brunswick has won six of their last seven games. All of their three losses came to teams that are in the playoffs. Brunswick is led by quarterback K.J. Lee whose thrown for 1,727 yards and 18-TDs. Ree Simmons has rushed for 1,030 yards and 9-TDs while Tyrease Jones and Xavier Bean have combined for 71 receptions and 1,192 yards and 15-TDs. Cameron Crump leads the defense with 73 total tackles. Brunswick is averaging 29.2 points per game while the Pirates are allowing 16.9 points per game. Brunswick has defeated four playoff teams this season. Even on the road, we believe they are more battle tested than Alcovy. We like Brunswick by 17.
The Skinny
The Lee County Trojans are the Region 1 Champion. Lee County has made the post season nine times in eleven years, including two state title victories during that span. The Trojans are winners of their last six games and have defeated seven playoff teams this season. They are averaging 35.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 10.4 points per game. The defense has only allowed over 17 points once this season, and that was to Lowndes back in September.
The Tucker Tigers are the No. 4 seed from Region 4. Since 1994, Tucker has only missed the playoffs twice. During that stretch the Tigers have also won a pair of state titles. However, this season, the Tigers seemingly limped into the playoffs, losing three of their last four and being outscored 91 to 27 in their last two games. Omari Gordon and Latavius Johnson lead the Tigers rushing attack while Isaiah Raheem and Barry Manning lead the Tigers in receiving. Tucker is averaging 21.2 points per game while the defense is allowing 24 points per game. We expect Lee County to overwhelm Tucker this week. We like the Trojans by five touchdowns.