It’s hard to believe, but the first quarter of the high school football season is complete in the state of Georgia. As we do each week, we take a look at eight of the more intriguing matchups across the state. This is Part-I of our feature we call Eight Greats Around the State.
First up in a battle of War Eagles, Marist hosts Woodward Academy. Both teams are ranked in the Top-10 in Class 6A coming into this matchup. Will it be the Woodward passing attack or the Marist ground game that prevails on Friday? Next up, in Walton County, the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes host Prince Avenue Christian. It’s another game featuring contrasting styles as Monroe Area will no doubt try to play ball control with their run game in order to keep the explosive Wolverines on the sidelines. Will that strategy work, or will Aaron Philo and Prince Avenue’s offense be too much to overcome?
Down in Cochran, the Bleckey County Royals host the Schley County Wildcats. The Royals defense will be tasked with slowing down Schleys high powered offense. Finally, in Ocilla, the Irwin County Indians will host the Turner County Titans. Can the upstart Titans win a big game on the road and prove they are a legit threat in Class A Division II?
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Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
Historical records are provided by the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. (ghsfa.org)
The Skinny
The Marist War Eagles have bounced back after dropping their first game of the season and have now won back to back games. The War Eagles will keep it simple with a formula that has worked for years under long time head coach Alan Chadwick…their patented Wing-T offense. Quarterback Jack Euart will spearhead the attack. Euart is also a threat to throw the ball downfield and Maris t has an effective target in Luke Harping. The ground game has been feeding the opposition a steady diet of Jackson Hughes, Joseph Pizzo and Walker Richens.
The Woodward Academy War Eagles found themselves on the short end of the stick last time out as they fell to McCallie of Tennessee back on August 25th. Woodward has relied heavily on the passing game this season as quarterback Griffin Marshall has thrown for 403 yards and 5-TDs in two games. Ben Grice has been the home run threat with 7 receptions for 287 yards and 3-TDs. Defensively, linebacker Andrew Hines III and Tyree Myrick lead the Ware Eagles in total tackles.
This game will feature two contrasting styles of offense with Marist looking to grind the game out on the ground and Woodward looking to make this a high scoring game. What concerns us most in this game has been Woodward’s inability to get the ground game going int the first two games. We believe Marist will be able to establish the runs and control the clock and eventually come out on top. Marist by 5.
The Skinny
The Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes are off to a hot start this season, winning their first three games to date. The bulk of the Canes offensive production has been done on the ground. Senior running back Darrion Manuel leads the team with 519 yards and 6-TDs on the young season. The Canes have only attempted 26 passes on the season, but several receivers have recorded catches including the aforementioned Manuel, Kenzie Battle and Jitt Carr. Defensively, the Canes have forced 5 turnovers. Ricky Robbins leads the team with 16 total tackles. Monroe Area has already recorded two shutouts this season and are allowing just 4 points per game.
The Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines are winners of their last 17 games dating back to last season. The Wolverines ran the table in 2022 and have been equally impressive in the early going this season. Prince Avenue is averaging 464 yards of offense per game this season and have been getting it done on the ground and through the air. Senior quarterback Aaron Philo has thrown for 765 yards and 12-TDs while completing 68% of his passes. Eleven different receivers have caught passes for the Wolverines, with Thornton Hestser and C.J. Dockery leading the way combining for 30 receptions for 342 yards and 6-TDs. Meanwhile, senior running back Connor Cosby has rushed for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Wolverines defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 9 times and have forced 4 turnovers.
We believe that Monroe-Area’s ability to run the football will help keep this game close; and while the Monroe Area defense has been lights out, this Prince Avenue team has a little more firepower. We like the Wolverines to roll this week. Prince Avenue by 11.
The Skinny
The Bleckley County Royals are looking to move to 3-0 for the second consecutive season. Quarterback Kam’Ryn Everett has thrown for 320 yards and 4-TDs in the young season. It’s been tough sledding on the ground for the Royals, but Joshua Stanley and Rodriguez Flagg have proven to be workhorses in the backfield. The Royals are averaging 22 points per game while the defense is allowing 13.5 points per game.
The Schley County Wildcats have already avenged one of their losses from a year ago and will look to do it again this week as they visit Bleckley County. This Wildcats boast one of the most talented rosters in Class A-DII. Quarterback Jay Kanazawa has thrown for 460 yards and 6-TDs. Jalewis Solomon has been the primary target for Kanazawa with 12 receptions for 244 yards and 3-TDs. It hasn’t just been the passing game as the Wildcats have rushed for 442 yards in their first two games of the season. Jeremyah Rogers leads the team on the ground with 199 yards rushing and 2-TDs.
A win be Schley would avenge their only other regular season loss from 2022. Bleckley will need another big performance from their quarterback in order to stay undefeated. We believe that Schley has too much offense this week. Wildcats by 8.
The Skinny
After being stymied in Week-1, the Irwin County Indians got back on track in Week-2. Running back Shane Marshall rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns against Dooly County in Week-2. While Luke Snyder has demonstrated his ability to pass, we still expect for most of the Indians offense to come from the ground game. In their first two games, Irwin County is averaging 17 points per game while the defense is alowing 24 points per game.
The Turner County Titans have already matched their win total from a season ago. The Titans are getting things done on offense through the air. Quarterback Carlton Brannon has passed for 853 yards and 9-TDs. His top receiver has been Ka’Arrin Dawson, who has caught 21 passes for 370 yards and 4-TDs. Meanwhile J.T. Terry and Kaleb Joiner have combined to catch 16 passes for 329 yards and 4-TDs. The Titans are averaging 23 points per game while allowing 25.3 points per game.
This game features a dramatic contrasts of styles. Expect Irwin to try to keep the pass happy Turner on the sidelines with a ball control offenese. These games haven’t been close over the last 6 season, all wins by Irwin County. We believe this one is much closer, but we like Irwin to win by 5.