Week two of the Georgia High School football season is quickly approaching and as usual there are great matchups all over the state. This is Part II of our weekly high school previews that we call Eight Greats Around the State.
The Perry Panthers will look to even up their series against neighboring Houston County this week as the Bears come calling. Both teams have proven leaders at quarterback but can Perry’s defense derail the high scoring Houston County offense? Over in Northwest Georgia, the Rockmart Yellow Jackets look to bounce back after a tough loss last week to rival Cedartown. They will host a very talented Cass Colonels team who is also looking to avoid an 0-2 start. Will the Cass offense get going this week after being shut out in Week-1?
Across the state in Northeast Georgia, the Stephens County Indians will host the Rabun County Wildcat. Both of these teams feature new faces at the quarterback position. But will the Indians experience at running back be the difference this week? Finally, in the Rose City rivalry, Thomas County Central will host Thomasville. Central seemingly came out of nowhere last season to many people’s amazement. Has Thomasville narrowed the gap or will Central even up the series?
Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
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
Head Coach Kevin Smith has guided the Perry Panthers to the post season for five consecutive seasons, including three consecutive region titles. The Panthers lost two games last season by a combined 8 points. While Perry will certainly miss Armar Gordon at quarterback, the position is bolstered by Colter Ginn who brings an impressive resume from his time with Peach County last season. Ginn will have some talent to work with as Dakari Anderson returns. Last season, Anderson led the team with 66 receptions for 1,096 yards and 11-TDs. The Perry defense was a big part of the team’s success in 2022. Jerrell Pinckney returns to lead a defense that allowed just 10.4 points per game.
The Houston County Bears picked up where they left off last season by putting up video game like numbers in Week-1. Last season, the Bears scored over 50 points 5 different times. Last week, they bested that total again, putting up 56 points in the win. Quarterback Antwann Hill threw for 287 yards and 4-TDs and was perfect on the night, completing all 16 of his passes. Ricky Johnson and Kale Woodburn were Hill’s primary targets as the duo combined for 215 yards and 3-TDs on 12 receptions. The Bears used 7 different running backs last week, none of them had more than 4 carries.
This game was an absolute shootout last season. With the Panthers new signal caller, we don’t think things will be much different this season. We believe the Bears have an advantage at receiver and we believe that will be the difference. Houston County by 10.
The Skinny
The Rockmart Yellow Jackets fell just short in their game last week against Polk County rival Cedartown. They’ll be at home this week as they try to get their first win of the season. Last week, the Jackets were able to find success on the ground as they rushed for 177 yards as a team. It was a combination of quarterback J.D. Davis, Brent Washington and Anson High who paced the team with a combined 152 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Rockmart held serve as they limited Cedartown to just 214 total yards on offense.
The Cass Colonels ran into a buzzsaw last week as they were shutout by Class 6A power, Rome. While the offense was held in check for most of the night, we were able to catch glimpses of how good this team can be this season as Brodie McWhorter was able to connect with Sacovie White and Devin Henderson 10 times for 93 yards. White and Henderson also led the team in rushing, but it was tough sledding all night long. Henderson also led the team in tackles and intercepted a Reece Fountain pass in the secondary.
While Cass was held scoreless last week, we believe they have too many weapons on offense for that to happen for a second week in a row. Rockmart was tough against the run last week, so Cass might have to depend on McWhorter’s accuracy to help keep drives alive. Rockmart won this matchup last season, yet, we like Cass and their experience at receiver to be the difference. Colonels by 8.
The Skinny
The Stephens County Indians got a big win over Class 6A Habersham Central for the second year in a row. Last week it was Javin Gordon going over the century mark with 122 yards and a pair of TDs while first year starter Trip Underwood threw for 161 yards and 2-TDs to help pace the Stephens County offense. Jasec Smith was the top receiver with 4 catches for 102 yards and 2-TDs. Smith also recorded 7 tackles and had two pass deflections. The 29 points surrendered last week were more points than Stephens County allowed in any game last season.
The Rabun County Wildcats got off to a hot start under the direction of sophomore quarterback Ty Truelove. Truelove completed 75% of his passes for 220 yards and 4-TDs. Five different receivers caught passes for the Wildcats who were led by Willie Goodwyn who had 5 receptions for 81 yards and 2-TDs, which included some very shifty moves after the catch. Sophomore Reid Giles led the team in rushing with 86 yards on just 3 carries including one touchdown.
Both teams were impressive in their opening week wins. It appears that both of these young teams are already playing at a high level. While Rabun looks to be primed to defend their region title later this season, we like Javin Gordon and his ability to run the ball. Stephens County breaks the drought and gets their first victory over Rabun since 1959. Indians by 4.
The Skinny
After a few mediocre seasons, head coach Justin Rogers has come in and reinvigorated the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets program as they advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009. The Jackets offense accounted for 488 yards of total offense with first year starting quarterback Jaylin Johnson passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns, while Trey Benton added 115 yards on the ground. Much of the credit on offense goes to Ty Brown and his offensive line mates that helped keep Johnson from duress for most of the game. Perhaps the unsung heroes of the game is the TCC defense, which allowed just 69 total yards of offense.
The Thomasville Bulldogs also got their season off to a great start with a big win over rival Brooks County. Like their cross-town rivals, the Bulldogs racked up plenty of offense as they totaled 572 yards of total offense with sophomore quarterback Cam Hill passing for 266 yards and 1-TD while completing 76.2% of his passes. Eight different receivers caught passes, with Cole Shaw and Messiah Wilson leading the way with 4 receptions a piece. Five different backs carried the ball for Thomasville, with Lavonte Cole leading the way with 87 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs secondary picked off two passes in the game last week.
Last season, Thomasville got off to a slow start before winning 8 straight games propelling them into the quarterfinals. The offense already looks like it’s clicking on all cylinders. However, the Jackets won’t just lay down. We expect a much closer game than a year ago. With two young quarterbacks that really have bright futures, we expect this to be a shootout. We believe the Jackets have the edge at the line of scrimmage this week and that should be the difference in the Rose City Rivalry. TCC by 9.