We are entering the last quarter of the regular season for Georgia High School Football. Time is getting shorter for teams to make their move for playoff positions. Some region winners across the state have already been decided. While the playoff picture is starting to take shape, there are still a lot of questions to be answered. This is Part I of our weekly feature that we call Eight Greats Around the State, where we take a look at eight intriguing matchups this week.
The Kell Longhorns are back in region title contention but will face a tough test from the Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans. Kyle has a dynamic quarterback in Bryce Clavon. Can he out-duel Spartans quarterback Jack Stanton? Over in West Georgia, the Carrollton Trojans will host the Westlake Lions. Westlake has gotten back on track after losing to Newton three weeks ago, but do they have enough fire power to combat Carrollton?
The Newton Rams are steadily marching towards a region title, but have another tough opponent this week as Parkview comes to town. Can Parkview slow down Newton’s Zion Johnson? Finally, down in central Georgia, the Houston County Bears host the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets. Houston County needs a win to keep pace with the Region-1 leaders, but Thomas County Central has been red hot. Can the Bears passing game lead them to an upset this week?
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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 Kell Longhorns have won their last six games after dropping the season opener to Class 7A Parkview. The Longhorns are averaging 43 points per game. Offensively, Kell has a balanced attack as they are averaging 235.1 yards per game on the ground and 235.9 yards per game through the air. Sophomore running back Tyron Green and freshman Quinterrius Gipson have combined to rush for 1,088 yards and 16-TDs. Both Bryce Clavon and Kamari Nix have spent time at quarterback, but it has been Clavon gettin the bulk of snaps as of late. He’s thrown for 847 yards and 9-TDs. Top receivers fr Kell are Peyton Zachary (27 receptions, 406 yards, 5-TDs) and Kyle Vaka (22 receptions, 500 yards, 7-TDs). The defense has forced 10 turnovers and sacked opposing quarterbacks 14 times. Tashawn Natt leads the team in total tackles (50).
The Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans are off to their best start in three years as they’ve won their first seven ball games. The Spartans are averaging 232.7 yards per game through the air and 199.6 yards per game on the ground. Senior quarterback Jack Stanton has thrown for 1,485 yards and 17-TDs. Xavier Daisy has been Stanton’s go to target with 27 receptions for 584 yards and 8-TDs. Senior running back G.L. Tiberia has rushed for 830 yards snd 9-TDs. Sophomore linebacker Reid Voyles leads the team with 63 total tackles The Spartans defense is allowing 12.7 points per game and has forced seven turnovers.
This game should decide the region champion as both teams are going to favored in their last three games. The Spartans are going to have to find a way to keep the explosive Kell offense. That’s easier said than done. We like Kell by 8.
The Skinny
The Carrolton Trojans have won seven straight all games after dropping their opener. Since surrendering 39 points in their Week-1 game, they’ve allowed just 59 total points included three shutouts. Their defense is allowing 12.2 points per game. The defense has forced 11 turnovers on the season. The offense is averaging 239.3 yards per game through the air and 128.9 yards per game rushing. They are scoring just over 47 points per game. Quarterback Julian “Juju” Lewis has thrown for 1,920 yards and his completing 67.1% of his passes. Caleb Odom (28 receptions, 491 yards, 7-TDs) and Ryan Mosley (21 receptions 299 yards, 3-TDs) are the teams leading receivers, while Kendall Farmer leads the offense with 808 rushing yards.
The Westlake Lions bounced back for a loss three weeks ago to win consecutive games. The Lions offense is averaging 43.7 points per game and have done most of their work by way of the run game. Junior running backs Tamir Bransford and Naeem Odeniyi have combined to rush for 846 yards and 16-TDs to lead the ground game. Through the first 6 games of the season, quarterback Sean Smith has thrown for 796 yards and 12-TDs and has yet to thrown an interception. Receiver Travis Smith Jr. has caught a team leading 22 catches for 429 yards and 6-TDs. The defense is allowing 18.4 points per game and have forced 15 turnovers on the year.
Carrollton can clinch the region title with a win on Friday night. We believe the home field of Grisham stadium well help give the home town Trojans an edge. Carrollton by 11.
The Skinny
The Newton Rams are off to their best start in school history. The Rams are in search of their first region title since 2017. Additionally they are on pace to have the best offensive production in school history. They are averaging just over 361 yards per game offensively. Running back Zion Johnson has already eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark this season with 1,085 yards and 14-TDs. He’s averaging 9.4 yards per carry. Keon Davis and Marcus Calwise have combined to catch 31 passes for 811 yards and 10-TDs to lead the Rams receiving corps. Defensively the Rams are allowing 10 points per game with two shutouts on the year.
The Parkview Panthers are looking to bounce back after a 1-point loss to Archer last week. The Panthers can theoretically still win the region, but they will need to win out and get some help along the way. Parkview’s offense is averaging 157.3 yards per game through the air and 176.1 yards per game on the ground. Trelain Maddox, Brian Stokes, Jr. and Davin Rouse have combined to rush for 1,066 yards and 12-TDs on the season. Meanwhile, Michael Matthews (23 receptions, 488 yards, 6-TDs) and Carson Wilson (21 receptions, 396 yards, 4-TDs) lead the Parkview receivers. The Panthers defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 28 times this season with senior defensive end Ira Singleton leading the way with 7.5. They’ve also forced 11 turnovers.
Newton has been playing lights out, but the competition continues to stiffen in region play. The big question is whether or not Zion Johnson can get going for Newton. Meanwhile, Parkview will need to avoid a hangover from last week’s loss. We believe this game will be nip and tuck, but like Newton win at home. Rams by 3.
The Skinny
The Houston County Bears recorded their largest margin of victory over Northside Warner Robins last week. Now they will try to keep pace with another high scoring region rival. The Bears are averaging 46.7 points per game this season and have not scored any less than 35 points in any game. Quarterback Antwann Hill has passed for 1,814 yards and 23-TDs while completing 69.5% of his passes. His top targets this season have been Ricky Johnson (42 receptions, 835 yards, 11-TDs) and Kale Woodburn (32 receptions, 357 yards, 4-TDs). Houston has shown the ability to run the football, averaging 169.3 yards per game with Ryan Taleb leading the way with 616 yards and 8-TDs.
The Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets are looking for their second straight region title. They are undefeated in the regular season going back to the start of the 2022 campaign. The offense is averaging just over 374 yards per game and scoring 47.8 points per game. Sophomore quarterback Jaylen Johnson has thrown for 1,093 yards and 12-TDs. Malachi Thomas and Trevor Pringle have been the go-to receivers, with a combined 29 receptions for 620 yards and 9-TDs. Meanwhile, Trey Benton continues to lead the team on the ground with 684 yards and 12-TDs. The defense has been just as good this season, allowing just 6.7 points per game including three shutouts. They’ve forced 11 turnovers and sacked opposing quarterbacks 8 times.
The big question in this game is can Houston protect the ball on offense and slow down the Jackets ground game. We don’t believe Thomas County Central will keep Houston out of the end zone, but we do believe they will do just enough to get the win this week. Jackets by a touchdown.