This is Part II of our weekly previews of Eight of the more intriguing high school football matchups across the State of Georgia. Our first matchup features Cass as they host the Rockmart Yellow Jackets. Both teams are coming off losses last week. Is Cass ready to step onto the big stage with a win over Rockmart, or will the Yellow Jackets reassert their dominance in this series? Meanwhile, the Blessed Trinity Titans will host Eagle’s Landing Christian. The Titans avenged losses last season to Calhoun and will look to continue their mastery of Eagle’s Landing Christian. Will the Charges figure out the Blessed Trinity riddle?
Over in Polk County, Cedertown, fresh off a big win over their region rival will host another tough Class AA opponent as Callaway comes calling. Will the Callaway Cavaliers have a hangover from last week’s heartbreaking loss, or will they break through for their first win of the season? Finally, over in Northeast Georgia, the Rabun County Wildcats will host the Stephens County Indians. Rabun County countinues to fly high with their passing game. Will Stephens County be able to slow down the Tigers?
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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
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 Cass Colonials may have put a lot of teams on notice as they took Class 7A Kennesaw Mountain to the brink last week before falling by one. We already knew that Devin Henderson is a star in the making for the Colonels. Henderson threw for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also rushed for 87 yards and another touchdown. Mac Nelson led the way on the ground with 87 yards and a touchdown. Cass is an up and coming team. We believe they are one confidence building win away from really making a splash in Class 5A.
The Rockmart Yellow Jackets will also be looking for their first win of the season after falling to their Polk County rivals last week. The Yellow Jackets scored only one offensive touchdown last Friday night. It’s certainly not for a lack of talent. Expect for players like Cam Fergusaon, JoJo Haynes, Dennis Sims and QB J.D. Davis to have plenty of opportunities to point some points on the board. Davis presents some problems with his ability to run especially if Cass focuses too intently on stopping Haynes and Ferguson in the backfield.
Rockmart has not started 0-2 since the 2008 season. In fact, Rockmart has been resilient the last two seasons, when they lost their opener. We believe Rockmart bounces back and escapes White with a slim 2 point victory.
The Skinny
The Blessed Trinity Titans went up to Calhoun and avenged last year’s losses to the Yellow Jackets. There were several question marks for the Titans heading into the 2022 season with the departure of their leading rusher and passer from a year ago. Sophomore quarterback Brooks Goodman filled in some big shoes, but he had help from Kieran Davis alongside him in the backfield who rushed for 112yards on 23 carries.
The Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (ELCA) Chargers outlasted Brentwood Academy last Friday. Quarterback Charlie Gilliam threw for over 300 yards with a pair of TDs while Brandon Hood rushed for 235 yards on 32 carries along with three touchdowns in the victory. Hood has a combination of power and speed that makes him difficult to contain. We can’t forget about the impressive offense line he runs behind which is anchored by Zechariah Owens and D.J. Chester.
As with most games, the team that controls the line of scrimmage will come out victorious in this one. We believe ELCA has the edge here, along with an experienced quarterback. We like the Chargers to get over the hump against Blessed Trinity. ELCA by 4.
The Skinny
The Cedartown Bulldogs started off their season with a big win over their Polk County rival last week. We’ve become accustomed to the Bulldogs ground game and it was on display again last week, as they racked up 232 rushing yards with Patrick Gardner and Harlem Diamond leading the way with a combined 156 yards. The Bulldogs only attempted three passes in the game. Linebacker Eli Barrow recorded a team high 21 total tackles in the victory. The Bulldogs will look to grind out more yards this week against another top team in Class AA comes to visit.
The Callaway Cavaliers lost a heartbreaker in Week-1 to Alabama Class-7A Opelika last week. The Cavs couldn’t hold off Opelika late in the game. Callaway remains our top team in Class AA. We believe that this is another special group down in Hogansville. They sport a pair of impressing running backs in Quay Whitfield and Jordan King. Throw in an experienced quarterback in Dashun Coleman the Cavs have plenty of weapons on offense to give the Cedartown defense fits.
Can the Cedartown Bulldogs run game find success against Elijah Gunn and the Cavs defensive line? That’s easier said than done. We believe the Cavs head into Cedartown and pull an upset this week. Callaway by 2.
The Skinny
The Rabun County Wildcats picked up right where they left off last season putting up 49 points in their opener. Quarterback Keegan Stover had a great debut with his new team throwing for 368 yards and 4-TDs. Jaden Gibson was seemingly unguardable, catching eight passes for 273 yards while Riley Stewart added six receptions for 60 yards. Lang Windham chipped in 58 yards on the ground. We don’t expect for the Wildcats to deviate from the game plan this week, although their opponents secondary might provide a stiffer challenge than their week-1 foe.
The Stephens County Indians used a little more balanced attack in their week one victory over Habersham Central. Quarterback Ben Stowe threw for 116 yards and a touchdown while T.J. Everett and Javin Gordon combined for 129 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Cam’ron Lacy caught 7 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Defensive End Aidan Butts was wreaking havoc in the backfield last week as he recorded four sacks. The Indians will certainly need another performance like that this week if they plan to take down the Wildcats this week.
Stephens County might lean heavy on the ground game to keep the Keegan Stover led Wildcats offense on the sideline. The Indians defense should be a tougher test for Rabun County, but we believe the Stover to Gibson connection will be too lethal this week. We like Rabun County by 10.