It’s hard to believe that we are already approaching the midpoint of the high school football season here in Georgia. This is Part I of our Eight Greats Across the State where we preview 8 intriguing matchups this week.
First up, down in Decatur, the Bainbridge Bearcats host the Brooks County Trojans. These two team’s have been at or new the top in their respective classifications for the past few years. Does Brooks County have enough depth to down the Class 4A Bearcats? Over in McDonough, the Eagle’s Landing Christian (ELCA) Chargers will host the Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines. Can ELCA slow down the Prince Avenue passing attack or will the Wolverines run the show?
Meanwhile in Polk County, the Rockmart Yellow Jackets will host the Irwin County Indians. Irwin County has already taken one class 2A Top-10 team to the wire. Will they be able to steal a win at Rockmart? Finally, in Hoschton, the Mill Creek Hawks will host the Cedar Groves Saints. Cedar Grove has already defeated two Class 7A teams. Will they be giant killers again as they try to make it three for three or while the Hawks hold serve?
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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 Bainbridge Bearcats will look to make it two wins in a row as they host Brooks County. The Bearcats got back to .500 last week. They’ve used a balanced attack on offense this season, averaging 124.3 yards per game through the air and 127.3 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Cam Sanders has thrown for 389 yards and 4-TDs while Keenan Phillips has rushed for 285 yards and 4-TDs, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Antavious Murphy has been the primary receiver for the Bearcats, with 17 receptions for 254 yards and 4-TDs. The Bearcats are averaging 20.7 points per game and allowing 23.2 points per game.
The Brooks County Trojans continue their challenging non-region schedule as they travel west on Highway 84 to take on Bainbridge this week. The Trojans are also looking to win their second consecutive game this week. Brooks County is averaging a healthy 39.5 points per game this season. They have not scored less than 28 points in a contest in the 2022 season. Meanwhile the Trojans defense is only allowing 19 points per game.
Expect for Brooks County to continue to put up points in bunches this week. We don’t think they can run away from Bainbridge, but we do like Brooks on the road by 3.
The Skinny
The ELCA Chargers are not afraid to schedule some of the toughest competition year in and year out. This week, that trend continues as they host Prince Avenue Christian. The Charger have gotten most of their offense through the air this season. They are averaging 236 yards per game through the air and 137.7 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Charlie Gilliam has thrown for 708 yards and 6-TDs in three games. Gilliam’s top receivers have been Colton Hood and R.J. Johnson who have combined for 28 receptions for 436 yards and 5-TDs. ELCA is averaging 28.3 points per game but allowing 38 points per game.
The Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines are looking to go 4-0 for the first time since 2018. The Wolverines are averaging 43.8 points per game while allowing 18.7. Prince Avenue is averaging 526 yards of offense per game this season. They are led by quarterback Aaron Philo who has thrown for 1,019 yards and 11-TDs. Philo also leads the team in rushing with 168 yards. Bailey Stockton and Ethan Christian who combined to catch 39 passes for 672 yards and 7-TDs.
Philo is one of the top underclassmen quarterbacks in the state. We aren’t sure if ELCA’s Gilliam can match Philo. We expect a lot of points in this one, but we like the Wolverines by 6.
The Skinny
The Rockmart Yellow Jackets will look to run their win streak to three straight this week, The Yellow Jackets got a big win over Class 5A Dalton on Friday. Rockmart has done the majority of their damage on the ground this season, racking up 919 rushing yards for an average of 306.3 yards per game while only averaging 85.7 yards per game through the air. It has been running back by committee as JoJo Haynes, Cam Ferguson, Lanear McCrary and quarterback J.D. Davis have led the way on the ground. Davis has also thrown for 256 yards and 2-TDs. Rockmart is averaging 35.6 points per game while allowing 30 points per game.
The Irwin County Indians will make the nearly 4 hour road trip to Northwest Georgia for Friday’s game. They are also looking to run their win streak to three games. The Indians are a little more balanced on offense, averaging 148 yards per game through the air and 190 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Cody Soliday has passed for 441 yards and 5-TDs while Demarkus Lundy and Shane Marshall have combined for 63 carries for 400 yards and 6-TDs. Bo Payne and Mason Snyder are the leading receiver for Irwin County. The Indians are averaging 36.3 points per game while allowing 13.6
Expect for Irwin County to be extremely competitive this week. They will need their defense to travel as they face an extremely talented group of running backs. That, combined with the long road trip is enough to convince us to go with the home team this week. Rockmart by 11.
The Skinny
The Mill Creek Hawks are coming off of their bye week looking to stay undefeated. The Hawks have been lights out on offense this season averaging 43 points per game. That comes on the heels of 231 passing yards and 174.7 yards on the ground. Quarterback Hayden Clark has thrown for 663 yards and 5-TDs with no interceptions. His top receivers this season have been Mikhail Woods (16 receptions, 263 yards, 3-TDs) and Caleb Downs (15 receptions, 155 yards). Cam Robinson has leads the Hawks in rushing with 335 yards and 5 TDs. The Mill Creek defense has been pretty good in their own right this season, allowing 19.3 points per game and have shown improvement each week.
The Cedar Grove Saints continue their tour of Class 7A as they go on the road looking to knock off their third 7A opponent this season. The Saints are averaging 33.3 points per game while the defense is allowing 13.3 points per game. You have to respect what Cedar Grove has done with their scheduling as a 3A school, competing against some of the top schools in the state in the largest classification in the state. So far it has worked out well for the Saints. Offensively, they are well balanced with key contributors at running back from Demarcus Smith and Boden Walker along with talented receivers in Barry Jackson and Rick Lee. Sophomore quarterback Elliot Colson seems to improve each time out. Perhaps the strength of this team is their defense, anchored by linebackers Keith Bass, Quinterio Lawson and lineman Adonijah Green.
There is no doubt that Cedar Grove is one of the top teams in the state, regardless of classification. However, we believe that Caleb Downs and the Mill Creek defense are up to the task this week. We like the Hawks by 8.