We turn the calendar to October and while the weather in most of the state is cooling down, the action in region play is heating up. In most areas of the state, region play is well under way. This is Part II of our weekly GHSA Football Previews we call Eight Greats Around the state, as we look at some of the more intriguing matchups in Georgia High School Football.
First up, we head to the North Georgia mountains as the Gilmer County Bobcats host the Lumpkin County Indians. While neither team is ranked, both of these mountain schools are off to their best start in several years. Will it be the Gilmer ground game running wild again or will Lumpkin County win and keep pace in region play? Meanwhile, at the other end of the state down in Savannah, the Benedictine Cadets will host the Burke County Bears. The Bears are red hot, but can their quarterback, Marshall Flowers out-duel Benedctine’s Luke Krohmenhoek?
Next up, in Acworth, the North Cobb Warriors will host the Walton Raiders. These two teams were our preseason favorites to battle it out for the region 5-7A crown. Can North Cobb continue to work their magic on the ground or will the high powered Walton offense stay on track? Finally, down in Valdosta, it’s the “Winnersville Classic” as Lowndes will host rival Valdosta. Both teams feature two talented sophomore quarterbacks. Will Lowndes continue their upward trajectory or will Valdosta exact a measure of revenge from last season?
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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 Gilmer County Bobcats are off to their best start since 2014. The Bobcats are averaging 32.8 points per game and allowing 16.3. Gilmer is doing all of their damage on the ground offensively, averaging 255.3 yards per game rushing while just 22 yards per game passing. They’ve only attempted 10 passes this season. Hunter Watkins has been the bellcow for the rushing attack with a team high 563 yards and 7-TDs on the season. Will Kiker (271 yards, 7-TDs) and Brock Titus (265 yards, 3-TDs) have also been key contributors to the Gilmer rushing attack.
The Lumpkin County Indians had their undefeated season derailed last week as they lost for the first time. Even with the loss, the Indians are off to their best start since 2000. The Indians area a little more balanced on offense, averaging 170.2 yards per game through the air and 195.3 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Cooper Scott has thrown for 929 yards and 8-TDs, while completing 72% of his passes. His top receiver has been sophomore Cal Faulkner, who’s caught 24 passes for 418 yards and 6-TDs. Meanwhile, Mason Sullens leads the team in rushing with 612 yards and 10-TDs.
Both Gilmer and Lumpkin are looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The big question in this game is whether or not Lumpkin can slow down Gilmer’s Wing-T option attack. It’s possible, but Gilmer has been clicking on all cylinders for most of the season. We like the Bobcats by 9.
The Skinny
The Benedictine Cadets had their game last Friday postponed, so this week’s game will serve as their region opener. The Cadets got a big win their last time out over Bolles of Jacksonville. On the season, Benedictine is averaging 24.8 points per game. They are paced by junior quarterback, Luke Krojmenhoek, who has passed for 859 yards and 8-TDs. Na’Seir Samuel leads the Cadets in rushing with 313 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Za’Quan Bryan and Thomas Blacksher have been the go to receivers, as they’ve combined to catch 39 passes for 529 yards and 6-TDs. Benedictine is allowing 12.4 points per game this season.
The Burke County Bears are off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2017. The Bears are averaging 33 points per game while the defense is allowing 19.6. Burke County has a balanced attack, averaging 167.2 yards per game through the air and 168.6 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Marshall Flowers has thrown for 836 yards and 8-TDs while Charlie Dorsey leads the team in rushing with 350 yards and 3-TDs. Linebacker Brandon Lively leads the team with 54 total tackles and six tackles for loss.
This is a tough region opener matchup for both teams. Our biggest question is whether or not the Burke County secondary can contain Benedictine’s talented duo at wide receiver. We believe it’s possible, but not probable. Benedictine by 8.
The Skinny
The North Cobb Warriors are coming off of a bye week, as their last time out they scored a big win over the Milton Eagles. North Cobb has been playing without their star quarterback Malachi Singleton who has been sidelined with an injury for three games now. The Warriors are averaging 21.6 points per game and allowing 17.2. Without Singleton available, we can expect for North Cobb to continue to rely on their ground game, which rushed for almost 400 yards in their last game. Ben Hall and David Mbadinga should play a huge role in the offensive scheme this week.
The Walton Raiders are coming off of a thrilling 2 point victory over North Paulding last week. The Raiders have not scored less than 30 points in a game this season. They are averaging 41 points per game and allowing 26.6. The Raiders are averaging over 500 yards of total offense this season. Quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski has thrown for over 1,700 yards and 18-TDs, completing 70% of his passes. Meanwhile, Makari Bodiford paces the Raiders with 606 yards on the ground and 7-TDs. The Walton defense has forced 10 turnovers on the season.
The biggest question in this game will be whether North Cobb’s ground game can really drain the clock and limit the amount of times Walton’s potent offense will have the ball. We believe North Cobb will do enough to hang around, but we like Walton by a touchdown on the road.
The Skinny
The Lowndes Vikings put the state on notice their last time out as they defeated the Grayson Rams after a slow start to the season. Lowndes has a balanced attack so far this season, averaging 141.4 yards through the air and 146.8 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Marvis Parrish leads the team in passing (707 yards, 4-TDs) and in rushing (281 yards, 9-TDs). The teams top three receivers are Kevis Thomas, Aalim Brown and Keylan Hicks. The trio has combined to catch 38 passes for 477 yards and 2-TDs. Lowndes is averaging 30.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 23.8. The Vikings have sacked opposing quarterbacks 21 times this season.
The Valdosta Wildcats are 6-0 for the first time since 2014. It has certainly been a turnaround season for the ‘Cats as they only won 4 games all of last season. Offensively, Valdosta is averaging 89.8 yards per game through the air and 200 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback Todd Robinson leads the Cats in passing, (462 yards, 7-TDs) and in rushing, (346 yards, 5-TDs). Charles Williams, Jr. and Ahmad Denson have combined to rush for 570 yards and 5-TDs. Valdosta’s defense is allowing 4.8 points per game. They have recorded two shutouts already and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 22 times, with Eric Brantley accounting for a team high 7-sacks.
This game features two sophomore quarterbacks who are both dual threat players. We believe this one comes down to defense, and while Valdosta’s defense has been the most impressive, we believe Lowndes might be a little more battle tested. We like the Vikings by 2.