Football is back in Georgia. In Week-1 we were treated some great action and also witnessed a few surprises. Today we release our Week-1 GHSA Football poll. In Class 7-A the top two teams, Collins Hill and Milton had dominate performances while Lowndes and North Cobb (previously ranked No. 3 and No. 4) fell to No. 5 and No 6 respectively. Mill Creek and East Coweta make their debut at No. 9 and No. 10.
In Class 6A, both Langston Hughes and Allatoona dropped a spot after defeats to 7A opponents last week. Northside Warner Robins and Brunswick make their way into the poll this week after big wins. Over in class 5A the Top-10 is relatively unchanged, save for the Griffin Bears who march into this week’s rankings at No. 9.
Class 4A also remains relatively unchanged. Despite losing to Class 6A Lee County, the Carver Columbus Tigers remain at No. 3 this week. The Hardaway Hawks crack the Top-10 coming in at No. 10 this week. Conversely, Class 3A saw a bit of jockeying in the rankings. This week’s poll welcomes in Thomson and Hart County and No. 9 and No. 10.
Down in Class 2A the Callaway Cavaliers take over the top spot with an impressive win over Opelika, AL. Previous No. 1 Rabun slips down to No. 2 after a loss to class 4A Jefferson. While we snubbed Northeast in our preseason poll, they storm in this week at No. 7 after a huge win over Jones County in the opening week. Harrison County also checks in at No. 10 as the 3rd team from region 5 that appears in this weeks poll.
Class A-Public did see some shuffling, but no new teams enter the poll this week. Perhaps the most impressive performance was Macon County’s shutout of Clinch. Meanwhile Class A-Private saw a pair of top ten matchups take place with Fellowship Christian downing Heritage Christian, while Calvary Day downed reigning State Champ Prince Avenue Christian. Trinity Christian also put teams on notice with their thumping of Athens Academy. Athens Christian makes their debut at No. 10 this week as well.
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. We love the debates so if you see something questionable, we’d love to hear from you.
Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
The 2021 high school football season is upon us. Welcome to our first Cherokee County Football preview. This weeks matchups include Creekview-Etowah, Woodstock-Sequoyah, River Ridge-Lassiter and Cherokee-Mays. Best of luck to all of the teams competing this week!
The Creekview Grizzlies boasted the best defense in the county in 2020. It’s hard to imagine that they can improve on last season’s numbers. They return leaders like Isaac Hubert who can play at linebacker or defensive end and is a nightmare to scheme against. Cale Williams, the teams leading returning tackler, anchors the secondary and should also be helped by Taylor Cox-Young who should see an expanded role in the secondary. Offensively, Creekview will hand the reigns over to senior quarterback Mason Hicks, but expect to see freshmen Austin Guest to also take some snaps. Bruising back Tyler Stevens (886 yards, 9-TDs in 2020) will get the bulk of the carries for the Grizzlies. We believe offensive success will hinge on the ability of Creekview to find or develop a playmaker at receiver.
The Etowah Eagles will begin the new season looking to turn things around from a year ago. Coach Kemper finally had a full off-season with his young Eagles squad. This season they will look to Braden Bohannon to guide the team at quarterback. Bohannon will look for Tate Nelms to help anchor the offensive line. While we don’t know exactly who will be joining Bohannon in the backfield, Elijah Washington is a young man who got some experience running the ball last season and showed some promise. On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles return All-Region selection Jaiden Maddox along the defensive line. Expect a defensive battle this week. We like the Grizzlies by 7 at home.
The Skinny
The Troy Hoff era begins at Woodstock this Friday as he joins the Wolverines as the new head coach. Coach Hoff has a few pieces to work with returning including offensive tackle Tyler Douthit and quarterback Dan Comeau. Comeau threw for over 1,200 yards last season with 10-TDs. Look for Adonis Garcia to become a potential playmaker for Woodstock at receiver. Defensively, the Wolverines will look to plug the void left by the graduation of David Daniel and Ryan Comeau. Carson Gray is the team’s leading returning tackler and sack leader from a year ago.
After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2020, the Sequoyah Chiefs are looking to find their way back to the post season and exact a measure of revenge against county foe Woodstock over last year’s thrilling contest. Sequoyah welcomes back junior quarterbck Matthew Traynor under center. He is joined by Peyton Lucas in the backfield. The Chiefs will look to improve in the passing game where they only averaged 55 yards per game through the air. Defensively, Sequoyah welcomes back a front line anchored by Harrison Hood, Kemar Plummer and Avery Born. Born is the teams leading returning tackler from last season while Plummer returns looking to improve on his team high 6 sacks from a year ago.
This game was nip and tuck last season and wasn’t decided until late in the fourth quarter. We expect another competitive match, but expect for the Chiefs to control the clock and the scoreboard. Sequoyah by 13. Sequoyah by 13.
The Skinny
The River Ridge Knights Knights had a spectacular 2020 season and they look to pick up where they left off last season. They return several offensive weapons including AJC Super-11 running back and reigning Class 6A rushing leader Amehre Morrison, quarterback Carson Lathem, receiver/tight end Jackson Head as well as a very big and physical offensive line. Defensively, Brian Bradley and Hunter Coleman will look to set the table for the Knights as they anchor the front four along the line.
The Lassiter Trojans are in year three under head coach Sean Thom. Last year the Trojans averaged 17.2 points per game on offense. That was an improvement over Thom’s first season. Lassiter returns quarterback Bryson Harrison and Danny Curran who is the tem’s leading returning receiver on offense. Meanwhile, on defense the Trojans will look Joe Blackwell in the secondary and Chase Anderson along the defensive line to pick up where they left off in 2020 as two of the teams top returning tacklers.
Look for Lassiter to use the short passing attack to keep the Knights defense off balance. If River Ridge can get pressure on Bryson Harrison with Bradley and Coleman, it could be a long night for Lassiter.We expect the Trojans to be improved this season but the Knights have too much firepower. The Ridge by 25.
The Skinny
The Cherokee Warriors will open up the high school football season in Georgia once again this season. They return a very talented quarterback in Maryland commit A.J.Swann. Swann threw for over 2,500 yards and 23-TDs in 2020. Swann will have a big play threat in Utah commit Adarrius Harshaw (53 receptions, 872 yards, 7-TDs last season) at receiver. The Warriors will also look to Aidan Moore and Caleb Richardson to shore up the receiving corp. Upfront, Southern Illinois commit Ryan Chandley will anchor the offensive line Cherokee has some big holes to fill on defense. Toby Thompson has been a space eater up front over the last 3 seasons. He, Tyler Goddard, Tanner Dollyhigh and Kyan Simmons will be called on to pressure opposing quarterbacks and stuffing running attacks. Look for Javon Hobson to also apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks from the defensive line position.
The Mays Raiders certainly have a youth movement going on in southwest Atlanta. The Raiders have some burgeoning stars at the skill positions but they went through some growing pains in 2020. The Raiders will look to improve on their 23.6 point per game average on offense. They return two talented quarterbacks in junior Saulamon Evans and sophomore Quintavious Johnson. The duo combined for 1,266 yards passing and 8-TDs. Junior running back Tristan Morgan also returns in the backfield. Defensively, the Raiders return several starters from a year ago including senior linebacker Kari Burroughs, defensive backs Jalen Johnson, Travis Terrell and Almonte Duncan. Don’t expect this game to be a gimme for Class 7A Cherokee. Expect both teams to search for an identity in the ground game as well.
We anticipate that this one to be close early, but Cherokee is probably a little deeper. That might be the difference in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Warriors by 15.
Here is the TFRs first look at the Top-10 in each of the GHSA’s eight classifications. Each Sunday we will publish the Top-10 teams in each classification. As always, we welcome any and all feedback and if you think we missed your team in the Top-10, let us know why. Best of luck to all teams as the season opens up this week.
*Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
Welcome back to Football Fridays at the Tavern. We kick off our second season of the podcast talking Cherokee County Football. We are excited to have Coach Collins, Coach Shaw and Coach Hoff join us this week to talk a little football. The season is right around the corner, hear von and Art prognosticate about the upcoming season. Don’t forget to subscribe to us on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever fine podcast can be found.
Fact Checks – Art referred to Region 6-7A as 7-6A; Art also mentioned college football instead of high school football and finally, he called Kyan Simmons, Nason. (Nason is Kyan’s brother who graduated in 2021).
We have made it to end of the GHSA Football Season and our final preview. It has been an interesting ride, but hats off to all of the teams in every classification around the state of Georgia who made high school football possible this season. Our Class A-Private Finals preview features Prince Avenue Christian and Trinity Christian. Both teams are seeking their first state title.
Last week in our picks, we went 2-0 in Class A-Private.
Best of luck to both teams competing in the finals. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
The Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines advanced to the state title game for the first time since 2012 and only the second time in school history. Last week the Wolverines were led by the usual suspects as Brock Vandagriff threw for 269 yards and 3-TDs while Landon Owens rushed for 132 yards and 2-TDs and Zac Dyer added 7 receptions for 139 and a touchdown in route to a 47-point victory over Wesleyan. Vandagriff has now thrown for 3,907 yards and 44-TDs while Owens has rushed for 1,145 yards and 16-TDs. Logan Johnson (65 receptions, 1,133 yards, 18-TDs) and the aforementioned Dyer (60 receptions 1,230 yards, 10-TDs) are the top receivers for Prince Avenue. Davis Ridings leads the team with 140 total tackles while B.J. Green leads the team in sacks with 9 and Chas Scoggins has intercepted 5 passes. As a team the Wolverines have intercepted 19 passes and recorded 35 sacks. They are averaging 48.1 points per game this season while allowing 13.8. In their four playoff games, the Wolverines are averaging 48.2 points per game while allowing 9.2. They have defeated 9 different playoff teams and eleven if you count the playoff rematches between Wesleyan and Hebron Christian. A win would give the Wolverines their first state title in school history.
The Trinity Christian Lions have reached the GHSA finals for the first time in school history. Last week, quarterback David Dallas threw for 177 yards and 2-TDs while Tyson Wall rushed for 101 yards and Danny Baird and Shawn Braxton both intercepted two passes to help lead the way to victory. This season Dallas has thrown for 1,978 yards and 16-TDs while Wall has rushed for 1,164 yards and 12-TDs. Leading receivers for the Lions include Joshua Dallas (45 receptions 721 yards, 4-TDs) Danny Baird (40 receptions, 424 yards, 6-TDs) and Bryce Wilcox (36 receptions, 369 yards, 4-TDs). Christian Hanson leads the team with 111 total tackles while Cameron Matthews is tops on the team with 7 sacks. Baird and Aaron Gates have each intercepted 5 passes not he year. As a whole the defense has 17 interceptions this season. The Lions are averaging 29.6 points per game while allowing 13.6. In their four playoff games, they are averaging 40.7 while the defense is allowing 11.7. The Lions have defeated 10 playoff teams this season and 11 if you include the Whitefield Academy rematch in the second round of the playoffs. A win would give the Lions their first state title in school history. The Lions are talented and young, but we believe the Wolverines are just that good behind Vandagriff, Owens, Johnson and Dyer. We like the Wolverines by four touchdowns.
We have made it to end of the GHSA Football Season. It has been an interesting ride, but hats off to all of the teams in every classification around the state of Georgia who made high school football possible this season. Our A-Public Finals preview is all about Irwin County and Brooks County. Irwin County will be in search of their third state title while Brooks County is seeking their second title.
Last week in our picks, we went 2-0 in Class A-Public.
Best of luck to both teams competing in the finals. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
Th Irwin County Indians are back in the finals for the fourth straight season and for the tenth time in school history. Kam Ward rushed for 155 yards and 2-TDs to lead the way for the Indians last week. On the year, Ward has rushed for 1,165 yards and 17-TDs while quarterback Cody Soliday has thrown for 1,754 yards and 22-TDs. Gabe Benyard continues to lead the team in receiving with 31 catches for 767 yards and 8-TDs. On the year, Irwin County is averaging 31.7 points per game while the defense is allowing 11.5. In their 4 playoff games, they are averaging 31 points per game while allowing 9.5. The Indians have defeated eight playoff teams this season. A win on Monday would give them their third state title and second in a row.
The Brooks County Trojans have also advanced to their second straight state title game. Albeit this time in Class A as compared to Class 2A last season. This will be the fourth overall title appearance for the Trojans. Last week Omari Arnold and Jamal Sanders combined to rush for 207 yards and 5-TDs while Camron Priest tallied 10 total tackles to help the Trojans advance. On the year, Arnold has rushed for 1,553 yards and 25-TDs while Sanders has added 645 yards and 11-TDs. Dual threat quarterback Ni’Tavion Burrus has thrown for 1,857 yards and 22-TDs and rushed for 508 yards and 8-TDs. Defensively Camron Priest has tallied 99 total tackles while J’Shawn Baker leads the team in tackles for loss (35) and sacks (20.5). Brooks County has sacked opposing quarterbacks a whooping 51.5 times this season. Meanwhile, freshmen Amar Thomas leads the secondary with 5 interceptions. The Trojans have defeated nine playoff teams this season. (Ten if you include the second victory over Clinch County last week.) They are averaging 40.3 points per game while allowing 11. In their four playoff games, they are averaging 41.5 points per game while allowing a very stingy 3.5 points per game. A win would give the Trojans their second state title and first since the school opened in 1959. Irwin County has been clicking on all cylinders lately and it’s tough to pick against the defending champs, but we believe J’Shawn Baker and Camron Priest will be the difference in this game. We like the Trojans by 6.
We have made it to end of the GHSA Football Season. It has been an interesting ride, but hats off to all of the teams in every classification around the state of Georgia who made high school football possible this season. Our 2A Finals preview is all about Callaway and Fitzgerald. Callaway will be in search of their first state title while Fitzgerald is seeking their second title and first since 1948.
Last week in our picks, we went 1-1 in Class 2A. We underestimated the Callaway last week. Congratulations to the Cavs for proving us wrong!
Best of luck to both teams competing in the finals. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
The Callaway Cavaliers advanced to the finals for the first time in school history with a huge win over Rabun County. Offensive leaders this season for the Cavs include multi-year starter at quarterback Demetrius Coleman and running back Charlie Dixon. Defensive leaders for Callaway include Jalin Shephard, Austin Thomas, LaQuize Gilbert and Keshawn Suggs. Callaway is averaging 28.3 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.8. In their three playoff games, Callaway is averaging 30.3 points per game while allowing 15.6. They have defeated nine playoff teams this season, (including a first-round forfeit by Banks County). A win on Wednesday would be the first state title in school history.
The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes recorded their first shutout of the season as they defeated Jefferson County last week to make their seventh appearance in a state final game. The Purple Hurricanes are led offensively by dual threat quarterback Rashad Davis, receiver/defensive back Chance Gamble and running back Mario Clark. (Clark has rushed for over 1,000 yards on the season.) DeQuavion Harper, E.J. Lightsey and the aforementioned Gamble are leaders on defense for the Purple Hurricanes. Fitzgerald is averaging 35.6 points per game while allowing 11.6. In their four playoff games, Fitzgerald is averaging 41.2 points per game while allowing 11 points. The Canes have defeated ten playoff teams this season. (Eleven if you include the second win over Jefferson County.) A win would be the second state title in school history. We have picked against the Cavs in each of the previous two weeks. Suffice to say we won’t be making that mistake again this week. We believe Charlie Dixon will be the difference. Cavs by a touchdown.
We have made it to end of the GHSA Football Season. It has been an interesting ride, but hats off to all of the teams in every classification around the state of Georgia who made high school football possible this season. Our 3A Finals preview is all about Oconee County and Pierce County. Oconee County will be in search of their second state title while Pierce County is seeking their first title.
Last week in our picks, we went 1-1 in Class 3A. We underestimated Pierce County last week. Congratulations to the Bears.
Best of luck to both teams competing in the finals. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
The Oconee County Warriors have advanced to the finals for the second straight season and for the third time in school history. Perhaps it was much more dramatic than originally drawn up, but the Warriors got past Greater Atlanta Christian in overtime. Prior to the semifinal game, offensive leaders for the Warriors were running back C.J. Jones (801 yards, 7-TDs) quarterback Jacob Wright (1,401 yards, 20-TDs) and receiver Jake Johnson (30 receptions, 698 yards, 9-TDs). Defensive leaders for the Warriors include West and Whit Weeks, Liam Lewis and Justin Coleman. Oconee County is averaging 30 points per game while allowing 9.8 points this season. In their four playoff games, the Warriors are averaging 28.7 points per game while allowing 11.7 points. The 20 points allowed in last week’s game was the most surrendered by the Warriors defense, and 13 of those points were scored in overtime. Oconee County has defeated 10 playoff teams this season. A win on Friday would be the second title in school history.
The Pierce County Bears advanced to the finals for the first time in school history. The Bears had to come from behind last week to beat a stingy Crisp County defense. Pierce County is led by running back D.J. Bell, who’s rushed for over 1,300 yards and quarterback Jermaine Brewton. Brewton is a threat to throw and run as he’s the second leading rusher on the team and has also passed for over 1,700 yards this season. Defensive leaders for the Bears include Austin Jernigan, Spencer Woodcock, Ty Everson, John Manghir, and Allen Boatright. On the year, the Bears are averaging 36.9 points per game while allowing 9.9. In their four playoff games, Pierce County is averaging 44.2 points per game while allowing 11.2. The Bears have defeated 11 playoff teams this season. A win on Wednesday would be the first state title in school history. It’s our opinion that points will be at a premium in this matchup. We have a feeling Oconee County will has a few more weapons on offense including the versatile Whit Weeks and that should be the difference. We like the Warriors by 4.
We have made it to end of the GHSA Football Season. It has been an interesting ride, but hats off to all of the teams in every classification around the state of Georgia who made high school football possible this season. Our 4A Finals preview is all about the Jefferson Dragons and Marist War Eagles. Jefferson will be in search of their second state title while Marist is in search of their third.
Last week in our picks, we went 2-0 in Class 4A.
Best of luck to both teams competing in the finals. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
The Jefferson Dragons outdueled Benedictine last week to advance to the finals for the fourth time in school history. As they have been all season, Jefferson was led by Malaki Starks who has now rushed for over 1,400 yards and 24-TDs. Kolton Jones, Kam Robinson, Jordan Perry and several other backs have helped the Dragons rush for well over 3,500 yards this season. Defensive leaders for the Dragons include linebacker Rem Maxwell, Kadin Bailey, Paxton Corkery and Jordan Perry. On the year, Jefferson is averaging 44 points per game while allowing 10.5 points per game. During their four playoff games the offense is averaging 42.5 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.2. Eight of Jefferson’s wins this season have come against teams that made the playoffs. A win would secure Jefferson’s second state title in school history.
The Marist War Eagles traveled down to southwest Georgia and picked up their eighth shutout of the season. This will mark the twelfth time that Marist has made it to the finals. Marist has been dominant all season long averaging 37.4 points per game while allowing 2.8 points. In their four playoff games the War Eagles have outscored their opponents 151-7. No one has been within 20 points of Marist this season and they’ve only allowed four touchdowns in their twelve games. Nine of Marists’ wins have come against teams that qualified for the playoffs in their respective classes. A win would give Marist their third state title in school history. It’s hard to believe that Marist will hold Jefferson’s ground game in check, but we believe the War Eagles can do enough offensively to match the Dragons. We like Marist by 12
We have made it to end of the GHSA Football Season. It has been an interesting ride, but hats off to all of the teams in every classification around the state of Georgia who made high school football possible this season. Our 5A Finals preview features the Warner Robins and Cartersville matchup. Both teams are in search of their fifth state title in school history.
Last week in our picks, we went 2-0 in Class 5A.
Best of luck to both teams competing in the finals. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
The Warner Robins Demons are back in the finals for the fourth straight season and the ninth time in school history. Last week, the Demons got six passing TDs from quarterback Jalen Addie to help lead the way to victory. It was the eighth straight victory for the Demons whose only loss came to class 6A finalist, Lee County. The aforementioned Addie has thrown for 1,944 yards and 21-TDs, while rushing for 947 yards and 11-TDs. Running backs Jahlen Rutherford and Malcolm Brown have now combined for 2,030 yards and 17-TDs for the Demons. Meanwhile Daveon Walker and Armon Porter lead the team in receiving. Defensive leaders for the Warner Robins include Vic Burley, and linebackers Ahmad Walker and Demarcious Robinson. On the season, Warner Robins is averaging 37.6 points per game while the defense has allowed 14.4 points per game. During their four playoff games, the Demons are averaging 42.5 points per game while allowing 15.7 points per game. They have defeated ten playoff teams this season. A win on Friday would earn them their fifth state title in school history.
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes advanced to the finals for the second time in three years. They will be making their sixth finals appearance in school history. Last week, the Canes played without starting running back Quante’ Jennings but got production from quarterback Carlos del Rio Wilson, Amarai Orr, and Evan Slocum to help lead the way to victory. Since transferring over, Del Rio-Wilson has thrown for 1,371 yards and 12-TDs. The Canes certainly hope to have Jennings back as his 893 rushing yards and 22-TDs to help provide balance on offense. Devonte Ross and Sam Phillips lead the team in receptions and receiving TDs while the aforementioned Slocum, Orr, Phillips and Gavin Geros are all statistical leaders on defense. Cartersville has won eight straight games and is averaging 36.2 points per game while allowing 12.6 points per game. In their four playoff victories, the Canes are averaging 36.2 points per game while allowing 18.2 points per game. Cartersville has defeated nine playoff teams this season. A win would earn the Canes their fifth state title trophy. If Jalen Addie can be accurate against a very talented Cartersville secondary, we think Warner Robins can have a lot of success. Nevertheless, this game will come down to defense and we believe Warner Robins has a slight edge there. We like the Demons by 3.
