Week 10 – Eight Greats Around the State (Georgia High School Football Previews) – Part 2

Posted on November 4, 2020 by admin

We have turned the calendar to November and with three weeks left in the regular season, it’s do or die time for many football teams across the state. This is Part – II of our Eight Greats Around the State, where we look at Eight of the more intriguing Georgia High School Football matchups.

First up is a matchup between North Fulton powers as Milton hosts Roswell. Roswell has passed all of their tests so far this season, but we aren’t sure if they’ve seen a defense like Milton’s. The winner secures a home playoff berth and becomes the favorite to win the region title. Next up, down in Thomasville, the Bulldogs host the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes. Thomasville has played a challenging schedule to prepare them for matchups like this one, but can they contain the explosive playmakers on the Canes offense?

Over in East Georgia, Lincoln County will host Washington-Wilkes in a key region matchup. The biggest question is whether Lincoln County can keep pace with Washington-Wilkes as the Tigers are averaging 45 points per game. Finally, in Atlanta, the Marist War Eagles host the Stephenson Jaguars. Marist has not surrendered a touchdown all season. Stephenson looks like the best threat in the regular season to challenge Marist. Will they pull the upset this week?

Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. 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 Milton Eagles have won three straight games coming into this week’s region tilt. Milton has a ton of talent all over the field. Junior quarterback Devin Ferrell has thrown for 1,080 yards and 9-TDs. His top receivers are Adam Freas (16 receptions, 226 yards, 1-TD), Matthew Evert (13 receptions, 187 yards, 3-TDs) and freshman Debron Gatling (12 receptions, 184 yards and 2-TDs). Meanwhile, bruising running back Jordan McDonald leads the team in rushing with 461 yards and 9-TDs. Dylan Miller, A.J. Crawford and L.T. Overton lead the team in total tackles. Overton is also the team leader in sacks with 7. The last time out, the Milton defense posted a shutout.

The Roswell Hornets have now won ten consecutive regular season games dating back to last season. The Hornets have utilized a balanced attack this year, averaging 215.8 yards through the air and 209.8 yards on the ground. Junior quarterback Robbie Roper has thrown for 1,264 yards and 14-TDs. The majority of those balls have gone to senior Marquis Willis, (30 receptions, 549 yards, 5-TDs). The Hornets also have a very good 1-2 punch at running back with Ryan Hill (489 yards, 5-TDs) and Ryan Stephens (415 yards, 5-TDs). Stephens is the more physical back, while Hill possesses great quickness. Linebacker Case Barrett leads the team in total tackles while Ethan Nation has intercepted a team high seven passes. Overall, Roswell is allowing 15.5 points per game. This will be Roswell toughest test to date. We believe Milton will be a little to stout on defense. Roswell will score, but we like the Eagles to edge the Hornets by three.

The Skinny

The Thomasville Bulldogs are winners of their last three games. In that three-game stretch, the Bulldogs are averaging 43 points per game and allowing 15.6 points per game. It’s been a balanced attack for Thomasville. Quarterback Ronnie Baker has thrown for 1,243 yards and 11-TDs. Baker has also rushed for 463 yards and 7-TDs. Sophomore Ricky Fulton is the team’s leading rusher with 497 yards and 6-TDs. On defense, linebacker Ty Anderson is the team’s leading tackler with 72 total tackles while Dimitrius Myrick leads the team in sacks with 4.5. 

The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes are 8-0 for the first time since 2009. This year, the Canes have been getting the job done on defense, allowing just 9.8 points per game. The offense features an athlete in Chance Gamble who has lined up at receiver and at quarterback and has played on special teams this season. Demarion Dixon is also a threat to break off chunk plays at receiver and is also pretty good in man-to-man coverage in the secondary. Running back Mario Clark also adds another dynamic to the Fitzgerald offense as he can change speed and direction quickly and also possesses some power as well. By our estimation the winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat for the region title. Expect for Thomasville to be tough at home, but we like the Canes to win this one by 5. 

The Skinny

The Lincoln County Red Devils find themselves in the thick of the Region 8-A Public title race. The Red Devils are winners of their last two games. They are averaging 20.6 points per game while the defense is allowing 19.8 points per game. Tevin Gartrell is the leading rusher for the Red Devils. The Red Devils will show a variety of offensive formations from shotgun, to Wing-T and quarterback Keenon Lampkin can stand in the pocket and make throws or make things happen with his legs. 

The Washington-Wilkes Tigers are 5-0 for the first time since 2013, when the Tigers went undefeated and won their last region title. The Tigers have been downright dominant in their first five games, but the next two will really determine if the Tigers are contenders or pretenders. Washington-Wilkes is averaging 45 points per game. The Tigers only attempt about 10 passes per game. Even so, Dalen Cobb has thrown for 747 yards and 10-TDs. Zaikious Jackson is the team’s leading rusher with 412 yards and 8-TDs. The aforementioned Cobb has also rushed for 298 yards and 5-TDs. Quinzaibian Jackson is the leading receiver with 9 catches for 202 yards and 3-TDs. The Tigers defense is allowing 5.4 points per game and has recorded three shutouts this season. The winner of this game will stay in contention for a region title, with a game looming against Commerce for both teams. We like the different looks that Lincoln County will give the Washington-Wilkes defense, but we believe the Tigers are a little more explosive on offense. We’ll take Washington-Wilkes by 9 on the road. 

The Skinny

Earlier this season, we wrote up a preview about the Marist War Eagles and talked about their imposing offensive line anchored by Steven Nahmias, Davis McKenna, and Ian Erickson. They have really paved the way for the offense that is now averaging 34.8 points per game. But perhaps the biggest story is the Marist defense that has shutout three of their five opponents and has not allowed a touchdown all season. That averages out to 1.2 points per game. 

The Stephenson Jaguars also come into this game undefeated. The Jaguars defense has two shutouts to their credit and have only allowed two touchdowns on the season. They are surrendering 3.5 points per game. The Jaguars offense has not been as prolific as Marist, however. They are averaging 19 points per game. Stephenson has an impressive offensive lineman of their own in George Jackson. The three-star tackle has garnered offers from SEC and ACC schools. Stephenson is talented and well-coached, but Marist is running like a well-oiled machine. We like the War Eagles to roll again this week. Marist by 18.

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Week 10 – Eight Greats Around the State (Georgia High School Football Previews) – Part 1

Posted on November 4, 2020 by admin

We have turned the calendar to November and with three weeks left in the regular season, it’s do or die time for many high school football teams across the great state of Georgia. This is Part – II of our Eight Greats Around the State, where we look at eight of the more intriguing Georgia High School Football matchups this week.

First up, in one of the biggest games in the state, and perhaps in the southeast this week, the Colquitt County Packers host the Lowndes Vikings. The winner of this game will almost certainly win Region 1-7A. Is home field advantage that big of a deal for Colquitt or will Lowndes be road warriors this week? Next up in Dawsonville, the home town Tigers will host the Cherokee Bluff Bears. Cherokee Bluff is the new kid on the block, but their head coach, Tommy Jones, is no stranger to success. Can the upstart Bears beat Dawson County on the road?

In Monroe, the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes will host Oconee County. Oconee has answered the bell each week but can they do it one more time against an experienced Monroe Area team? Finally, in the Dairy Capital of Georgia…(also known as Eatonton), the Putnam County War Eagles will host the Jefferson County Warriors. The War Eagles have been dominant on both sides of the ball this season, but can they slow down the Warriors rushing attack?

Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. 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 Colquitt County Packers enter this week’s contest undefeated and for most of this season, unchallenged. The Packers are outscoring their opponents by an average score of 47-13 on the season. Their closest game was a 14-point win over Valdosta back in late September. Quarterback Xavier Williams has thrown for 985 yards and 9-TDs. His primary targets this season have been University of Minnesota commit Lemeke Brockington (14 receptions, 342 yards, 5-TDs) and Dijmon Wheeler ( 15 receptions, 205 yards, 4-TDs). Antoine Daniels and Perhsaun Fann lead the Packers in total tackles with 29 and 27 respectively. The Packers have forced 15 turnovers on the season. 

The Lowndes Vikings survived a scare last week as they got past Tift County. The Vikings have not lost a regular season game since the end of the 2018 season. The Vikings are outscoring opponents on average of 34 to 15. Dual threat quarterback Jacurri Brown has now thrown for 769 yards and 7-TDs and rushed for 606 yards and 10-TDs. Justin Lee has added 380 yards and 5-TDs on the ground as well. The Vikings top three receivers are Domonique Marshall (19 receptions, 329 yards, 5-TDs), Jaheim James (14 receptions, 234 yards) and Chase Belcher ( 12 receptions, 333 yards, 4-TDs). T.J. Quinn and Jalon Baker lead Lowndes in total tackles, while Leon Williams leads the Vikings in sacks. Jacurri Brown and Lowndes have been really good all season, but they are heading into a hostile environment where many dreams have gone to die. This one should be close, but we like Colquitt at home by two. 

The Skinny

The Dawson County Tigers have won four consecutive games after starting the season 0-3. The Tigers are having success this season through the air with Junior quarterback Zach Holtzclaw. Last year, Holtzclaw threw for over 2,300 yards. He’s over 1,600 through the first six games this season. His leading receivers are Jaden Gibson (32 receptions, 484 yards, 6-TDs) and Dakohta Sonnichsen (21 receptions, 384 yards, 4-TDs). Isaiah Grindle leads the team in rushing with 476 yards and 4-TDs. Kade Moledor is tops for the Tigers in total tackles with 62 while Brandon Lantz has 53. The Tigers are averaging 36.4 points per game, but have given up 29.5. 

The Cherokee Bluff Bears are not doubt the new kid on the block. The Bears are in their third year of varsity play and have already surpassed their win total for the prior two seasons combined. The Bears lean more towards the run on offense. The combination of Jayquan Smith (448 yards, 6-TDs) and Charles Tolbert ( 407 yards, 8-TDs) have led the way for Cherokee Bluff this season. Quarterback Sebastian Moss has thrown for 852 yards and 11-TDs thus far. Thirteen different receivers have caught passes for Cherokee Bluff this season. Garrett Davis leads the team in total tackles while Dakota Collins leads the team in sacks. Cherokee Bluff is allowing a paltry 4.7 points per game. The old adage says styles make fights. If that holds true, this should be a good one. The Bears have been good on defense, but Dawson County is a different animal. We like the Tigers by a touchdown at home.

The Skinny

The Monroe Area Hurricanes are winners of their last six games. Their only loss was a one-point overtime loss to Loganville in Week-1. The Purple Hurricanes are averaging 27.2 points per game and use a balanced attack. Through the first five games of the season, quarterbacks Selatian Straighter and Jeremiah Anderson have combined to throw for 848 yards and 10 TDs. Meanwhile running back Alan Jones leads the Canes in rushing yards with 583 and 1-TD in the first five games. Monroe Area is allowing 12.1 points per game. 

Meanwhile the Oconee County Warriors are in search of their second consecutive region title. Oconee County has been dominant all season, averaging 30 points per game and allowing only 7.8 points per game. In the first six games, junior quarterback Jacob Wright has thrown for 602 yards and 6 TDs, while sophomore running back C.J. Jones leads the team with 485 rushing yards and 6-TDs. Also, in the first six games, Jake Johnson is the top receiver with 13 receptions for 322 yards and 4-TDs. Justin Coleman and West Weeks lead the team in total tackles. The secondary has intercepted 11 passes on the season. Monroe Area is the last legitimate threat to Oconee County’s perfect regular season. The Canes are experienced and should put up a fight, but we expect the Warriors to wear them down in the second half. Oconee County by 16. 

The Skinny

The Putnam County War Eagles are 7-0 for the first time since 1994. They are also looking to put themselves into the driver’s seat for the Region 4-AA title with a win on Friday night. Coach Pope’s team is averaging 37.5 points per game while the defense is allowing a measly 4.2 points per game. Putnam County has three shutouts to their credit. However, their opponents are a combined 14-32 this season. Nevertheless, Putnam County has done what they needed to do to this point. Quarterback Gerald Kilgore is a dual threat quarterback that throws a very catchable ball and can also beat teams with his legs. Alongside him in the backfield is junior Cedrion Brundage. The defense is physical and really flies around. Look for both Detravius Smith and Michael Crumbley to cause disruptions along the line of scrimmage.

The Jefferson County Warriors are winners of their last four games. They are also the two-time defending 4-AA champion. The Warriors have used a combination of Kobe Heggs (270 yards, 2-TDs) Aquavious Hunter (258 yards, 3-TDs) and Isaiah Gaines (224 yards, 2-TDs) to lead the ground game. Jefferson County is not a strictly a rushing team, Mike Murray has caught 20 passes for 303 yards and 1-TD while the aforementioned Heggs has caught 13 passes for 171 yards and 4-TDs.  Nick Jordan and Quan Wilburn lead the team in sacks with 4.5 and 4 respectively. The Warriors are averaging 33.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.8 points per game. Putnam County seemingly has all of the momentum heading into this game, but we like the Warriors and their ground game to help hold Putnam County at bay this week. Jefferson County by 8.

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Cherokee County Football Previews – Week 10

Posted on November 3, 2020 by admin

All six Cherokee County Football teams are in action this Friday night, including three games with intra-county matchups. All matchups have playoff implications as some teams jockey for position while others fight to keep post-season hopes alive.

First up, Cherokee travels to Alpharetta. Both Cherokee and Alpharetta still have hopes of hosting a first round playoff game. Can A.J. Swann and Keith Adams, Jr. continue their productive seasons against an Alpharetta team that is growing in confidence? The other region 5-7A game features the Battle of Towne Lake. This will be the 21st meeting all time between Woodstock and Etowah. Woodstock needs a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Can they defeat their neighborhood rival this week or will Etowah play spoiler?

In Region 7-6A, Creekview will host Chattahoochee. The Grizzlies look to solidify the No. 2 spot in the playoffs this week. Can the defense again rise to the occasion and slow down the pass-happy Cougars? Finally, the River Ridge Knights continue their historic season as they host the resurgent Sequoyah Chiefs. Two really good running backs square off in this. Will Amehre Morrison have another big game on the ground or will Sequoyah’s Jaden Mitchell shine brightest on Friday?

Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. 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 Alpharetta Raiders are coming off the bye week looking for another win against a Cherokee County program. The Raiders had their biggest scoring outburst last week as they scored 45 against Woodstock. On the season, the Raiders are now averaging 24.2 points per game while allowing 21 points per game. Despite their record, the Raiders are still in position to host a home playoff game if they can win their final three games. Alpharetta’s three losses come to teams that are all or have been ranked at one point in this season.

The Cherokee Warriors got back into the win column this week with a big victory of county and region rival, Etowah. Keith Adams, Jr. continues to lead the Warriors on the ground with 1,001 yards rushing and 11-TDs. Adarrius Harshaw (30 receptions, 552 yards, 5-TDs) and Brady Bocherer (28 receptions, 365 yards, 7-TDs) are the leading receivers for the Warriors. Junior quarterback A.J. Swann has thrown for 1,610 yards and 17-TDs. The Cherokee offense is averaging 29 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.5 points per game. Senior linebacker Braesen Parker leads the team with 102 total tackles, while Tyler Goddard has recorded 80 total tackles and Toby Thompson has 75 total tackles. Sophomore Kyan Simmons leads the defense in sacks with 4. Cherokee’s offense will have another tough test against Alpharetta defense, but we believe the Warriors will have just enough with Swann and Adams to get past the Raiders this week. Warriors by 5.

The Skinny

The Woodstock Wolverines will look to get back on track this week as they face neighborhood rival, Etowah. The Wolverines are really getting their passing game in gear with sophomore quarterback Daniel Comeau. Going into the bye week, Comeau was the second leading passer in the county with 896 yards and 8-TDs. Both Wes Bruno and Sebastian Moss are in the top-3 in receptions in the county as well. The Wolverines are averaging 20.1 points per game this season. However, the defense is allowing 28.7 points per game. UGA commit David Daniel leads the Wolverines defense in total tackles with 61 while Carson Gray leads the team with 13 tackles for loss. 

Meanwhile, the Etowah Eagles are still looking to get things figured out this season. The Eagles struggled to get into the endzone last week against a tough Cherokee defense. Klivert Many is now over 500 yards on the season, with 553 yards and 4-TDs on the season. Fellow senior Brock Rechsteiner is the team’s leading receiver with 19 receptions for 308 yards. Etowah is only averaging 7.1 points per game while the defense is allowing 28.8 points per game. Etowah has been all but eliminated from an opportunity at a playoff berth, while Woodstock still has a slim chance if they win out. We expect Etowah to score a few more points this week in the rivalry game, but we like Woodstock and their super sophomore quarterback to win this game. Wolverines by 9. 

The Skinny

The Creekview Grizzlies bounced back this past week with a big victory of the Riverwood Raiders. As, they have done most of the season, the Grizzlies relied on a stingy defense and ball control on offense to help control the game. Last week it was Cole Hasty and Tyler Stevens finding paydirt for the Creekview. It was the third shutout of the season and the defense has only allowed five offensive touchdowns all season. (That’s 29 quarters of play, counting overtime.) By now you, should know their names, but Grant Anderson, Sam Minozzi and Isaac Hubert have become a real problem for opposing quarterbacks. They spend most of their time in the backfield harassing quarterbacks or stifling rushing attacks and are only allowing 8 points per game.

The Chattahoochee Cougars will try to bounce back from their loss to Sequoyah last Saturday. It’s the second consecutive loss for Chattahoochee who will need to win out to secure a post season berth. The Cougars have showed a propensity to put points on the board as they are averaging 27.6 points per game. Southpaw quarterback Jaylen Smith can beat teams with his arm and with his legs. His two top receivers are his twin brother Jahmal Smith and Jordan Palmer. They will certainly look to test the Creekview secondary. The Cougars are allowing 32 points per game on the season. The big question for Chattahoochee is whether or not the offensive line can give Smith enough time to find the mismatches in the secondary. As we love to say, that’s possible, but not probable. We like Creekview by 17 this week. 

The Skinny

The River Ridge Knights are back at home this week. Last week, the Knights got off to a slow start  before scoring 24 unanswered points in the second half to remain undefeated. River Ridge is now averaging 33.2 points per game while the defense is allowing 16.8 points per game. Amehre Morrison got back on track rushing for over 200 yards and a touchdown. By our accounts, the junior running back has now rushed for 1,367 yards and 18-TDs. Quarterback Carson Lathem also threw a pair of TD passes and rushed for another in the victory on Friday. The Knights defense gave up a late second quarter touchdown pass last week, but otherwise stood tall last week. 

The Sequoyah Chiefs, who looked like they could be headed for a winless season have turned things around in the past two weeks. The Chiefs stormed back from a 7-point deficit twice and scored the final 16 points of the game to remain in contention for a playoff berth. While Jaden Mitchell rightfully garners most of the headlines for the Chiefs offense, sophomore quarterback Matthew Traynor is showing off his leadership skills in guiding Sequoyah to comeback victories in back-to-back weeks. Sequoyah’s defense looked much improved against the pass on Saturday. Which is impressive considering the Chiefs played two games in six days. The big question this week is whether or not Sequoyah can slow down Amehre Morrison, which is much easier said than done. Meanwhile, the Knights will have their hands full slowing down the Sequoyah Wing-T. River Ridge has never beaten Sequoyah…Ever…In fact, River Ridge is only averaging 3 points per game in the series against Sequoyah. That changes this week. We like “Little Brother” by 14 over Sequoyah.

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Georgia High School Football Poll – Week 9

Posted on November 1, 2020 by admin

There were some big matchups and also some big surprises this past Friday night. This week’s Georgia High School Football Poll had some shake-ups, especially in Classes 7A and 2A. There are still some big matchups over the final three weeks of the schedule so buckle up that chinstrap!

In Class 7A, it was Collins Hill getting a big win over North Gwinnett on Friday night catapulting the Eagles to the No. 5 spot. East Coweta also jumps into the Top-10 this week. Meanwhile, Parkview dropped four spots after falling to Grayson. The Class 6A Poll remains unchanged this week.

Over in Class 5-A, Ola dropped a game to Jones County, moving them down to No. 10 this week. Otherwise there were no surprises in games played in the Top-10. The Top-10 for Class 4A and Class 3A also remains unchanged from last week as the ranked teams either held serve or were off last week.

Class 2A saw a big shake up as Northeast (Macon) defeated Bleckely County on Thursday, while Toombs County fell to Jeff Davis on Friday night. The results of those two games helped pave the way for Northeast (Macon) to debut at No. 8 this week and the undefeated Fannin County Rebels make their first ever entrance into our Top-10 poll.

The Top-10 in Class A-Public remains unchanged this week. However, there was a little shakeup in Class-A Private. Aquinas and George Walton Academy fall from the polls this week. They are replaced by Savannah Christian at No. 8 and Trinity Christian at No. 9.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. 

All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com

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Football Fridays at the Tavern – Episode 11 – Cherokee County Football Podcast

Posted on October 30, 2020 by admin

So much to get to this week in Cherokee County Football. We have recaps, previews and analysis. Oh, and what would our show be without our guests. We have two interviews we are excited to bring you this week. Coach Collins of River Ridge talks about his teams big win and the fight to stay focused. We are also joined by GPB’s Matt Stewart who does the play-by-play for the game of the week. Matt drops a ton of knowledge in a short amount of time, so buckle your seat belts! Don’t forget to follow us on twitter. Von (@cedarwoodtavern) and Art (@turdfurgesonrpt). Thanks for listening. Please feel free to share!!!

Game Streams this week:

Etowah vs. Cherokee (Video Stream): stevemajorsports.com/live

River Ridge vs. Centennial (Radio Broadcast/Stream): WLJA Radio 101.1FM; wljaradio.com

Sequoyah @ Chattahochee (Audio Stream): https://network1sports.com/station/chaseshaffersports

After you finish with the listening to our podcast, you might want to check out this podcast episode from Adam Krohn with the AJC about the Jeff Garcia to Grayson transfer: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/41668168

Podcast Index:

0:20 – Intro

1:20 – Reapers

4:40 – Flashback: Mitch Miller

8:00 – The Apology

15:17 – Matt Stewart, Voice of GPB Football

36:27 – Game recaps

43:46 – Etowah/Cherokee Preview

48:21 – Sequoyah/Chattahoochee Preview

53:19 – Creekview/Riverwood Preview

57:25 – Coach Collins

1:06:30 – River Ridge/Centennial Preview

1:11:50 – Around the Regions

1:12:28 – Region 7-6A Playoff Outlook

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Week 9 – Eight Greats Around the State (Georgia High School Football Previews) – Part 2

Posted on October 28, 2020 by admin

We have entered the final third of the high school football season here in Georgia. This week in Part-2 of our Georgia High School Football Previews, we take a look at some key region matchups that will help determine region seedings for the playoffs.

Down in the City of Roses, Thomasville hosts the Cook Hornets. Thomasville has dominated this series, but Cook comes in riding a four game win streak. Will Cook’s quarterback Tony Blanding out-duel Thomasville’s Ricky Fulton this week?

There’s a big clash on Friday in Warner Robins as the Demons host the Ware County Gators. No one has been able to slow down Ware quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Can the Demons dial up the right defense on Friday to beat the Gators? Finally, up in Suwanee, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs visit the Collins Hill Eagles. The North Gwinnett defense has been pretty good all year, but can they ground the Eagles passing duo of quarterback Seth Horn and receiver Travis Hunter?

We were originally set to preview Cartersville and Blessed Trinity, but that game has been cancelled due to COVID concerns.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. 

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

Thomasville has opened up region play with two straight wins, but will start a very difficult stretch in Region 1-AA. Coach Grage and his Bulldogs come into this game with a balanced attack on offense, averaging 164.4 passing yards and 147.4 receiving yards. Quarterback Ronnie Baker has thrown for 1,144 yards and 9-TDs. His top receivers are Ricardo Johnson and Taraje Felton. The duo has combined for 45 receptions and 507 yards and 4-TDs. Ricky Fulton leads Thomasville in rushing with 377 yards and 4-TDs. Ty Anderson leads the team in total tackles. As a team, Thomasville has forced 19 turnovers on the season. 

The Cook Hornets have reeled off four consecutive wins for the first time since 2015. Cook is averaging 25.7 points per game. While we don’t have stats for the Hornets, we know that Jamarion Walker is a physical running back with a low center of gravity and has the ability to punish defenders. Quarterback Tony Blanding has played well for Cook, as he’s shown scrambling ability and more importantly his ability to make good decision finding open Hornets receivers. Cook is allowing 19.5 points per game. The winner of this game should be in line to host a first round playoff game. Both teams have played well of late, but we believe Thomasville is ahead of Cook at this point in the season. We like the Bulldogs by 16 at home. 

The Skinny

The Warner Robins Demons are back in action this week after the bye. The Demons begin a very tough four game stretch as Region 1-5A might be the toughest in the state. Warner Robins comes into the game averaging 34.6 points per game. Quarterback Jalen Addie has thrown for 919 yards and 7-TDs and has also run for 430 yards and 7-TDs. Jahlen Rutherford has also added 396 yards and 4-TDs on the ground. Armon Porter (15 receptions, 412 yards, 5-TDs) and Daveon Walker (17 receptions, 331 yards, 1-TD) lead the team in receiving. The Warner Robins defense is allowing 13.7 points per game and is led by Demarcious Robinson and Jay Carter, both with 42 tackles on the season. 

The Ware County Gators continue to roll along. They passed their first region test by beating Coffee last week. The Offense is averaging 36.8 points per game behind quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Castellanos has thrown for  1,578 yards and 14-TDs while rushing for 577 yards and 11-TDs. Raiden Kennedy leads the team in receiving yards and TDs with 331 and 5, but several Gator receivers have 10+ catches on the season. The Gators defense is allowing 18.6 points per game on the season. We believe this game will be a high scoring contest. I just seems like being able to slow down Castellanos is turning into mission impossible. Warner Robins keeps it close, but we like the Gators by 5. 

The Skinny

The North Gwinnett Bulldogs have won back-to-back games after dropping two straight. The Bulldogs are averaging 23.8 points per game. Most of the North Gwinnett offense has come on the ground on the strength of Marcus McFarlane and his 503 yards and 3-TDs. Seth Anderson and Bobby Ezzard are a formidable receiving duo with a combined 37 receptions for 439 yards and 3-TDs. Defensively, the Bulldogs are allowing 8.7 points per game. Jayson Hodges leads the team in total tackles while Hunter Rizer leads the team in sacks. 

The Collins Hill Eagles have done most of their damage offensively through the air. Junior quarterback Sam Horn has thrown for 1,651 yards and 16-TDs through seven games. Travis Hunter has caught 65 passes for 775 yards and 11-TDs. Running back Spencer Anderson leads the team in rushing with 345 yards and 7-TDs. James Smith leads the team in total tackles and also leads the team in sacks with 7. The aforementioned Hunter also leads the team in interceptions with 3. The Eagles are averaging 29.1 points per game while the defense is allowing 18.8 points per game. So the question is can the Bulldogs get enough pressure on Sam Horn to disrupt the potent passing attack. And Jordan Hancock vs. Travis Hunter should be a great matchup. We like the Bulldogs on the road by three.

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Week 9 – Eight Greats Around the State (Georgia High School Football Previews) – Part 1

Posted on October 28, 2020 by admin

We begin to make our way to the final stretch of the high school football season in Georgia. This is Part-1 of some of the more intriguing matchups around the state that we call Eight Greats Around the States. Here are the first set of games in our weekly Georgia High School Football Previews.

First, down in Leesburg, the Lee County Trojans will host the Houston County Bears. Houston County has been winning with solid defensive efforts, but they’re up against one of the more explosive offenses on their schedule. Can they slow down Lee or will the Trojans assert their will? Next up, down in southeast Georgia, the Richmond Hill Wildcats host the Brunswick Pirates. By our accounts, the winner of this game will be in the drivers seat for the region title. Can Richmond Hill continue take care of business at home against the Pirates?

In Dalton, the Christian Heritage Lions will host the Darlington Tigers. Christian Heritage has never beaten Darlington. Is this the year the Lions get over the hump? Finally, in Gwinnett County, a battle of top-5 opponents takes place as Grayson hosts Parkview. Which backfield will have the bigger night…Grayson with Phil Mafah or Parkview with the duo of Cody Brown and Tyler Curtis. The winner of this one should be in line to at least host a first round playoff game, with Brookwood still looming on the schedule for both teams.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. 

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 Lee County Trojans were off last week and will open up region play at home. The Trojans have won three straight games after their only setback of the season to Lowndes. Athlete Chauncey Magwood and running back Caleb McDowell lead the Trojans offense. Magwood has spent time at quarterback and receiver for Lee County. The offense is averaging 39.1 points per game. Lee County’s defense has been pretty darn good this season as well, allowing 11.1 points per game. They have two shutouts to their credit. Baron Hopson and hard-hitting Jaron Willis have helped to lead the way for the Trojans defense.

Houston County has won their last two games entering their Region-1 opener. Like Lee County, the Bears were also off last week. Houston County has not been an offensive juggernaut, averaging only 13.5 points per game. In the first six games of the season, running back Tyler Williams had rushed for 438 yards and 2-TDs. The Bears have only thrown for 138 yards in their first six games as well. But the Bears defense has done their part to keep the team in games. They are allowing 14.4 points per game. Jayson Hodges, Hunter Rizer and Jayleem Santos are tops on the team in total tackles. It will take a herculean effort from the Houston defense to slow down Lee County. Even if Chauncey Magwood has to spell Smith Pinson at quarterback, we like Lee County to win the opener. Call it Trojans by 17. 

The Skinny

The Richmond Hill Wildcats look to be on a march to their second consecutive region title. The Wildcats are winners of their last five games and their only loss was to a highly ranked Ware County team. Richmond Hill is averaging 36.2 points per game. Senior quarterback Tyler Coleman has thrown for 1,020 yards and 7-TDs to help lead their offense. Aushaud Roberson is slowly creeping up on the 1,000-yard mark on the year. He sits at 962 yards and 10-TDs on the season. Defensively Nathan Vickers and John Mastrorilli are tied for the team lead in total tackles. Vickers also leads the team in sacks. The Wildcats have forced 13 turnovers and are allowing 14.4 points per game.

The Brunswick Pirates also have their sights on a region 2-6A title. The Pirates have won their last four games and Richmond Hill is the biggest test left on their schedule. The Pirates are averaging 26.8 points per game. Quarterback K.J. Lee has thrown for 1,145 yards and 11-TDs. His top receivers are Tyrease Jones (22 receptions, 473 yards, 8-TDs) and Xavier Bean (26 receptions, 318 yards, 2-TDs). Ree Simmons has rushed for 747 yards. As a team, Brunswick has rushed for 1,413 yards on the season. The Pirates are allowing 16.4 points per game. Cameron Crump and Zane Rosenbaum lead the team in total tackles. We expect this game to be close in the first half, but believe the Wildcats will lean on the legs of Aushaud Roberson to get the victory and pull away in the second half. Wildcats by 11.

The Skinny

The Christian Heritage Lions are looking to get their first victory against Darlington. The Lions are led by a trio of juniors in the backfield, running backs Solomon Locke (572 yards, 4-TDs), Gage Leonard (399 yards, 9-TDs) and quarterback Christian Thomas (853 passing yards, 8-TDs). Senior Evan Lester is tops on the team in receiving with 21 catches for 345 yards and 2-TDs. Senior linebacker Ben Hermann leads the team in total tackles. Defensively, Christian Heritage is allowing 13.3 points per game and has shutout two of their opponents this season. 

The Darlington Tigers have been involved in a couple of close contests in their last two games. The Tigers are averaging 28.5 points per game this season while the defense is allowing 15.2 points per game. Quarterback Patrick Shelley spearheads the Darlington offense and can beat teams both throwing and running the ball. Harrison Allen is the team’s leading rusher. Entering last week’s game, Allen had rushed for 693 yards. Kicker Brinson Sumner is a perfect 10 of 10 on field goals this season with a long of 42 and is averaging over 40 yards per punt. Darlington has been able to keep Christian Heritage at bay over the last few years, but we believe the Lions have enough offense to best the Tigers this week. We like Christian Heritage by 8 this week at home. 

The Skinny

The Grayson Rams begin a two game stretch that will determine the region champion. The Rams are 6-0 for the first time in three years. The offense is averaging 37 points per game. Phil Mafah helps power the ground game with 834 yards and 13-TDs through six games. Meanwhile, Jamal Haynes (22 catches 318 yards, 3-TDs) and Jaden Smith (18 catches, 294 yards, 4-TDs) lead the team in receiving. Perhaps the biggest story for Grayson in the last couple of weeks is the arrival of quarterback Jake Garcia. What we have read is that he is eligible, but we don’t know if or how much game time he will see. We almost forgot about the Rams defense. They are only allowing 11.3 points per game and have sacked opposing quarterbacks 25.5 times. They’ve also forced 14 turnovers. 

Parkview has won four consecutive games entering Friday’s contest. Parkview features a couple of talented senior running backs in Cody Brown and Tyler Curtis. Brown has rushed for 757 yards and 7-TDs while Curtis has added 527 yards and 8-TDs. Jared Brown is the Panthers top receiving threat with 26 catches for 538 yards and 8-TDs. Parkview is averaging 33 points per game on offense while the defense is allowing 17.5 points per game. It is likely to see Grayson load the box to prevent Brown and Curtis for getting loose and forcing young quarterback Colin Houck into winning the game with his arm for Parkview. We think Brown and Curtis are really good backs, but we like Grayson to prevail on the strength of their defense. Rams by a touchdown.

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Cherokee County Football Previews – Week 9

Posted on October 27, 2020 by admin

As we enter the last third of the high school football season in Georgia, the region races in 5-7A and 7-6A are heating up. This week five of the six Cherokee County Football teams are in action.

Etowah will host Cherokee in the County’s oldest rivalry. The Eagles are searching for their first win of the season while Cherokee is looking to bounce back after their first loss. Can Etowah derail the Warriors or will Cherokee continue their recent offensive barrage? Next up Creekview hosts Riverwood. The Grizzlies and their tremendous defense look to slow down Riverwood and their dual threat quarterback, Avery Smith. Will Creekview shut down the high scoring Raiders or will Riverwood tame the Grizzlies defense?

Meanwhile, down in Woodstock, there will be a battle of the Knights, as the River Ridge Knights host the Centennial Knights. Centennial is a team with a lot of talented youth, but will have their hands full with a confident River Ridge team. Can Centennial upset River Ridge or will River Ridge continue their mastery of Region 7-6A? Finally Sequoyah will travel to Chattahoochee to face the Cougars. Both teams need to win to keep pace in region play. Will Sequoyah’s rushing attack be enough to keep the explosive Cougars offense on the sidelines this week or will the Cougars find a way to slow down Jaden Mitchell and the Chiefs?

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. 

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 Etowah Eagles are back at home this week and hope to fair better than last week. Etowah was held to 120 yards of total offense in last week’s loss and it doesn’t get much easier this week. The Eagles will look to get things going behind Klivert Many who is the 3rd leading rusher in the county entering play last week. Etowah is allowing 27.8 points per game while the offense is averaging 7.3 points per game. 

The Cherokee Warriors suffered their first setback of the season, falling to Roswell. A.J. Swann threw for 321 yards and 3-TDs last week, bringing his totals to 1,406 yards and 15-TDs on the season. Adarrius Harshaw is now up to 552 yards and 5-TDs whole Keith Adams Jr. is creeping up on the 1,000-yard mark with 879 yards and 8-TDs on the season. The 35 points surrendered by the defense was the most all season. The Warriors did intercept two passes, a touchdown saving pick by Riley Lyons and an interception by linebacker Braesen parker who showed that he too was fleet of foot with a nifty return. Despite the 35 points, Cherokee is still only allowing 15.7 points per game. We expect for Cherokee to back bounce back this week as Etowah looks to be a little over matched. Warriors by four touchdowns. 

The Skinny

The Creekview Grizzlies will look to bounce back this week after falling in overtime their last time out. Brody Rhodes was the most effective weapon for the Grizzlies rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown on Friday. We just can’t write a preview without talking about the Creekview defense; we really can’t say enough good things about this unit. They held Class 6A’s No. 1 rusher to only 62 rushing yards last week. The Grizzlies are still only allowing 8.1 points per game. They are physical and suffocating and are led by Grant Anderson, Isaac Hubert, Sam Minozzi up front and Cale Anderson, Nick Stewart and Owen Mello in the secondary. They are one of the top defenses we’ve seen in the county in a while.

The Riverwood Raiders are coming off of their bye week last week. The week prior, they dropped a game to River Ridge. The key for the Raiders will be pass protection for quarterback Avery Smith. Smith is just as dangerous running as he is throwing. It will be imperative for Riverwood’s offensive line to give Smith enough time to get the ball downfield to Donovan Logan. The 5’9” wide receiver is speedy and shifty and very tough to catch in the open field. That’s a very tough task against Creekview. Riverwood has enough playmakers to keep it interesting, but the Grizzlies defense is just too tough. We like Creekview by 8.

The Skinny

The River Ridge Knights are back at home to take on Centennial Knights. River Ridge is off to their best start in program history. They needed a fourth quarter comeback and overtime for the victory last week. Amehre Morrison had 62 yards on the ground and two TDs, including the game winner in overtime. Andrew Bingham and Riley Caines stepped up at receiver in the absence of super sophomore Jackson Head. The Knights defense might be the most underrated in the county. They are holding opponents to 18.5 points a game, but the have playmakers all around in guys like Brian Bradley, Hunter Deriso, Liam and Aidan Bruton, Chase Usher and Micah Martineau. 

The Centennial Knights were off last week and enter this game looking to find their first win of the season. Sophomore quarterback Zaire Goff who has thrown for 804 yards and 4-TDs, while freshman Nathan Webster leads the team in rushing with 155 yards leads centennial. Senior receivers Julian Nixon (20 receptions, 206 yards) and Jaden Lewis (11 receptions, 228 yards, 1-TD) lead the team in receptions and yardage. Sophomore linebacker Desmond Leverett leads the team in total tackles with 34. Centennial will have to make sure their run defense is up to par to slow down River Ridge this week. We believe that’s too tall of a task for a defense that’s allowing 35.6 points per game. No let down this week. We like River Ridge by a big number this week. Call it five touchdowns. 

The Skinny

The Chattahoochee Cougars come out of the bye week looking to bounce back from their second region loss. The Cougars are very much in contention for a playoff birth, but still have big games ahead of them. Quarterback Jaylen Smith has thrown for 1,218 yards and 13-TDs this season. The lefty is also dangerous taking off and beating teams with he legs, as he also leads the team in rushing with 236 yards and 4-TDs. The top receivers for Chattahoochee are Jahmal Smith (33 receptions 469 yards, 4-TDs), Ben Godwin (18 receptions, 304 yards, 4-TDs) and Jordan Palmer (14 receptions, 286 yards, 4-TDs.) The Cougars are averaging 30.4 points per game, but allowing 33.8 points this season. 

The Sequoyah Chiefs got their first victory of the season and kept their playoff hopes alive by beating Cambridge on Monday night. It was a back and forth matchup that saw Jayden Mitchell score two rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns including the game winner in the corner of the end-zone. The Chiefs recorded their highest score all season in the victory with 44 and are now averaging 19.8 points per game. With a quick turnaround this week, the Chiefs will have to shore up some things in the secondary as they’ll face a pass happy Chattahoochee team. This might have been the game Sequoyah needed to make a run here at midseason. The Chiefs will be able to score on the Cougars, but we don’t know if they can outscore them. It will be another high scoring game and maybe a lot closer than some think, but we like the Cougars in this one by 2.

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Georgia high School Football Poll – Week 8

Posted on October 25, 2020 by admin

What a great week of high school football this past Friday. Some teams were able to start to separate themselves from the field in region play, while other teams made things a little more interesting. Nevertheless, here is how we rank the Top-10 teams in each classification in this weeks Georgia High school Football Poll.

In Class 7A Roswell finds themselves in the poll for the first time this season. The Hornets outdueled previous No. 10 ranked Cherokee on Friday night. Most of the other Top-10 teams on Friday had a bye week. Class 6A saw little movement this week as all of the Top-10 teams were victorious. The only change was Westlake and Allatoona swapping spots at No. 5 & No. 6.

Over in Class 5A, Ware County jumps to No. 2 after their win over Coffee. Blessed Trinity holds firm to No. 1 after their win over Calhoun. The Clarke Central Gladiators check in at No. 10 for the first time this season. Class 4A, sees the Cedartown Bulldogs at No. 10 this week. The remainder of the 4A poll remained unchanged.

There was a bit of shuffling in Class 3A. Oconee County is up to No. 2 While Peach County is at No. 3. Both teams had big wins, as well as the No. 1 team Cedar Grove. Third year program Cherokee Bluff is in at No. 10. The Bears are off to their best start at 6-0. Meanwhile in Class 2A, Vidalia and Putnam County crack the Top-10 at No. 9 & No. 10 respectively this week.

Over in Class A-Public, no new teams joined the Top-10. Wilcox County and Chattahoochee County swapped places at No. 9 and No. 10 after Wilcox fell to Dublin on Friday. Finally, in Class-A Private, Prince Avenue Christian claims the top spot in the poll after a big win over Athens Christian. Previous No. 1 ELCA had their game with Pace cancelled.

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

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Football Fridays at the Tavern – Cherokee County Football – Episode 10

Posted on October 22, 2020 by admin

Region play continues and there are some big matchups involving Cherokee County Football teams this week. We have another big show this week as all county teams are in action.  Coach Williams and Coach Collins join us for interviews as we talk about their big game. Also, the venerable Coach Shaw visits to talk about the Warriors big game on Friday against Roswell. Oh, and of course you get our analysis of each of this week’s games. Don’t forget to follow Von Brown on twitter (@CederwoodTavern) and Art Mosley editor of the Turd Furgeson Report (@Turdfurgesonrpt). Thanks for listening, please feel free to comment and share.

Game Streams for Friday Night

Creekview vs. River Ridge (Radio Broadcast) – wljaradio.com

Roswell vs. Cherokee (Video Broadcast) – stevemajorsports.com 

Roswell vs. Cherokee (TV) – Georgia Public Broadcasting

Woodstock vs. Alpharetta (Internet Stream) – https://network1sports.com/station/chaseshaffersports

Podcast Index

2:49 – Last week recap

4:53 – Etowah-Milton Preview

9:34 – Woodstock-Alpharetta Preview

13:54 – Coach Shaw Interview

20:56 – Cherokee-Roswell Preview

28:18 – Sequoyah-Cambridge Preview

31:08 – Coach Williams Interview

39:28 – Coach Collins Interview

46:13 – Creekview-River Ridge Preview

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