TFR GHSA 7-A-Quarterfinal Playoff Preview

Our GHSA 7-A-Quarterfinal playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between  Lowndes-Grayson, Milton-Hillgrove, Tift County-Archer, and North Gwinnett-Colquitt County. Congratulations to these final 8 teams on a successful season. Best of luck to you all as you compete this Friday.

 

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Lowndes Vikings will be back on the road this week as they travel to Northeast Metro Atlanta to take on the Grayson Rams. Grayson has won both of the previous meetings between the two schools. Last week the Vikings got a big game from freshman Jacurri Brown, as he rushed for 135 yards and 1-TD. Travis Tisdale added 63 yards on the ground. The Vikings also got a defensive touchdown, en route to a shutout victory over Westlake. The Grayson Rams also had a big night from a young back as sophomore Phil Mafah rushed for 168 yard on 14 carries and scored a touchdown as the Rams downed Norcross. This week, we are interested to see if the Vikings can find any running lanes against a Grayson defense that features the likes of Owen Pappoe, Tru Thompson, and Kevin Harris. We like the Rams at home by a field goal over Lowndes.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Milton Eagles are back in the quarterfinals for only the 3rd time in school history. Last week, Jordan Yates passed for 275 yards and 2-TDs to lead Milton over Mill Creek. The Georgia Tech commit has passed for 2,157 yards and 21-TDs on the season. The Hillgrove Hawks got past Walton on a last second field goal. Issaiah McCray and Tre Walker combined to lead the Hawks on the ground with 156 yards rushing. As most know, Hillgrove has done most of their damage on the ground this season. So can Milton slow down the Hawks run game? No one has been able to figure it out this season. But we think the Eagles figure it out and win this one by a field goal on the road.

 



 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Tift County has made the most of their “at-large” appearance in the 2018 playoffs. The Blue Devils are making their second consecutive quarterfinals appearance. Last week, Mike Jones carried the ball 21 times for 125 yards and 2-TDs as Tift came from behind to beat East Coweta. Jones has rushed for 1,130 yards on the season with 12-TDs while Patrick Felton has passed for 1,401 yards and 13-TDs this year. Archer also had a big week from Semaje Banks (95 yards rushing) and quarterback Carter Peevy (192 yards passing). The Blue Devils are racking up some travel miles, in 3 weeks they will have traveled well I excess of 1,100 miles roundtrip. We think Tift County runs out of gas this week. We like the Tigers by 10 at home on Friday.



 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

This game is a rematch of the 2017 State Title game that went down to the wire last season. North Gwinnett got 3 touchdown passes from J.R. Martin while Ty Goodson added two rushing touchdowns in the win over West Forsyth. The only touchdown that North Gwinnett allowed last week was a fumble returned for a touchdown. The Colquitt County Packers got a big game from Ty Leggett and Daijuan Edwards as the two backs combined for 188 yards on the ground and 5 combined TDs. Colquitt surrendered the highest point total of the season on Friday night, allowing 29 points to McEachern. If the game comes down to special teams, we give the edge to Colquitt County and their kicker, Ryan Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has made 14 of 17 field goals, with a long of 57. We don’t think this game will come to that. We like Colquitt by two touchdowns over North Gwinnett.



 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-A-Private Playoff Preview 2 of 2

Our last set of week two GHSA-A-Private Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Riverside Military-Fellowship Christian, Hebron Christian-Savannah Christian, Aquinas-Darlington, and Trinity Christian-ELCA. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

The Skinny

 

In perhaps the biggest shocker in round one of the Class-A Private playoffs, the Riverside Military Academy Eagles knocked off the George Walton Academy Bulldogs. Eagle’s Head Coach Nick Garrett has not been shy about praising one of his star’s, Isaac Teasley. Teasley has rushed for 894 yards, passed for 1,405 yards and accounted for 20-TDs. The defense is led by Wookdong Harry Kimand his 9 sacks. Overall, they are allowing 20.7 points per game. Their opponent this week is the Fellowship Christian Paladins. The Paladins are two years removed from a trip to the finals. They have been steady under coach Al Morrell and are averaging 39.3 points per game. Their offense is keyed by Murphy Reeves who has rushed for 1,702 yards and 18 TDs. Our default was to take the Paladins at home, but we are going out go out on a limb with the underdog Riverside Military Eagles to edge out Fellowship by less than a field goal.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Head Coach Jeff Saturday has the Hebron Christian Lions moving in the right direction. The Lions are in the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. As we mentioned last week Hebron Christian is led by Colton Gauthier who has passed for 1,915 yards and 19-TDs on the season. Jeffrey Saturday is his primary receiver. Saturday caught 4 passes for 71-yards and one touchdown last week. On the season, he has caught 49 passes for 900 yards and 11-TDS. Host Savannah Christian claimed a region title under the direction of first year head coach Baker Woodward. Woodward was the former O/C at Benedictine. He has brought his system to Savannah Christian and has gotten his players to buy in. The only blemish on their record is a week one loss to Athens Academy. Dylan McMahon anchors both the offensive and defensive lines. Spencer Robicheaux leads the team in passing while Nate Moon (810 yards, 11-TDs) leads the rushing attack. Savannah Christian is scoring 37.2 points per game. We know that Hebron certainly will not go quietly into the night. We think they are about a year away from making a deep run. We like the Savannah Christian Raiders to survive and advance by a touchdown.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Aquinas Fighting Irish will have a chance to redeem last years playoff loss as they visit the Darlington Tigers on Friday. The Fighting Irish are averaging 30.3 points per game on offense and allowing 17.1 points per game on defense. Kam Brinson and Ashlon Williams have combined for 1,549 yards and 16-TDs. The Darlington Tigers aren’t necessarily lighting the world on fire on offense, averaging 22.7 points per game, while their defense is allowing 14.6 points per game. The Tigers are in the post season for the 12thconsecutive season. We aren’t sure if they can contain the Aquinas backs this week. We like the fighting Irish to win this game by a field goal.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Trinity Christian is no stranger to post season action, but much of their success had previously been at the GISA level. The Lions won their first GHSA playoff game last week and as a prize, they will visit Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy. This won’t be a traditional home game for Eagle’s Landing, as the game has been moved to Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta due to the recent rains that made field conditions unplayable on Friday. Trinity Christian is led by Zach Jones who has rushed for 1,005 yards and 10-TDs. The Lions are averaging 25.4 points per game on offense, while the defense is giving up 15.5 points per game. Since ELCA’s 37-game win streak has been stopped, the Chargers have been on a role. Their smallest margin of victory since that time was 21 points. On the season, they are averaging 53.3 points per game, while the defense is only allowing 6.2 points each time out. Senior Quarterback Brayden Rush has been at the helm for all 3 of the prior championship runs. I guess we should also mention that ELCA beat Trinity Christian earlier this season by 61 points. We just don’t think Trinity has closed the gap that much. We like ELCA to win by six touchdowns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-A-Private Playoff Preview 1 of 2

Our first set of week two GHSA-A-Private Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Holy Innocents-Calvary Day, Mt. Vernon-Athens Academy, Brookstone-North Cobb Christian, and Wesleyan-Prince Avenue Christian. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

The Skinny

 

After having a bye in the first round, the Calvary Day Cavaliers will host the Holy Innocents Bears. The Cavaliers are averaging 38.7 points per game on offense and are led by quarterback Thomas Carver and running back Jalen Leary. On defense, Calvary is allowing 9.6 points per game. Meanwhile, Holy Innocents has been up and down this season. Offensively, the Bears are averaging 34.2 points per game, but on defense they are allowing 23.1 points per game. Michael Cox leads the Bears on offense with 1,525 yards rushing and 24-TDs.   Graham Collins leads the Bears defense with 6 sacks. We don’t think Holy Innocents can generate enough offense to outlast Calvary Day; we like Calvary by 10 this Friday.


 

 

The Skinny

 

The Mt. Vernon Mustangs got a big home playoff win against Savannah Country Day last week. Austin Douglas continues to lead the offense with 1,528 yards rushing and 17-TDs. Blake Kytle leads the Mustangs with 2,283 yards passing and 25-TDs on the season. Mt. Vernon’s ability to compete will certainly not be a question this week. Host, Athens Academy has relied on the running of Len’Neth Whitehead and Peyton Bowles this season. Whitehead is a big physical back that the Mustangs won’t be able to arm tackle. Athens Academy is averaging 32.8 points per game on the season. We think Mt. Vernon will hang around, but ultimately, we like Athens Academy by two touchdowns when the dust settles.


 

 

 

The Skinny

 

We must admit the score to the Broosktone-Christian Heritage game was a little shocking to us. It just proves that we’ve been wrong before and will most certainly be wrong again. Brookstone is averaging 39.6 points per game on the season. Running back Jeremiah Burgess leads the ground game with 1,140 yards and 17-TDs. As a team, Brookstone has rushed for 2,966 yards in 2018. Host, North Cobb Christian has experienced a bit of a resurgence this season. The Eagles are on a 3-game win streak and have qualified for their first postseason action in school history. This season, the North Cobb defense as allowing only 16.4 points per game. Christian Heritage was the common opponent for both Brookstone and North Cobb Christian. Both teams beat the Lions. We aren’t sure how relevant the point spread is in those matchups. We think North Cobb Christian is flying high and we don’t expect them to be derailed this week; North Cobb by 13.


 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Wesleyan Wolves will travel to Bogart to face the Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines. Wesleyan will have their hands full with the young Prince Avenue quarterback, Brock Vandagriff, who has passed for 2,637 yards and 26-TDs. His primary receivers are Mack Simmons (926 yards, 10-TDs) and Christian Parrish (716 yards, 9-TDs). Wesleyan is coming off of a first-round win against Tattnall Square. Freshman quarterback J.C. French has passed for 1,676 yards and 12-TDs. On the season, the Wolves are averaging 23 points per game while their defense is allowing 19.6 points each contest. The weather is forecasted to be cold, so we always wonder how that will affect the quarterback’s ability to pass and how the receivers are also able to adjust to that. We believe that Prince Avenue will be able to handle the elements this week and down Wesleyan by two scores.


 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-A-Public Playoff Preview 2 of 2

Our final set of week two GHSA-A-Public Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Trion-Schley County, Montgomery County-Marion County, Charlton County-Clinch County and Dooly County-Mt. Zion. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

The Skinny

 

 

There are a lot of similarities between The Trion Bulldogs and Schley County Wildcats. Both Schley County and Trion will utilize the running attack primarily this Friday. Schley county sandwiched 8 consecutive wins in between two losses to Marion County this season. The Wildcats will rely on the combination of Tra Sampson and Zamon Ross. The duo has rushed for 1,934 yards and 27 -TDs on the season. Archer Hathaway anchors the Wildcats offensive line. Meanwhile, the Trion Bulldogs will look to Hagen Willingham t lead them on offense. Willingham can score in all phases of the game. Willingham will be running behind an offensive line anchored by Jake Hayes.  This game will certainly come down to which team executes their offense better. We do think that Trion can beat Schley, but this week, we are going with the home team, Schley County to win by two field goals.


 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

If the Montgomery County Eagles are going to knock off the Marion County Eagles, they will need to have another big game from De’quan Jackson. Jackson leads Montgomery County in rushing, receiving and return yards. He just about does it all for the Eagles. The Montgomery County offense is averaging 31.7 points per game this season. They are looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1987. Marion County has gone through the year unscathed. Their closest competition in Class-A has been Schley County. Trice McCannon and Travon Matthews lead Marion in most of the offensive statistical categories. McCannon has passed for 1,357 yards and rushed for 823 yards , while Matthews has rushed for  1,400 yards and 24-TDs. We think that Montgomery County can compete, but we like Marion to stretch the lead as the game goes along. Marion County by 18.


 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Charlton County Indians and the Clinch County Panthers will meet for the 2nd time this season and the 58th time overall. Clinch County got the best of Charlton in the first matchup and has won the last 4 tilts. On the season the Indians are averaging 28.9 points per game on offense, while the defense is allowing 17.8 points per game. Meanwhile, Clinch County is averaging 36.6 points per game on offense and allowing 13.4 points a game on defense. This was a tough draw for Charlton County. Generally, we don’t like the time that won the first game to win the rematch, but circumstances are different here. We like Clinch by 16.

 


 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Dooly County Bobcats will travel to West Georgia to take on the Mt. Zion Eagles. Bo Lawson continues to lead the Bobcats in both rushing (1,216 yards) and passing (1,711 yards) with 34-Total TDs. On the season, the Bobcats are averaging 31.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 26.6- points per game.  They will be matched up with a Mt. Zion defense that is only allowing 10.7 points per game. The Eagles are looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the 4th time in the past 5 years. Expect Mt. Zion to use the run game this week. We like the Eagles, but we think it will be closer than some expect. Mt Zion by 8.


 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-A-Public Playoff Preview 1 of 2

Our first set of week two GHSA-A-Public Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Commerce-Mitchell County, Miller County-Irwin County, Chattahoochee County-Greene County, and ECI-Pelham. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Commerce Tigers will travel down to Camilla Georgia to take on the host Mitchell County Eagles. Commerce is looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years. The Tigers are averaging 34.9 points per game, while their defense is allowing 10.8 points per game in 2018. Commerce started off red-hot but dropped their final two regular season games. Last week, they were back to their winning ways against Seminole County. Mitchell County had won eight consecutive games prior to falling to Pelham back on 11/2 to end the regular season. The Eagles are averaging 37.5 points per game on offense. Junior quarterback James Thomas  leads the team on offense with 959 yards passing and 584 yards rushing. Mitchell defense has been pretty sound all season, save for the two losses. They are giving up 10.9 points per game. We think this is a tough matchup for the Eagles and we really like the Tigers on the road this week. We’ll take Commerce by 5.


 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

Miller County picked up a first round win last week and will travel to Ocilla to take on the 2017 state runner-up Irwin County Indians. Irwin County is led by RB/LB DJ Lundy. He leads an Irwin County team that has put up some big numbers offensively. The team is averaging 43.8 points per game this season. Irwin County looks as if they’ve been on a mission after falling to Clinch in the title-game last season. Their defense is only giving up 8 points per game this season. If Miller County is going to pull the upset, the running game which has led to their success this season, will need to have one of their better performances. Chris Stovall and Janorris Byrd lead the team in rushing. Stovall has 1,086 yards and 14-TDs and Byrd has 795 yards and 8-TDs. . Even if Miller Count gets things going on the ground, we just don’t know if they are as talented as Irwin County. We think the Indians will win big this week. Give us Irwin County by 23.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Greene County Tigers are in the playoffs for the 4thtime in 5 years. The Tigers have gotten steady production from quarterback C’darius Kelley this season as he has passed for 1,449 yards and rushed for 930, combining for 28 total TDs.  Greene County is averaging 30.4 points per game and has scored wins over two playoff teams this season. That’s quite the turnaround from last season in which Greene County only won 3-games and missed out on the post season. Their opponent this week will be the Chattahoochee County Panthers, who have won 7 of their last 8 games. The Panthers are led by running back Brandon Thomas (615 yards, 11-TDs). A win for Chattahoochee County would send them to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history. We just don’t believe that’s in the cards this week. We like the Greene County Tigers by two touchdown in this game.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Pelham Hornets and their youth movement have motored through the season undefeated. Pelham has been pretty good, but we don’t really know how good the young Hornets can be. They have dominated their competition this season. The offense is averaging 54.5 points per game while the defense has recorded five shutouts. As a team, the Hornets have rushed for over 2,400 yards on the season. Dual threat junior quarterback Kendrick Patterson leads the team in passing and rushing. The biggest question may be whether Pelham has been tested by their schedule. The Emmanuel County Institute Bulldogs (ECI) might provide a look into how real this Pelham team is. ECI has won 8 of their last 9 games. The Bulldogs offense is averaging 34 points per game while their defense is allowing 17.8 points. We think that this game will be closer than most might expect, but we do like Pelham to advance to the quarterfinals this week. We like Pelham by 8.

 

 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-2-A Week 2 Playoff Preview 2 of 2

Our final set of week two GHSA-2-A Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Dodge County-Jefferson County, Bremen-Rockmart, Washington County-Brooks County and Callaway-Hapeville. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Dodge County Indians will take on Jefferson County for the right to advance to the quarterfinals. Dodge County has been led this season by running backs R.J. Carr (960 yards, 17-TDs) and Erin Pitts (782 yards, 8-9TDs). The Indians are averaging 28.4 points per game on offense, while their defense is surrendering 15 per game. Jefferson County is looking to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time since they made it to the semifinals in 2015. The Warriors are led on offense by running back Jaden Jenkins, who has rushed for 1,709 yards and 28-TDs. He leads a Jefferson County offense that averages 35.5 points per game thus far. Jefferson’s only two losses this season came at the hands of Swainsboro and Washington County, two teams that are still playing this week.. This ought to be a back and forth battle, but in the end, we believe that Jefferson County prevails. We like the Warriors by 10.



 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Bremen Blue Devils proved they can play with some of the top teams when they knocked off Rabun County in week-1. But this week, they might face their most difficult challenge, as they match up against the Rockmart Yellow Jackets. Bremen is battle tested, so it’s not like they will be shocked to play a team that’s playing at a high level. The Blue Devils offense is averaging 35.8 points per game this season, while their defense is only allowing 10.9 per game. Rockmart has been dominating this season. Their closest game, was their first game where the edged 4-A rival Cedartown. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 48.1 points per game while their stingy defense is only allowing 5.5 points per game. We know Rockmart has been dominant, but a win this week might just let us know how good the Jackets are. For the record, we think they are darn good, and we like them to win this game by two touchdowns.



 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Washington County Golden Hawks travel to Quitman to take on the Brooks County Trojans. Brooks County is led by quarterbacks Jacolby Brown and Ni’Tavion Burrus. To date, the two have combined to rush for 603 yards and passed for 1,521 yards and 29 total TDs. The Trojans are averaging 29 points per game while their defense is allowing 14.5 points on the season. Meanwhile Washington County been led by the electric play of Dyquan Bloodsaw. The Golden Hawks offense is averaging 36.1 points per game. Their defense has done a pretty good job, allowing 18.9 points per game. We think Brooks gets the win this week. We think the game will be within 10-points.



 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

If the Hapeville Hornets make it back to the Benz, they will have certainly earned it. The Callaway Cavaliers are certainly a formidable opponent for the Hornets this week. The Cavaliers are led by Cartavious “Tank” Bigsby. He helps to spearhead an attack that has generated 33.9 points per game on offense while the defense has held opponents to 11.1 points per game. Callaway has only earned wins over two teams that qualified for the playoffs. The Cavaliers will need one of their best performances this week as they face a Hapeville team that is only allowing 4.3 points per game. The Hornets only loss this season was to 6-A Allatoona, who is still alive in the playoffs. Hapeville’s offense is averaging 39.2 points per game. We don’t believe they will need to score that many, but even if they do, we still like the Hornets by 13 points this week.



 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-3-A Week 2 Playoff Preview 2 of 2

Our final set of week two GHSA-3-A Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Liberty County-Peach County, Westminster-Greater Atlanta Christian, Jenkins-Pike County, and Lovett-Calhoun. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Liberty County Panthers have reached the second round of the playoffs for the 4th consecutive year. On the season, Liberty County is averaging 24.1 points per game, while their defense is allowing 14.7 points per game. The Panthers Kris Coleman has rushed for 1,651 yards and 21-TDs on the season. The Peach County Trojans will certainly need to key in on Coleman and the Liberty County run game. Peach County does not have the star power from last season, but the Trojans keep on trucking. Their offense is averaging 39 points per game this season and their defense has been rock solid, allowing 14.1 points per game. Their only losses this season came at the hands of Class 4-A power, Mary Persons and 6-A power Lee County. While we believe Peach is a little down this year, we think they have enough to get past Liberty County this week. We like the Trojans by a touchdown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

Westminster and Greater Atlanta Christian will have a chance at a rematch of a game that Westminster won by one point in week 1. Since the opening week defeat, the Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans have gone 8-1, their only other loss was to out-of-state Prestonwood Christian out of Plano, Texas. On the season, the Spartans are averaging 32.5 points per game. Josh Rose has passed for 1,444 yards and rushed for 585 while accounting for 22 total TDs. Greater Atlanta Christian has an imposing offensive line, which features brothers Chris and Myles Hinton. (Currently, Chris is a University of Michigan commit.) The Spartans defense is allowing 13.4 points per game. Choe-Bryant Strother is having a breakout season for Greater Atlanta Christian. He has recorded 65 total tackles this year. Meanwhile, since their week-one victory over GACs, Westminster has gone 5-4. The Wildcats are averaging 29.4 points per game while the defense is allowing 19.2 points per game. Generally speaking, we think that rematches are tough to win. We know that both coaches will make the necessary adjustments, but we like the Spartans by a field goal in the rematch.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Pike County Pirates upset Crisp County last week in overtime. This week, they will travel to Savannah to take on the Jenkins Warriors. The Pirates are averaging 25.6 points per game on offense, while their defense is allowing 14.7 points per game. Jenkins will look to exploit the Pike County defense by way of their rushing attack. The Warriors are averaging 25.3 points per game on offense. Most of their damage has been done on the ground as Jeremy Smith leads the way with 1,004 yards on the season. We think both teams are evenly matched, but we will take the home team Warriors by  a field goal this week.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Calhoun Yellow Jackets have won 22 consecutive games dating back to last season. They will play host to the Lovett Lions on Friday. Calhoun has been dominant during the regular season and did not show any signs of slowing down last week. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 48.7 points per game on the season. Quarterback Gavin Gray has been a steady leader for the Jackets. On defense, Calhoun is allowing 7.2 points per game. The Lovett Lions will attempt to be the first team to knock of Calhoun this season. Lovett is averaging 29.1 points per game on offense, while their defense is giving up 22.4 points per game. Blaine McAllister has passed for 1,489 yards while, K.J. Wallace has rushed for 510 yards and 8-TDs for Lovett. With all that said, we can’t deny that Calhoun really looks primed for another deep run. We like the Jackets to win this one by 20.

 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-3-A Week 2 Playoff Preview 1 of 2

Our first set of week two GHSA-3-A Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Jackson-Pierce County, Dawson County-Monroe Area, Westside Macon-Benedictine, and North Hall-Cedar Grove. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Jackson Red Devils will travel to take on the Pierce County Bears. The Bears got a big win last week. On the season, the offense is led by running back John Jones (1,367 yards, 21-TDs) and quarterback Jermaine Brewton (1,475 yards, 20-TDs). The Bears are averaging 43.2 points per game on offense while the defense is allowing 10.5 points per game. Pierce County will be looking to get to the quarterfinals for the third time in five years. Meanwhile, The Jackson Red Devils are looking to get past the 2nd round for the first time since 2009. Jackson is averaging 24.5 points per game on offense. Jackson’s best win may have been a 28-6 victory over Pike County. No offense to Pike County or Jackson for that matter; but we think Pierce has the edge in this game at home. We like the Bears to win by 10.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

Coach Sid Maxwell will take has Dawson Tigers into Monroe to face off against the Monroe-Area Purple Hurricanes. The Tigers are led by senior quarterback Sevaughn Clark, who transitioned from running back last season and spearheads a team that has rushed for over 3,800 yards on the season. Dawson County is averaging 40.7 points per game. Their defense has been just as good, surrendering only 12.2 points per game. The Dawson County defense will need another big performance as they face Monroe-Area and dual threat quarterback Chandler Byron. On the season, Byron has passed for 1,110 yards and rushed for 2,371 yards. Jakai Thompson has chipped in 1,006 yards on the season as well. The Canes are no slouch when it comes to running the ball either, as they have run for over 3,900 yards this season. Monroe Area hasn’t seemed to be challenged all season. The Canes are averaging 42.6 points per game on offense while the defense is only allowing 10.4 points per game. The way that Dawson County runs the ball could present some challenges this week. We will begrudgingly take Monroe-Area, but only by two points this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Westside Macon Seminoles will travel to Savannah as they face the Benedictine Cadets this Friday. Benedictine had a great run at the 2-A level and this season they have fared very well as they were reclassified to 3-A. Rico Powers is a name that all of the Benedictine faithful are familiar with. Powers has rushed for 815 yards and 15-TDs on the season. As a team, Benedictine is averaging 41.2 points per game. That’s slightly above their pace from 2017. The Cadets are undefeated in games against 3-A opponents this season. Westside Macon will counter with quarterback Victor Dixon who has passed for 1,756 yards and 16-TDs and TyShaun Freeman who has rushed for 1,146 yards and 14-TDs. The Seminoles are averaging 29.3 points per game. During the regular season, Westside defeated 3 playoff teams. The Seminoles look to be poised to take down the Cadets, but we like Benedictine by ten points.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The North Hall Trojans will travel to Decatur to face off against the Cedar Grove Saints. These teams are a contrast in style. North Hall will bring a run dominant offense. Daniel Jackson (950 yards, 17-TDs) , J.T. Fair (835 yards, 8-TDs) and David Seavey (414 yards, 11-Tds),  have combined to lead a team that has run for 3,251 yards on the season. The North Hall defense was pretty good as well this season surrendering only 9.7 points per game. But the Cedar Grove Saints are a different animal. They Saints have a lethal passing game. Through 10 games this season, sophomore quarterback Austin has thrown for 1,026 yards and 17-TDs.  Of course, We can’t talk Cedar Grove without mentioning the nation’s top receiving prospect, Jaden Haselwood. Not only is he a star on offense, but look for Haselwood to be in defense to help in the run game and to patrol the secondary if North Hall decides to throw the ball this week. Robert Jones has helped shore up the run game for the Saints, as the senior has rushed for 676 yards in nine games. Cedar Grove is one of our picks to be in the Benz at season’s end. So quite naturally we like this Saints this week. Call it three touchdowns.

 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-4-A Week 2 Playoff Preview 2 of 2

Our final set of week two GHSA-4-A Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Burke County-Eastside, North Oconee-Blessed Trinity, Thomson-Cairo, and Troup-Pickens. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Eastside Eagles continue their historic season this week as they host the Burke County Bears. The Eagles are averaging 40.2 points per game. Their defense has recorded 3-shutouts. Noah Cook has passed for 1,795 yards and 24-TDs while Taylor Carter leads the Eagles on the ground with 957 yards and 14-TDs. Meanwhile, the Burke County Bears enter the game averaging 32.5 points per game. Most of their production has come by way of the ground game as Leon McGee and Juanya Dove have combined for over 1,500 yards on the season. The duo has also scored 22 rushing TDs. The Bears are looking to get back to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season. Eastside is looking to get back to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009. We like Eastside at home this week by two field goals this week.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

It will be a battle of Titans this week as the North Oconee Titans visit the Blessed Trinity Titans. Blessed Trinity comes into this game as the No. 1 ranked team in the state in Class 4-A. Blessed Trinity is averaging 37.5 points per game, while they are allowing 9.6 points per game. Ohio State commit Steele Chambers has rushed for 1,161 yards and 18-TDs. Quarterback Jake Smith has passed for 1,395 yards and 15-TDs. North Oconee is averaging 28.2 points per game on the season while their defense is giving up 15.1 points per game. Both teams have a common opponent in St. Pius. The Lions beat North Oconee by 10, while Blessed Trinity beat the Lions by 22. We aren’t sure how comparable those numbers are, but we like Blessed Trinity by four touchdowns this week.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 It has been 17 years since Thomson and Cairo have squared off. The Syrupmakers are averaging 33.1 points per game, while their defense is giving up 10 points per game. In the first round of the playoffs, they recorded their third shutout of the season. The Thomson Bulldogs got off to a slow start this season, but have won three out of their last 4 games. The Bulldogs are averaging 23.8 points per game while the defense is surrendering 27.9 points per game. Most of Thomson’s offense comes by way of the ground. Damekus Taylor has rushed for 1,256 yards on the season, including 178 yards last week against Upson-Lee. Thomson is looking to get to the quarterfinals for the 3rd consecutive season. But we think That Cairo will be up to the task to slow down Taylor and the Bulldogs. We like Cairo By nine this week.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Pickens Dragons are having a historic season. They won their first region title in school history and won their first playoff game in school history last week as well. We’ve had a chance to watch both teams play this season and we think that outside of the Marist-St.Pius game, this is the most intriguing matchup. Troup is averaging 37.8 points per game while Pickens is averaging 46 points per game. Pickens quarterback C.J. Streicher has passed for 1,325 yards and is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing. Robert Davis has also been a key cog in the ground game with 697 yards rushing and 12-TDs. Troup will counter with quarterback Kobe Hudson who has passed for 2,806 yards and 26-TDs. Hudson is also closing in on 1,000 yards rushing. Joko Willis and James Thrash have combined for 1,375 yards receiving and 16-TDs. It will be interesting to see Pickens face perhaps the most talented team they’ve faced all season. If Troup’s King Mwikuta and Andy Boykin can clog up holes, it could be a long night for the Dragons. We think this one comes down to the wire, but we’ll take Pickens by a field goal.

 

 

 

 

 

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TFR 2018 GHSA-4-A Week 2 Playoff Preview 1 of 2

Our first set of week two GHSA-4-A Playoff previews are listed below. This preview features matchups between Woodward Academy-Mary Persons, Marist-St. Pius, Columbus-Baldwin and Ridgeland-Cartersville. Congratulations to all of these teams that won their first round game. Best of luck to you all as you play this Friday.

As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

The Skinny

 

 The Mary Persons Bulldogs have been dominant this season. Their offense is averaging 47.8 points per game while their defense is only giving up 10.4 points per game. They are the only team remaining from Region-2. Last week quarterback J.T. Hartage passed for 300 yards and 5-TDs. On the season, Hartage has passed for almost 2,400 yards and 26-TDs. Quen Wilson leads the rushing attack on the season with 1,322 yards. Woodward Academy sports a pretty good running back of their own in Tahj Gary. Gary has rushed for 1,217 yards and 13-TDs on the season. Quarterback Mike Wright has passed for 1,226 yards and 15-TDs in only seven games this season. He has also rushed for 512 yards. Gary and Wright have been good this season, but we don’t think they can outscore the Bulldogs. We like Mary Persons by seventeen.


 

 

 

The Skinny

 

 

The Marist War Eagles and St. Pius Golden Lions will face off for the 55thtime overall and the second time this season. St. Pius shut out Marist earlier this season. Last week, Marist got 149 rushing yards and 3-TDs from quarterback Connor Cigelske. Cigelske leads an offense that is averaging 35.7 points per game on the year. Marist also sports two-way Notre Dame commit, Kyle Hamilton. The Golden Lions have reeled off ten straight victories since a week one loss to Blessed Trinity. Quarterback Connor Egan and running back Michael Benefield lead a St. Pius offense that’s scoring 35.1 points per game. St. Pius looks poised for another deep run. But we think Marist gets the best of the Golden Lions this week; Marist by a field goal.


 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Baldwin Braves dropped their first five games before reeling off 6 straight games including last weeks first round win over Perry. During their six-game win streak the defense is only giving up 9.3 points per game. The offense is averaging 28.1 points per game during that same streak. The Braves will face a Columbus Blue Devil team that is averaging 28.1 points per game on the season. Last week, the Blue Devils rushed for 212 yards and 4-TDs as a team. Those are some impressive numbers, but we like Baldwin at home in this game by a touchdown.


 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Cartersville Hurricanes will host the Ridgeland Panthers in second round action. The Canes come into the game averaging 39.4 points per game, while their defense is only giving up 6.1 points per game. The Canes have 4-shutouts on the season. The most points the Canes have given up on the season is 20. Tee Webb has passed for 2,263 yards and 28-TDs on the season. If Ridgeland is going to score an upset this week, Jordan Blackwell will need to get going on the ground. Blackwell rushed for 150 yards last week. We think Ridgeland is talented enough to hang around for a while in this game, but we think Cartersville is just too deep for the Panthers. We like the Canes by two touchdowns.


 

 

 

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