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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
At this point in the season, all of the games are important. But this week, there are some region games that can be seen as de facto region title games. We will preview a a handful of these games this week in our Eight Greats Around the State, our weekly Georgia High School Football previews. This is part two and features four interesting matchups in regions play.
First up, Calhoun will host Blessed Trinity. Blessed Trinity hasn’t played a game in a month. Will they be rusty or rested? There’s still a lot of work to do, but the winner of this game just might earn themselves a home playoff game. At the other end of the state, down in Waycross, the Ware County Gators host the Coffee Trojans. Tommy Castellanos has been outstanding for the Gators this season, but can he duplicate his success against a stingy Coffee defense.
Down in Rochelle, the Wilcox County Patriots will host the Dublin Fighting Irish. Can Martez Thrower and the Patriots defense slow down the vaunted Dublin Wing-T? Our Final game features in our opinion the defect Region 8 A-Private title game between Prince Avenue Christian and Athens Academy. Athens Academy has won the last four in the series. Can Brock Vandagriff and the Wolverines stop the series skid this week?
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 Calhoun Yellow Jackets have won four straight games entering play this week. The offense has been humming along to the tune of 36.5 points per game. Quarterback Christian Lewis was the Class 5A passing leader entering last Friday’s games. On the season he has thrown for over 1,200 yards. Meanwhile Jerrian Hames also entered last week’s contest as the Class 5A rushing leader and has tallied 795 yards on the ground this season. And don’t forget about the Class 5A receiving leader, Cole Speer (575 yards entering last weeks game.) The Yellow Jackets defense is allowing 16.6 points per game.
It’s hard to believe that the Blessed Trinity Titans have not played a game in almost a month. The Titans has impressive wins over ELCA and Kell. Now they begin a daunting two-week gauntlet in Region 7-5A. Blessed Trinity’s super sophomore Justice Haynes has rushed for 357 yards and 5-TDs and he’s also thrown a TD pass. Meanwhile, J.C. French has been near perfect on the season, completing 92.8% of his passes for 354 yards in two games. David Coltrane has been one of the top receivers for the Titans. Ryan Dupont leads the Blessed Trinity in total tackles and we can’t forget about safety Jackson Hamilton who will be crucial in runs support this week. The defense is allowing 23 points per game in their two contests. We do wonder if there will be any rust for this Blessed Trinity football team. If Calhoun is going to win, they’ll need to jump out early. This game should have lots of fireworks. We like Blessed Trinity to find their stride and outscore Calhoun by a touchdown in a high scoring affair.
The Skinny
The Ware County Gators find themselves at 5-0 for the first time since 2015. The Gators have been led by one of the most explosive players in Class 5A, quarterback Tommy Castellanos. The junior signal caller has thrown for 1,283 yards and 12-TDs and also rushed for 551 yards and 10-TDs. He’s averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Nine different receivers have caught passes for Ware County this season, including team leaders Dakari Coachman (13 receptions 146 yards, 2-TDs), Raiden Kennedy ( 9 receptions, 254 yards, 4-TDs), Jerry Wilkins (11 receptions, 253 yards, 2-TDs) and James Daniels (14 receptions, 193 yards, 1-TD). The Gators defense is allowing 19.6 points per game.
The Coffee Trojans have won three consecutive games coming into region play. Senior quarterback A.J. Wilkerson has thrown for 704 yards and 10-TDs while A.J. Franklin has rushed for 326 yards and 5-TDs. Maurice Turner continues to lead the team in receiving with 20 receptions for 429 yards and 3-TDs. Kenneth Davis has also caught 10 passes for 257 yards. Junior linebacker Anthony Gaskin leads the defense with 54 total tackles. Speaking of defense, Coffee’s has been pretty good. They’ve got two shutouts to their credit and are allowing 8.8 points per game. A loss here for either team won’t eliminate them from post season play, but it might put them behind the 8-ball with region foes like Warner Robins and Veterans still on tap. Tommy Castellanos has been hard to contain this season. We think he has another big game, but expect the game to be close. Gators by 5.
The Skinny
If the Wilcox County Patriots are going to pick up their first region tittle in 8 years, they’ll have to find a way to defeat last year’s Class 2-A state champ. This game looks to have all the makings of a region title game. Wilcox County is averaging 31.6 points per game this season. Last week, Martez Thrower showed his versatility making plays on both sides of the ball, scoring two touchdowns as a running back and recording a sack on defense.
After a Week-1 setback, the Dublin Fighting Irish looked to have picked up right where they left off last season. There were many questions marks with the Irish graduating a lot of their production, but they’ve seemed to settle in five weeks into the season. Dublin has a mix of power and speed in the backfield. J.T. Wright is explosive and has the speed to run away from defenders while Josh Isaac is a bruising fullback and quarterback Markelle Mitchell is a tough runner and also does enough throwing the ball to keep teams honest. The Irish are averaging 46.2 points per game, while the defense is allowing 11.8 points per game. That includes two shutouts in their last three games. We think Wilcox County is pretty good, but we aren’t sure they can keep up with Dublin this week. We like the Fighting Irish by 13.
The Skinny
The Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines will face another big test this week as they start region play. If you don’t know by now, the Wolverines are led by UGA commit, Brock Vandagriff. The senior has thrown for 1,674 yards and 19-TDs. He’s also second on the team in rushing with 272 yards and 8-TDs. Landon Owens leads the way on the ground with 444 yards and 6-TDs. Owens, Logan Johnson and Zac Dyer have combined to haul in 77 catches for 1,275 yards and 16-TDs. The Wolverines are averaging 49.3 points per game while the defense is allowing 18.3 points per game. Davis Ridings leads the team in total tackles with 54. The Wolverines secondary has intercepted 10 passes on the season.
Athens Academy has owned this series as of late, winning the last four meetings. The Spartans have a pretty good quarterback themselves in senior Palmer Bush. Bush threw two TD passes last week on their way to victory. Athens Academy also got three touchdowns on the ground from Tre Hawkins. We can’t forget about the most dangerous playmaker for the Spartans, Deion Colzie. While all of this preview has been about the offense and their 30 points per game, don’t forget the defense pitched their first shutout last week and are only allowing 8.3 points per game. Something has to give in this one. We believe this will be much closer than last year’s contest. We like the Wolverines on the arm of Vandagriff by a 6 at home.
At this point in the season, all of the games are important. But this week, there are some region games that can be seen as de facto region title games. We will preview a a handful of these games this week in this edition of Eight Greats Around the State, our weekly Georgia High School Football previews.
First up in Cordele, two middle Georgia powers, (Is Cordele middle or south Georgia?), will face off in a game that features several future D-1 players. Can the Crisp defense slow down an explosive Peach offense? In metro Atlanta, Greater Atlanta Christian hosts Cedar Grove. Cedar grove has one of the most dominant defenses in Class 3A. Will Deymon Flemming and Greater Atlanta be able to find success against the Saints?
Over in Watkinsville, the Oconee County Warriors will host Hart County. Hart got back in the win column last week and has an offense that can score points in bunches, but Oconee County has one of the best defenses in Northeast Georgia. Will it be a shootout in Watkinsville? Finally, in Roswell, the Roswell Hornets host the Cherokee Warriors. This could turn into a duel between two very good quarterbacks in Robbie Roper and A.J. Swann. Is Cherokee the real deal, or will Roswell continue their series dominance?
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 Crisp County Cougars are off to their best start since 2016. The Cougars have really made a living on defense, holding opponents to 4.2 points per game and recording three shutouts so far this season. It should be no surprise that linebackers Preston Lavant (40) and Chris Paul Jr.(48) lead the team in total tackles. The Cougars defense has already recorded 18 turnovers included 9 interceptions. J’kobe Harris leads the team in that category with 4. Crisp is averaging 24.6 points per game on offense. A.J. Brown got the start at quarterback last week and threw for 235 yards and 2-TDs. He’s also rushed for 287 yards this season.
The Peach County Trojans are winners of their last four games. After scoring just a touchdown in their opener they’ve scored no less than 42 points each game and have scored over fifty in three of those contests. On the season they are at 42.8 points per game. The Trojans have a pretty good one-two punch at running back in Jamond Jones and Chris McMillian. Jones is a punishing runner while McMillian is shifty with a quick burst of speed. Dorrian Smith is another dangerous weapon for the Trojans. Peach’s defense is pretty darn good as well. They have a tendency to swarm to the ball carrier and stop plays before they get started. They are holding opponents to 7.6 points per game. The way these defenses play, the first team to score might win it. This game is really a toss-up, but we’ll give Crisp the slight edge, only because they are playing at home. Cougars by 1.
The Skinny
The Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans remained unbeaten last week behind a big outing from quarterback Deymon Fleming. The senior quarterback has now thrown for 967 yards and 10-TDs while completing 62.4% of his passes. Junior running back Gannon Hearst leads the Spartans in rushing with 205 yards and 2-TDs while Brooks Miller has been the top receiver for the Spartans with 24 receptions for 407 yards and 2-TDs. The Spartans are averaging 31 points per game on the season. Senior linebacker Aidan Bailey leads the team in total tackles. The defense has intercepted 10 passes on the season led be Saiku White with 3. As a team Greater Atlanta Christian is allowing 8.8 points per game.
The Cedar Grove Saints have run their current win streak to 14 games in a row dating back to last season. The Saints scored in all three phases of the game last week, including three Austin Smith touchdown passes, a pick-6 of 100 yards by Lamarion Ewing and a punt return for Rashod Dubinion. The Cedar Grove defense held Redan to under 100 yards of total offense. On the year, the Saints are allowing 6.3 points per game. Cedar Groves defensive line is the key to victory in our opinion. If they can harass Flemming, they should be able to create havoc. We like Cedar Grove by 17.
The Skinny
Last week, the Oconee County Warriors got a pair of rushing touchdowns from C.J. Jones and a 100+ yard interception return for a score as they moved to 1-0 on the region. The Warriors are averaging 30 points per game. The after-mentioned Jones has rushed for 485 yards and 6-TDs on the season, while Jacob Wright has thrown for well over 500 yards and 6-TDs. The Oconee County defense is only allowing 8 points per game. The defense has been getting big plays from linebackers Whit Weeks, West Weeks, Liam Lewis and others.
The Hart County Bulldogs got back on track last week with a win over previously unbeaten Franklin County. Although the Bulldogs only have two victories, they’re averaging 34 points per game. They are led by one of the top running backs on Northeast Georgia, Malachi Thomas. Defensively the Bulldogs are allowing 29.6 points per game. Thomas and fellow back, J.Len Lackey will need to score early and often to keep Oconee County at bay. There could be a lot of points scored in this one, but we think the Warriors defense will make stops when it counts. Oconee County by 8.
The Skinny
The Roswell Hornets survived a comeback attempt by the Etowah Eagles, despite the Hornets turning the ball over five times. Ball security will need to be paramount this week. Junior quarterback Robbie Roper is now over 1,000 passing and has thrown 11-TD passes on the year. Ryan Hill went over the century mark for the second time this season in last week’s contest. He leads the team in Rushing with 407 yards and 4-TDs, but Ryan Stephens is close behind with 394 yards and 5-TDs. The Hornets are averaging 32.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 13 points per game.
The Cherokee Warriors just keep winning. Last week, they tied their season high in point production with a big region win. Quarterback A.J. Swann also went over the 1,000-yard mark in passing last week. He has also now thrown 12-TDs on the season. He demonstrated his athleticism by keeping plays alive with his feet and making big throws downfield. It was the kind of performance we believe Swann is capable of most weeks. The Warriors defense is allowing 12.5 points per game. They did allow a red-zone touchdown, but those have been few and far between this season. This region is shaping up to be a three-horse race between these two teams and Milton. Roswell has been really good this season, but we don’t know if they’ve faced a team like Cherokee. If they are going to win at home, they’ll need to fix the turnovers from last week. Cherokee will be much less, well, forgiving than Etowah. Either way, we like the Warriors on the road by 2.
Region races are heating up this time of year. Some of the biggest matchups of the season take place this Friday. Here are our Week-8 Cherokee County Football previews. The Cherokee-Roswell game will be featured in one of our Eight Greats Around the State on Wednesday.
First up, the Woodstock Wolverines will host the Alpharetta Raiders. Both teams are looking for their first region win. Who will break through this week? Meanwhile the Etowah Eagles travel to Milton on Friday. The Etowah defense was really good last week. Can they produce another great effort on the road and pull off the upset?
In Class 6A, Creekview hosts River Ridge, this game features one of the state’s best defenses against one of the best running backs in the state. Will the Creekview defense prevail or will upstart River Ridge find a way to sneak past Creekview on the road?
Finally, Sequoyah hosts Cambridge in Hickory Flat. (This game has been moved to Monday the 26th at 7pm.) The Chiefs are in search of their first regular season and region win this week. Will the have success against the Bears or will Cambridge claw their way to victory?
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 Woodstock Wolverines will get back to work this week after dropping their region opener. Woodstock’s sophomore quarterback Dan Comeau continues to impress as he has now thrown for 693 yards and 6-TDs in his three starts. In spite of his recent success, the Wolverines have still only managed three touchdowns in their last two games. On the season, the Wolverines are averaging 21.5 points per game, while allowing 26 points per game.
The Alpharetta Raiders will also be looking for their first region win of the season. The Raiders played competitively with Milton, but could not contain them in the second half. The Raiders are averaging 19 points per game while allowing 23.2 points per game on defense. While there is not really such thing as a good loss, the Raiders three losses have been against teams that are or have been ranked in the top-10 at one point this season…and they’ve been within 14 points of those teams. All that to say, we are still trying to figure out this Alpharetta team half-way through the season. The loser of this game could very well find themselves on the outside looking in of the playoffs. We like Alpharetta by 4 on the road this week.
The Skinny
The Milton Eagles got three rushing touchdowns from Jordan McDonald last week as they pulled away from Alpharetta to win their region opener. On the season, Milton is averaging 26 points per game. Quarterback Devin Farrell showed his versatility last week as he threw and rushed for over 100 yards in the game. Farrell has thrown for over 800 yards and 6-TDs on the season while McDonald is over 300 yards rushing with 7-TDs. Milton’s defense is only allowing 11 points per game.
The Etowah Eagles come into this game in search of their first win of the season. The Eagles were in the ballgame last week with a highly ranked Roswell team, but could not get over the hump. We mentioned his name last week, but Klivert Many looks like he is starting to get going at running back for Etowah. The senior back rushed for over 170 yards and 2-TDs in last week’s contest. Perhaps even more impressive last week was the Etowah defense. That unit forced five turnovers in the game. They will certainly need another big performance from Many and the defense if they are going to pull the upset this week. This is a tough challenge for Etowah and their young offense. We believe Milton is just a little too much this week for Etowah. We like the Milton Eagles by 17.
The Skinny
The Creekview Grizzlies got their second consecutive shutout victory last week as they defeated their county and region rival, Sequoyah. The Grizzlies have one of the best defenses in the state. Perhaps that’s a secret in other parts of the state, but we don’t think it will be for long. They are allowing 5.8 points per game. Isaac Hubert and Grant Anderson are names we’ve mentioned before on that defense, yet it’s the entire unit that is always swarming to the ball. Brody Rhodes and the offense looked good in both the ground game and through the air last week. Tyler Stevens found paydirt twice in last week’s victory.
The River Ridge Knights found themselves in a position we haven’t seen them much this season last week, trailing in a ballgame…Twice! The Knights did get another big game from the state’s leading rusher in Class 6A, Amehre Morrison. Morrison is now over 1,100 yards rushing with 15-TDs. They Knights have shown they aren’t just a one-trick pony, with the likes of Jackson Head and Riley Caines at receiver and Andrew Bingham spelling Morrison. River Ridge is averaging 36.4 points per game. Yet maybe the biggest question mark for the Knights is their defense. They have not been as dominant as the Grizzlies, but they’ve done their part. Perhaps most impressive is holding Riverwood, a team that was averaging 39.5 points per game, to just 14. These are the question that need to be answered: 1. Can Morrison break big gains against the Creekview defense? 2. Can Creekview duplicate their red-zone success from last week? We think Creekview can contain Morrison, but we like him to still get loose a couple of times and we believe that will be just enough. River Ridge by 1.
The Skinny
Despite allowing 24 points last week, the Sequoyah defense did pitch a shutout in the second half of last week’s game. The defense had their backs up against the wall most of the night. The offense struggled last week with a few turnovers that really thwarted any momentum. Matthew Traynor got the nod at quarterback and we saw some of the things he can do running the football as a compliment to Jaden Mitchell. Traynor was also active in the secondary picking off a pass. Defensively, Joseph Silva continues to lead the Chiefs in total tackles, while Avery Born and Harrison Hood continue to make plays on the defensive line for the Chiefs. Sequoyah is allowing 27 points per game, but only 17.6 in their last three contests.
The Cambridge Bears got back on track last week with a shutout win over Centennial. The Bears themselves were the beneficiary of an opportunistic defense as they recorded a pick-6 to help lead the way to victory. Cambridge will rely on the legs of Christian Isibor and Phillip Michael Collins this week. Collins had three rushing touchdowns last week while Isibor added another. It was the Bears first shutout victory since 2015. While Cambridge has relied on Isibor and Collins, quarterback Zach Harris should not be forgotten as he helps keep defenses honest in the passing game. Both teams need a win to keep pace this week for a playoff spot. We believe the Bears have the momentum and like them by 3 over the Chiefs.
We approach the middle of October, and as temperatures begin to cool down, region races are just now starting to heat up in Georgia. This is our Georgia High School Football Poll, where we take a look at our Top-10 teams in each classification.
In 7A the Top-10 remained unchanged. All teams that played won rather convincingly. In 6A, the River Ridge Knights make their first appearance ever in our Top-10. They’ll have a big test this week in region play. In Class 5A, Starr’s Mill checks in at No. 9. The Panthers have reeled off five consecutive wins since a one point opening week loss to 7A, East Coweta.
Over in Class 4A, Baldwin is back in the Top-10, while Central-Carroll makes their first appearance ever in our polls. The Lions beat previously ranked Northwest Whitfield and have now won four straight. Meanwhile, the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes make their debut in the rankings this week. They have also won five straight games.
It’s been a couple of seasons, but the Cook Hornets crack the Top-10 in our 2A poll this week. They come in at No. 9, while Pace Academy is back in at No. 10 after a win over Lovett. Other teams that are right on the outside of the rankings in Class 2A are undefeated Putnam County and undefeated Fannin County.
In Class A-Public, Washington-Wilkes jumps into the poll at No. 8, while Chattahoochee County is in at No. 10. Both teams are undefeated on the season. Finally, in Class A-Private, the George Walton Academy Bulldogs got a big win over Holy Innocents, earning them the No. 10 spot in this week’s poll.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment and share as we appreciate the feedback.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
