Week 4 – Georgia High School Football Previews – Part 1

Posted on September 23, 2020 by admin

As strange as it might seem, this week ushers in Week-4 of the High School Football season in Georgia. This is Part one of our previews which we like to call Eight Gretas Around the State.

Our first preview features a game between top-1o teams as Borrkwood hosts Mill Creek. Mill Creek holds the edge in the series, but the Broncos looked to have found their stride. Can Mill Creek’s DBs keep the Brookwood receivers in check? Down in Decatur County, Bainbridge hosts Thomasville in a rivalry that started back in 1916. Bainbridge may have one of the toughest early season schedules. Will they be able to slow down Thomasville?

Milton and Hapeville Charter will lock horns in Milton on Friday. Both teams played on Milton’s field last week, albeit against different opponents. Can Hapeville Charter move the ball with consistency against Milton’s opportunistic defense? Finally, the Johns Creek Gladiators will host Westlake. Johns Creek looks to rebound against one of the top teams in Class 6A. Can Westlake’s defense get the job done for the second week in a row?

As always, thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. Best of luck to all teams that are competing this weekend.

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 Brookwood Broncos are off to their first 2-0 start since 2016. The Broncos are led on offense by sophomore quarterback Dylan Lonergran who’s thrown for 780 yards and 7-TDs. Alex Diggs has added 99 yards and 4-TDs on the ground while Samuel Mbake and Denylon Morrissette lead the Brookwood receivers with 27 combined catches for 379 yards and 4-TDs. The Broncos are averaging 41.5 points per game this far. Defensively, Jordan Davenport and Princeton Brown lead the team in total tackles. 

The Mill Creek Hawks opened their season with a win over a tough Dacula team. M.J. Patterson got the start for Mill Creek at quarterback and threw for 166 yards and 2-TDs. He was flanked by Josh Battle who rushed for 123 yards in the game. Seven different receivers caught passes for Mill Creek on Friday. The Hawks defensive line is anchored by Brayden Dudley and Prince Morgan  while Emon Hill and Caleb Downs will patrol the secondary for Mill Creek. Brookwood’s receivers versus the Mill Creek secondary should be a fun matchup. We have a feeling this game will come down to the wire. We’ll give the edge to the home team. Brookwood by 2.

The Skinny

The Bainbridge Bearcats might be the best 0-2 team in the state. They are in the midst of perhaps one of the toughest pre-region schedules. It doesn’t get much easier for Bainbridge as they host 2A power, Thomasville. It has been the usual suspects for the Bearcats on offense. Quayde Hawkins has thrown for 239 yards and 2-touchdowns while Rashad Broadnax has run for 125 yards on 27 carries. Linebacker Tahari Tate leads the team in total tackles while Zion Bouie has one interception on the season. 

The Thomasville Bulldogs have won two straight after dropping the first game to Class A No. 1 Brooks County. Senior quarterback Ronnie Baker has thrown for 491 yards and 4-TDs. He’s also sports a 70% completion percentage. Ricky Fulton has been the workhorse on the ground with 117 yards on 37 carries and a touchdown while Ricardo Johnson leads the Bulldogs receivers with 13 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. Linebackers Ty Anderson and Dimitrius Myrick lead the team in total tackles. An interesting stat of note, Thomasville has forced 11 tunrovers already this season, (4-INTs and 7-Fumbles). Again, don’t be deceived by Bainbridge’s 0-2 start. They will be in the mix come late November. However, we like Thomasville and their opportunistic defense to keep Bainbridge at bay this week. Bulldogs by 4.

The Skinny

The Milton Eagles finally got their season under way last week as they shut out Johns Creek. Junior quarterback Devin Farrell threw for 215 yards and 2-TDs in the game while Jordan McDonald rushed for 152 yardson 19 carries. Farrell completed passes to seven different receivers including freshman Debron Gatling. Sophomore L.T. Overton and Brendan Doyle recorded two sacks each. The Eagles secondary also intercepted three passes. 

The Hapeville Charter Hornets will play their second consecutive game at Milton High School. Last week the fell to another 7A opponent, North Forsyth. The Hornets got behind early and could not complete the comeback. Hapeville could not get a lot going on the ground last week. However, they did have some success throwing the ball downfield. We are not sure of the status of last week’s starter, Eric Brown. Backup Rashad Render did toss a pair of second half touchdown passes for the Hornets. They will look to get pressure on the Milton quarterback with talented linemen like Nick Hunter and linebackers Zavier Carter and Devon Irving. We expect the Hornets to be in the game for the first three quarters, but we believe the 7A Eagles will wear down Hapeville. We like Milton by 16.

The Skinny

The Johns Creek Gladiators come into this game looking to get into the win column. Last week they battled Milton to a scoreless first half, but could not find their way into the endzone. Quarterback Quinn Teeples and running back Dylan Parr will be tasked with getting the Gladiators offense back on track this week. Defensively, look for Cole Nelson, David Alexander and John Stegenga to try and slow down Westlake’s versatile offensive attack.

The Westlake Lions started off their season with a win over Creekside last week. They got a big game last week in the ground with Zina Mulbah who is a shifty back that can run through arm tackles. The Lions also had a good outing from Clemson commit Dacari Collins at wide receiver. The Westlake defense did a great job of keeping Creekside out of the endzone. They stymied Creekside’s passing attack, but did allow 226 yards on the ground. That may be something that the Johns Creek Gladiators will look to exploit on Friday night. We believe the Lions will shore up the rush defense this week. Westlake by 10.

Posted in 2020 Game Previews, 2020 State Game Previews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cherokee County Football Preview – Week 4

Posted on September 22, 2020 by admin

It’s Fall break week for Cherokee County Football teams, but we still have four of the six teams in action this week. First up, Etowah is home this week as they look to bounce back against a North Forsyth team with an experienced quarterback and a stingy defense as well. Woodstock hosts Campbell as both teams look to get to .500 on the season. Can Campbell’s ground game keep the Woodstock offensive playmakers on the sidelines? Finally, the Creekview Grizzlies host the Cherokee Warriors. This game will feature two of the county’s top quarterbacks, running backs and defenses.Which team will be able to impose their will this week?

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

The Skinny

The Etowah Eagles will look to get their first win of the season as they are back at Eagle Mountain this Friday. The Eagles were bottled up on offense last week and could not get into much of a rhythm offensively. We expect for the Eagles to continue to find ways to establish the ground game and to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers like Rechsteiner, Adams and Many. The Eagles defense got into the scoring last Friday when Collin Sherrer stripped the ball and returned it for a touchdown.

The North Forsyth Raiders come into the game undefeated for the first time since 2013. The Raiders are led by senior quarterback Brady Metz who has thrown for 3-TDs and also rushed for 3-TDs. Jared Lucero and Patrick Corrigan have combined for  241 yards rushing and 3-TDs. Meanwhile Tucker Hartsfield is the team’s leading receiver with 13 receptions for 217 yards and 1-TD. Corrigan also leads the team in total tackles and is tied for the team lead in sacks with 3. The North Forsyth defense has forced 8 turnovers already this season. That should be a noteworthy stat. Etowah will need to protect the ball against this opportunistic defense. While North Forsyth should look to find holes in the Etowah secondary. We believe Etowah will be able to get a few more points on the board this week, but we like North Forsyth by 10.

The Skinny

The Creekview Grizzlies will be at home for the first time this season. The Grizzlies are coming off of a game in which they held Woodstock scoreless on defense. Tyler Stephens has now rushed for 273 yards, a rushing TD and a receiving TD on the young season. It should go without saying that Creekview’s offensive line was one of the big keys to victory as they made running lanes for Stevens. The defense has limited opposing offenses to just over 250 yards this season and 15 total points in two games. 

The Cherokee Warriors outlasted the Rome Wolves for their third win of the season. It’s the second consecutive season that the Warriors are off to 3-0 start. A.J. Swann has now passed for over 700 yards and 7-TDs. It was Adarrius Harshaw and Keith Adams Jr. who were responsible for the touchdowns last week as Harshaw caught two passes while Adams added a touchdown on the ground. The Cherokee defense is allowing 15.6 points per game while the offense is averaging 33.3 points per game. The Warriors will get another stiff test from Creekview’s defense this week. We expect both teams to try to establish the run this week. However, we believe that Harshaw might be the x-factor this week. We like the Warriors by 8 this week on the road

The Skinny

The Woodstock Wolverines are back at home this week as they host the Campbell Spartans. The Wolverines will be looking to get back on track offensively this week as they were held out of the endzone for the first-time this season last week. Preston Lawrence is looking more comfortable under center. It should be just a matter of time before the offense begins to click on all cylinders. Meanwhile, the Woodstock defense had another good outing and is trending in the right direction. In Week-1 they allowed 35 points. They’ve surrendered a combined 38 over the last two games. 

The Campbell Spartans picked up their first win of the season last week after shutting out the Berkmar Patriots. It was the Spartans first win since 2018. Campbell will rely on quarterback Mark Anthony Swain and running backs Emon Padgett and Savion McCollum to establish the ground game. The offensive line is anchored by Trevion Florence. Meanwhile, linebacker Christian Hughes, lineman Anthony Wright and the rest of the Spartans defense will be looking to get pressure on the quarterback and disrupt Woodstock’s passing game. Perhaps an x-factor for Campbell is their kicker, Cerimagic Dzenan who has already nailed a 50-yard field goal this season. The Spartans are averaging 20.3 points per game. We believe the Wolverines can hold the Spartans to that average, but will Woodstock be able to get the ball to their playmakers this week. If Campbell can establish the ground game, we like their chances this week. However, we think the Wolverines defense will be up to the task, but we expect the game to be nip and tuck. Wolverines by 3. 

Posted in 2020 Cherokee County Game Previews, 2020 Game Previews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Georgia High School Football Top-10 Week-3

Posted on September 20, 2020 by admin

We have wrapped up the third week of high school football Here in the state of Georgia. here is a brief recap of our Top-10 in each classification.

In Class 7A, the biggest mover was North Gwinnett as they jump to No. 3 after shutting out Parkview on Friday. The Brookwood Broncos are in the poll for the first time this season at No. 8. Over in Class 6A, Douglas County and Riverwood both jump up one spot while Carrollton dropped two spots to No. 9. The remainder of the poll us unchanged.

The Veterans War Hawks make their debut in the Class 5A poll as they come in at No. 7 this week. Ware County is also up four spots to No. 5. Meanwhile in Class 4A there was a little jockeying in the polls, but no new teams enter this week. The same can be said for Class 3A.

In Class 2A, Callaway takes over the No. 1 spot after Rabun County fell to Jefferson. Heard County comes in at No. 10 this week, making their debut in the top-10. In Class A-Public, Schley County scored a big win over Wilcox County and comes in at No. 5 this week. Wilcox County drops to No. 9 this week. Meanwhile, the Class A Private poll remains unchanged.

Thanks as always for reading. We welcome any and all poll 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

Posted in 2020 Top-10 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Football Fridays at the Tavern – Episode 5

Posted on September 18, 2020 by admin

It’s Week-3 in Cherokee County High School Football. Von and Art are back to discuss the Week-2 County games. We also break down all four games involving county teams this week. But we are most excited about our guests on the podcast including Coach Collins of River Ridge, Coach Shaw of Cherokee and Coach Teter of Sequoyah.

We also introduce a new segment called Remember the Name”, which features a special guest, a former player from Cherokee County who gives a little insight and advice to players looking to play at the next level. We think you will enjoy this interview!

You can follow us on Twitter: @Cedarwoodtavern (Von) and @turdfurgesonrpt (Art) to keep up with everything Cherokee County High School Football. Please feel free to comment and share!

Game Streams for Friday Night

Cherokee vs. Rome – stevemajorsports.com

Sequoyah vs. Cass – Chase Shafer Sports

River Ridge vs. Etowah – wljaradio.com

Woodstock vs. Creekview – www.nfhsnetwork.com

Podcast Index

1:00 – Week 2 Recap

15:30 – Creekview-Woodstock Preview

20:27 – Remember the Name w/ Noah Frith

26:10 – Coach Collins Interview

35:30 – River Ridge-Etowah Breakdown

42:06 – Coach Shaw Interview

49:47 – Cherokee-Rome Breakdown

55:28 – Coach Teter Interview

1:00:37 – Sequoyah-Cass Breakdown

1:07:00 – Wrap Up

Posted in 2020 Podcasts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Week 3 – Georgia High School Football Previews – Part 2 of 2

Posted on September 16, 2020 by admin

While we typically bill this post as ‘Eight Greats Around the State’, one of the games we were set to preview (Blessed Trinity/St. Pius), has been cancelled due to COVID concerns. In any event, this preview will feature three of the other great matchups around the state of Georgia on Friday night. 

First up, in a battle of the War Eagles, Woodward Academy will host Marist. Woodward will look to get back on track after their week off. Woodward was able to move the ball in Week-1 but failed to find paydirt. They’ll have their hands full with a very talented Marist team that boasts one of the best offensive lines in the state. Will Marist be as dominant as they were last week against a Class 5A opponent?

Meanwhile, down in McDonough, The Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy Chargers (E.L.C.A.) host Pace Academy. Pace had their hands full with Holy Innocents’ last week. Can they find a way to derail Josh Rogers and the E.L.C.A. ground game?

And finally, we go back to Tiger this week to preview Rabun County as they host the Jefferson Dragons. Rabun County outdueled Prince Avenue Christian in a game that highlighted two of the nation’s best quarterbacks. Jefferson will bring in a pretty good quarterback of their own as well as a very strong rushing attack. Does Gunner Stockton and Rabun County have enough for an encore performance to knock off the Dragons?

As always, please feel free to share and comment. Thank you for reading. 

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 Woodward Academy War Eagles will host the Marist War Eagles for the 53rd time at Graham Hixon Field on Friday night. Woodward will be looking to get back on track after being shut out in their first game. The War Eagles were able to get Damari Alston on track, as he rushed for 164 yards, but he could not find paydirt in Week-1. Senior quarterback Banks Snellings was efficient completing 70% of his passes, but was also picked off a couple of times as well. Eight different receivers caught passes for Woodward in Week-1.  The Woodward defense did hold E.L.C.A. to just 165 total yards in the loss with two sacks and an interception. All that to say, we think Woodward will be just fine going forward. But the War Eagles will need to clean up some penalties from game one. 

Meanwhile, the Marist War Eagles got their season started with a win over Holy Innocents. (A game that was put together on relatively short notice.) The strength of this Marist team looks to be upfront behind linemen Steven Nahmias, Davis McKenna and Ian Erickson. (Nahmias is a power-5 recruit while McKenna has committed to Harvard.) The War Eagles will also have versatile tight end and Syracuse commit Derek McDonald up front as well. Quarterback Hayden Richardson spearheads the Marist offense and also has a compliment of backs with him including Lincoln Parker (Army commit) and Andrew Mannelly. Joshua Moore (Stanford commit) leads the Marist secondary and should also see time at receiver on offense. The aforementioned Parker will also line up at linebacker for Marist. This might be one of the most star-studded Marist teams that Coach Chadwick has had in recent memory. But they will be tested by Alston and Woodward. We think the Marist offensive line will eventually wear down Woodward Academy. We like Marist by 11.

The Skinny

The Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy Chargers are off to another fast start this season. The defense has posted back to back shutouts, and last week Josh Rogers broke the school rushing record with 410 yards and 7-touchdowns. Rogers, who was bottled up in Week-1 with nine carries for only 1-yard, had his breakout game in just over 3 quarters of work. Rogers has the luxury of running behind an offensive line anchored by Florida State commit Bryson Estes and Zechariah Owens. The Chargers have only attempted 13 passes on the year but they’ve also amassed 653 team rushing yards. Defensively, Charis Spence has already recorded seven sacks in two games, while Colton Hardeman has chipped in with 4 sacks. 

The Pace Academy Knights got a late fourth quarter touchdown to get past Holy Innocents in Week-1 14-7. The Knights got 215 passing yards and 2-TDs from quarterback Evan Smith-Rooks. Jordan Sloan caught four passes for 107 yards and was the recipient of both of Rooks’ TD passes. Justin Johnson, Hevin Brown-Shuler and Frank Caldwell led the team in tackles with 12, 11 and 10 respectively. Caldwell also recorded two tackles for loss. Pace Academy will need another big game receiving from Sloan and a big effort from their defensive front to slow down E.L.C.A. We believe E.L.C.A. will have success running the ball again this week and defeat Pace. Chargers by 15. 

The Skinny

The Rabun County Wildcats will have another tough test as the Jefferson Dragons come to town this week. As many know, the Wildcats are led by South Carolina commit Gunner Stockton at quarterback. Stockton has thrown for 340 yards, rushed for 270 yards and accounted for 9 total TDs. He is joined in the backfield by speedy sophomore Lang Windham. Windham has rushed for 261 yards and a touchdown in two games this season. Adriel Clark leads the Wildcats with 12 receptions for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Defensively, Hoff Windham, Turner Grimmett and Will Turpin lead the team in total tackles. The Tigers defense has also intercepted 5 passes on the season. 

The Jefferson Dragons had a big night last Friday as they put up 61 points in a victory over Central Gwinnett. The Dragons steamrolled their way to 576 rushing yards in the victory last week. Quarterback Malaki Starks had 177 yards on seven carries and 3-TDs to help lead the dominating offensive performance. While Starks and the likes of Reese Johnson, Colton Jones, Carter Stephenson and the rest of the Jefferson ground machine were churning out yards, the defense was just as outstanding last week, limiting the Black Knights to 156 total yards and also intercepted two passes. We expect for linebackers Kadin Bailey, Paxton Corkery and Lineman Jahiem Hardy to make things a little uncomfortable for Gunner Stockton and the Wildcats offense. This game has the potential to be an absolute track meet. We don’t believe Jefferson will put up 61 points on Rabun County, but we do think the Dragons will outlast the Tigers on the road. Jefferson by 6.

Posted in 2020 Game Previews, 2020 State Game Previews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Week 3 – Georgia High School Football Previews – Part 1 of 2

Posted on September 16, 2020 by admin

Our Week-3 Georgia High School Football preview showcases some of the top games in the state. This is part one of our Eight Greats around the state. First up in our preview are the Grayson Rams as they host the Collins Hill Eagles. Both teams enter the game undefeated. The Rams will look to ground the Eagles arial assault this week, while the Eagles will have their hands full slowing down Phil Mafah and the Grayson offense…In Douglasville, the Douglas County Tigers will host the Dutchtown Bulldogs on senior night. This game should be all about defense. Is there enough on offense for the Bulldogs to knock of the Tigers?

Next up is Athens as two of the top Class-A schools lock horns when Commerce visits Athens Academy. The Commerce Tigers have a talented crop of young players, but will it be enough to slow down Deion Colzie, Palmer Bush and the rest of the Spartans? Finally, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs Host the Parkview Panthers. Believe it or not, these two Gwinnett County football titans have not faced off in 15 years. Both teams look to be poised for deep runs into the playoffs. Will Norht Gwinnett be able to hold Parkview’s talented backfield of Cody Brown and Tyler Curtis at bay?

As always, please feel free to share and comment. Thank you for reading. 

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

Two weeks into the season and the Grayson Rams have already scored 106 points. Clemson commit Phil Mafah has rushed for 296 yards and 5-TDs while quarterback De’yon Cannon has thrown for 354 yards and 4-TDs. Jamal Haynes and Jaden Smith lead the receiving corps with 14 catches, 294 yards and 4-TDs between the two of them. Coach Carter’s defense is extremely talented again this year with bookends Noah Collins and Victoine Brown on the defensive line. In two games, the Rams defense has surrendered 34 points.

The resurgent Collins Hill Eagles are off to their first 2-0 start since 2013. The Eagles have one of the top junior quarterbacks in the state in Sam Horn. Horn has passed for 566 yards and 6-TDs in this season. His leading receiver is Florida State commit Travis Hunter. Hunter, a junior, has caught 18 passes for 293 yards and 5-TDs. He will also look to wreak havoc in the secondary at cornerback; he’s already intercepted two passes this season. Rich Dorsey and Jonathan Martin lead the Eagles in tackles. The biggest question is whether or not the Grayson defense can get enough pressure on Horn to disrupt the passing game. We like the strides that Collins Hill has made this season but believe that Grayson has the edge on defense. We like the Rams by 8.

The Skinny

The Douglas County Tigers are off to a fast start but will face a tough test as Dutchtown visits on Friday night. The Tigers are led offensively by running back Kobe Harris (185 yards, 3-TDs) and quarterback Jimmy Inman (276 yards, 3-TDs). Meanwhile, 10 Douglas County receivers have caught a pass in the opening two weeks with Justin Franklin leading the team with 5 receptions for 83 yards. The Douglas County defense has wreaked havoc early in the season with linemen Jonathan Jefferson (UGA commit) and Kyren Thomas both recorded two sacks and a secondary that has intercepted 5 passes. Sophomore Shakai Woods leads the team with 18 total tackles and Georgia Tech commit Joshua Robinson is also a force along the defensive front.

The Dutchtown Bulldogs got their first victory as they defeated Wheeler last week. The Bulldogs were powered on the ground last week by Khalid Cramer, Seneca Daniel, Jamal Bing and quarterback Arendez Fedd. Fedd scored on two rushing TDs and Cramer added another rushing TD. Defense has been a calling card of the Bulldogs over the past few seasons and this year doesn’t look to be much different. They have held the first two opponents to a combined 12 points. In week one, they limited Lanier to 182 total yards of offense. The Bulldogs will need to get the ground game established early this week if they want to spoil Senior night for the Tigers. This could be a defensive battle all-night, but we give the edge to Douglas County. Tigers by 8.

The Skinny

The Athens Academy Spartans will be back in action this week as they host Commerce. The Spartans will have the luxury of returning senior quarterback Palmer Bush back to run the show. Senior receiver Deion Colzie is a big target at 6’4” and should definitely create matchup problems for Commerce as well as all other opponents this season. Additionally, the Spartans have other weapons including Virginia commit Hugh Laughlin and John Ferguson along the offensive line, while the defensive line will be anchored by Johnerio Holt. 

The Commerce Tigers come into town after impressive victories over Banks County and Union County. The Tigers are led by running backs Dreylan Martin, Tyelon Brock and Sammy Brown. Brown who is just a freshman, had 77 yards rushing on 4 carries and a 72 yard-TD reception in last week’s victory. He also recorded 7-tackles from his linebacker position on defense. It should also be mentioned that the Commerce backs are pretty good receivers as well. Along with the running backs, Commerce sports two big receivers in Creed Dunbar and Jakob Frates, both standing at 6’4”. They are also imposing on defense in the secondary and at linebacker respectively. Tigers Lineman Bo Childers anchors the offensive line and also plays up front on the defensive line. Stopping the run will be imperative for a Spartans victory. We like the visiting Tigers in a mild upset to edge the Spartans by 2.

 

The Skinny

After a come from behind victory last Friday, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs will face another big challenge as the highly rated Parkview Panthers pay them a visit Friday night. The Bulldogs are off to another fast start this season. They’ve outscored their first two opponents 79-28. Quarterback Ashton Wood has thrown for 264 yards and2-TDs while Marcus McFarlane and Brinston Williams have combined to rush for 304 yards and 4-TDs. Receivers Bobby Ezzard and Seth Anderson have combined to catch 17 passes for 198 yards and 2-TDs. The Bulldogs defense has already recorded 13 sacks and 5 interceptions this season.

The Parkview Panthers finally got their season underway last week with a victory over Mountain View. The Panthers did most of their damage on the ground as Tennessee commit Cody Brown rushed for 245 yards and 2-TDs while fellow running back Tyler Curtis rushed for 166 yards and 3-TDs. The Panthers are breaking in a new quarterback this season in sophomore Colin Houck. Having Brewer and Curtis in the backfield should help take some of the pressure off the young quarterback. We have to believe that the North Gwinnett defense will be focused on stopping the run and forcing Parkview and their young quarterback into passing situations. That’s easier said than done. North Gwinnett can’t afford to fall behind early this week. We don’t anticipate they will. We will take North Gwinnet in a small upset at home by 4.     

Posted in 2020 Game Previews, 2020 State Game Previews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cherokee County Football Previews – Week 3

Posted on September 15, 2020 by admin

All of the Cherokee County Football teams will be in action in Week-3, with four teams hosting games on Friday night. First up, Woodstock hosts Creekview as the Wolverines look to bounce back from last week’s game. The Grizzlies lead the series and will probably be looking to establish the ground game on Friday night, but can Grant Anderson, Isaac Hubert and the rest of the front seven be able to get pressure on the Wolverines quarterback?

Staying in Woodstock, River Ridge will host Etowah as the Knights look to start the season with three straight wins for the third time in school history. Etowah will no doubt be eager to get back on the field, but can the slow down Amehre Morrison and company.

Over in Hickory Flat, Sequoyah will host the Cass Colonels on Friday. The Chiefs will face another talented young quarterback in Devin Henderson. Can the Chiefs slow down the red hot Colonels, and move the ball against a fairly stout Colonels defense?

Finally, in Canton, the Cherokee Warriors will host the Rome Wolves for the first time in school history. (Although Cherokee’s predecessor, the Canton Greenies did play the old Rome High School in 1924. A game won by Rome 24-0.) The Warriors will need to slow down veteran quarterback Caleb Ellard and running back E.J. Burks. Meanwhile, Keith Adams, Jr. and A.J. Swann are sure to create some problems for Rome’s defense.

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

The Skinny

The Woodstock Wolverines will be looking to bounce back this week after falling to county foe River Ridge last Friday. The Wolverines defense found its stride after falling behind by two scores and even held on to allow the offense to take the lead. Preston Lawrence looks to have settled in and found his stride at quarterback. He threw two touchdown passes last Friday. Several Woodstock receivers got involved in the passing game including David Daniel, OJ Dupree, Sebastian Moss and Wes Bruno. 

Creekview is coming off of a bye week after a Week-1 victory. Coach Williams’ Grizzlies got a 100-yard game from running back Tyler Stephens in Week-1 running behind Anthony Dorr, Sam Hartley and the rest of the Grizzlies offensive line. We’d expect Creekview to come out and establish the run game on Friday night with Stevens and A.J. Vaccaro. Meanwhile, Brody Rhodes will look to get the Grizzlies passing attack going this week as they were limited in Week-1. Look for the Grizzlies secondary to be active defending against the Woodstock passing game. Can they limit Woodstock’s big plays in the passing game? Woodstock has allowed back to back 100-yard rushers in the opening two weeks. We can almost assure that Woodstock will be locked in on stopping the run this week. This one will be much closer than last year’s contest. We like Creekview by a touchdown.

The Skinny

The River Ridge Knights are coming off of their first win over a county opponent in school history. The Knights were able to come up with a defensive stand on fourth and short to secure the victory. Amehre Morrison was up to his old tricks as he rushed for 164 yards and 2-TDs, but it was quarterback Carson Lathem who scored the game winning touchdown late in the game. Coach Collins has been telling us about Lathem’s ability to beat you with his legs as well as his arm. Perhaps the unsung heroes for River Ridge was its defense. They held Woodstock to 17 points a week after the Wolverines put up 41 points. 

The Etowah Eagles had last week’s game with Forsyth Central cancelled due to COVID concerns. The Eagles will look to get back on track this week as they travel to River Ridge. Etowah is known for their hard-nosed defense and they held the Creekview passing game in check in Week-1. They will face perhaps the best running back in the county this week. Slowing down Morrison will be key. But the Eagles also must get the offense on track this week. With talented players such as Rechsteiner, Many, Moss and Adams, we don’t think it will be too long before Etowah finds their groove. We are putting River Ridge on watch for letdown alert this week after a big win last week…but we still like the Knights by 4.

The Skinny

The Sequoyah Chiefs return home to face the undefeated Cass Colonels on Friday night. The Chiefs were very impressive in the first half against Cherokee last week, mixing up the run and the pass to keep the Warriors off balance. Jaden Mitchell will again be a big factor of the Chiefs primary running back has shown his versatility both as a rusher and receiver out of the backfield. Meanwhile, Aiden Moore and Jack Piskorz have helped to provide balance in the backfield. The Chiefs defense was stingy in the first half of last week’s game, but will need to put together two pretty good halves of football this Friday.   

The Cass Colonels are off to their first 2-0 start since 2007 under first year head coach Steve Gates. The Colonels got another big performance from Devin Henderson as he threw for 262 yards and 3-TDs in last week’s win. Henderson, who is only a freshman, has thrown for 416 yards and 4-TDs on the young season. The Colonels defense has only surrendered 24 points in two games. They will need another sound defensive effort to bottle up the Chiefs rushing attach this week. Cass has never beaten the Sequoyah in eight tries. When the former region rivals face off on Friday, expect a game that is much closer than the 19-point average margin of victory in the previous meetings. We like the Chiefs at home this week, in a nail-biter. Sequoyah by a field goal.

The Skinny

The Cherokee Warriors found themselves in a dogfight early last week before running off 27 unanswered points, pulling away late over rival Sequoyah to notch their second win of the season. Quarterback A.J. Swann has now thrown for 521 yards and 5-TDs on the young season. Keith Adams, Jr. crossed the century mark again and now has 309 yards and 3-TDs this year. Meanwhile, Adarrius Harshaw had the breakout game that we expected, catching 6 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. The Cherokee defense buckled down in the second half and shut out Sequoyah in the final two quarters of play. 

The Rome Wolves will make the hour and fifteen-minute trip across Highway 20 this Friday. The Wolves are coming of a bye week. In Week-1 their defense recorded four total turnovers including three interceptions. Those turnovers helped propel the Wolves to victory over Rockmart. Rome returns starting quarterback Caleb Ellard and running back E.J. Lackey. Jay Wise led Rome in receiving in week one with 4 catches for 70-yards and 2-TDs. Don’t be surprised if we see the talented freshman running back Caden Williams as well on Friday night. This Rome team might not have the star power that we have come accustomed to seeing over the past few years but expect them to be just as physical and competitive this week. Cherokee will get their money’s worth from Rome this week in what we believe will be a physical match-up. We like the Warriors at home by 6.

Posted in 2020 Cherokee County Game Previews, 2020 Game Previews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Georgia High School Football Top-10 Week-2

Posted on September 13, 2020 by admin

Our Week-2 Georgia High School Football poll has been published. Here is a brief rundown of each classification.

In 7A, North Cobb finds themselves in the top-10 this week after beating Class 6A No. 1 Buford. The top-9 remained unchanged. Meanwhile, in 6A, Valdosta claimed the top spot after the Buford loss. Richmond Hill tumbles to No. 10 while Douglas County checks in to the top-10 for the first time this season at No. 8.

Ware County got a big win over Richmond Hill. This week the Gators enter the 5A poll at No. 9. Griffen fell to Lowndes and dropped to No. 8 while Jones County remains at No. 10 despite losing to Class 7A North Gwinnett. In Class 4A the Flowery Branch Falcons and Baldwin Braves enter the poll at No. 9 and 10 respectively. (This might be the toughest class to rank at this point of the season.)

In Class 3A, the White County Warriors downed Hart County in a thrilling victory Friday night. The Warriors come in at No. 8 this week. Pierce County also got a big win as they blanked Wayne County. Pierce is at No. 10 this week. There was not too much movement in Class 2A. Bremen does come in at No. 9 this week. Bleckley County fell to No. 10 after a loss to Wilcox County while Lovett fell to No. 8 after losing to Greater Atlanta Christian.

In Class A-Public, Macon County was off, but does enter the poll at No. 10. Both Dublin and Pelham dropped two spots after losses this past Friday night. Meanwhile, in Class A-Private, North Cobb Christian outlasted Hebron Christian and comes in at No. 8 this week.

As we mentioned last week, there are still several teams that have not yet begun play at this point in the season. We are still doing out best to provide rankings, which can provide for spirited and healthy conversations and debates. (As well as bulletin board material…) We welcome any and all poll 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

Posted in 2020 Top-10 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Football Fridays at the Tavern – Episode 4

Posted on September 11, 2020 by admin

Von and Art are back to discuss our thoughts on Week-1 of high school football in Cherokee County. We are joined by Coach Trevor Williams, head coach of Creekview to talk about their big win last week. Coach Buddy of Woodstock and Coach Collins of River Ridge also call in to talk about their matchup this week. Von and Art also preview their game, the Etowah-Forsyth Central game and the Cherokee-Sequoyah Game.

You can follow us on Twitter: @Cedarwoodtavern (Von) and @turdfurgesonrpt (Art) to keep up with everything Cherokee County High School Football. For any historical Georgia High School Football date, please visit http://ghsfha.org

Podcast Index

1:00 – Week-1 Recap Sequoyah/Woodstock; River Ridge Lassiter

9:00 – Coach Trevor Williams Interview

16:26 – Etowah-Forsyth Central Preview

20:34 – Coach Brent Budde Interview

25:55 – Coach Mike Collins Interview

32:00 – Woodstock-River Ridge Preview

38:21 – Sequoyah-Cherokee Preview

Posted in 2020 Podcasts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on September 9, 2020 by admin

This is Part-2 of our Eight Greats Around the State, as we preview eight intriguing Georgia High School Football games throughout the state. Down in Rochelle, Wilcox will host Bleckley County. This game features one of the state’s top linebackers (Martez Thrower – Wilcox County), against one of the nation’s top offensive linemen (Amarius Mims – Bleckley County). Greater Atlanta Christian is coming off a shutout victory last week and will host the Lovett Lions. Can Lovett replace the offensive production at quarterback from a season ago and knock off the rival Spartans?

The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes host the defending Class-A Public Champions, Irwin County. Irwin got the best of Fitzgerald last season; will the Indians return enough firepower to top the Purple Hurricanes again? Finally, the Rabun County Wildcats host the Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines in Tiger on Friday. This game will be nationally televised as it features two of the top quarterback prospects in the country in Gunner Stockton of Rabun County (South Carolina commit) and Brock Vandagriff of Prince Avenue (Georgia commit). This should be a dandy.

As always, thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment and share! Best of luck to all of the teams around the state competing this weekend.

The Skinny

Coach Rob Stowe and the Wilcox County Patriots will kick off their season as they host Bleckley County. Wilcox County is coming of one of their best seasons since 2012. A year ago, the Patriots averaged 35.5 points per game while their defense allowed 13 points per game. They will be replacing some key starters including Desmond Tisdol and Noah Hollingsworth. While The Patriots are breaking in a new quarterback, they do return running back Justin Moore and hard hitting linebacker and Kentucky commit Martez Thrower. We expect to see Thrower line up on both sides of the ball on Friday night. 

Meanwhile, Bleckley County knocked off West Laurens last Friday as they scored 27 unanswered pointes to come from behind and earn the victory. Jahvon Butler and Chuckie Stephens combined for 163 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns for the Royals. Bleckley County sports a pair of D-1 prospects along the offensive and defensive line in Amarius Moms and Willie Harris. Both appeared on preseason All-State teams and Mims was also named to the USA Today 2020 All-USA  preseason team as well as a member of the AJC Super 11. As with most games, we suspect this one will be won at the line of scrimmage. We give a slight edge to the Royals there. We expect for the Patriots to be competitive this week and expect them to be playing football well into December, but we like Bleckley County this week by a touchdown. 

The Skinny

The Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans beat 7A Denmark in the Corky Kell Classic last week to open the season. The Spartans offense was sparked by quarterback Deymon Fleming’s two touchdown passes. He completed passes to six different receivers, with Brooks Miller catching 7 passes for 70 yards. The Spartan defense intercepted six passes last week including 3 from Saiku White. They also forced three fumbles and recovered two for a total of eight takeaways. Greater Atlanta Christian held Denmark to 190 yards of total offense.

The Lovett Lions enter the season needing to replace a lot of experience in the backfield. The Lions graduated their starting quarterback and leading running back from a year ago. The Lions return three of their top four receivers from a year ago in Logan Givens, Collin Goldberg and Charlie Hoke. Lovett also has a future star at offensive line in sophomore Grant Ewing. On defense, the Lions return their top tackler from a year ago, Stevie Bracey. The secondary will be anchored by Collin Goldberg who led the team with 5 interceptions last season. Last year, the Lions averaged 25 passing attempts per game. Not that we expect to see them throw the ball 25 times, but Lovett must be wary of the Spartan secondary. We like Greater Atlanta Christian by 8.

The Skinny

Last week, the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes got their first win over Cairo since 1980. (The two teams have only played five times since the 1980 game.) Chance Gamble made plays all over the field. He lined up on offense at quarterback and scored on a rushing TD, at receiver he caught a touchdown pass. If that wasn’t enough, he returned punts and also blocked a field goal. The Purple Hurricanes defense tightened up in the second half of last week’s game. Limiting Cairo to just a fourth quarter field goal as they hung on for the win.

Meanwhile, the Irwin County Indians are coming off of a state title victory in 2019. A familiar face will be missing from the Irwin County sideline as Coach Buddy Nobles lost his battle with cancer in the offseason. The Indians will also be looking to replace the production of D.J. Lundy, (now playing at Florida State). There should be plenty of offensive weapons for Coach Casey Soliday as Gabriel and Garland Benyard return along with Kam Ward. The Indians will be breaking in a new quarterback and will need to find answers at wide receiver, but there are still reasons for the fans in Ocilla to feel optimistic about this season. Last season, Irwin County blew out Fitzgerald. We expect this game to be closer. We believe Fitzgerald has a slight edge because they do have a game under their belt, but we believe Irwin still have enough talent to compete at a high level. Irwin County by 4.

The Skinny

The Rabun County Wildcats got off to a fast start last week shutting out Ridgeland last week. South Carolina commit Gunner Stockton threw for 153 yards, rushed for 81 and accounted for 4 total TDs in the victory. Lang Windham also added 148 yards and a rushing TD. Stockton completed passes to six different Wildcat receivers with junior Tate Ramey catching two TD passes. The Rabun County defense tallied four sacks and two interceptions as they kept Ridgeland in check. 

The Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines also sport a top ranked quarterback, Brock Vandagriff. He led the way for the Wolverines last week in a win over Calvary Day, passing for 246 yards and 4-TDs while rushing for another 93 yards. Vandagriff also completed passes to six different receivers, with Landon Owens catching a team high 5 passes while Logan Johnson recorded a team high 82 yards. Four different Wolverine receivers found paydirt. Defensively, linebacker Davis Ridings lead the team in total tackles and also recorded a sack and an interception. The Wolverines defense intercepted Calvary Day three times in last Friday’s contest. This nationally televised game will feature two of the top quarterbacks in the state. We expect this to be a great duel between both programs. No disrespect to either defense, but we believe the scoreboard operator will be busy up in Tiger on Friday night. This game should be a classic, but we like the home team in a thriller by 3. (Perhaps on a game winning drive with time winding down.)

Posted in 2020 Game Previews, 2020 State Game Previews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment