Week 2 – Eight Greats Around The State (Georgia High School Football Previews) – Part 1 of 2

Posted on September 9, 2020 by admin

Each week, we will preview eight intriguing Georgia High School Football games throughout the state. This is part one of our Eight Greats around the state. This weeks matchups include Cartersville as they host West Forsyth. West looked strong in the opening week, but can they duplicate that effort against traditional power Cartersville? Meanwhile, Bainbridge and Coffee lock horns on Friday night down in Decatur (County). Will this game turn into a quarterback duel between A.J. Wilkerson and Quayde Hawkins?

In Cordele, the Crisp County Cougars will host the Houston County Bears. Crisp won a defensive battle in week one against Tift, while Houston edged Perry. Will the Cougars defense be able to duplicate their performance last week? Finally down in Valdosta, the Lowndes Vikings will host the Griffin Bears. Griffin is a well coached and very talented football team, but do the have the depth to compete with one of the top teams in the top classification in the state?

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

The Skinny

The Cartersville Hurricanes got off to a great start with a shutout victory in Week-1. The Stratton Tripp era began as the senior quarterback looks to be the next in-line of successful Purple Hurricane QBs. (He was preceded by Trevor Lawrence and Tee Webb.) Tripp was impressive in one half of play tossing 3-TDs. The Canes are also highlighted by some familiar names, running back Quante’ Jennings (79 yards and 2-TDs on 3 carries) and receivers Sam Phillips and Devonta Ross. Defensively, Amarai Orr and Evan Slocum return to lead the secondary. Both players are veterans and have logged a lot of minutes for the Canes defense over the past few seasons.

Coach Dave Svehla brought his blue-collar mentality to the West Forsyth Wolverines this season and they looked impressive with a victory over Mays last week. The Wolverines were highlighted by Navy commit Daba Fofana who rushed for 110 yards caught six passes for 57 yards and accounted for 3-TDs. Junior tight-end Oscar Delp also had a big night with 3 receptions for 47 yards and 2-TDs. Sophomore quarterback Kegan Stover threw for 156 yads and 4-TDs in the victory. West Forsyth limited Mays to 200 yards of total offense last week. We expect Cartersville to be a much more difficult task for West. The big question is whether or not Stover can be efficient against the experienced Cartersville secondary. This game could be high scoring, but we like Cartersville by 4 over the Wolverines. 

The Skinny

Bainbridge and Coffee will face off for the first time in 19 years. The Bearcats were off last week and have an extremely challenging opponent in Week-1. Bainbridge returns quarterback Quayde Hawkins who threw for 1,791 yards and 16-TDs last season. They also return leading rushers Rashad Broadnax (915 yards, 11-TDs in 2019) and Trey Bouie (301 yards, 3-TDs) as well as leading receivers, Braxton Johnson (544 yards, 4-TDs) and Deyon Bouie (510 yards, 6-TDs). Bainbridge’s experience at the skill positions leads us to believe they will improve from the 28 points per game output a season ago.

Meanwhile the Coffee Trojans were reclassified to 5A this season. They got a big win in week one over Drew. A.J. Wilkerson threw for 119 yards and a TD, while A.J. Franklin, Brady Skipper and Dreshawn Taylor combined for 134 yards and 3-TDs on the ground. The Trojans defense recorded a shutout in Week-1. A feat they accomplished four times last season. Defensive lineman Arliss Sutton also scored a defensive TD last Friday. We believe this has the makings of one of the top games in the state this weekend. With both teams returning starters at key positions. Perhaps Coffee has a slight edge with a game under their belt this week, but our gut tells us Bainbridge might be a tad more explosive. We like the home team Bearcats to edge Coffee by 1.

The Skinny

The Crisp County Cougars started the 2020 campaign with a big win over 7A Crisp County on Friday night. The lone score of the game came on a A.J. Lofton to Sirad Bryant touchdown pass in the 1st quarter. Lofton was efficient, completing 80 percent of his passes, but the Cougars only gained 181 yards against 7A Tift County team that includes one of the top junior defensive linemen in the state, Tyree West. Yet, the Crisp County defense was even more stingy as they shut out the Blue Devils and held them to -8 total yards while pitching a shutout. The Cougars defense just might be the strength of the team this season; they are led by Preston Lavant, Christopher Paul, Kamron Moate and Nick Mercer. All four were in the top 5 in total tackles for Crisp last season. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech commit Sirad Bryant is not only the teams leading receiver, but also led the secondary with 6 interceptions last season. 

Houston County also got their season off on the right foot as they defeated a very tough Perry squad in Week-1. The Bears now shift their focus to the Crisp County Cougars. Houston broke in new quarterback Christian Lawhorn last week, while Simeon Askew, Javon Lormand and Ty Waters helped carry the load on the ground. Askew scored both touchdowns for the Bears. The Houston County defense limited Perry to 229 total yards in the victory. This week Jalen Jordan, Jayleem Santos, Larry Fields and the rest of the Bears defense will have their work cut out for them trying to contain Lofton, Bryant, Marquise Palmer and the rest of the Crisp County offense. Even if Houston can keep those guys in check, we think the Crisp defense will be a little too much this week. We look for the Crisp defense to shine in this game. Cougars by 10. 

The Skinny

Coach Jamey Dubose’s head coaching debut for the Lowndes Vikings was impressive as they defeated Archer in the Corky Kell Classic. Quarterback Jacurri Brown threw for 163 yards and ran for 143 and accounted for four touchdowns in the victory. Justin Lee was the workhorse in the backfield carrying the ball 19 times for 92 yards while Israel Mitchell added 78 yards on only five attempts. The Lowndes defense held Archer to 57 yards rushing. The Vikings also recorded three sacks and two interceptions in the victory. 

Coach Kareem Reid looks to have the Griffin Bears off to a great start with a win over rival Spalding in Week-1. Quarterback Quamari Williams tossed three touchdown passes while Appalachian State commit Jordan Favors recorded a pick 6. Linebacker Donovan Westmoreland also had four sacks on defense. We believe the Bears have a fighting chance this week and expect this will be a great litmus test for them as well. We look for this game to be close for three quarters, but expect the Vikings to pull away in the late stages. Lowndes by 10.   

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Week 2 Cherokee County Football Previews

Posted on September 8, 2020 by admin

Week One of Cherokee County Football is in the books and we must say it is nice to see the young men back on the gridiron. This week there are five county teams in action. The Creekview Grizzlies will take the week off after a thrilling Week-1 victory over Etowah.

The River Ridge Knights will host the Woodstock Wolverines in their home opener. River Ridge put up some big numbers offensively last week; can they duplicate that effort against David Daniel and the Wolverines defense? Etowah travels out of county to face Forsyth Central. They’ll be looking to spoil the season opener for Central who had their Week-1 game cancelled. Will the Etowah offense be able to find their rhythm this week?

Finally, the Cherokee Warriors host the Sequoyah Chiefs. Cherokee is looking to pick up where they left off in Week-1. Their defense looked impressive. Meanwhile Sequoyah will be looking to derail their rival as they look to pick up their first win of the season. This game will feature two of the top backs in Cherokee County in Keith Adams, Jr. and Jaden Mitchell.

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

The Skinny

The River Ridge Knights will be at home for the first time in the young season as they host county rival Woodstock. The Knights are coming off of a big win against Lassiter that saw them put up the third most points in school history. River Ridge will look for another big performance out of Amehre Morrison as he rushed for 225 yards and 14 carries with 4-TDs. But the Knights are no one-trick pony. Jackson Head and Andrew Bingham also had good showings for River Ridge last Friday and will look to duplicate the success on Friday. The River Ridge defense performed well last week also. But expect them to be tested a little more this week by Woodstock.

The Woodstock Wolverines won their season opener against rival Sequoyah in a back and forth affair. The Wolverines were successful in getting Sebastian Moss and David Daniel involved on both sides of the ball. Daniel was making plays all over the field on offense, defense and special teams, blocking a punt while also setting up the go ahead touchdown with a 70 yard kickoff return. Meanwhile, Moss provided what would be the deciding touchdown with a pick 6 with under a minute to play in the game. The Wolverines defense will need to continue that trend this week as River Ridge looks poised to mix up the run and the pass, (a little more than the Sequoyah). Our biggest questions is whether or not the Knights defense can contain Daniel, Moss and Hampton. Containing the stretch plays that Woodstock runs out of the shotgun will be key. As well as making Preston Lawrence uncomfortable in the pocket. Woodstock survived a close game last week, but we think it is finally Knight time. We are putting the Wolverines on upset alert. River Ridge by 3.

The Skinny

The Forsyth Central Bulldogs open their season this week as they host the Etowah Eagles in Cumming. The Bulldogs had their season opener scratched due to a confirmed COVID case at their would be opponent, Blessed Trinity. This season, the Bulldogs will return quarterback Bronson Landreth back to the backfield along with fullback Eli Ruis. In 2019, the duo combined for 1,172 yards and 12-TDs on the ground. Central only attempted 67 passes last season. Look for them to establish the ground game behind East Carolina commit Canaan “CC” Clark and Robby Watson. They should be able to provide plenty of room for the Bulldog’s ground game. Defensively Nick Forrester returns as the teams leading tackler. Clark will also see time on the defensive side of the ball as well.

The Etowah Eagles lost a heartbreaker in Week-1, but will be looking to right the ship. After falling behind early, the Eagles defense tightened up and ultimately held on to a slim 13-7 lead until the final seconds of the ballgame. It is certainly the type of defensive effort that we have come to expect from Etowah. But as one might suspect, most offenses are a little behind defense at this point of the season. We look for Etowah to get a little more comfortable on offense this week and believe establishing the ground game will be a key for the Eagles. This game should will be another close matchup early. However, we like the Eagles offense to be playing with a little more consistency. Etowah by 6.

The Skinny

The County’s second oldest rivalry will take place at Tommy Baker Field at Cherokee High School this Friday as Cherokee hosts the Sequoyah Chiefs. Cherokee is coming off of a big opening week win over Carver-Atlanta. The defense was stout keeping Carver out of the end zone until the final quarter. This week, look for Cherokee to serve up a heavy dose of Keith Adams, Jr. He appeared to run harder and harder as the game progressed. We’d be remised if we did not mention the Cherokee defense and turnovers. They were up to their old tricks again last week, intercepting two passes and recovering a fumble. Whether or not they can continue that this week should go a long way into determining the outcome in this matchup.

Meanwhile, the Sequoyah Chiefs fought to final horn as they fell to Woodstock by 6 last week. It was sophomore Matthew Traynor who emerged as the starter for the Chiefs under center. He will certainly have his hands full this week against a stingy Cherokee defense. Look for the Chiefs to try to keep the Warriors off balance with backs Jaden Mitchell, Aiden Moore, and Jack Piskorz. As with most games, this one will be won at the line of scrimmage. Biggest question for us is whether the Chiefs offensive line can give the young quarterback a little more time in the pocket. At this point in the season, we give the edge to Cherokee on both lines of scrimmage. We think it will be close early, but we like the Warriors by 17 over the Chiefs.      

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The TFR GHSA Week-1 Football Top-10

Posted on September 6, 2020 by admin

Football in the state of Georgia kicked off this past week. We are grateful to the GHSA, administrators, coaches and players for following protocols and allowing the season to get underway!

In 7A, Collins Hill finds themselves in the poll after a convincing win over 6A Collins Hill. Meanwhile, Lowndes downed Archer in a battle of top 10 teams. Lowndes remains at No. 1 this week. Over in Class 6A, Allatoona had an impressive win over Harrison, while Dacula dropped a classic overtime game to 7A Brookwood. Richmond Hill proved last year was no fluke as they downed Camden County.

St. Pius makes their debut in the Class 5A poll after going on the road and defeating Flowery Branch. Blessed Trinity remains atop the poll for now. There were only three Top-10 teams in action in our 4A poll. Both Benedictine and Riverdale were victorious while North Oconee fell to rival Oconee County.

Speaking of Oconee County, we admittedly underestimated the Warriors, but have them ranked 9th this week as they make their first appearance in the 3A poll. Over in Class 2A, Haralson County, Bleckley County and Jeff Davis all make their debut in this week’s poll. No.1 ranked Rabun County shut out Ridgeland in and impressive showing. 

In Class A-Public, Brooks County downed Thomasville and remains atop the poll, Meanwhile, Metter shut out 2A Swainsboro. Charlton County finds themselves in the poll after they shut out Brantley County. In A-Private, Eagle’s Landing Christian shut out Woodward Academy and remains atop the poll. Savannah Christian makes their debut and No. 9 as they beat Emmanuel County Institute by 24 on Friday.      

While not all teams are in action at this point, 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

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Football Fridays at the Tavern – Episode 3 – Week 1 Cherokee County Football Previews

Posted on September 4, 2020 by admin

Thanks for checking back in with Football Fridays at the Tavern. This week Von Brown of Cedarwood Tavern and Art Mosley of the Turd Furgeson Report discuss Week-1 Cherokee County Football matchups.

Von and Art are joined by Coach Josh Shaw to talk about his teams Week-1 performance in the Corky Kell. While we get a special visit from Coach Mike Collins of River Ridge to talk Knights football.

Please feel free to share and give us each a hard time. You can follow us on twitter: @CedarwoodTavern (Von) and @Turdfurgesonrpt (Art). 

Podcast Time Stamp

2:25 – Coach Shaw

12:17 – Cherokee/Carver Recap

16:04 – Coach Collins

22:00 – River Ridge Preview

29:11 – Sequoyah/Woodstock Preview

34:45 – Etowah/Creekview Preview

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Week 1 Eight Greats Around the State (Part 2)

Posted on September 2, 2020 by admin

Today we will start our weekly segment GHSA Football previews that we call Eight Greats Around the State. Each week, we will take 8 of the more intriguing GHSA Football match-ups and preview the games. The segment will be split into two parts, this is Part 2 of 2. (Part 1 of our previews can be found here.)

Our previews feature Camden County and Richmond Hill as the top programs in Southeast Georgia face off. A pretty good battle in Class A-private has Fellowship Christian (Roswell) hosting Christian Heritage (Dalton). Fellowship’s ground game was dominant last season, can Christian Heritage slow them down? Archer will host a talented Lowndes viking squad. Will the long trip to North Georgia be a big factor for Lowndes in this matchup? Finally, Eagle’s Landing Christian (ELCA) will host Woodward Academy. Both of these programs are no strangers to success. Will ELCA be able to knock off a very talented and highly ranked 5A team?

As always, please feel free to share and comment.

The Skinny

Two of the best teams in Southeast Georgia will face off on Friday night as the Camden County Wildcats host the Richmond Hill Wildcats. Camden returns top offensive stars like junior running back Jamie Felix, (1,124 yards, 15-TDs in 2019) as well as receiver Shawn Hardy, (782 yards, 10-TDs) Camden County will have a new quarterback under center who will have big shoes to fill with the departure of Logan Watson to graduation. The Wildcats also sport two D1 caliber “road-graders” on the offensive line in Micah Morris and Noah DeMeritt. Camden did lose a lot on defense to graduation, but expect junior linebacker Jadin Jones and senior lineman Deterias Glover to be a key leaders this season.

The Richmond Hill Wildcats broke through last year with the best finish in school history as the came within a field goal of advancing to the state title game. They return starting quarterback Tyler Coleman, but will have to replace the 1,742 yards and 24-TDs that left when Jalen Rouse graduated last season. Ashaud Robinson looks poised to fill into that role along with a host of other backs including Kenyan Hunter and Christian Boggs.  Whoever is running the ball will have the luxury of running behind a line led by tackle Joe Fusile. Defensively, Nathan Vickers returns along the front seven. He tallied 14 sacks a year ago. Meanwhile, Jordan Clark, Kenyan Hunter and Greg Freightman return to lead a secondary that recorded 13 interceptions last season. We believe this game will be close. And in close games, the kicking game is crucial Richmond Hill has one of the best kickers in the state in Britton Williams. However, we like Camden to win this battle of Southeast Georgia by 5.

The Skinny

The Fellowship Christian Paladins made it back to the semifinals last season. In 2019, as a team, the Paladins rushed for almost 4,100 yards. The good news for the Paladins is that they return their top four rushers from a season ago. Murphy Reeves (1,554 yards, 17-TDs), Jayven Hall ( 763 yards, 13-TDs), Josh Cole (708 yards, 14-TDs) and quarterback Eli Hildebrandt (377 yards, 11-TDs) all return for the Paladins. Charlie Patterson and Reid Robinson will anchor the offensive line. Patterson was committed to play for the Virginia Cavaliers.  The Paladins defense returns their top 5 tacklers from a year ago including the  aforementioned Hall, Cole and Nathan Nardone. Linebacker Kyle Elphick led the team in interceptions as a freshman last season. 

Coach Jay Poag has the Christian Heritage Lions trending in the right direction over the last four seasons. Like Fellowship, there was a lot of youth on the Christian Heritage team last season. Junior quarterback Christian Thomas and junior running back Gage Leonard will lead the offense. Thomas threw for 1,505 yards and 16-TDs while Leonard rushed for 875 yards and 9-TDs. Meanwhile, Evan Lester is a big target at receiver. He’ll be looking to improve on his 40 receptions, 792 yards and 10-TDs from a season ago. The Lions defense allowed a paltry 11.8 points per game last season. Ben Hermann and Ben Williamson return as two of the teams leading tacklers, as well as the aforementioned Leonard. Leonard also led the team in sacks and interceptions a year ago. This is a great week one matchup in 1-A. Can Christian Heritage shake off the long bus ride from Dalton to Roswell? We like Christian Heritage and believe they can contend for a region title this year, but we think the Paladin ground machine will be too much this week. Paladins by 8. 

The Skinny

The Archer Tigers get their season underway as they host the Lowndes Vikings. The Tigers are coming off of a season in which they advanced to the quarterfinals. The Tigers will have a new quarterback under center this season but do welcome back leading rushers Renoldo Spivey Jr. and Schmari Campbell. This duo combined for 1,363yards and 21-TDs a year ago. Defensively, look for the secondary to lead the way for the Tigers as they return players such as Jaylen Williams, Jackson McCrary, Caleb Wooden and Edwin Mangual. 

The Lowndes Vikings will have a new head coach this season as Jamey DuBose takes over. DuBose has led both Prattville, (Alabama) and Central (Phenix City, Alabama) to state titles. He also has not missed the post season in his 10 previous seasons. The Vikings return quarterback Jacurri Brown for his junior season. The dual threat quarterback led Lowndes in passing and rushing last season. The ground attack will also returns Justin Lee and Israel Mitchell who combined to rush for over 1,600 yards and 16-TDs a year ago. The Vikings will also return several talented players on defense including linemen Thomas Davis, Leon Williams, and Jacques Hunter who combined for 25 sacks a year ago. Jalon Baker is the team’s returning tackler and also led the Vikings with 3 interceptions a year ago. In long road trips, we usually favor the home team, but even with a new head coach, we like the talented Vikings by 9 this week.

The Skinny

The Eagle’s Landing Christian Chargers are coming off of their 5th consecutive state title victory. The Chargers will be replacing a lot of key pieces from last season’s state title team, including quarterback Gabe Wright and running back Keaton Mitchell. Bryson Estes and Zechariah Owens will anchor the offensive line for the Chargers. Josh Rogers is the team’s leading returning rusher from a year ago. Expect to see Owens along with Jeremy Butler and Michael Clark on the defensive line. Linebacker DeAndre Allred is the team’s leading returning tackler. 

The Woodward Academy War Eagles are coming off of an impressive run to the semifinals last season. Like ELCA, they will be replacing their starting quarterback, Mike Wright. While breaking in a new quarterback is never easy, having Damari Alston in the backfield again this season should make the transition smoother. The Woodward Academy defense returns several starters from last season including Khari Gee and Alan Wright in the secondary, Errington Truesdell at linebacker and Ozzie Hoffler and Carter Kulka on the defensive line. Last season, the War Eagle’s surrendered only 11.2 points per game. Despite the disparity in classification in this game, we expect it to be competitive. We like Woodward by 9 over the Chargers.  

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Week 1 Eight Greats Around the State (Part 1)

Posted on September 2, 2020 by admin

What an offseason this has been. We have made it to the official start of the 2020 GHSA Football season. It’s not quite what we expected, but nevertheless, it looks like we will have high school football played in Georgia this week. Special thanks to all of the coaches, administrators, teachers and to the GHSA for helping get to this point.

Today we will start our weekly segment GHSA Football previews that we call Eight Greats Around the State. Each week, we will take 8 of the more intriguing GHSA Football match-ups and preview the games. The segment will be split into two parts, this is Part 1 of 2. Here are the matchups featured. Mitchell County Rivals Pelham and Mitchell County face off for the 106th time. Brooks County hosts Thomasville in a matchup of former region rivals. Warner Robins travels to Valdosta to take on the Wildcats. This game features two of the top quarterbacks in the state. While Grayson will travel to Jones County as these teams matchup for the first time ever.

As always, please feel free to share and comment.

The Skinny

The Pelham Hornets enter the 2020 season on the heals of back-to-back semi final appearances. The Hornets will have a new full time starter under center as Brantley Shiver is poised to take over. Shiver threw for 585 yards and 12-TDs spelling now departed starter Kendrick Patterson. Jamarquis Ross is the teams leading returning running back, while Albany State commit Cameron Bailey should see double duty at receiver and corner this season. Bailey had 638 receiving yards and 10-TDs. All-State defensive lineman Davion Rhodes and Makiah Martin are back to terrorize opposing quarterbacks while Jermaine Johnson will team up with the aforementioned Bailey to help lead the secondary. 

The Mitchell County Eagles have dominated the series between the county rivals. Yet they fell short in the quarterfinals after winning the Region title in 2020. The Eagles return starting quarterback Quentavious Hunter for his senior season. Last year, he threw for 1,461 yards and 25-TDs. Markel Shannon and Xavier Williams are the leading returning rushers for Mitchell County. At receiver juniors Malcolm Jones and Willie Williams combined for 559 yards and 6-TDs a year ago and should be leaders at the position in 2020. The Mitchell County defense returns Shannon, Hunter, Xavier Williams, and Jalen Clayton as players who helped limit opponents to 13.1 points per game last season. These teams have ben playing on and off since 1923. They  have split the last four meetings. We believe the winner in this game will go on to win the region. We like Mitchell County on the road by 2 this week. 

The Skinny

The Brooks County Trojans return a host of talent that played for a state tile last season. This year the Trojans find themselves reclassified to Class A but will open the season with a familiar foe. Quarterback Ni’Tavion Burrus (2,088 yards passing, 22-TDs), running back Omari Arnold (1,796 yards, 24-TDs)   and receiver Willie Brown (554 yards, 9-TDs) all return for Brooks County. Defensively, linebacker Camron Priest (102 total tackles), and linemen J’shawn Baker and Joaquinn Dawson return as they look primed for another deep run in the postseason.

The Thomasville Bulldogs are also coming off of an impressive run in the post season last year as they lost to the eventual state champions in the semi-final round. Quarterback Ronnie Baker will look to build on his impressive passing numbers from 2019, which saw him throw for 2,579 yards and 22-TDs. He will be joined in the backfield with a tandem of young running backs, Ricky Fulton and Malik Harper who combined for 1,565 yards and 13-TDs. Receiver Ricardo Johnson is also back as the teams leading receiver from a year ago. DB Bo Mascoe and linebacker Ty Anderson are back to lead the Bulldogs on defense. Anderson led Thomasville in total tackles and sacks last year. We believe there will be a lot of points scored in this contest and like Thomasville over the home Trojans by 5.

The Skinny

The Rush Propst era begins at perhaps the most historic high school football program in the state of Georgia. The Valdosta Wildcats are no stranger to success. Last season, they reached the quarterfinal round. The ‘Cats leading returning offensive player is receiver Javonte Sherman, who led the wildcats with 53 receptions and 1,156 yards receiving. He will be joined by Aalah Brown, (61 receptions and 1,164 yards for Valwood last season) and newcomer quarterback Jake Garcia (USC Trojan commit). Jaquez White returns to help anchor the offensive line while linebacker John Brown and DBs Jadarian Rhym and Maxwell Cherelus patrol the secondary. 

The Warner Robins Demons  are coming off of a third consecutive run to the 5A state finals. They return quarterback Jalen Addie who threw for almost 2,300 yards and 23-TDs in his junior season. Another potent weapon returns to join Addie in running back Jahlen Rutherford. He rushed for 1,290 yards last season, averaging 7 yards per carry.  Linebackers Demarcious Robinson and Ahmad Walker return as the Demons leading tackler last season.  They will be joined by run stoppers Vic Burley and Santanna Willis. There is plenty of star power in this game and we expect a back and forth contest. We give the slight edge to the host Wildcats by 4. 

The Skinny

The Jones County Greyhounds enter the 2020 season on the heels of a run to the semifinals in 2019. The Greyhounds welcome back thousand yard rusher Andrew Carner, but will be breaking in a new signal caller after Hunter Costlow’s graduation. The Greyhounds do return a threat at receiver as Maleek Wooten returns for his senior campaign. Last season Wooten caught 63 balls for 952 yards and 12-TDs. Deon Richardson and T.Q. Hicks also return to anchor the defensive front seven.

Meanwhile, the Grayson Rams will bring a talented team down to Gray this Friday night. Coach Adam Carter will start his second year after leading the Rams back to the quarterfinals in 2019. The Rams return running offensive leaders such as running back Phil Mafah, linemen Garrett Brophy and receiver Jamal Haynes. They will also be joined by newcomers quarterback Carlos Del Rio and receiver Daejon Reynolds, both Division-1 caliber players. Defensively, the Rams should be stout upfront with Victoine Brown and Noah Collins anchoring the line. Linebacker Grady Bryant returns as the teams leading tackler from a year ago. We still think Jones County is one of the top teams in Class 5A, but we don’t think they will be able to keep pace with Grayson. We like the Rams by 13.

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Week 1 Cherokee County Football Previews

Posted on August 31, 2020 by admin

Can you feel it? Finally! It’s game week. After a long off-season and many questions about whether we would even have a high school football season in Georgia, it’s finally here. Many thanks to coaches, administrators, players, healthcare workers teachers and all of the other community leaders who have helped get us to this point.

This year, the Cherokee Warriors will have the honor of kicking off the first game of the 2020 season as they host the Carver Panthers out of Atlanta on Wednesday in the Corky Kell Classic This is the first time these two programs have met. Other first time matchups this week include Etowah hosting Creekview, Lassiter hosting River Ridge while Sequoyah and Woodstock will face off for the 9th time over at Skip Pope Stadium Friday night.

The Skinny

The Cherokee Warriors will kick off the high school football season in Georgia as they host the Carver-Atlanta Panthers in the 29th Inaugural edition of the Corky Kell Classic. Cherokee is coming off a season in which they advanced to the second round of the state playoffs for the second time in four years under Head Coach Josh Shaw. Three returning juniors headline the Warriors offense: quarterback A.J. Swann, running back Keith Adams Jr., and receiver Adarrius Harshaw. As a sophomore, Swann passed for 2,499 yards and 20-TDs, while Adams breached the 1,000-yard mark with 1,115 yards and 10-TDs. Harshaw and senior Brady Bocherer are the teams leading returning receivers from a year ago. Defensively, Braesen Parker returns as the Warriors leading tackler at linebacker. He’ll have support up front from guys like Toby Thompson and in the secondary from Austin Trimble. 

Head Coach Darren Myles and the Carver Panthers are also coming off of a playoff appearance of their own in class AAAAA. This season the Panthers have been reclassified to AAA. Yet, perhaps the biggest challenge will be replacing Jo’quavious Marks, who rushed for over 1,500 yards last season. The heir apparent to Marks look to be Jarveous Brown and Bobby Simms. Last season the two combined for over 680 yards and 7-TDs playing alongside the departed Marks. Defensively, the Panthers return a trio of DBs who combined for six interceptions as well as sophomore run-stopper Aquantis Clemmons at defensive tackle. Clemmons had a knack for stopping opposing running backs in the backfield last season. We should be treated to a fantastic contest to start the 2020 season. However, we give the edge to the Warriors at home this week by two touchdowns.

The Skinny

Coach James Teter leads the Chiefs into this game with some unanswered questions under center. For the second consecutive season, the Chiefs will be starting a new quarterback. Taking the reigns will either be junior Connor Gelatt or sophomore Matthew Traynor. However, Sequoyah will have a familiar face in the backfield with Jaden Mitchell. He rushed for over 760 yards last season. Junior Aiden Moore joins Mitchell in the backfield. The Chiefs defense allowed just less than 20 points per game last season. They return Kemar Plummer and Avery Born on the defensive line as well as Jack Blackman in the secondary. 

The Woodstock Wolverines are also in search of a new signal caller as Peyton Lynch, Preston Lawrence and Dan Comeau have been battling to take the reigns for Coach Budde’s offense. Whoever takes over will have weapons on the outside with Wes Bruno as well as Georgia commit David Daniel (who will play both ways). Woodstock also returns their leading rusher V’Ontae Hampton who rushed for 643 yards in 8 games last season. The aforementioned Daniel will also line up in the secondary for the Wolverines. Our hunch is that this game will be low scoring in the first half, but we like the Wolverines to edge the Chiefs by a touchdown. 

The Skinny

The Etowah Eagles will start the Matt Kemper era as they host the Creekview Grizzlies on Friday night. Etowah advanced to the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season last year. They will look to Will Curcio and Braden Bohannon to replace last year’s star quarterback Dalton Miller. Curcio and Bohannon will have weapons at the skill position in running back Klivert Many and receivers Brock Rechsteiner, Remington Adams and Caden Moss. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles will look to improve on a team that surrendered an average of 27 points per game last season. Top returns on the defensive side of the ball are linebackers Austin Skinner, Lane Cantrell, Carlos Thornton as well as defensive linemen Jared Weitkamp and Jaden Maddox. Trevor Fair looks to lead the Eagles Secondary.

Trevor Williams begins his second season as head coach for the Creekview Grizzlies. He will have the luxury of returning the most experienced quarterback in the county, Brody Rhodes. Rhodes passed for 1,486 yards, rushed for 419 yards and accounted for 18 TDs last season. The Grizzlies also return their top two running backs Tyler Stephens and Cole Hasty.  On the outside, the Grizzlies will look to Andrew Cloy and Dawson Currie to fill the void left by Ethan Dirrim. Up front, Anthony Dorr looks to be the next great Grizzly offensive lineman. On defense, Creekview returns leading tackler Grant Anderson and sack master Isaac Hubert to help lead the front seven. Cale Williams returns in the secondary; he was third on the team in tackles last season. If the Eagles can get consistency under center early, we like their chances. We think it might take them a little time to get that consistency, but we expect this game to be close. We like the Grizzlies on the road by 5.

The Skinny

Coach Sean Thom continues his rebuilding of the Lassiter Trojan program as he begins his second season at the helm. Lassiter had to overcome many obstacles last season but Thom has added some stability to the program. The Trojans were young and inexperienced at many positions last season, but return key players at the skill positions. Those include quarterback Brayden Lind, running back Shai Valencia and receiver Matthew Grachen. The Trojans defense will be anchored in the secondary by defensive backs Tyler Hallum and Samuel Carter IV. Evan Manring is a leader in the linebacking corp.  

Coach Mike Collins also enters his second season as head coach of the River Ridge Knights. They will be looking to improve on their three win season. Like many other teams in the county, the Knights will be breaking in a new quarterback, Carson Lathem. Lathem, who can beat you with his arm and legs will have one of the most talented running backs in the county lined up in the backfield with him in Amehre Morrison. Jackson Head is another young playmaker for the Knights. Don’t let his youth fool you. The sophomore is capable of making several athletic plays at his TE/WR position. Defensively, the Knights will look to improve on the 25 points per game they surrendered last season. Linebackers Hunter Deriso, Aiden Bruton, lineman Brian Bradley as well as defensive backs Scotty Rutherford and Conner Gross should be leaders for the Knights on defense this season. We do believe the Trojans will be much improved this season.However, we also believe they will have a tough time slowing down Amehre Morrison and the Knights. We like River Ridge by 8.  

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The TFR GHSA Preseason Football Top-10

Posted on August 30, 2020 by admin

With the 2020 Georgia High School Football season less than a week away, we release our preseason poll for each classification. Polls are fun and can provide for spirited and healthy conversations and debates. 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

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Football Fridays at the Tavern – Cherokee County Preview – Podcast – Class 6A

Posted on August 29, 2020 by admin

In episode two of Football Fridays at the Tavern, Von Brown and Art Mosley team up to preview Cherokee County football teams competing in class AAAAAA. We feature coach interviews from Sequoyah, River Ridge and Creekview as well as an interview with Creekview quarterback Brody Rhodes. Tune in as we help get you prepped for the 2020 football season here in Cherokee County.

Sequoyah Preview (7:44)

River Ridge Preview (19:42)

Creekview Preview (32:59) 

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Football Fridays at the Tavern – Cherokee County Preview – Podcast – Class 7A

Posted on August 29, 2020 by admin

In our inaugural edition, Von Brown and Art Mosley team up to preview Cherokee County football teams competing in class AAAAAAA. We feature coach interviews from Etowah, Woodstock and Cherokee as well as player interviews with UGA commit David Daniel of Woodstock and A.J. Swann of Cherokee. Tune in as we help get you prepped for the 2020 football season here in Cherokee County.

Etowah Preview (7:56)

Woodstock Preview (17:40)

Cherokee Preview (34:26) 

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