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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GHSA A-Private Football Championship Preview

Posted on December 11, 2019 by admin

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (ELCA) Chargers will face off against region rival Wesleyan this week for the GHSA Class A-Private title. ELCA won the first meeting handily back in early October. Wesleyan will be looking to win their second state title in school history while ELCA while be playing to win their fifth consecutive title and seventh overall.

 

ELCA is in the finals for the sixth consecutive season. They are winners of their last nine games and avenged their only loss of the season last week as they defeated Holy Innocents. The Chargers got 191 yards and a touchdown from running back Keaton Mitchell, while Gabe Wright threw for 122 yards and 2-TDs and Devon Dorsey caught three passes for 52 yards and 2-TDs to help lead the offense on Friday night. Defensively, Deion Fisher and David Wingfield both recorded 11 total tackles to help slow down the Holy Innocents’ offense. On their road to the finals, ELCA has defeated the No. 11 seed, No. 3 seed, and No. 2 seed. In their three-playoff games, they are averaging 37 points per game while the defense is allowing 24.6 points per game. On the season Wright has passed for 1,995 yards and 25-TDs while Mitchell has rushed for 1,838 yards and 39-TDs. As a team ELCA has rushed for 3,644 yards and 62-TDs. A win this week would earn ELCA their fifth consecutive state title.

 

The Wesleyan Wolves are in the finals for the first time since 2008. The Wolves have won their last eight games coming into this week. Sophomore quarterback J.C. French threw for 272 yards and 3-TDs and rushed for another 3-TDs to help lead the Wolves into the finals. Griffin Caldwell chipped in 124 rushing yards and 2-TDs and Micah Smith caught 5 passes for 162 yards as well in the win. On the season, French has passed for 2,680 yards and 31-TDs while Caldwell has rushed for 1,120 yards and 13-TDs. Micah Smith has caught 62 passes for 1,002 yards and 12-TDs and Cooper Blauser has has caught 64 passes for for 927 yards and 8-TDs to lead the Wesleyan receiving corps. In four playoff games, Wesleyan is averaging 41.7 points per game while the defense is allowing 19.2 points per game. The Wolves have defeated the No. 24 seed, No. 8 seed, No. 16 seed and the No. 4 seed on the road to the title game. A win this week would earn the Wolves their first state title since 2008.

 

We expect this game to be a little closer than the first game, but the weather might be a little more conducive to the ground game. With that said, we like ELCA this week by 11.

 

 

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GHSA A-Public Football Championship Preview

Posted on December 11, 2019 by admin

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Class A Public title will feature the Irwin County Indians and the Marion County Eagles. The Indians will be playing to win the schools first state title since 1975 while the Marion County Eagles will be playing to win their first title since 2013.

 

The Irwin County Indians have advanced to the finals for the fifth time in six years. The Indians are 19-0 in regular season games over the past two years and are 9-2 in the playoffs since 2017. Last week, Irwin County was aided by two defensive touchdowns and DJ Lundy’s two rushing touchdowns to lead the Indians back into the finals. Irwin County has defeated The No. 17 seed, the No. 9 seed and the No. 4 seed on their march to the finals. In three playoff games, the Indians are averaging 45.6 points per game while the defense is allowing 11.3 points per game. The Irwin County defense has now recorded seven shutouts on the season. While the defense has been downright nasty, the Indians offense is very good as well. Running backs D.J. Lundy, Kam Ward and Gabriel Benyard provide the foundation for a very strong ground game. A win this week would earn Irwin County their second title in school history and first since 1975.

 

The Marion County Eagles are in the finals for the first time since 2013. The Eagles are winners of their last eight games coming into the finals. Trice McCannon threw for 231 yards, rushed for 80 yards and accounted for 4-TDs, while Brandon Thomas rushed for 105 yards and 2-TDs on 10 carries as the Eagles bounced back from a third quarter deficit to advance. In their playoff run, the Eagles have defeated the No. 18 seed, No. 7 seed and No. 6 seed. In their three-playoff games, they are averaging 35 points per game while the defense is allowing 24.3 points per game. McCannon has thrown for 2,185 yards and rushed for 974 yards and accounted for 48 total TDs while Thomas has rushed for 991 yards and 8-TDs. Thomas also has caught 40 passes for 603 yards and 10-TDs while Jamil King has caught 45 passes for 705 yards and 8-TDs. Kendrick Hawkins leads the Eagles in total tackles with 149 and Dayterious Chinn has 130 total tackles. A win this week would earn the Eagles their second title in school history and first since 2013.

 

Irwin County has been on the short end of the stick in their four most recent playoff appearances. While we believe McCannon can do enough to keep the Eagles in the game, Irwin County has too many weapons to slow down and a defense that is dominant. We like the Indians by two touchdowns this week.

 

 

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GHSA 2A Football Championship Preview

Posted on December 10, 2019 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

The Dublin Fighting Irish and the Brooks County Trojans will meet for the second time this season. The Fighting Irish won the first matchup by two touchdowns. Dublin will be playing for their fifth state title while Brooks County will be playing for their seconds state title.

 

The Dublin Fighting Irish have advanced to the finals for the first time since 2006. After being upset in the final game of the regular season, Dublin has now won four straight games. On their way to the finals, the Fighting Irish have defeated a No. 4 seed, a No. 2 seed, and two No. 1 seeds. Last week, Senior Jaques Evans rushed for 380 yards and scored 5-TDs while Zion Kemp added 142 yards and 2-TDs to help lead the Fighting Irish to victory. In their playoff run, the Irish are averaging 41.7 points per game while the defense is allowing 23 points per game. Evans has now rushed for over 2,200 yards and 38-TDs while Kemp has rushed for 1,424 yards and 19-TDs and Marcus Adams has rushed for 1,426 yards and 13-TDs to help power the Irish. As a team, Dublin has rushed for 5,787 yards on the seasoned has only attempted 27 passes this year. A win this week would earn the Irish their first title since 2006.

 

The Brooks County Trojans have advanced to the finals for the first time since 1994. Brooks has now won seven consecutive games and has bounced back from a 1-3 start to the season. On their road to the finals, the Trojans have defeated a No. 3 seed and three No. 1 seeds. They’ve defeated two teams that we thought had a chance to win the title…and they beat them on the road (Rockmart and Callaway). The Trojans got up early and then had to come from behind to get past Callaway last week. Quarterback Ni’tavion Burrusthrew for 211 yards and 2-TDs and rushed for 113 yards and another TD while running back Omari Arnold rushed for 157 yards and 2-TDs and also threw for a touchdown-helped lead the way for Brooks County on offense. Willie Brown had a big game receiving with 122 yards and a touchdown. Burris has now thrown for 1,970 yards and 21-TDs while Arnold has rushed for 1,697 yards and 21-TDs. Camron Priest leads the team in total tackles with 102. In their four-playoff games, the Trojans are averaging 39.2 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.5 points per game. A win this week will earn the Trojans their second state title in school history and first since 1994.

 

We said it would be tough to pick against the team that has three 1,000-yard rushers and we will stand by that this week. We expect Brooks County to hang around until the end, but we like the Dublin ground machine to churn out another state title this week. Irish by 8.

 

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GHSA 3A Football Championship Preview

Posted on December 10, 2019 by admin

 

The Skinny

 

The 3A Championship game will feature the defending state champions, Cedar Grove Saints against the Crisp County Cougars. Cedar Grove will be playing for their third state title in school history while Crisp will be playing for their first state title.

 

The Cedar Grove Saints have advanced to the finals for the third time in four years. Cedar Grove has now won 10 consecutive games. The Saints have defeated a No. 4 seed, a No. 2. Seed, and two No. 1 seeds to advance to the title game. In their four-playoff games, the Saints are averaging 37.2 points per game while the defense is allowing 10.2 points per game. Coming into last weeks game, Chavon Wright had rushed for 1,616 yards and 19-TDs while Austin Smith had passed for 1,321 yards and 17-TDs. Isaiah Ratcliffe continues to lead the team in total tackles and also came up with a big interception last week to help preserve the victory. A win this week would earn the Saints their second consecutive state title and their third  in four years.

 

The Crisp County Cougars have reached the finals for the first time in school history. Crisp has won eight consecutive games and has won 11 games for the second time since 2016. The Cougars loaded their non-region schedule with very challenging competition from all classifications and it looks like that schedule has helped prepare them for this playoff run. In this run, the Cougars have defeated a No. 4 seed, a No. 2 seed and two No. 1 seeds. In their four-playoff games, the Cougars are averaging 30.7 points per game while the defense is allowing 7.2 points per game. In last week’s win, quarterback A.J. Lofton threw for 100 yards and rushed for 89 yards and 2-TDs while Marquise Palmer added 116 rushing yards to lead the Cougars offense. The defense recorded four sacks and Sirad Bryant picked off a pass to help preserve the victory. On the season, both Lofton and Palmer have rushed for over 1,000 yards as Palmer has 1,512 yards and 16-TDs while Lofton has rushed for 1,043 yards and 13-TDs. A win this week would earn the Cougars their first state title in school history.

 

Both teams have played a challenging schedule and both defenses are playing well late in the season. We like to the Cougars to keep the game close, but our pick is Cedar Grove by 5.

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