TFR Week-12 Cherokee County Football Preview

Posted on October 31, 2018 by admin

It’s Week-12 of the high school football season, as the regular season comes to an end. Four of the county teams are still jockeying for playoff position. Sequoyah will travel to Allatoona as they look to get back on track. At stake this week for the Sequoyah Chiefs and Allatoona Bucs is a chance to host a home playoff game. An Allatoona win will secure a first round home game for the Bucs. While Sequoyah will need to win and then get help from Creekview and win the tie-breaker… River Ridge will host Sprayberry this week as the young Knights look to close out the season against a battle tested Sprayberry team. While both teams are out of contention for a playoff spot, they will both try to finish the season with momentum going into the offseason…Perhaps one of the biggest games in the state will take place when Harrison travels to Creekview. It’s a winner take all game, as the winner will claim the region title…Woodstock will host Walton to close out the season. Can the Wolverines stop the high-powered Walton offense? Walton’s sputtered a little bit last week. Will there be more of the same against Woodstock…Cherokee is at home and will host Lassiter this week. A win will secure the No. 3 seed in Region-4 play for the Warriors. A loss could make things a little more interesting in terms of seeding…Etowah will host Roswell this week. Currently the Eagles are slotted as the No. 4 seed in the Region-4. With an upset of Roswell and a Cherokee loss, the Eagles could find themselves as the 3 seed. Can the Eagles upset the Hornets…

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share and comment.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

The Skinny

At stake this week for the Sequoyah Chiefs and Allatoona Bucs is a chance to host a home playoff game. An Allatoona win will secure a first round home game for the Bucs. Sequoyah will need to win and then get help from Creekview. That would force a three-way tie between Sequoyah, Harrison, and Allatoona. Allatoona has won both of the prior matchups against Sequoyah and has really been the more physical team in those games. The Bucs struggled early in the season, but they have reeled off seven straight wins. In those seven wins, The Allatoona defense is only giving up 8.4 points per game. On offense, the Bucs have relied on the legs of Daniel Parsons, who has rushed for 928 yards on the season. The Bucs are averaging 229 yards on the ground per game. So it will be paramount for the Chiefs to slow down the Bucs ground game. Junior kicker Jude Kelley has a big leg and could prove to be an x-factor for the Allatoona.

Meanwhile, the Sequoyah offense has put up some big numbers this season. In their two losses, the Chiefs have not scored over 17 points. Perhaps that‘s a trend tp take note of. On the season, the Sequoyah offense is averaging 34.3 points per game. The Chiefs will need to clean up on some of the miscues that ultimately did them in last week against the Hoyas. Can the Chiefs match Allatoona’s physicality on both lines of scrimmage? We think the Chiefs can, but the Bucs won’t make it easy. We like Sequoyah by 3.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 Sprayberry and River Ridge will face off on Friday as both teams will finish the season outside of the playoff conversation. The young River Ridge Knights have gone through some growing pains. They’ve played one of the most difficult…if not the most difficult schedule in the county. Chico Ward and Amehre Morrison have been bright spots on the offense. Last week Morrison scored twice and the Knights will need more of that to close out the season with a win. River Ridge will also be looking to play a cleaner game, limiting turnovers and miscues.

The Sprayberry Yellow Jackets have played all of the top teams in Region-6 extremely close. The Yellow Jackets are probably a better team than their record indicates. Myles Worthy is a tough back to bring down so River Ridge will have to key in on him. We think that the Jackets are a little too experienced for the Knights this week, Sprayberry wins it by 13.

 

 

 

The Skinny

Coach Adam Carter has changed the personality of the Creekview Grizzly program. With a win this Friday against Harrison, the Grizzlies will secure their first region title in program history. Standing in the way of a perfect regular season is the defending region champ, Harrison Hoyas. They Hoyas escaped Hickory Flat last week with a narrow win over the Sequoyah Chiefs. Harrison didn’t have a pretty game last week, but they got enough offense from Gavin Hall and David Roberts to put themselves in position at a chance for another region title this week.

Creekview has used a formula of disciplined, attacking defense and a steady dose of Cade Radam on offense to help guide them to nine wins. Radam had  a big week against Sprayberry last Friday as he rushed for 210 yards and 2-TDs. On the season Radam his rushed for over 1,300 yards. He has the luxury of running behind Clemson commit John Williams and perhaps one of the top unsigned linemen in the state, Nick Pendley as well as Tanner Taranto and John Clenney among others. The Creekview defense is surrendering 10 points per game on the season. We like that trend to continue this week. This might not be a pretty game, but we like Creekview to win by 6 this week.

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Woodstock Wolverines will host the Walton Raiders to close out the season. Walton has won 7 of the last 8 in the series. Some injuries at key skill positions set the Wolverines back a bit earlier then in the season and ultimately made for an uphill battle for Woodstock to make the post season. Ryan Martin and Trevor Stephens will look to close out with an upset of the Walton Raiders. Walker Ormsby will have a chance to continue to improve as he looks to be the future at quarterback of the future for Coach Budde.

Although the Walton Raiders have already clinched the No. 2 seed in the region, they will look to find a rhythm this week against Woodstock. Walton is averaging 35.5 points per game on offense. Dual threat quarterback Austin Kirksey has a couple of talented wide receivers in Kendall Alford and Dominick Blaylock; these two will certainly be a challenging matchup for the Wolverines defense. It goes without saying that Walton wants to get out of this game healthy to prepare for the post-season. We don’t think that will make them tentative. We like Walton by 14 this week.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Lassiter Trojans close out the season on the road at Tommy Baker Field against the Cherokee Warriors. It’s been a long season for the Trojans, but Lassiter can play a bit of a spoiler against the Warriors this Friday. The Trojans have some weapons on offense led by quarterback Mitch Storm and running back Nnamdi Orijoke. However, they have had some trouble putting points on the board as they are averaging 11.5 points per game.

Cherokee will be looking to avoid the upset and hang on to the No. 3 seed and avoid a potential first round match-up with the No. 1 team in Class 7-A. The Warriors went win-less last season, so it’s nice to see them back in the post season. Cherokee’s defense held Walton to 27 points last week, which tied a season low for Walton. We would expect another strong performance from the Warriors defense this week. This could be a big senior night for the likes of Grant Hornbuckle, McKinley Hunter, Grant Mogelnicki  and Kerwin Majano. We like the Warriors by 17 this week and a shutout by the Warriors defense certainly wouldn’t surprise us either.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Etowah Eagles will play their final home game of the season this Friday as they host the Roswell Hornets. Both teams have clinched a playoff berth and while an Etowah win coupled with Cherokee loss would move the Eagles to the 3-seed. But before we get to next week in the playoffs, Etowah will need to slow down a Roswell offense that’s averaging 36.7 points per game. Etowah’s defense has recorded two shutouts on the season.

Meanwhile the Etowah offense has had some fits and starts on offense. They are averaging 17.2 points per game. If Etowah can control the clock and keep this game low scoring, those 17 points could be plenty. We think it might be too tall of a task to ask of the Eagles. Too much Ethan Roberts and Kamonty Jett…we like Roswell by two touchdowns.

 

 

 

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

TFR Week-11 GHSA Football Poll

Posted on October 28, 2018 by admin

Our Week-11 polls have been published and are listed below.

There was not much movement in Class 7A. The Westlake Lions make their debut in our poll this week as the come in at No. 10. The Lions will be looking to wrap up the Region 2-7A title this coming Friday.

In Class 6A, the Harrison Hoyas won a pivotal matchup against the then 6thranked Chiefs. The Hoyas are up to No. 6 this week. Meanwhile, Dacula makes their debut at No. 10 this week.

There where no changes in the Class 5A poll. No 1 ranked Rome closed out their regular season schedule undefeated.

Class 4A No. 1 Blessed Trinity outlasted Marist 10-7 last week to claim the Region 7-4A title. The loss dropped the War Eagles one spot to No. 8 while Pickens moves up to No. 8.

There were no changes in the Class 3A poll this week.

The Class 2A poll remains unchanged as well. There are big matchups in both Region 5-2A (Bremen vs. Heard Co.) and Region 8-2A (Rabun Co. vs. Union Co.) this week as the playoff picture will become crystal clear by Saturday morning.

In 1A-Public, the ECI Bulldogs picked up a big win over Montgomery County. The win vaults the Bulldogs into the top-10 this week. Commerce drops two spots to No. 6 after a 1-point loss to Riverside Military Academy.

North Cobb Christian was the big winner in Class 1A-Private. They beat then No. 5 Darlington by two scores. In a Top-10 matchup, Prince Avenue beat George Walton Academy by 3. George Walton remains at No. 8 this week in spite of the loss.

Polls are fun and can provide for spirited and healthy conversations and debates. We welcome any and all poll feedback.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Turd Ferguson Report - Weekly Power Rankings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

TFR Week-11 Eight Greats Around the State Part II

Posted on October 24, 2018 by admin

Week-11 looks to help settle a lot of the uncertainty in the regions standings. In Class-A, Claxton will face Savannah Christian and with a win by the Tigers, they would calm a share of the sub-region crown. While Savannah Christian can claim the sub-region outright with a win…Clinch County and Charlton County won’t be playing for a region title, but the long-time rivals will be playing to improve their seeding in the postseason…In a rematch of the 2017 Class 4A state title game, the Marist War Eagles and Blessed Trinity Titans will face off once again for the region title. Can the War Eagles maintain their hot streak, or will it be Blessed Trinity to the talks claim to the region crown…Finally, Brooks County and Fitzgerald will face off for the Region 2-2A title. Both of these teams control their own destiny. Whose rushing attack will reign supreme this week…These questions and much more will be answered this week.

Please feel free to share and comment. Thanks for reading!

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Claxton Tigers are one of the teams that has reversed their fortunes in 2018. Last season the Tigers went 3-7, but this season the Tigers sit at 6-1 and with a win on Friday could potentially force a three-way tie atop the region. On top of that, the Tigers sit firmly at No. 11 in the latest Class-A Public Power rankings. If that holds, the Tigers would host a first round playoff game. Karon Taylor and Myles Freeman have done most of the damage for Claxton this season. Shakari Denson has been a ball hawk in the Tigers secondary. He could certainly cause problems for the Raiders passing attack.

First year Coach Baker Woodward has led Savannah Christian to a 7-1 record and with a win this week, would clinch a sub-region title. Nate Moon, Jordan Grant and Marquell Brown have combined to run for 1,784 yards and 22-TDs on the season. NC State commit Dylan McMahon anchors the offensive line for the Raiders. Omar Burroughs leads the Raiders secondary with 5 picks on the season. The Savannah Christian defense is only yielding 11.1 points per game. If Claxton is going to win this one, this game will have to be low scoring. We don’t think that will be the case. We like the Raiders by 11.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

Both Clinch County and Charlton County are in line to earn a spot in the post season. The two South Georgia rivals will face off for the 57thtime. A win would improve either teams standings in the power rankings. Trezman Marshall and Dantonio Robinson help spearhead the be Clinch County Attack. Jeremiah Johnson can also be a mismatch in the passing game for the Panthers. Johnson stands at 6’7”. The Panthers defense has given up 13.8 points per game on the season. Their only loss on the season was to No. 1 ranked Irwin County.

Charlton County may get lost in the shuffle behind Clinch County and Irwin County, but the Indians will be a contender in Class-A Public in the post season. Raykwon Anderson and Michael Elliott have been mainstays for the offense and have helped lead Charlton County to a 6-2 record. One of those losses came at the hands of the aforementioned Irwin County and the other to Appling County. The Indians are averaging 27.3 points per game. We think that they might need to score 30 to outlast Clinch, we just don’t believe the Panthers will give up that many. We like Clinch by 9.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Marist War Eagles will travel to Roswell to take on the Blessed Trinity Titans in a game that should determine the region champion. As most everyone knows, these two teams met up in the state final game in 2017, with Blessed Trinity claiming the championship. Since then these teams have been on a collision course. The Titans are led by handful of two-way players including Steele Chambers (813 yards rushing, 15-TDs, 54 total tackles), Ryan Davis (412 yards receiving, 16 total tackles, 1-Int) and Jake Smith (991 passing yards 8-TDs and 2-Ints on defense). JD Bertrand (54 tackles) J.R. Bivens (22 tackles) and Quinton Reese (28 tackles) help lead a defense that is giving up 9.5 points per game.

Marist will be looking to claim their 25th region title with a win on Friday night. Much of their success will depend on how well that QB Connor Cigelske can execute the offensive attack. Cigelske has been the leading rusher for the War Eagles, but Marist does have a playmaker in WR/DB Kyle Hamilton. While Cigelske will need to be effective on offense, the Marist defensive line of Ryan Mannelly, Dean Colton and Adam Pozzobon will be tasked with slowing down Steele Chambers. Marist has reeled off five consecutive wins since the loss to St. Pius, including a shutout last week of Flowery Branch. The prior three meetings have been decided by a combined 12-points. We think  momentum swings back to Marist and believe the War Eagles will pick up the win on the road by 2 points.

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes and Brooks County Trojans will face off in a Quitman for the Region 1-2A title. The Hurricanes have won four straight games since their September 14th loss to Dodge County. The ground-oriented attack of Fitzgerald is averaging 30.6 points per game on the season. Their biggest victory to date may have been a come from behind victory two weeks ago over Thomasville.

With a win on Friday, Brooks County will clinch it’s first region title since 2015.  Quarterbacks Jacolby Brown and Ni’tavion Burrus have combined to pass for 1,194 yards and 13-TDs on the season. Wide receiver Deon Fountain might be the best offensive weapon for the Trojans. He leads the team in rushing 306 yards and has also caught 48 passes for 605 yards and 12 total TDs. On defense Darryl Gallon has recorded 9 sacks this season for a defense that is giving up 16.6 points per game. We think Fitzgerald has closed the gap on the Trojans, but we still like Brooks County by a touchdown this week.

 

 

 

 

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

TFR Week-11 Eight Greats Around the State Part I

Posted on October 24, 2018 by admin

Week-11 looks to help settle a lot of the uncertainty in the regions standings. Upstart Haralson county and the states leading rusher, Treylon Sheppard will face the defending region and state champion as they visit Calhoun. A Haralson upset win would shake things up in the region standings…Down in South Georgia, the Valdosta Wildcats will host the Northside Warner-Robins Eagles. The winner will most likely claim the two seed in the region…Just north of Valdosta over in Tifton, the Tift County Blue Devils will host the Colquitt County Packers. The Blue Devils will be the latest team to try to knock off the defending state champs. The winner will be sitting pretty in the region standings…Finally, we take a look at Region 2-3A is Rick Tomberlin has his Pirates on contention for a region title. But the Pierce County Bears have other plans. Regardless of the outcome, both of these teams should host at least one playoff game come November…

Please feel free to share and comment. Thanks for reading!

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

The Skinny

The Haralson County Rebels have been one of the great turn-around stories of this season. In 2017, the Rebels only won two games and did not win a region game. This season, the Rebels have won seven games and with a win this Friday, would really throw a monkey wrench in the Region-6 standings. Running back Treylon Sheppard is leading the state in rushing with over 2,500 yards. The next closes rusher was over 600 yards behind Sheppard. The Rebels are averaging 33 points per game on offense this season. That’s almost double their point production from 2017.

The Calhoun Yellow Jackets are the defending state champions. Gavin Gray leads Calhoun at quarterback and he has several weapons at his disposal including Zach Fuller, Brannon Spector and Bralin Barton. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 48.8 points per game on offense. The defense is only surrendering 7.1 points per game. As spectacular as Shepard has been this season, we don’t think he can carry the Rebels to a victory over the Jackets. We like Calhoun by 17 this week.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

Northside will travel to Valdosta in a game that should determine the number two seed in the region. Both teams have lost to defending state champ, Lee County. Northside has the distinction of the only team to hold Lee County under 30 points of offense this season. The Eagles Jadin Daniels has passed for 937 yards and 10-TDs on the season. Northside favors the run on offense, as Daniels also leads the team in rushing yards with 792 while Eric Smith has rushed for 519 yards on the season with 6-TDs.

The Valdosta Wildcats Tate Rodemaker has passed for over 2,400 yards on the season along with 23-TDs. Aalah Brown did not play against Lee County but still leads the team in receptions and receiving yards. Jaheim Bel and Tarrell Roberts have combined for 53 receptions and 816 yards through the air. Rajaez Mosley continues to lead the Wildcats on the ground with 663 yards on 124 carries. We believe that home field advantage will have a big role in this game. So we’ll take Valdosta by a field goal.

 

 

 

The Skinny

Tift County and Colquitt County will look to gain control of region 1. A win puts either team in the driver’s seat of the four team region. The Blue Devils got a big win against Lowndes last week as senior quarterback Patrick Felton passed for 283 yards and 3-TDs. On the season, senior running back Mike Jones has rushed for 862 yards and 10-TDs. Receiver Tyler Ajiero has caught 30 passes for 600 yards and 7-TDs. Austin Williams anchors an offensive line that helped pave the way for over 1,500 yards of rushing offense for the Blue Devils. Defensively, KD McDaniel leads the Blue Devils in sacks while Deontae Overstreet leads the team in total tackles with 70.

We have mentioned before about Colquitt’s dominance this season. Jaycee Harden has passed for almost 1,300 yards while the combination of Ty Leggett and Daijaun Edwards has rushed for 1,286 yards on the season and 21 rushing TDs. Perhaps we don’t show enough love to their offensive line, anchored by Kamaar Ball and William Rykard. But these guys definitely set the tone for the Packers. The defense is giving up 9.2 points per game. We won’t be surprised if this game is not a blowout. But we think the Packers are just to strong at home this week. Pack by 14.

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Pierce County Bears and Appling County Pirates will meet on Friday in a game that should determine the Region-3 champion. The Bears come into the game undefeated and averaging 46.3 points per game on offense and giving up a mere 5.3 points per game on defense. They have shut out five of their opponents on the season. Pierce County is averaging 278.5 yards per game on the ground. Senior running back John Jones leads the way with over 1,000 on the season.  Parker Peagler leads the team in receptions, although the Bears do not pass the ball a lot. Quarterback Jermaine Brewton has thrown 15-TDs and only 2 interceptions.

Coach Rick Tomberlin continues his rebuilding of Appling County.  This season, the Pirates find themselves in position to at least force a tie and perhaps, win the region with a victory this week and next. The Pirates offense has done much of their damage on the ground this season as well. RJ Conaway and Sharode Roberts have combined for 787 yards and 6-TDs on the ground. Sophomore Keyshawn Walker leads the team in receptions and receiving yards with 269. Appling County is surrendering 14.6 points per game on the year. We aren’t sure if the upstart Pirates have what it takes this season to knock of the Bears, so we’ll take the safe bet in Pierce County. Bears win by 10.

 

 

 

 

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

TFR Week-11 Cherokee County Football Preview

Posted on October 23, 2018 by admin

All six county teams are in action for Week-11. Perhaps the most high-profile county game this week is at Skip Pope Stadium as the Harrison Hoyas visit the Sequoyah Chiefs. Each team desperately needs a win as the fight for a home playoff berth hangs in the balance…River Ridge will travel to South Cobb this week, both teams are trying to finish the season strong. This game will feature contrasting styles. Which offense will be able to dictate the pace of play…Creekview will travel to face a Sprayberry team that has battled the other top-region foes down to the wire. Is this a trap game for Coach Carter’s Grizzlies…Cherokee is at home and will host Walton this week. Do the Warriors have what it takes and pull of an upset of epic proportions. If they do, they’d be almost certain to host a home playoff game…Etowah will look to clinch a playoff berth as they travel to face Lassiter. Will the Eagles be focused, or will they be looking ahead to next weeks big matchup against region leader, Roswell…Finally, we look at the Woodstock-Roswell game. The Wolverines will visit Ray Manus stadium with hopes of knocking off the Hornets and staying in contention for a playoff berth…

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share and comment.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Both Sequoyah and Harrison are in a battle to claim a home playoff berth. Each team needs to win out in order to secure a home playoff game. Harrison was off last week after beating Osborne on October 12th. The Hoyas trio of Gavin Hall (QB), David Roberts (RB) and Micah Davis (WR) lead an offense that is averaging 37.6 points per game. Will McCarty and Ryan Smith lead the Hoyas defense that’s giving up less than two touchdowns a game.

The Chiefs have reeled off three straight wins including a scare from Sprayberry last week. Sequoyah got a big performance against Sprayberry from Cole Jacobs, as he rushed for over 160 yards. Jacobs, DJ King, Jackson Smith, Collin Koprowski and Jaden Mitchell have led the Chiefs on the ground. Jacobs, Myles McGee and Emmanuel Jenkins have also provided balance as receivers for the Chiefs run first offense. Some of the unsung heroes for the Chiefs include linemen like Spencer Clark, Alex Majeed and Connor Johnston. They set the tone for an offense that averages 267 yards/game on the ground. Defensively, Adam LaSelva and Grant Gibson lead the Chiefs in tackles.  Jenkins, King, McGee and company help make the Chiefs very challenging to throw against. We do expect them to be challenged this week. Sequoyah has lost to the Hoyas the past two meetings. We think that this season, the tide has turned. We like the Chiefs to edge the Hoyas by a field goal…Perhaps in overtime.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

The South Cobb Eagles will be looking to end the season on a high note as the River Ridge Knights come to town this Friday. Both teams have been improving this season, but each are still looking for a complete game. The River Ridge defense will need to key in on South Cobb quarterback Aeneas Dennis. Dennis is a dual threat QB that can cause problems for opposing defenses through the air and on the ground. When Dennis goes to the air, typically Brysen Boone is the primary beneficiary. Boone has shown the ability to be an explosive playmaker for South Cobb.

Alternatively, River Ridge will look to control the clock and beat teams on the ground. Freshman Amehre Morrison has made great strides this season in the backfield for the Knights. He and Chico Ward lead the Knights ground attack. The Knights offense had a rough go of it the last two weeks against two of the best defenses in the region, but they face a South Cobb team that’s giving up 34.8 points per game. We believe that the Knights rushing attack will give the Eagles plenty of problems this week, but we don’t know if the Knights defense can contain Dennis. We’ll like the Eagles by a touchdown in a close one.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Sprayberry Yellow Jackets have ben knocking on the door this season. They have played the top teams in Region 6 respectfully, but have fallen short to the likes of Sequoyah, Harrison and Dalton all by 8-points or less. The Yellow Jackets were eliminated from post-season play with the loss last week to Sequoyah, but can still play spoiler with a win this week against Creekview. Sprayberry will need a staunch defensive effort and a good performance from Aaron Bibbins, Myles Worthy, Darnell Mundin and the remainder of the Sprayberry offense.

Creekview qualified for the playoffs last week and with a win on Friday would move a step closer to securing a home playoff game. Creekview’s Cade Radam had a big week last week rushing for 182 yards and going over the 1,000-yard mark on the season. That’s not great news for Sprayberry, who allowed 163 yards to Cole Jacobs last week. Creekview’s success can really be found on both the offense and defensive lines. Clemson commit John Williams and Nick Pendley anchor the offensive line. Pendley has picked up several power five offers over the last couple of weeks as his stock continues to rise. The defensive line, led by Avery Rocks, Alex Godfrey and John Hanaford set the tone for a defense that is only giving up 9.8 points per game. We don’t think this is a trap game. We like the Grizzlies big this week on the road. Creekview by 20.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Cherokee Warriors look to be in a good position to make the post season. With one win over the last two weeks, the Warriors will return to the post season after an absence last year. But standing in the way of the Warriors this week are the Walton Raiders. The Raiders are coming off of an upset loss to region rival Roswell. Walton’s air attack is led by dual threat QB Austin Kirksey. Kirksey has two talented wide receivers in Dominick Blaylock and Kendall Alford. The Walton offense has been prolific this season, averaging 36.6 points per game on the season. The defense has been good but not overly impressive in 2018. Up until last week, the Raiders had been able to just outscore their opponents.

The Warriors really can’t afford to get in a track meet with Walton. While Cherokee is much improved this season, we don’t see a scenario where Landon Ergle out-duals Austin Kirksey. But that’s not to take anything away from Cherokee. Ergle has come a long way since last season. Garrett Miles and Grant Mogelnicki have bolstered the run game, while Devon Ellison is steadily making a name for himself at wide receiver. We really like this Cherokee defense. They are physical and fly around all over they field. We’ve mentioned these names before, but if Cherokee is going to keep this game close, McKinley Hunter, Kerwin Majano, Grant Hornbuckle and Mogelnicki will have to have big games for the Warriors defense. We do believe the Warriors will get their 5thwin on the season, but we don’t think it will be this week. We like the Raiders by 14.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Etowah Eagles will travel to Frank Fillmann Stadium to take on the Lassiter Trojans. With a win this week, the Eagles would secure a spot in the post season.  The Eagles had last week off to recover from their game against Walton. The Etowah defense has given up 23 points per game, but the offense is only scoring 17 points per game. In large part, that has to do with the tough schedule the Eagles have faced this season. We think Nick Maddox should have success against the Lassiter defense.

It’s been a long season for the Trojans as they have one win on the season. The Lassiter offense struggled last week against Woodstock’s defense. The Trojans might be in for another tough night defending against the Etowah defense that is led by Dalton Nicolai and Cole Milavanovic. The Trojans offense is led by Quarterback Mitch Storm, running back Nnamdi Orijoke and receiver Buchi Nwaubi. We think they will have another tough week against a physical defense. We like the Eagles by two touchdowns.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Woodstock Wolverines picked up a big win last week against Lassiter. The Wolverines will need to win out to make the post season. But first things first, they’ll need to slow down the Roswell Hornets who are flying high this season. Woodstock got two defensive touchdowns last week against Lassiter courtesy of David Daniel and Camden Vaughn. The Wolverines will need another big performance from their defense as they travel to Roswell. This season The Wolverines are giving up 24.2 points per game, but against the two ranked opponents they’ve faced, they are yielding 36.5 points per game.

Roswell got a big win last week over then No. 2 ranked Walton. They Hornets have been scoring points in bunches this season, averaging 37 points per game. Quarterback Ethan Roberts , running back Kamonty Jett and receivers John Copenhaver and Jacob Jarrett have provide much of the production this season for the Hornets. Trye Zimmerman and Alek Nikolich anchor the offensive line for Roswell. The Hornets defense is giving up  21.7 points per games, so there should be some opportunities for Ryan Martin and Walker Ormsby of Woodstock to get the Wolverines into the end zone. Even if this is a shootout, we like Roswell’s chances this week. Hornets by 13.

 

 

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

TFR Week-10 GHSA Football Poll

Posted on October 21, 2018 by admin

Our Week-10 polls have been published and are listed below.

Most of the shake-up in our poll occurred in Class 7A Walton was upset by Roswell by one, while Tift County edged Lowndes by 4. While we weren’t high on Tift in the preseason because of their graduation losses, the Blue Devils sit at 6-2 and are still in play for a region title.

Lee County continues their dominance in Class 6A The Trojans beat Valdosta to move to 8-0 on the season. Johns Creek enters the poll for the first time this season. The Gladiators can wrap up the region title with a win this week against Alpharetta.

In 5A, the only change to the rankings is a flip-flop of Dutchtown and Stockbridge. The Bulldogs beat the Tigers and are in the driver’s seat for the Region title.

The Pickens Dragons picked up their first region title in school history as they knocked off Ridgeland. The Dragons are undefeated on the season and up to No. 8 in the poll. Flowery Branch drops to No. 9 after a shutout loss to Marist. Cairo is back in the top ten in Class 4A; the Syrupmakers look to be in control of Region 1.

Monroe Area picked up a big win against Jefferson on Friday. The Canes clinched the Region 8 title. The loss drops the Dragons to No. 10.  All of the other ranked 3-A teams won on Friday night.

In 2A, Heard County got a big win at home as they edged Callaway 13-10. The win gets Heard back into the top-10 this week.

There were no changes to the 1-A Public poll, but Greene County did score a big win against 1-A Private Aquinas.

The aforementioned Aquinas loss drops the Fighting Irish to No. 9. While Savannah Christian picked up a big win against region rival Savannah Country Day. The Raiders are up to No. 6 this week.

Polls are fun and can provide for spirited and healthy conversations and debates. We welcome any and all poll feedback.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Turd Ferguson Report - Weekly Power Rankings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Podcast Interview with Lawrence Morgan of NWGA Football

Posted on October 18, 2018 by admin

Today, we shift our focus to Northwest Georgia and have a special guest, as Mr. Lawrence Morgan, the founder and curator of NWGA Football joins us to talk high school football. Lawrence has helped to spotlight some of the football talent in Northwest Georgia. He started what he thought would be a small hobby, which has now grown to include a website nwgafootball.us and a very active social media presence (Twitter: @NWGAFootball). We talk about a couple of the best players he’s seen as well as a few surprise players in the area. We also discuss best game atmospheres. Finally we take a peek look into teams out of the area that might make runs in the state tournament. Tune in as we talk football with Lawrence Morgan.

 

 

Please remember to visit our segment sponsor http://www.yourganizeit.com Make sure you tell them you heard about them from The Turd Furgeson Report!

Please feel free to share and follow us on Twitter: @turdfurgesonrpt and on the web at https://turdfurgeson.com

Posted in Podcasts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Part II Week-10 Eight Greats Around the State

Posted on October 18, 2018 by admin

Part II of our Week-10 GHSA football preview will again feature four matchups that will either decide or go a long way in deciding region champions. The Pickens Dragons host the Ridgeland Panthers for a shot at the region 6-4A title. Ridgeland started off slow but has won five straight while Pickens looks to stay red-hot. The Dragons are 8-0 for the first time in school history. Can the Dragons knock off the defending region champs…Brookwood and Parkview will play in a game that should decide the region 7-7A champ. Parkview is undefeated this season with wins over Lowndes and Milton to name a few. Brookwood has won six straight games after dropping their week one matchup against North Gwinnett. The last two games have been decided by less than 4 points each time. Will it be close again this season…Flowery Branch lost a nail-biter last week against No. 1 Blessed Trinity. Yet there is no time to cry over spilled milk. The Marist War Eagles are waiting in the wings to take on the Falcons this week. Marist has been dominating opponents as of late. Will this be another nip and tuck game as these two jockey for playoff positioning…Finally, we head down to Savannah as Savannah Christian takes on Savannah Country Day. The Savannah Christian Raiders have learned fast under first year coach Baker Woodward. With a win, Savannah Country Day stays in contention for a region title. Which teams youth movement will be best served this Friday night…

Please feel free to share and comment. Thanks for reading!

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Pickens Dragons will host the Ridgeland Panthers for the 6-4A title on Friday night. Pickens finds themselves at 8-0 for the first time in program history. The Dragons offense is averaging 48.1 points a game through the first 8 games of the season. Quarterback CJ Streicher has been steady for Pickens, passing for 951 yards and 16-TDs and rushing for over 700 yards this season   Running back Ryan Davis (556 yards, 8-TDs) leads a host of Pickens backs that have together with Streicher rushed for over 2,700 yards this season. Zach Goss leads the team in receptions with 20 catches for 402 yards and 8-TDs. The Pickens defense is only giving up 11.6 points per game. Linebacker Hunter Herman leads the defense in total tackles with 80.

Yet, Ridgeland presents an entirely different set of challenges for Pickens than they may have faced to date. The Panthers have playmakers at all of the skill positions. Quarterback Tanner Hill his been effective getting the ball down the field to receivers such as Stephon Walker, Azavier Blackwell, and perhaps the most dangerous weapon for the Panthers, Jordan Blackwell. Jordan Blackwell leads the Panthers rushing attack as well. The Panthers faced some stiff competition early on, which may allude to some of the offensive production being down and points surrendered being a little high. Through seven games, the Panthers are yielding 24.1 pointe per game. However, over the last two games, the Panthers have outscored their opponents 118-7. We think this game should go down to the wire, as Pickens will be tested by a talented Ridgeland squad. We like the Dragons to edge the Panthers by one at home in a nail-biter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The battle of Five-Forks renews for the 37thtime as Parkview travels a mere 6 miles down the road to take on the Brookwood Broncos. The winner of this game certainly has an inside track to the region title with only three weeks left in the season. Brookwood has reeled off six consecutive victories after dropping their week one game to defending state champ, North Gwinnett. Suffice to say that Coach Jones and his staff have the Broncos playing closer to a level that folks have come to expect. The Broncos are talented but lacked experience early in the season. Brookwood is only giving up 13.1 points per game this season. Tony Ward and Anthony Gorney lead the defense in tackles with 81 and 73 respectively. Meanwhile on offense, Chris Carter and Eli Kohl lead the Broncos in rushing as the duo has combined for over 1,100 yards and 19-TDs.

On the other hand, the Parkview Panthers have scored some big wins this season, but we suspect that a win this week over rival Brookwood might be the biggest to date. Parkview’s offense is led by quarterback Jordan Williams, who has passed for over 1,300 yards with 11-TDs. Malik Washington, one of the most dynamic players in the state, leads Parkview in receiving with 44 catches for 707 yards. Sophomore Cody Brown leads the rushing attack with 770 yards and 14-TDs on 89 carries. Linebacker Kobe Wilson leads the Panthers defense in total tackles with 71. Wilson is also tied for the team lead in sacks. In terms of experience, we give the edge to Parkview this season. However, that doesn’t mean that the Panthers will run away with this game. We tend to think this game will be a very similar to the last two contests, but this week, we like Parkview by 4.

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Flowery Branch Falcons travel to Atlanta to take on the Marist War Eagles. Last week Flowery Branch gave No. 1 ranked Blessed Trinity all they wanted. The Falcons proved they could play with the top teams in the state and will have a chance to get their first signature win in their new region this Friday. Quarterback Elijah Gainey has a big arm and can really get the ball down field. His primary target is Jalin Strown, while DJ Brown has also been productive at the wide receiver spot. Jaizen Ellingham isn’t afraid of contact running between the tackles. Perhaps the most impressive stat about the Falcons is their defense, which is only giving up 11.42 points per game and held Blessed Trinity to their lowest point output of the season.

Meanwhile, the Marist War Eagles have won 4 consecutive games after losing the Fish Bowl to St. Pius back on September 14th. Since that loss, the War Eagles have averaged 52 points per game, while only surrendering 8.5 points per game during that same stretch. Last week, the War Eagles did most of their damage on the ground.  As a team, they rushed for over 280 yards. Marist has used a committee of backs to spearhead the rushing attack. Flowery Branch will need to key in on slowing down the Marist run game if they are going to win on the road. Hopefully we will get to see Kyle Hamilton locked up on Jalin Strown. That would be a fun matchup. Nevertheless, we like for the Falcons to bounce back from an emotional loss last week and win on the road this week by a field goal.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Savannah Christian Raiders will take on the Savannah Country Day Hornets on Friday night as both teams continue to vie for a the Region 3-A title. But more importantly a win by either team would improve their standings in the GHSA Class-A Private power rankings, which ultimately determines playoff seeding.  Sophomore quarterback Spencer Robicheaux has passed for 862 yards and 11-TDs this season while learning the new offense of first year head coch Baker Woodward. Receivers Omar Burroughs (314 yards, 3-TDs), Nate Moon (201 Yards, 1-TD) and Noah Chumley (199 yards, 2-TDs) lead Savannah Christian through the air. Moon, Jordan Grant, and Marquell Brown have combined to rush for over 1,600 yards and 20-TDs. While N.C. State commit Dylan McMahon anchors the offense line that paves the way for the Raiders rushing attack. On defense, Nate Moon also leads the team in total tackles with 74. Speaking of defense, the Raiders are only giving up 11.7 points a game.

On the other hand, Savannah Country Day will counter with an offense led by freshman quarterback Barry Kleinpeter. Kleinpeter has passed for 842 yards and 10-TDs. Sophomore running backs Donovan Davelaar (392 yards) and Erik Brown (372 yards) lead the team in rushing. Senior Matthew Mims leads the team in receiving with 13 catches for 298 yards and 5-TDs. The Raiders defense has been pretty stout this season, there are giving  up an average of  8.2 points per game and have shutout two of their opponents. CJ Nugara, Ash Pinckney, Andre Miller and Clay Dekle anchor the front seven for the Hornets. Nagura leads the team in total tackles while junior tackle Kareem Reedy leads the team in sacks with 5. In our opinion, Savannah Christian looks to be a little ahead of Savannah Country Day offensively this season. For that reason, we like the Raiders to win by 9 this Friday.

 

 

 

 

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

TFR Week-10 Eight Greats Around the State Part I

Posted on October 17, 2018 by admin

Part I of our Week-10 GHSA football preview, we look at four games that will go a long way in determining region titles. The Valdosta Wildcats will travel to Leesburg and take on the defending state champs. Lee County hasn’t lost since Valdosta beat them in the regular season last year. Do the Wildcats have what it takes to take down the champs…We stay and South Georgia for the next game to check in with the Camden County Wildcats. Coach Sphire is in the process of turning Camden County around, but will the Wildcats have what it takes to hang with perhaps the best team in the state, regardless of classification…Dutchtown will be looking to take the inside track in region 4-5A. But defending champ Stockbridge will certainly have something to say about that. Both teams play great defense, which offense will break through in this pivotal region matchup…Finally, we head to Jefferson, as the Jefferson Dragons will host the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes. The Dragons hope to get starting QB Colby Clark back for this game. He will certainly help, as the Dragons face a Canes team that has recorded four straight shut outs. Can the Dragons overcome the Canes defense…

Please feel free to share and comment. Thanks for reading!

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Valdosta Wildcats travel to Leesburg to take on the Lee County Trojans in a game that very well could decide the Region 1-6A title. Valdosta was the last team to beat the Trojans, a 31-28 victory last season. The Wildcats come into the game riding a three game win streak and have already secured a playoff spot. Tate Rodemaker has been on fire this season, completing 67% of his passes for over 2,300 yards and 23-TDs. His primary targets have been Alah Brown (36 receptions, 628 yards) and Jaheim Bell (29 receptions, 397 yards). Rajeaz Mosey leads Valdosta in rushing yards with 627 and touchdowns, with 3-TDs on the season.

Lee County has been running through it’s opponents this season like a hot knife through butter. The Trojans defense has only given up 23 points all season…That equates to 3.2 points per game. They have three shutouts to their credit and, according to our sources, have only giving up 65 rushing yards all season. Meanwhile the offense is averaging 39.7 points per game. Quarterback Kyle Toole has passed for over 1,200 yards and 15-TDs with no interceptions. Daveon Sanders and Chauncey Magwood lead Lee County in receptions with 19 and 18 respectively. Shaundarious Kimbrough and Preston Simmons have combined to rush for 483 yards and 11-TDs on the season. We believe that the winner of this game has the inside track to win the region. Valdosta will score more than the 3 points that Lee is surrendering. As a matter of fact, we like a high scoring affair, but we also like Lee County to edge the Wildcats by 7 points on Friday.


 

 

 

 

The Skinny

Region play finally gets under way in Region 1-7A as the Colquitt County Packers host the Camden County Wildcats.By most accounts, the Packers have been the best team in the state this season. They have yet to allow over 14 points in a game and are surrendering only 9.2 points per game. Conversely on offense, the Pack are averaging 43.3 points a game. The offense is powered by a stout offensive line that has  paved the way for Daijun Edwdards and Ty Leggett to combine for 1,129 yards and 18-TDs on the ground. Meanwhile, Jaycee Harden has passed for just over 1,100 yards and 14-TDs. Josh Hadley leads the team in receiving with 15 catches for 241 yards.

The Camden County Wildcats have had a reversal of fortunes this season. Already besting their three wins from 2017, the Wildcats are looking for a statement win under the leadership of second year coach Bob Sphire. Wildcat quarterback Logan Watson has passed for 1,269 yards and 17-TDs on the season. Shawn Hardy, Logan Berryhill and Caleb Keaton have been the primary targets. The three receivers have combined for 57 receptions and 901 yards with 11-TDs. Running backs Jamie Felix and Daryl Williams have combined for 725 yards on the ground and 9-TDs. Camden’s defense has played well this season only yielding 11.4 points per game. But this will no doubt be their toughest matchup of the season. Camden County is certainly on the right track and we believe they will make the playoffs, but we think Colquitt is just too much for the up and coming Wildcats this week. We like Colquitt by 17.


 

 

The Skinny

 

This region has come down to a round robin set of games between Jones County, Stockbridge and Dutchtown. Ducthtown has already beaten Jones County earlier in the season and now can just about clinch a region title with a win on Friday night. As mentioned back a few weeks ago, its been Arendez Fedd and Christopher Coneway that pace a Bulldogs offense that is averaging 29.5 points per game. Defensively, linebackers Kevon Glenn, Adonis Butler and lineman William Anderson will look to halt the Sotckbridge running attack. Dutchtown has been playing very good defense this season, with 3 shutouts and only surrendering 4.7 points per game.

The Stockbridge Tigers have also put together an undefeated season as they look to defend their Region 4-5A title. The Tigers are averaging 278 yards per game on the ground. The combination of quarterback Jevon McDonald and running backs Steve Bonner and Markell Ramsey have combined for 1,241 yards and 21-touchdowns. McDonald has also thrown for 724 yards. When the Tigers go to the air, lookout for Isaiah Taylor. He leads Stockbridge in receptions with 20 and receiving yards with 325. The Stockbridge defense has been pretty stout themselves, only giving up 8.1 points per game. The defense has combined for 21.5 sacks on the season as John Prince (7) and Brice Bass (5.5) lead the team in that category. Senior defensive end Kerick Reese leads the team in total tackles with 63. This has all the makings of a low scoring defensive battle. We think that favors Dutchtown. Bulldogs by 3 points this week.


 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

A claim for the Region 8-3A title will be on the line Friday night as the Jefferson Dragons will face the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes. The Dragons have played their last two games without junior quarterback Colby Clark. Clark had passed for 402 yards and still leads the team in rushing with 485 yards. Senior  Carter Stephenson has filled in nicely over the last few weeks and on the season has passed for 241 yards with 3-TDs. As a team the Dragons have rushed for over 2,200 yards and 31-TDs this season. Defensively, Jefferson is only giving up 9.25 points per game. Their only loss this season was a week one loss to Oconee County.

Meanwhile, Monroe Area has not surrendered a touchdown in 16 quarters. Through 8 games, the Purple Hurricanes are surrendering 6.6 points per game on defense while their offense is averaging 44.1 points per game. Dual threat quarterback Chandler Byron leads the team in passing (898 yards, 12-TDs) and rushing (1,632 yards, 23-TDs) this season.  Jakia Thompson has also put up some big numbers on the ground, rushing for 758 yards and 5-TDs. Isaiah Glasper and Emmanuel Okwudili lead the receivers for Monroe Area. The two have combined for 20 receptions and 606 yards and 10-TDs. Jaquaris Booker leads the Canes in tackles with 75 total tackles. If Colby Clark is healthy, we like Jefferson, but knowing that he might not be 100%, we’ll take Monroe by a touchdown this week.


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

Conversations With Coaches: Chris Parker – Pickens Dragons

Posted on October 17, 2018 by admin

Jasper and Pickens County have historically been known for producing the best marble in the state of Georgia. Yet this fall, head football Coach Chris Parker has the North Georgia mountain community focused on the gridiron. Coach Parker and the Dragons have won their first eight games for the first time in school history. The Dragons have benefited from senior leadership this season. Coach Parker talks about his beginnings at Sequoyah High school, some of the young men who’ve stepped up for the Dragons this season and he plugs some of the great BBQ restaurants in Pickens County. Of course we talk a little about the big game this Friday. Pickens will host the Ridgeland Panthers for the Region 6-4A title and Coach Parker gives us his thoughts on the opponent and what makes this week’s game challenging. Tune in as we talk Dragons football with Coach Chris Parker.

 

 

Please remember to visit our segment sponsor http://www.yourganizeit.com Make sure you tell them you heard about them from The Turd Furgeson Report!

Please feel free to share and follow us on Twitter: @turdfurgesonrpt and on the web at https://turdfurgeson.com

Posted in Podcasts | Tagged | Leave a comment