Eight Greats Around the State Week-2 Part II

Part-II of our Eight Greats Around the State is highlighted by the Grayson-Tucker matchup. This will be a nationally televised game. Tucker took one on the chin last week and will be looking to bounce back…Mercer University will host an interesting match-up between two middle Georgia traditional powers when Peach County and Northside, Warner Robins meet at Five Star stadium. Our other two previews will feature matchups between some of Metro-Atlanta’s best private school football as Westminster visits GAC and Lovett visits Marist. As always, please feel free to comment and share. We love to hear your thoughts.

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

The Skinny

 

The Westminster Wildcats bring their high scoring attack to Norcross as they take on the Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans in a match-up of two class 3A powers. The Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans are highlighted by brothers Chris and Myles Hinton. These two are certainly a matchup problem for any defensive line. Last week the Spartans were led on offense by quarterback Josh Rose who used his legs and rushed for 2 TDs including the game winner from 5 yards out in the closing minutes of the game.

 

Westminster showed that they can put points on the board as they outscored a highly rated Woodward Academy team 31-0 after the first quarter. Parks Harber led the way with 196 yards through the air and 5-TDs. All 5 TDs went to different receivers. Last year, GAC ran away with this game. We believe that Westminster has closed the gap a lot. However, we like the Spartans by a field-goal at home.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Tucker Tigers face another of the state’s top programs as they visit the Grayson Rams on Saturday night. Tucker is coming off of a tough game last week against Buford and things don’t get any easier as they face a Grayson team that is full of players who will be playing football at the next level. The Tigers did have some bright spots on offense as they were led by quarterback Travon Ford, running back Tyler Hughey and receiver Isaiah Dunson.

The Grayson Rams were off last week, but the big story coming out of Grayson was some player discontentment with head coach Christian Hunnicutt. Perhaps the best thing for Grayson is that they will be on the football field this Friday. While we expect the Tucker Tigers to be competitive, we think even with the unrest in the Grayson locker room, the Rams will be able to overcome the distractions and beat the Tucker Tigers. We like Grayson by three scores in this one.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Northside Eagles got 2018 off to a great start as they travelled up to Roswell and had an impressive showing against Centennial. Running Back Eric Smith had a big night for the Eagles as he rushed for 185 yards and 2 TDs. Quarterback Jadin Daniels also had a good game in his first start under center for the Eagles, rushing for 51 yards and 1 TD.

The Peach County Trojans were was off last week, but as they come into this season they will be looking to find production from the WR and RB positions as they graduated Kearis Jackson, Trevon Woolfolk and Chris Gibson. Receivers Millard Thomas and Terkel Jefferson appear ready to step in and fill some of the void left by Jackson. This game should certainly prepare the Trojans for Region play, which starts on September 21st. But Northside is a tough matchup for anyone in the state, especially this early in the season. We like Northside by two touchdowns.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Marist War Eagles will take the field for the first time since falling to Blessed Trinity in the 2017 state title game in 4-A. The Ware Eagles won’t ease into the season as the Lovett Lions visit Hughes-Spalding Stadium on Friday night. Lovett battled a very talented Greater Atlanta Christian team till the end last week, falling 24-21, so it’s safe to say they will bring that same fight with them on Friday. Much of Lovett’s success will depend on how well quarterback Blaine McAllister controls the offense.

The strength for Marist will be upfront on the defensive line as they return three starters from last season. WR/DB Kyle Hamilton is also an electric player for the War Eagles. The Notre Dame commit should be a playmaker for a team that lost a lot of production on offense. Marist has been a model of consistency over Coach Alan Chadwick’s career. That’s probably the reason that we like Marist by less than a field goal this week.

 

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Cherokee County Week-2 Previews

Week two cranks up as 4 county teams go head to head; while the other two teams face very formidable opponents. The River Ridge Knights might have the toughest draw as they take on Class AA defending state champion Hapeville Charter. Etowah will tangle with North Cobb as they try to tame running back Christian Singleton.  The county’s second oldest rivalry game features the Sequoyah Chiefs visiting the Cherokee Warriors. Creekview and Woodstock will face off for the first time ever. Can Coach Carter and the Grizzlies match last weeks red-hot start? The TFR staff will be at Woodstock to check out the Wolverines and the new-look Grizzlies and to see if it’s Woodstock or Creekview that have the best student section in Cherokee County. Check out our game previews below. As always, we appreciate any and all feedback.

 

 

Key: 

TFR – Turd Ferguson Report

GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association

NR – Not Ranked

 

 

 

The Skinny

The River Ridge Knights dominated time of possession last week against county foe Etowah, but were unable to convert the ball control offense into points. The Knights attempted 38 running plays from scrimmage. We can probably expect more of the ground game from the Knights as the again face one Georgia’s football titans over the last few years, the Hapeville Hornets. Pay no attention that the Hornets are a Class AA team. They won the state title last year, and anyone who has spent any time in the state of Georgia knows that there is a high level of high school football played in every classification. And yes, the Hapeville Hornets are a prime example.

The Hornets will be breaking in a new quarterback in Jordan Slocum, who transferred in from Southwest Macon last season. Slocum will be flanked in the backfield by running back Marcus Carroll. Defensively, the Hornets will be paced by pre-season all state selections, Malik Fleming in the secondary and Mel Johnson on the defensive line. There is no doubt that Hapeville graduated a lot of talent from last year’s state title team, but we believe there is still enough talent to get a win in the 7thAnnual Inner-City classic. We like Hapeville to win this one by two touchdowns.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Both North Cobb and Etowah got their season’s started off with a victory last week. North Cobb was led by Christian Singleton, who rushed for 174 yards on 30 carries. Singleton was truly a work horse. We can only imagine that the Etowah defense will be getting a steady dose of him all night. The Eagles do return a couple of talented defensive linemen that should make repeating last week’s performance by Singleton a little more challenging.

However, North Cobb is not a one-trick pony. Quarterback Trevor Lovett can also get it done through the air for the Warriors. The Eagles will try to establish their own ground game with Nick Maddox, who will run behind Dominick D’Antonio, Will Robertson and Porfirio Acosta. Eagles quarterback Dalton Miller led an efficient effort for the Eagles, as he was 12 of 15 passing with 185 yards and 2-TDs. We expect this to be a physical game that becomes a back and forth, see-saw battle. We like North Cobb to edge the Eagles by less than a field-goal.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Adam Carter era got off to a great start as the Creekview Grizzlies got a big win against Cambridge last week. This game will feature a few of the county’s top offensive linemen highlighted by Trevor Stephens from Woodstock and Nick Pendley and John Williams from Creekview. The Grizzlies offensive line paved the way for leading rusher Cade Radam last week, as he racked up over 160 yards on the ground. Woodstock had its hands full last week with a talented North Cobb running back, so they should be no stranger to keying in on a feature running back.

Dean Braxton held his own in his first start under center as he and the Wolverines got some much-needed game experience. Woodstock will present a little better challenge for the Grizzlies, as the two teams play in the regular season for the first time ever. However, we think Creekview might be ready to make a statement that they are one of the top teams in the county in 2018. We like the Grizzlies by a touchdown.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Cherokee Warriors got 2018 off to a good start as they held off a late charge from North Forsyth last week. QB Landon Ergle used his arms and feet to help guide the Warriors to victory. This week, the test gets a little tougher as the Sequoyah Chiefs come calling. The Chiefs have plenty of talent at the skill positions and look to be one of the top teams in the county this season. Sequoyah is led by senior quarterback Collier Pecht. He runs the Chiefs Wing-T offense with great precision. In order to slow down the Chiefs, Kerwin Majano and the Warriors defensive line will need to find a way to disrupt Sequoyah’s timing. Pecht proved last season he can pick teams apart if given enough time.

The Chiefs defense will need to contain Ergle and running back Garrett Miles. Sequoyah shut out Cherokee last season. Will Sequoyah show signs of rust after being off last week? Does the close win last week give the Warriors momentum and  the edge coming in to this week? We think the 23rd edition of this rivalry game is much closer than last season, but we still like the Chiefs by 10.

 

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TFR Week-1 GHSA Football Poll

Each Sunday, we will release our Top-10 poll in each classification. Polls are fun and can provide spirited and healthy conversation. We welcome all poll feedback each week.

There were no changes for the top teams in each classification from our pre-season poll: Grayson (7A); Lee County (6A); Rome (5A); Blessed Trinity (4A); Greater Atlanta Christian (3A); Hapeville Charter (2A); Irwin County (A-Public); and Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (A-Private).

There were some surprises this week. Perhaps none more than Bremen’s upset of Rabun County in class AA. As always, comments are welcomed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Eight Greats Around The State – Part III

Today we continue with our weekly segment of Eight Greats Around the State. Each week, we will take 8 of the more intriguing match-ups and preview the games. Because there are so many great games across the state in week 1, we are breaking this up into 4 parts and previewing 16 games. This is Part 3 of 4. As always, please feel free to share and comment.

 

 

 

The Skinny

The North Gwinnett Bulldogs claimed the 7A state title last season. This season, they will begin their title defense against a very talented but inexperienced Brookwood Bronco team. North Gwinnett returns Tyler Goodson in the backfield. Goodson rushed for 1,315 and 20 TDs last season for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, but do return two of their top receivers in Josh Downs and Javonni Cunningham. Brookwood will have their work cut out for them on defense. Players like Tony Ward, Anthony Gorney and Ennio Zambino will be key in slowing down Goodson and the Bulldogs. It will be interesting to see how Michael Killebrew and the Broncos secondary match up with the North Gwinnett receivers. This game is too close to call for us, but we know we have to make a pick. We’ll take the Broncos in a mild upset by a field goal.


 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Mitchell County and Brooks County will square off for the 46th time, but for the first time since 2013. Mitchell County advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2017. This team looks poised for another strong showing in 2018. They return most of their skill players including dual threat QB James Thomas (1,026 passing, 887 rushing, 26 total TDs) and running back De’Shaun Sherman who rushed for 608 yards and 7 TDs last season. The Eagles also return their top 2 receivers from last season. Linebacker Malik Barnes will lead the Mitchell County defense. The senior led the team in total tackles last year with 132. Brooks County is coming off of a deep playoff run in 2017. They advanced all the way to the semi-final before falling to Rabun County. The Trojans will have to find a replacement for graduated quarterback Mac Perry. Jacolby Brown at quarterback and receiver Deon Fountain look poised to lead the Brooks County offense. The strength of this Brooks County team could be their defense, especially early in the season. Brooks County will be leaning on players such as Darryl Gallon, Tavarres Bivins, Mike Edmonds and Tae’Aviion Gray to keep the Mitchell County offense at bay. This game should be a shootout. We’ll take the Eagles by a touchdown in an upset.


 

 

The Skinny

The McEachern Indians and Colquitt County Packers will face off in the matinée game of the Corky Kelly Classic on Saturday. Both teams advanced deep into the playoffs last season with McEachern advancing to the semi finals and Colquitt falling to North Gwinnett in the Finals. Colquitt will be looking for a new quarterback to run their offense. They have several skilled players along the offensive line anchored by Will Rykard and Kammar Bell. At the skill position, Ty Leggett and Daijuan Edwards will lead the Packers ground attack. McEachern’s Jamil Burroughs and the rest of the Indians defense will certainly have their work cut out for them. While Colquitt is looking for a replacement at quarterback, the Indians may have found their future in super sophomore Carlos Del Rio. Paris Brown returned to form last season for McEachern, rushing for 1,012 yards and 12 TDs. While the Indians are talented this season, we like the combination of Leggett, Edwards in the backfield for the Packers. Colquitt takes this one by 10.


The Skinny

The Benedictine Cadets and Burke County Bears will close out the Erk Russell classic down in Statesboro on Saturday night. Benedictine was reclassified to 3-A in the off-season. Yet, perhaps their biggest challenge will be replacing the production of quarterback Nick Iannone and running back Travis Blackshear. Rico Powers appears set to be the feature back for the Cadets. Last season, Powers rushed for 842 yards and 11 TDs. The Cadets defensive front of Coleman Marini and Eric Hicks should create problems for opposing offenses. Jakeen Harris led the defense last season in total tackles with 103. The Burke County Bears made a deep run into the playoffs last season, but will be seeking a new quarterback, like the Cadets. Demian Williams and Ashlon Williams Jr. are two running backs that the Bears will turn to in the ground game. Even with that said, we think Benedictine will find a way to pull this one out. We like the Cadets by a field goal.

 

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Eight Greats Around The State Part IV

Today we continue with our weekly segment of Eight Greats Around the State. Each week, we will take 8 of the more intriguing match-ups and preview the games. Because there are so many great games across the state in week 1, we are breaking this up into 4 parts and previewing 16 games. This is Part 4 of 4. As always, please feel free to share and comment.

 

 

 

The Skinny

The Manchester Blue Devils open up the season on the road against a Taylor County Vikings team that graduated several skill players last season. The Vikings will rely heavily on their defensive line combination of Todric Cain, Rashad Wonnum and Jamal Howell. Wayne Wimbush and Travis Gooch are a couple of backs that may be called upon to fill the void left by graduation. The Manchester Blue Devils also lose talent to graduation, but do return a trio of running backs led by Deenizeo Gamble. Last season Gamble racked up 1,100 yards on the ground and 14 TDs. Even though the Blue Devils will be breaking in a new starter at QB, we think they return enough talent in the backfield to win on Friday. We like the Blue Devils by two touchdowns.

 

 

The Skinny

The Macon County Bulldogs and Pelham Hornets locked horns last season in the playoffs, with the Bulldogs advancing to the quarterfinals before being ousted by Irwin County. Macon County is another team that lost a lot of production to graduation. Newcomer DeShawn Cumby is poised to take over at quarterback, but most of all the other skill positions will feature new faces. Pelham looks to be poised to shift momentum in the series this season. They return Kendrick Patterson at quarterback. Patterson passed for 1,890 yards as a sophomore. He will have his top receiver, Jordan Bennet and top rusher, Javoris Williams back with him on offense. The Pelham defense posted three shutouts last season and they’ll certainly be looking to start out strong in 2018. We think Pelham is poised for a deep playoff run this season. We also believe that Pelham wins this one by two touchdowns.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Much of the success for Mt. Vernon will depend on the ability of Austin and Justin Douglas getting cranked up on offense. Austin Douglas finished 2017 with 965 yards rushing and 8 TDs. Meanwhile, Justin Douglas led the Mustangs receiving corp with 876 yards and 8 TDs of his own. Mt. Vernon features a new quarterback this season. Much like Mt. Vernon, Prince Avenue Christian will be breaking in a new quarterback as well. Brock Vandagriff is set to be the signal caller for the Wolverines this season. Vandagriff will have a couple of reliable receivers in Christian Parrish and Mac Simmons to help ease the learning curve. Parrish led the team with 15 receiving TDs. This will be a great test for Mt. Vernon to see where they stand against a team that reached the semi-finals last season. We think the Wolverines have a little too much talent for the Mustangs this week. We like Prince Avenue by 10.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Baker Woodward era begins at Savannah Christian tonight. The former Benedictine offensive coordinator will look to continue the success that the Raiders have generally enjoyed in the past. The Raiders feature a big time lineman in Dylan McMahon. He and Colby Quinney will be tasked with making holes for running back Marquell Brown, who is poised to be one of the impact players on offense. Athens Academy played in the state title game in 2017 and sport a pair of talented backs themselves in Payton Bowles and Len’Neth Whitehead. Whitehead is a big back, that stands in at 6’2″ 228lbs who rushed for over 1,200 yards last season for the Spartans. We believe that coach Woodward will get things rolling at Savannah Christian. However, this week, it will be the Athens Academy Spartans that will prevail by two scores.

 

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Eight Greats Around the State Part II

Today we will start our weekly segment of Eight Greats Around the State. Each week, we will take 8 of the more intriguing match-ups and preview the games. Because there are so many great games across the state in week 1, we are breaking this up into 4 parts and previewing 16 games. This is Part 2 of 4. As always, please feel free to share and comment. Stay tuned for part III and IV on Friday morning.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Coffee Trojans will host the Brunswick Pirates on Friday night. Brunswick suffered several losses to graduation across the board, so lack of experience and quality depth might be a concern for the Pirates early in the season. Coffee certainly isn’t a team that you’d normally want to face to “ease into the season”. The Trojans are the Class 6A runner-up from 2017. Coffee will be replacing key starters at the skill positions as well. Antonio Dawson looks to be the heir apparent for the Coffee ground game, while Milton Jackson could give the Brunswick secondary fits on Friday night. We think that Coffee is the favorite here and we like for them to win this one by two scores.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Blessed Trinity begins their title defense on the road against a very challenging opponent in the St. Pius Golden Lions. The Titans return a talented corp of starters at the skill positions on offense, including Steele Chambers and Elijah Green at running backs, Jake Smith under center and Ryan Davis at receiver. But the Golden Lions won’t be intimidated by BT. Connor Egan led St. Pius to the semi-finals last season. Michael Benefield is a talented back that will help take some pressure off of Egan. We think this game will be close for the first half. But we expect Blessed Trinity to flex it’s muscle late and win by 10 on the road.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The Tee Webb era begins at Cartersville on Friday night. He will be matched up against another talented quarterback in Dante Marshall for Allatoona. Cartersville seemed to pick up where they left off, (even without Trevor Lawrence), last week in their scrimmage. But we won’t get carried away with scrimmage results. Tight-end Jackson Lowe is as good as advertised and should be poised to help lead the Purple Hurricanes air attack. We don’t think that the Bucs can win in a shootout with Cartersville. Can the Allatoona defense be physical enough to keep Cartersville in check? The Bucs offense might be their best defense this week. If they can keep Webb on the sidelines with long sustained drives, perhaps they can sway the momentum in their favor. We think this game will be closer than the 21 points last season, but we still like Cartersville by two scores.

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

The fourth game of the Corky Kelly Classic features the Archer Tigers, who have really come on to the scene over the last several years as a force to be reckoned with in class 7A. Defensive backs Andrew Booth and Jalyn Phillips will certainly make passing the ball challenging for Milton QB Jordan Yates. Yates is a dual threat quarterback that has committed to Georgia Tech. Syaire Waters should be one of the receivers that Milton will look to help fill the void left by graduation. Archer QB Carter Peevy is no slouch himself. Last season he passed for over 2,000 yards. The Tigers have a little more experience returning at the skill positions, and that’s why we like them to win this game by two scores.



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Eight Greats Around the State – Part I

Today we will start our weekly segment of Eight Greats Around the State. Each week, we will take 8 of the more intriguing match-ups and preview the games. Because there are so many great games across the state in week 1, we are breaking this up into 4 parts and previewing 16 games. This is Part 1 of 4. As always, please feel free to share and comment.

 

The Skinny

Two of the state’s top powers will lock horns in the early Friday Corky Kell matchup down at Georgia State. These teams have not met in 63 years. We generally associate both of these schools with talented players on both sides of the ball. This matchup shouldn’t be any different. Travon Ford returns at QB for the Tucker Tigers . He passed for over 1,600 yards last season with 18 TDs. David Daniels Jr. returns and looks to be poised to take over as Ford’s top receiver.  Buford’s offensive front will look to keep Derrick McLendon and the Tiger defense at bay. Aaron McLaughlin looks to be poised to take the reins under center for the Wolves. If the Tucker defense can rattle the sophomore signal caller, we like them to take the victory. Either way, we expect this one to be close. We like the Wolves by a field goal.

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Barron Stadium should be electrifying on Thursday night as the Marietta Blue Devils roll into town to take on the two-time Class 5-A defending champion, Rome Wolves. If you haven’t heard of Harrison Bailey, Ramel Keyton and Arik Gilbert, you may have been living under a rock over the past year. Bailey has plenty of weapons at his disposal. While Bailey might be one of the most notable names at quarterback in the state of Georgia this season, Knox Kadum is no slouch himself. Kadum enters his senior season looking to lead Rome to a third straight state title. Jamious Griffin returns to the backfield and Xavier Roberts should be a go to target for Kadum. In a game with countless offensive stars, we think this game will come down to defense. This is probably an unpopular take, but we like the home team, Rome, to win this one by less than one score in a tight game.

 

 

The Skinny

 

The very first game to kick off the high school season will feature Northwest Georgia perennial powers Ridgeland and Calhoun. Calhoun is the defending state champion in Class 3A. The return several key skill position players from last seasons team including QB Gavin Gray, RB Zach Fuller and receivers Luke Moseley, Bralin Barton and Brannon Spector. The Ridgeland defense backs will have their hands full trying to contain the Yellow Jackets through the air. The Panthers return a pretty good quarterback themselves with Tanner Hill. Ridgeland will be replacing their two-top rushers from last season. Look for Cyron Burse and Jordan Blackwell to carry the load for Ridgeland. Stephon Walker, Ridgeland’s leading receiver from last year could give the Jackets secondary some issues. But we think there is just too much experience coming back for Calhoun at the skill position. We like the Jackets by a touchdown.

 

 

 

 

 

The Skinny

 

Cedartown and Rockmart meet for the 73rd time on Friday night. This game will feature four of the top running backs in northwest Georgia. Cedartown will feature the combination of Tony Mathis and Kobe Pryor while Rockmart will counter with Markus Smith and Z.J. Whatley. Dylan Bailey returns as the starter for Rockmart, while Cedartown might give the Jackets a couple of different looks under center, (well, out of the shotgun) with Jadin Johnson and Taji Hudson. No surprise here, but the winner of this game will probably be the team that’s able to control the clock. We think this will be a game that’s decided by less than one score. We give the nod to the visiting Cedartown Bulldogs.

 

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Cherokee County Week-1 Game Previews

The Skinny

The Cherokee Warriors and North Forsyth Raiders will clash for the 7th time on Friday night. Cherokee is looking to bounce back from a tough 2017. The Warriors welcome back Garrett Miles from a non-football related injury last season. He could prove to be an electrifying back for Cherokee. Both Cherokee and North Forsyth will be breaking in new quarterbacks this season. The Warriors will need to slow down the pass-happy North Forsyth Offense. Nicky Dalmolin and Charlie Aiken could present matchup problems for Grant Mogelnicki and the Warriors secondary. North Forsyth also returns their leading rusher from a year ago, Bryson Trigg. If the Warriors can turn the Raiders over and slow down Trigg, they might be able to walk out of North Forsyth with the win. We just think the Raiders return too much on offense. Cherokee keeps it close, but we like the Raiders by 10.

The Skinny

 

These schools are separated by just under six miles, but this will be the first time these two schools from opposite sides of the City of Woodstock will clash. The visiting Knights will be thrown into the fire this Friday. River Ridge lost all of their scoring to graduation in 2017. They will be breaking in several new skill players. Chico Ward and Kofi Reeves Miller have been mainstays on this team. Look for them along with Chase Tomlinson and Trenton McAllister to battle until the end. Etowah returns All-Region running back, Nick Maddox. They also trot out one of the best offensive lines in Cherokee County. We probably don’t need to talk much about the Etowah defensive line, but they are pretty stout as well; led by Dalton Nicolai and Cole Milovanovic. We think Etowah will flex their muscle and win this one by three scores.

The Skinny

Woodstock will be looking to for some answers this week when they take the field against North Cobb. No need to dwell on the losses to graduation from last season, it’s now time for Dean Braxton to showcase his talents under center. Braxton will have the luxury of offensive tackle Trevor Stephens anchoring the offensive line. They Wolverines will need to find a go to receiver or two. North Cobb’s trademark early in 2017 was their defense. They’ll showcase a pretty darn good running back on offense in Christian Singleton. The Georgia State signee rushed for over 1,300 yards out of the North Cobb spread offense last season. The Wolverines will probably get a steady dose of Singleton. We think Woodstock might just not have the experience this early in the season to contain Singleton. We’ve been wrong before, but we like North Cobb by two touchdowns this week.

The Skinny

 

The Battle of the Bears renews its rivalry this Friday. It’s been all Creekview in the previous six meetings. The biggest question might be whether or not the new turf will be installed and ready for Friday night. The Creekview Grizzlies return a talented roster that will be highlighted on offense by workhorse running back, Cade Radam. Radam Rushed for over 1,300 yards last season and had eight 100-yard games. He’ll have an impressive offensive line creating the way as well. Cambridge will be breaking in several starters at the skill positions, but Ridge Polk returns for the Bears. Polk had over 900 yards receiving and 13 TDs. We will see how the Grizzlies secondary matches up with Polk. Cambridge will be trying to spoil Creekview’s home opener but we think the Grizzlies will be able to matchup with Polk and win the seventh consecutive in the series. We like Creekview by three scores.




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Conversations With Coaches – Adam Carter – Creekview Grizzlies

In our final preseason installment of Conversations with Coaches, we spend a few minutes with new Creekview Grizzlies head coach, Adam Carter. Coach Carter inherits a Creekview team that has missed out on the playoffs the last two seasons. We talk to Coach Carter about some of the challenges he and the team face this season. Coach Carter clues us in on some of the players that he’s expecting big things out of this season. We talk about his expectations and he even plugs what some people these parts might call, the best student section in Cherokee County. Tune in as we talk Creekview football with Coach Carter.

 

 

In case you missed it, you can check out our Creekview Football Preview here: Creekview Football Preview

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Laney Wildcats Football Preview

The Skinny

 

Coach Rodney McFadden enters his fourth season as the head coach for the Laney Wildcats. Laney missed out on the playoffs last season, but had qualified for the post seven in the previous seven seasons.

In order to get back to the post season, the Wildcats will have some voids to fill. We asked Coach McFadden about the biggest challenge he and his team face this upcoming season.

“The Quarterback position,” he said. “We will be replacing a 3-year starter so it has turned into an open competition for the starting job.”

While the Wildcats are getting the quarterback position situated, they do return a one-two punch in the backfield featuring Jordan Stringer and Jarvis Washington. Stringer, who played both running back and defensive end last season, was honored as a First Team All-Region selection as a defensive lineman in 2017.

 

 

Chris Tennyson, a Second Team All-Region selection last season, will anchor the offensive line for the Wildcats.

On defense, Maurice Page will join Stringer on the line. Page himself was a First Team All-Region selection in 2017. Theron Foreman and Chad Welcher also return to help bolster the Wildcats defense. Foreman earned First Team All-Region honors last season, while Welcher was Second Team All-Region.

While there are no particular games on the schedule, we have to imagine outside of the region contests, the game against Hephzibah should be a pretty big one for Laney.

We asked Coach McFadden how success would be defined for his team this season.

He said, “Week to week improvement as a team (and) competing for a playoff spot.”

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