Eight Greats Around The State Part IV

Posted on August 16, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on August 16, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on August 16, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on August 15, 2018 by admin

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

Posted on August 15, 2018 by admin

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

Please remember to visit our segment sponsor HilStrides(https://www.facebook.com/HilStrides/). Make sure you tell them you heard about them from The Turd Ferguson Report!

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

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Laney Wildcats Football Preview

Posted on August 14, 2018 by admin

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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Conversations with Coaches – Tyler Wynn – River Ridge Knights

Posted on August 14, 2018 by admin

Like many teams across the state, the River Ridge Knights will be looking to fill several holes with the losses of graduation. In today’s podcast, we talk to Coach Wynn about some of the challenges that the Knights will face this season. We also talk about players that stand out on the field and in the community. Coach Wynn also tells as about what it means to be R-E-A-L for him and within the River Ridge Football Program.

 

 

 

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

Please remember to visit our segment sponsor HilStrides(https://www.facebook.com/HilStrides/). Make sure you tell them you heard about them from The Turd Ferguson Report!

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

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2018 Class 2A Region Previews

Posted on August 13, 2018 by admin

Our 2A region previews are listed below. You’ll find players to watch, key games and our predicted region finish. Please feel free to comment if there are any corrections that need to be made. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share.

Short Take

 

Thomasville looks to be primed for another deep run into the playoffs this season. We believe they will hoist another region trophy this season. We think that Brooks County will give the Bulldogs all they want on October 5th, but the Thomasville should prevail.

 

Short Take

 

We don’t expect for anyone to be upset that Benedictine has moved on to Class 3A. We believe the region will be more up for grabs this season, but we give the nod to Toombs County. Swainsboro, Vidalia and Jeff Davis should be in the mix all season long.

 

 

 

Short Take

 

Dodge County is our pick to win region 3. We expect for Washington County and Dublin should battle it out for the number two seed in the region.

 

 

 

Short Take

 

We expect a little bit of a drop off from defending region champ, Screven County. With the addition of Hephzibah coming down from class 4A, this region just got a little tougher. We are buying in to the Hephzibah hype, but Jefferson County should be the class of the region in 2018.

 

 

Short Take

 

We have region 5 as a two-horse race, between Heard County and Callaway. The two teams will face off on October 19th, and we believe this game will decide the region champion. Heard County gets the nod for as region champ.

 

Short Take

 

Graduation took a toll on Hapeville Charter, but we still expect the Hornets to be on top of the region. Douglass and KIPP Collegiate, shouldn’t be too far behind this season. Don’t be shocked if one of these two teams sneak up on the Hornets this season.

 

 

Short Take

 

Rockmart is our pick here for to repeat as region champ. The Yellow Jackets return several weapons for an offense that averaged over 40 points per game last season. Pepperell, Chattooga, Model and Coosa should be in the mix for playoff spots. Gordon Central should be much improved and are our dark horse to qualify for a playoff spot.

 

 

Short Take

 

Rabun County is our pick for to win the region again this year. Elbert County could be a team that challenges Rabun County, but we just think the Wildcats return to much for the Blue Devils, or anyone else to unseat them.

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2018 Class 4A Region Previews

Posted on August 13, 2018 by admin

Our 4A region previews are listed below. You’ll find players to watch, key games and our predicted region finish. Please feel free to comment if there are any corrections that need to be made. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share.

 

Short Take

 

We like for Cairo to bounce back and claim the region title this season in Region 1. However, we don’t believe it will be easy. Americus-Sumter should run neck and neck with the Syrupmakers all season.

 

 

Short Take

 

Mary Persons looks to be at the head of the class in Region 2. We anticipate that West Laurens and Spalding to battle it out again for second place this season.

 

 

Short Take

 

Burke County is our pick for region champion in Region 3. Thomson should be nipping at their heels also season long. We expect that Baldwin will have some say in this before the dust settles on November 2nd.

 

 

Short Take

 

Woodward Academy is our pick this season to top Region 4. Last season, Eastside gave them all they wanted. If Eastside is going to hoist the region title, they’ll have to find a way to get past Woodward in College Park on October 5th. Don’t count out Salem, either. We believe the Seminoles have enough talent to challenge both Eastside and Woodward.

 

 

Short Take

 

We are drinking the Troup County Kool-Aid this season. We go out on a limb and think Troup will be able wrestle away control of the region this season from Cartersville. We expect Cedartown and Sandy Creek to round out the top four.

 

Short Take

 

We like the Ridgeland Panthers to repeat as region 6 champions. They should face some stiff competition from Pickens and Southeast Whitfield. Can the Panthers new head coach pick up where Wesley Tankersley left off? (We think so.)

 

 

Short Take

As if this region wasn’t difficult enough, Flowery Branch was re-classified this year and now joins the fray. We expect the Blessed Trinity Titans to claim the region title this season. You can never count Marist out, either. Denmark, the newest Forsyth County school will also compete in region 7.

 

 

Short Take

 

St. Pius is our pick to once again hoist the region title at the end of the season. While it may not be a run away this season, the Golden Lions should have enough fire power to keep Madison, Oconee and Stephens County at bay. Stephens County is our dark horse.

 

 

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Conversations with Coaches William Harrell – Hephzibah Rebels

Posted on August 13, 2018 by admin

The Hephzibah Rebels enter the 2018 season with some holes to fill on both sides of the football. Coach William Harrell is in his 3rd season at Hephzibah and is holding his rebels to a high standard. Coach Harrell was honored as the Region Coach of the Year in 2017.  This year, the Rebels drop down two classifications, but there are still some question marks for the Rebels. Tune in as Coach Harrell gives us an in-depth preview of the Rebels for the upcoming season.

 

 

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

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

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