In Part II of our Week-4, Eight Greats Around the State, we feature a two south Georgia showdowns. The first has 5A Bainbridge visiting 2A Brooks County. Both teams will be looking to get back into the win column. This one features two teams that love to run the ball; whose rushing attack will come out on top…The second south Georgian showdown features the Valdosta Wildcats traveling to Moultrie to take on the Colquitt County Packers. Do the Wildcats have what it takes to slow down the Pack attack…In metro Atlanta, Westminster and Marist renew a rivalry that’s sat dormant since 1997. Kyle Hamilton will be on display looking to help guide the War Eagles to another victory…And in northwest Georgia, the Rockmart Yellow Jackets host the Heard County Braves. We will be interested to see if the Braves can bounce back after falling to #1 Hapeville Charter last week. And we want to know if Rockmart is a pretender or contender.
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Key:
TFR – Turd Ferguson Report
GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association
NR – Not Ranked
The Skinny
Brooks County will look to rebound this week after taking one on the chin from one of the top single A programs in the state last week. The road won’t get any easier this Friday, as the Trojans will host the Bainbridge Bearcats for the first time in school history. If Brooks County is going to get back on track, they will need to get Jacolby Brown and Deon Fountain going in the run game. The Trojans are a run heavy offense, but Brown had shown the ability to make things happen through the air.
Bainbridge will be looking to get back on track this week after losing on the road to Tallahasee Lincoln last week. The Bearcats also feature an impressive ground game headed by Rashad Broadnax. The sophomore has rushed for 285 yards and 2-TDs on the young season. Tevin McCray has chipped in 111 yards on the ground this season and has a touchdown as well. We think that Roman Harrison and the Bainbridge defense will give Brooks just enough trouble to pull of the win this week on the road. Bainbridge by a touchdown.
The Skinny
Heard County will visit Rockmart as they face their second top-10 AA team in as many weeks. The Heard County Braves were beat by the Hapeville Hornets last week after keeping the game close during the first half. This week, the Braves will have to compete with the running back combination of ZJ Whatley and Javin Whatley. The two backs have combined for 205 yards and 4-TDs through Rockmart’s first two games. Juke Boozer is a big play threat for the Yellow Jackets offense. He is averaging 32.3 yards per reception.
Heard County will be led by running back and free safety, Aaron Beasley and quarterback Alijah Huzzie. The Braves proved they could move the ball down the field last week against Hapeville, they just could not capitalize on their opportunities. This has the potential to be a high scoring affair. Perhaps in a bit of a mild upset, we like Rockmart to win this one at home by the slimmest of margins…Jackets by 1.
The Skinny
Westminster and Marist have played 45 times in a rivalry dating back to 1957, but this will be the first meeting since 1997. The Westminster Wildcats fast start was derailed last week by a stingy St. Pius X Lions team. This week, they will try to get back on track as the host the Marist War Eagles. The Wildcats will need to find a way to get one of their quarterbacks going whether it by Chance Loeffler or Parks Harber. Last week, Harber led the way with 171 yards through the air.
Marist will counter the Wildcats passing attack with a defense led by Notre Dame commit Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton was special on special teams play last week turning a blocked kick and a kickoff return into points. We anticipate that Marist will control this game and do more than enough to take down the Wildcats this week. We like Marist to grind out a victory on the road. War Eagles by 13.
The Skinny
Perennial South Georgia powers Colquitt County and Valdosta will meet up on Friday at Mack Tharpe Stadium for the 46thtime. The host Packers have been slicing through their competition like a hot knife through butter. They have outscored their opponents 133-24. Daijuan Edwards continues to pace the Pack on the ground as he has racked up 433 yards and 6-TDs on the season. Quarterback Jaycee Harden seems to be settling in nicely for Colquitt County. He’s competing 67% of his passes and is averaging just over 150 yards passing per game this season.
Last week, the Cats got a bounce back win. Tate Rodemaker was very efficient at quarterback, going 16-18 for 222 yards and 3-TDs. Rajaez Mosley topped the century mark as well last week and scored a rushing touchdown. But the Cats will be facing their stiffest competition of the season. Colquitt is a national power. Valdosta will need to control the ball and may need to turn Colquitt over a time or two to keep this one close and pull the upset. We think that’s possible, but not probably. We like the Pack by 17.