We have turned the calendar to November and with three weeks left in the regular season, it’s do or die time for many high school football teams across the great state of Georgia. This is Part – II of our Eight Greats Around the State, where we look at eight of the more intriguing Georgia High School Football matchups this week.
First up, in one of the biggest games in the state, and perhaps in the southeast this week, the Colquitt County Packers host the Lowndes Vikings. The winner of this game will almost certainly win Region 1-7A. Is home field advantage that big of a deal for Colquitt or will Lowndes be road warriors this week? Next up in Dawsonville, the home town Tigers will host the Cherokee Bluff Bears. Cherokee Bluff is the new kid on the block, but their head coach, Tommy Jones, is no stranger to success. Can the upstart Bears beat Dawson County on the road?
In Monroe, the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes will host Oconee County. Oconee has answered the bell each week but can they do it one more time against an experienced Monroe Area team? Finally, in the Dairy Capital of Georgia…(also known as Eatonton), the Putnam County War Eagles will host the Jefferson County Warriors. The War Eagles have been dominant on both sides of the ball this season, but can they slow down the Warriors rushing attack?
Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
The Colquitt County Packers enter this week’s contest undefeated and for most of this season, unchallenged. The Packers are outscoring their opponents by an average score of 47-13 on the season. Their closest game was a 14-point win over Valdosta back in late September. Quarterback Xavier Williams has thrown for 985 yards and 9-TDs. His primary targets this season have been University of Minnesota commit Lemeke Brockington (14 receptions, 342 yards, 5-TDs) and Dijmon Wheeler ( 15 receptions, 205 yards, 4-TDs). Antoine Daniels and Perhsaun Fann lead the Packers in total tackles with 29 and 27 respectively. The Packers have forced 15 turnovers on the season.
The Lowndes Vikings survived a scare last week as they got past Tift County. The Vikings have not lost a regular season game since the end of the 2018 season. The Vikings are outscoring opponents on average of 34 to 15. Dual threat quarterback Jacurri Brown has now thrown for 769 yards and 7-TDs and rushed for 606 yards and 10-TDs. Justin Lee has added 380 yards and 5-TDs on the ground as well. The Vikings top three receivers are Domonique Marshall (19 receptions, 329 yards, 5-TDs), Jaheim James (14 receptions, 234 yards) and Chase Belcher ( 12 receptions, 333 yards, 4-TDs). T.J. Quinn and Jalon Baker lead Lowndes in total tackles, while Leon Williams leads the Vikings in sacks. Jacurri Brown and Lowndes have been really good all season, but they are heading into a hostile environment where many dreams have gone to die. This one should be close, but we like Colquitt at home by two.
The Skinny
The Dawson County Tigers have won four consecutive games after starting the season 0-3. The Tigers are having success this season through the air with Junior quarterback Zach Holtzclaw. Last year, Holtzclaw threw for over 2,300 yards. He’s over 1,600 through the first six games this season. His leading receivers are Jaden Gibson (32 receptions, 484 yards, 6-TDs) and Dakohta Sonnichsen (21 receptions, 384 yards, 4-TDs). Isaiah Grindle leads the team in rushing with 476 yards and 4-TDs. Kade Moledor is tops for the Tigers in total tackles with 62 while Brandon Lantz has 53. The Tigers are averaging 36.4 points per game, but have given up 29.5.
The Cherokee Bluff Bears are not doubt the new kid on the block. The Bears are in their third year of varsity play and have already surpassed their win total for the prior two seasons combined. The Bears lean more towards the run on offense. The combination of Jayquan Smith (448 yards, 6-TDs) and Charles Tolbert ( 407 yards, 8-TDs) have led the way for Cherokee Bluff this season. Quarterback Sebastian Moss has thrown for 852 yards and 11-TDs thus far. Thirteen different receivers have caught passes for Cherokee Bluff this season. Garrett Davis leads the team in total tackles while Dakota Collins leads the team in sacks. Cherokee Bluff is allowing a paltry 4.7 points per game. The old adage says styles make fights. If that holds true, this should be a good one. The Bears have been good on defense, but Dawson County is a different animal. We like the Tigers by a touchdown at home.
The Skinny
The Monroe Area Hurricanes are winners of their last six games. Their only loss was a one-point overtime loss to Loganville in Week-1. The Purple Hurricanes are averaging 27.2 points per game and use a balanced attack. Through the first five games of the season, quarterbacks Selatian Straighter and Jeremiah Anderson have combined to throw for 848 yards and 10 TDs. Meanwhile running back Alan Jones leads the Canes in rushing yards with 583 and 1-TD in the first five games. Monroe Area is allowing 12.1 points per game.
Meanwhile the Oconee County Warriors are in search of their second consecutive region title. Oconee County has been dominant all season, averaging 30 points per game and allowing only 7.8 points per game. In the first six games, junior quarterback Jacob Wright has thrown for 602 yards and 6 TDs, while sophomore running back C.J. Jones leads the team with 485 rushing yards and 6-TDs. Also, in the first six games, Jake Johnson is the top receiver with 13 receptions for 322 yards and 4-TDs. Justin Coleman and West Weeks lead the team in total tackles. The secondary has intercepted 11 passes on the season. Monroe Area is the last legitimate threat to Oconee County’s perfect regular season. The Canes are experienced and should put up a fight, but we expect the Warriors to wear them down in the second half. Oconee County by 16.
The Skinny
The Putnam County War Eagles are 7-0 for the first time since 1994. They are also looking to put themselves into the driver’s seat for the Region 4-AA title with a win on Friday night. Coach Pope’s team is averaging 37.5 points per game while the defense is allowing a measly 4.2 points per game. Putnam County has three shutouts to their credit. However, their opponents are a combined 14-32 this season. Nevertheless, Putnam County has done what they needed to do to this point. Quarterback Gerald Kilgore is a dual threat quarterback that throws a very catchable ball and can also beat teams with his legs. Alongside him in the backfield is junior Cedrion Brundage. The defense is physical and really flies around. Look for both Detravius Smith and Michael Crumbley to cause disruptions along the line of scrimmage.
The Jefferson County Warriors are winners of their last four games. They are also the two-time defending 4-AA champion. The Warriors have used a combination of Kobe Heggs (270 yards, 2-TDs) Aquavious Hunter (258 yards, 3-TDs) and Isaiah Gaines (224 yards, 2-TDs) to lead the ground game. Jefferson County is not a strictly a rushing team, Mike Murray has caught 20 passes for 303 yards and 1-TD while the aforementioned Heggs has caught 13 passes for 171 yards and 4-TDs. Nick Jordan and Quan Wilburn lead the team in sacks with 4.5 and 4 respectively. The Warriors are averaging 33.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.8 points per game. Putnam County seemingly has all of the momentum heading into this game, but we like the Warriors and their ground game to help hold Putnam County at bay this week. Jefferson County by 8.