We have turned the calendar to November and with three weeks left in the regular season, it’s do or die time for many football teams across the state. 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.
First up is a matchup between North Fulton powers as Milton hosts Roswell. Roswell has passed all of their tests so far this season, but we aren’t sure if they’ve seen a defense like Milton’s. The winner secures a home playoff berth and becomes the favorite to win the region title. Next up, down in Thomasville, the Bulldogs host the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes. Thomasville has played a challenging schedule to prepare them for matchups like this one, but can they contain the explosive playmakers on the Canes offense?
Over in East Georgia, Lincoln County will host Washington-Wilkes in a key region matchup. The biggest question is whether Lincoln County can keep pace with Washington-Wilkes as the Tigers are averaging 45 points per game. Finally, in Atlanta, the Marist War Eagles host the Stephenson Jaguars. Marist has not surrendered a touchdown all season. Stephenson looks like the best threat in the regular season to challenge Marist. Will they pull the upset this week?
Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
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The Skinny
The Milton Eagles have won three straight games coming into this week’s region tilt. Milton has a ton of talent all over the field. Junior quarterback Devin Ferrell has thrown for 1,080 yards and 9-TDs. His top receivers are Adam Freas (16 receptions, 226 yards, 1-TD), Matthew Evert (13 receptions, 187 yards, 3-TDs) and freshman Debron Gatling (12 receptions, 184 yards and 2-TDs). Meanwhile, bruising running back Jordan McDonald leads the team in rushing with 461 yards and 9-TDs. Dylan Miller, A.J. Crawford and L.T. Overton lead the team in total tackles. Overton is also the team leader in sacks with 7. The last time out, the Milton defense posted a shutout.
The Roswell Hornets have now won ten consecutive regular season games dating back to last season. The Hornets have utilized a balanced attack this year, averaging 215.8 yards through the air and 209.8 yards on the ground. Junior quarterback Robbie Roper has thrown for 1,264 yards and 14-TDs. The majority of those balls have gone to senior Marquis Willis, (30 receptions, 549 yards, 5-TDs). The Hornets also have a very good 1-2 punch at running back with Ryan Hill (489 yards, 5-TDs) and Ryan Stephens (415 yards, 5-TDs). Stephens is the more physical back, while Hill possesses great quickness. Linebacker Case Barrett leads the team in total tackles while Ethan Nation has intercepted a team high seven passes. Overall, Roswell is allowing 15.5 points per game. This will be Roswell toughest test to date. We believe Milton will be a little to stout on defense. Roswell will score, but we like the Eagles to edge the Hornets by three.
The Skinny
The Thomasville Bulldogs are winners of their last three games. In that three-game stretch, the Bulldogs are averaging 43 points per game and allowing 15.6 points per game. It’s been a balanced attack for Thomasville. Quarterback Ronnie Baker has thrown for 1,243 yards and 11-TDs. Baker has also rushed for 463 yards and 7-TDs. Sophomore Ricky Fulton is the team’s leading rusher with 497 yards and 6-TDs. On defense, linebacker Ty Anderson is the team’s leading tackler with 72 total tackles while Dimitrius Myrick leads the team in sacks with 4.5.
The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes are 8-0 for the first time since 2009. This year, the Canes have been getting the job done on defense, allowing just 9.8 points per game. The offense features an athlete in Chance Gamble who has lined up at receiver and at quarterback and has played on special teams this season. Demarion Dixon is also a threat to break off chunk plays at receiver and is also pretty good in man-to-man coverage in the secondary. Running back Mario Clark also adds another dynamic to the Fitzgerald offense as he can change speed and direction quickly and also possesses some power as well. By our estimation the winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat for the region title. Expect for Thomasville to be tough at home, but we like the Canes to win this one by 5.
The Skinny
The Lincoln County Red Devils find themselves in the thick of the Region 8-A Public title race. The Red Devils are winners of their last two games. They are averaging 20.6 points per game while the defense is allowing 19.8 points per game. Tevin Gartrell is the leading rusher for the Red Devils. The Red Devils will show a variety of offensive formations from shotgun, to Wing-T and quarterback Keenon Lampkin can stand in the pocket and make throws or make things happen with his legs.
The Washington-Wilkes Tigers are 5-0 for the first time since 2013, when the Tigers went undefeated and won their last region title. The Tigers have been downright dominant in their first five games, but the next two will really determine if the Tigers are contenders or pretenders. Washington-Wilkes is averaging 45 points per game. The Tigers only attempt about 10 passes per game. Even so, Dalen Cobb has thrown for 747 yards and 10-TDs. Zaikious Jackson is the team’s leading rusher with 412 yards and 8-TDs. The aforementioned Cobb has also rushed for 298 yards and 5-TDs. Quinzaibian Jackson is the leading receiver with 9 catches for 202 yards and 3-TDs. The Tigers defense is allowing 5.4 points per game and has recorded three shutouts this season. The winner of this game will stay in contention for a region title, with a game looming against Commerce for both teams. We like the different looks that Lincoln County will give the Washington-Wilkes defense, but we believe the Tigers are a little more explosive on offense. We’ll take Washington-Wilkes by 9 on the road.
The Skinny
Earlier this season, we wrote up a preview about the Marist War Eagles and talked about their imposing offensive line anchored by Steven Nahmias, Davis McKenna, and Ian Erickson. They have really paved the way for the offense that is now averaging 34.8 points per game. But perhaps the biggest story is the Marist defense that has shutout three of their five opponents and has not allowed a touchdown all season. That averages out to 1.2 points per game.
The Stephenson Jaguars also come into this game undefeated. The Jaguars defense has two shutouts to their credit and have only allowed two touchdowns on the season. They are surrendering 3.5 points per game. The Jaguars offense has not been as prolific as Marist, however. They are averaging 19 points per game. Stephenson has an impressive offensive lineman of their own in George Jackson. The three-star tackle has garnered offers from SEC and ACC schools. Stephenson is talented and well-coached, but Marist is running like a well-oiled machine. We like the War Eagles to roll again this week. Marist by 18.