We have made it to the penultimate week of the GHSA Football regular season. This week, our Eight Greats Around the State take us from Washington to Columbus to Calhoun to Leesburg and several stops in between. There is still a lot to be determined regarding playoff seeding over the last two weeks. Without further ado, here are this weeks Georgia High School Football Previews.
First up, Jonesboro will host Creekside as both teams have aspirations of a region title if they can just win out and in some cases, get a little help. Both defenses have been dominant, but will the passing attack of Jonesboro or the ground game of Creekside be the difference maker this week? Over in Region 8-A Public, it’s a battle of Tigers as Washington-Wilkes host Commerce. Both teams are effective running the ball, but which defense will prevail and help lead their team to a potential region title.
Up in Calhoun, the Yellow Jackets will host the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes Friday. Both teams are vying for a home playoff berth. There are playmakers on both sides of the ball, but can Calhoun figure out the Cartersville defensive riddle that has plagued them the last two meetings. Finally, in Douglasville, the Douglas County Tigers host the Rome Wolves. Both of theses teams are also playing for a home playoff berth and an outside chance at a region title, although, they’ll both need some help. Will it be the youthful Rome Wolves or the battle tested defense of Douglas County that shines brightest on Friday.
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 Jonesboro Cardinals will attempt to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season. The Cardinals would host a playoff game if they win out and could potentially tie for the region title with some help. The Jonesboro offense has not been that prolific, but they’ve done enough to put points on the board in key situations. Quarterback Chadrick Garner has shown great touch on his deep balls while receivers Jakell Mitchell, Ahlike Booker and Nathaniel Adams have shown their ability to make tremendous catches as well as great runs after receptions. The biggest story for Jonesboro might be their defense, as they are only allowing 7.4 points per game.
Meanwhile, the Creekside Seminoles have bounced back after losing their first two games to win four straight. It should be noted that their two losses were to Westlake and Cartersville, two ranked teams that are competing for their respective region titles. Creekside leans heavily on the run as Kamauri Davis has rushed for 816 yards and 4-TDs to lead the way for the Seminoles. As a team, Creekside has rushed for 1,801 yards and 15-TDs. Creekside’s defense has held opponents to 15 points per game this season. Denard Flowers is tops on the team with 7 sacks while Dainsus Miller, Daiquan White and Derrick White have each intercepted two passes on the season. Freshman Roderrick McCrary leads the defense with 53 total tackles. Jonesboro will need big plays out of their receiving corps to knock of Creekside, but we think the Creekside rushing attack will be the difference. Seminoles by 6.
The Skinny
The Washington-Wilkes Tigers are in position to clinch their first region title since 2013 if they can beat visiting Commerce this week. As we mentioned last week in our write-up, expect for the Tigers to serve up a steady dose of Zaikious Jackson and Dalen Cobb on the ground. The Tigers do tend to run more than they throw, but Cobb is completed 61% of his passes for 794 yards and 10-TDs. Quinzabian Jackson is generally the go to receiver for the Tigers. Coach Sid Fritts has Washington-Wilkes averaging 39.8 points per game while the defense is only allowing 6.6 points per game, with three shutouts to their credit.
The Commerce Tigers come into this game on the heels of a 5-game win streak. During that streak, no one has really challenged them, as their closest game was a 26-point win last week over Social Circle, (and the Redskins did much of their damage after the game was well in hand). While we had focused on the Commerce running attack, led by Tyelon Brock and freshman Sammy Brown, quarterback Trey Huff has proved he can do more than just hand the ball off to the Commerce backs in the wing-T. He’s a legitimate threat to throw and run. Similar to Washington-Wilkes, Commerce is averaging 39.2 points per game, but they are allowing 15.2 points on defense. There is not a lot of history between these two programs, but there will be a lot at stake come kick-off. If Commerce can get Sammy Brown and Tyelon Brock off to a fast start we like their chances, even against a stingy Washington-Wilkes defense. This one should be about as tight as one would expect in a game between two top-10 teams. We like Commerce to just get by Washington-Wilkes by 2 points.
The Skinny
The Calhoun Yellow Jackets have a chance to host a home playoff game if they can somehow find a way to defeat Cartersville this week. Calhoun is led by running back Jerrian Hames, who is closing in on 1,100 yards rushing. Perhaps the guys up front don’t get enough credit, but Reed Randall and Kendrick Kirby help anchor the offensive line that has paved the way for Hames. Quarterback Christian Lewis is also well over 1,600 yards passing on the season while Cole Speer has staked his claim as one of the top receivers in Class 5-A. Going into last Friday, Speer was the leading receiver in terms of yardage in all of 5-A. The Jackets are averaging 35.7 point per game while the defense is allowing 16.5 points per game.
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes can also play themselves into a home playoff game with a win on Friday night. Cartersville has won their last three games, outscoring their opponents 157-26. It seems like the loss to Cherokee back in early October reset and refocused the Canes. Prior to last week’s game, quarterbacks Stratton Tripp and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson had combined for 1,522 yards passing and 14-TDs. Quante’ Jennings continues to lead the Canes on the ground while Sam Phillips and Devonta Ross are the leading receivers for Cartersville. Ross, Amarai Orr, Phillips and Evan Slocum will also be lurking in the secondary to help slow down Cole Speer. On the season, Cartersville is only allowing 9.7 points per game with two shutouts to their credit. In their last two games, Cartersville has outscored Calhoun 114-6. We suspect Calhoun will score much more than 6-points this week, but we believe the Canes will eke out a victory on the road. Cartersville by 4.
The Skinny
The Douglas County Tigers are looking to secure a home playoff berth and perhaps a region title if the chips can fall into place. The Douglas County defense has been very impressive this season. They’ve shutout two opponents and are allowing only 9.1 points per game. Sophomore Shakai Woods leads the team in total tackles. Georgia Tech commit Joshua Robinson and UGA commit Jonathan Jefferson anchor the defensive line. And both lead the team in sacks with eight a piece. Offensively, running back Kobe Harris leads the team with 789 yards and 8-TDs while Justin Franklin leads the team in receiving with 434 yards and 4-TDs.
The Rome Wolves are also looking to host a home playoff game and can do so if they win out. Rome has won three straight games coming into this week. The wolves have not been putting up dominant numbers but are doing what they need to do to win. Rome has been incorporating some of their young talent in key spots this season, including players like quarterback Reece Fountain, and running backs Caden Williams and Shaun Nelson. But don’t forget about key upperclassmen such as running back E.J. Lackey (583 yards, 2-TDs) and receiver Jay Wise I32 receptions, 448 yards, 2-TDs). The Wolves are averaging 20 points per game while the defense is allowing 18.6 points per game. We believe defense will rule the day and that points will be at a premium. Rome can win this game if they can force turnovers and neutralize the Douglas County defensive line. With all of that said, we like Douglas County by 5.