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 week’s Georgia High School Football Previews.
Our first game takes us to Columbus, where Hardaway will host Carver. The Hawks will be looking for their first region title in quite a while. Which rushing attack will have the most success on Friday night. Or perhaps a better questions, which team will be able to control the line of scrimmage? Next up in Atlanta, Westlake will host Lovejoy with Westlake looking to secure a home playoff berth and a region title as well. But Lovejoy’s defense has been as tough as they come. Does Westlake have enough offense?
Over in Cumming, the Denmark Danes have their eyes set on their first ever region title and can do so with two wins to close out the regular season. Standing in their way this week are the Gainesville Red Elephants. Can Gainesville’s pressure defense rattle Denmark QB Aaron McLaughlin? Finally, down in Leesburg in perhaps the biggest game in the state, Lee County hosts Valdosta. The region title is on the line this week and we expect another tightly contested matchup between these two teams.
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 Hardaway Hawks find themselves in position to win their first region title since 1984 if they can win their last two games of the season. But standing in front of them this week is rival Carver. Hardaway’s defense has shutout three of their opponents and is only allowing 7.3 points per game on the season. Jakeveon Upshaw has led the way with 80 total tackles, while Devontae McGill, Mykel Williams and Alexander Graham have combined for 27.5 of the teams 39.5 sacks on the year. On offense, Jordan Moultrie is the straw that stirs the drink for the Hawks. The junior running back has rushed for 832 yards and 9-TDs, while Kentavious Day has chipped in 591 yards and 6-TDs. Hardaway is averaging 39.5 points per game this season.
The Carver Columbus Tigers also enter this game undefeated overall and looking to earn their second consecutive region title and 10th in the last 14 years. Similar to Hardaway, Carver has done the bulk of their damage on the ground with running backs Jaiden Credle (527 yards, 9-TDs) and Jamari Riley (406 yards, 8-TDs) leading the way for a team that is averaging a shade over 232 rushing yards per game. But the Tigers have also gone to the air as quarterback Devin Riles is completing 69.7% of his passes for 1,014 yards and 12-TDs; his leading receiver is William Bonilla (19 receptions, 385 yards, 4-TDs). The Tigers defense has been fairly stingy this season allowing teams an average of 7.6 points per game while not allowing any opponent to score more than 14 points in any single game. They’ve also sacked opposing quarterbacks 28 teams while intercepting six passes. This series has been one of streaks, and right now Carver has won the last 11. We really like their defense and their chances to make it 12 consecutive wins over Hardaway this week. Carver by 10.
The Skinny
The Westlake Lions are in search of their seventh consecutive region title. The Lions have passed all of their tests with flying colors to this point, but they have a couple of high-profile matchups to close out their season. Westlake has won four straight entering this game and are averaging an astonishing 50.7 points per game during that win streak. Quarterback R.J. Johnson has thrown for 1,728 yards and 13-TDs. His top two receivers have been Dacari Collins (30 receptions, 558 yards, 6-TDs) and Leo Blackburn (24 receptions, 408 yards, 2-TDs) Junior running back Zina Mulbah has 665 yards and 9-TDs on the season to help pace the Westlake offense.
The Lovejoy Wildcats suffered their first setback of the season last week as they fell to the upstart Langton Hughes Panthers. The Wildcats can still win a region title, but will need to win out and need some help from the Tucker Tigers. On the season, Lovejoy is averaging 25.1 points per game while the defense is only allowing 9.8 points per game. Prior to last Saturday’s game, Lovejoy had not surrendered more than a touchdown in a game since mid-September. Michael Brooks leads the team in total tackles, while fellow linebacker Amos Barber is close behind. Perhaps the biggest playmaker on both sides of the ball is Eastern Michigan commit, Quentavious Scandrett. Lovejoy’s defense has been really good, but we think Westlake’s offense is just a little better this week. Westlake by 8.
The Skinny
After starting 0-3 on the season, the Denmark Danes have a region title in their sight if they can win out. The Danes are on a four-game win streak entering this week’s matchup at home. Denmark’s biggest advantage will be quarterback Aaron McLaughlin. The N.C. State commit has a big-time arm and although they list him as a pro-style quarterback, he is also savvy enough to beat teams on the ground as well. He’s tough to bring down and is usually always falling forward when he does leave the pocket and runs up field. The Danes are averaging 22.2 points per game while their defense is allowing 15.8.
The Gainesville Red Elephants can still win the Region title, but they will need to win out and get a little help. Gainesville fell to West Forsyth last week and will be looking to bounce back on Friday. Quarterback Gionni Williams may not get the same press as Denmark’s QB, but he does a great job of getting the ball downfield and is also a threat to run as well. The offensive line is anchored by Ole Miss commit Cedrick Nicely. The Gainesville defense is fast and always seems to be forcing the issue. On the season the Red Elephants are averaging 32 points per game while the defense is allowing 21.3. We anticipate a closely contested ballgame, but believe McLaughlin will deliver for the Danes. Denmark by 7.
The Skinny
The Lee County Trojans are in search of their 4th consecutive region title and third consecutive win over Valdosta this Friday night. The Trojans only setback this year was to then Class 7A No. 1 Lowndes. Since that game, Lee County has reeled off five consecutive wins. Last week, Preston Simmons was the bell cow for the offense with over 150 yards and 2-TDs in the victory. Lee County is averaging 35.2 points per game on offense and 10.8 points per game on defense. However, in their two region games, the offense is averaging 23.5 points per game while the defense is allowing 10 points per game.
The Valdosta Wildcats come into this game on a three-game win streak of their own. During that span, the Wildcats have shutout two of their opponents and are allowing 4.6 points per game. The offense is averaging 28.6 points per game during that same stretch. Quarterback Amara Jones looks more and more comfortable for the Cats each week. That’s not a surprise, with receivers such as Tahj Sanders, Javonte Sherman, and Aalah Brown to throw to. The Valdosta defense has recorded 36.5 sacks and forced 11 turnovers this season. Valdosta has been playing better football since the 2nd half of the Lowndes game. They’ve closed the gap with Lee County over the last two seasons. Even though they’re on the road, We really like the Cats defense to be the difference in a close ball game. Valdosta by 3.