We have made it to the final week of the Georgia High School Football regular season schedule. All of the games that we are previewing this week in our Eight Greats Across the State will feature teams competing for a region title. Without any further ado, here is Part 1 of our Georgia High School Football previews.
First up, St. Pius and Decatur will tangle in Atlanta. Can the youth of Decatur slow down the St. Pius Rushing attack and bring home the first Region title in 16 years? Next up in Dalton, the Christian Heritage Lions will host the North Cobb Christian Eagles. Both teams will be vying for their first region title in school history. Can the Lions slow down the Eagles Wing-T attack?
Next, in Montezuma, the Macon County Bulldogs host the red hot Chattahoochee County Panthers. The Panthers are looking for their first region title in school history, while the Bulldogs are seeking their first region title in four years. Finally, the Appling County Pirates host the Pierce County Bears. This will be the third time these two teams will meet with region supremacy on the line. Pierce County has gotten the best of Appling the last two years. Is this the year that the tide turns for the Pirates?
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 St. Pius Lions are in search of their 8th region title in 12 years. The only setback for Pius this season was a three-point loss to Westminster. The Lions are averaging 34.8 points per game this season while the defense is allowing 14.3 points per game. There’s not a ton flashy about St. Pius, but they do play with a blue-collar mentality. Since starting region play, the Lions have not allowed an opponent more than 18 points in a single game and are surrendering 11.4 points per game.
The Decatur Bulldogs have not gotten off to a start like this since 2003 and have not won a region title since 2004. Yet, these Bulldogs look like they have different intentions come Friday night. Decatur is averaging 32.6 points per game while the defense is allowing 11 points per game. The Bulldogs are statistically led by a few talented underclassmen, sophomore quarterback Harrison Hannah (675 yards, 9-TDs), sophomore running back Marquis Hood (455 yards, 6-TDs) and junior wide receiver Mehki Lloyd (8 receptions, 253 yards, 3-TDs.) Hood is also the team’s leader in sacks with 5, while senior safety Sam Mahany has intercepted seven passes on the season. Decatur has not beaten St. Pius since 1993. We think this will be the closest they’ve been, but we still like Pius by a touchdown.
The Skinny
The Christian Heritage Lions have won their last six games and are on the cusp of claiming their first region title. The Lions are led on offense by a trio of juniors and one senior. Junior quarterback Christian Thomas has thrown for 1,160 yards and 11-TDs. Meanwhile, juniors Solomon Locke and Gage Leonard have combined for 1,155 yards and 14-TDs and senior receiver Evan Lester has caught 28 passes for 603 yards and 5-TDs. Linebacker Ben Hermann has is tops on the team with 77 total tackles. The Lions are allowing 14.8 points per game on the season.
The North Cobb Christian Eagles have won their last three games, and their opponent this week, they are looking for the first region title in school history. The Eagles are averaging 33.6 points per game in the Wing-T offense. But North Cobb Christian is not a one-trick pony in this offense. They’ve shown this season that their running backs are excellent receivers as well. Meanwhile, the defense is allowing 15.8 points per game. We thought the long road trip might have some toll on North Cobb Christian, but they weren’t impacted by a long trip to Rome a few weeks ago. We believe North Cobb gets the victory on the road. Eagles by 3.
The Skinny
The Macon County Bulldogs are looking for their first region title since 2016, when they won the Class A state title. The Bulldogs enter the game winners of four straight, with their only blemish coming at the hands of Class AA Toombs County by a field goal. Quarterback Jakalen Williams has thrown for 1,130 yards and 15-TDs while Davion Clark and Branden Cochran have combined for 985 yards and 17-TDs on the ground. Meanwhile, Jaden Hayes and Marcus Sanders have combined for 39 receptions for 785 yards and 12-TDs. Shelquavius Byse and Kenwan Felton are tops on the team in total tackles. Felton also leads the team in sacks with 8.
The Chattahoochee County Panthers are 8-0 for the first time in school history. They are also in search of their first region title in the schools 14-year history. Save for a 6-0 shutout victory over Marion County, the Panthers have not been challenged as of late. Chattahoochee County is averaging 32 points per game while the defense is allowing 5.7 points per game with three shutouts. That’s impressive no matter what classification that you play in. But we believe the Bulldogs are a little more talented this season and we like the fact that their playing at home. That should be enough to give Macon County a slight edge. Bulldogs by 5.
The Skinny
The Appling County Pirates will be looking for their first region title since 2013 with a victory on Friday night. The last two seasons, the Pirates have come up short against Pierce County. Appling County is averaging 44.4 points per game on offense while the defense is only allowing 10.5 points per game. The Pirates defense has been flying all over the field all season and expect more of that attacking style defense. Darris Smith has been tough to block for most teams all season. Expect to see him try to wreak havoc in the Pierce County backfield.
The Pierce County Bears are in search of their third consecutive region title. Pierce is averaging 34.3 points per game while the defense is allowing a paltry 7.8 points. Quarterback Jermain Brewton is completing just under 70% of his passes for 1,051 yards and 17-TDs. Sophomore running back D.J. Bell has rushed for 850 yards and 8-TDs. Spencer Woodcock leads the defense in total tackles while Seth Foster leads the team in tackles for loss, with 22. The Bears have recorded 31 sacks and 8 interceptions. We expect both defenses to shine this week, but we believe the third time is a charm for Appling. We like the Pirates by 2.