Our Week-3 Georgia High School Football preview showcases some of the top games in the state. This is part one of our Eight Greats around the state. First up in our preview are the Grayson Rams as they host the Collins Hill Eagles. Both teams enter the game undefeated. The Rams will look to ground the Eagles arial assault this week, while the Eagles will have their hands full slowing down Phil Mafah and the Grayson offense…In Douglasville, the Douglas County Tigers will host the Dutchtown Bulldogs on senior night. This game should be all about defense. Is there enough on offense for the Bulldogs to knock of the Tigers?
Next up is Athens as two of the top Class-A schools lock horns when Commerce visits Athens Academy. The Commerce Tigers have a talented crop of young players, but will it be enough to slow down Deion Colzie, Palmer Bush and the rest of the Spartans? Finally, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs Host the Parkview Panthers. Believe it or not, these two Gwinnett County football titans have not faced off in 15 years. Both teams look to be poised for deep runs into the playoffs. Will Norht Gwinnett be able to hold Parkview’s talented backfield of Cody Brown and Tyler Curtis at bay?
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The Skinny
Two weeks into the season and the Grayson Rams have already scored 106 points. Clemson commit Phil Mafah has rushed for 296 yards and 5-TDs while quarterback De’yon Cannon has thrown for 354 yards and 4-TDs. Jamal Haynes and Jaden Smith lead the receiving corps with 14 catches, 294 yards and 4-TDs between the two of them. Coach Carter’s defense is extremely talented again this year with bookends Noah Collins and Victoine Brown on the defensive line. In two games, the Rams defense has surrendered 34 points.
The resurgent Collins Hill Eagles are off to their first 2-0 start since 2013. The Eagles have one of the top junior quarterbacks in the state in Sam Horn. Horn has passed for 566 yards and 6-TDs in this season. His leading receiver is Florida State commit Travis Hunter. Hunter, a junior, has caught 18 passes for 293 yards and 5-TDs. He will also look to wreak havoc in the secondary at cornerback; he’s already intercepted two passes this season. Rich Dorsey and Jonathan Martin lead the Eagles in tackles. The biggest question is whether or not the Grayson defense can get enough pressure on Horn to disrupt the passing game. We like the strides that Collins Hill has made this season but believe that Grayson has the edge on defense. We like the Rams by 8.
The Skinny
The Douglas County Tigers are off to a fast start but will face a tough test as Dutchtown visits on Friday night. The Tigers are led offensively by running back Kobe Harris (185 yards, 3-TDs) and quarterback Jimmy Inman (276 yards, 3-TDs). Meanwhile, 10 Douglas County receivers have caught a pass in the opening two weeks with Justin Franklin leading the team with 5 receptions for 83 yards. The Douglas County defense has wreaked havoc early in the season with linemen Jonathan Jefferson (UGA commit) and Kyren Thomas both recorded two sacks and a secondary that has intercepted 5 passes. Sophomore Shakai Woods leads the team with 18 total tackles and Georgia Tech commit Joshua Robinson is also a force along the defensive front.
The Dutchtown Bulldogs got their first victory as they defeated Wheeler last week. The Bulldogs were powered on the ground last week by Khalid Cramer, Seneca Daniel, Jamal Bing and quarterback Arendez Fedd. Fedd scored on two rushing TDs and Cramer added another rushing TD. Defense has been a calling card of the Bulldogs over the past few seasons and this year doesn’t look to be much different. They have held the first two opponents to a combined 12 points. In week one, they limited Lanier to 182 total yards of offense. The Bulldogs will need to get the ground game established early this week if they want to spoil Senior night for the Tigers. This could be a defensive battle all-night, but we give the edge to Douglas County. Tigers by 8.
The Skinny
The Athens Academy Spartans will be back in action this week as they host Commerce. The Spartans will have the luxury of returning senior quarterback Palmer Bush back to run the show. Senior receiver Deion Colzie is a big target at 6’4” and should definitely create matchup problems for Commerce as well as all other opponents this season. Additionally, the Spartans have other weapons including Virginia commit Hugh Laughlin and John Ferguson along the offensive line, while the defensive line will be anchored by Johnerio Holt.
The Commerce Tigers come into town after impressive victories over Banks County and Union County. The Tigers are led by running backs Dreylan Martin, Tyelon Brock and Sammy Brown. Brown who is just a freshman, had 77 yards rushing on 4 carries and a 72 yard-TD reception in last week’s victory. He also recorded 7-tackles from his linebacker position on defense. It should also be mentioned that the Commerce backs are pretty good receivers as well. Along with the running backs, Commerce sports two big receivers in Creed Dunbar and Jakob Frates, both standing at 6’4”. They are also imposing on defense in the secondary and at linebacker respectively. Tigers Lineman Bo Childers anchors the offensive line and also plays up front on the defensive line. Stopping the run will be imperative for a Spartans victory. We like the visiting Tigers in a mild upset to edge the Spartans by 2.
The Skinny
After a come from behind victory last Friday, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs will face another big challenge as the highly rated Parkview Panthers pay them a visit Friday night. The Bulldogs are off to another fast start this season. They’ve outscored their first two opponents 79-28. Quarterback Ashton Wood has thrown for 264 yards and2-TDs while Marcus McFarlane and Brinston Williams have combined to rush for 304 yards and 4-TDs. Receivers Bobby Ezzard and Seth Anderson have combined to catch 17 passes for 198 yards and 2-TDs. The Bulldogs defense has already recorded 13 sacks and 5 interceptions this season.
The Parkview Panthers finally got their season underway last week with a victory over Mountain View. The Panthers did most of their damage on the ground as Tennessee commit Cody Brown rushed for 245 yards and 2-TDs while fellow running back Tyler Curtis rushed for 166 yards and 3-TDs. The Panthers are breaking in a new quarterback this season in sophomore Colin Houck. Having Brewer and Curtis in the backfield should help take some of the pressure off the young quarterback. We have to believe that the North Gwinnett defense will be focused on stopping the run and forcing Parkview and their young quarterback into passing situations. That’s easier said than done. North Gwinnett can’t afford to fall behind early this week. We don’t anticipate they will. We will take North Gwinnet in a small upset at home by 4.