Week 6 marks the midway point of the high school football season in Georgia. Several teams have begun or will begin the all important region play this week. Here is Part II of our Eight Greats Around the State.
First up, in Quitman, the Brooks County Trojans and Irwin County Indians will tangle. Irwin County is the defending Class A Public Champs while Brooks County played for the 2A state title last year. Now both teams are in the same region in Class A Public. There’s still plenty of season left, but we believe whoever wins this game will have an inside track to the region title.
Next up in Waycross, Ware County will host Benedictine as these two teams meet for the first time. Can Benedictine slow down Thomas Castellanos and the Gators? Over in Athens, the Athens Academy Spartans are sure to get the best from Hebron Christian Lions. Can Hebron slow down Deion Colzie and Palmer Bush and pull the upset?
Finally, Flowery Branch will host Jefferson. This is another game that could determine the region title. We know it’s odd to say that so early in region play, but both teams are playing at the top of their game. Will the Jefferson ground game continue to run wild this week?
We wish all of the teams competing this weekend the best of luck. As always thanks for reading and please feel free to comment and share.
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The Skinny
The Brooks County Trojans are undefeated with an offense that is averaging 33.5 points per game. Ni’Tavion Burrus has thrown for 544 yards and 8-TDs; he’s also rushed for 224 yards and 4-TDs. Meanwhile, Omari Arnold has rushed for 438 yards and 4-TDs. Willie Brown, Joaquinn Dawson and Arnold are the top receivers for the Trojans combining for 26 receptions for 466 yards and 7-TDs. Camron Priest leads the team in total tackles and tackles for loss (28 and 10). He’s also tied for the team lead in sacks with J’Shawn Baker, both with 4.5 sacks. Brooks County is allowing 23 points per game this season.
Irwin County got back to their winning ways after dropping their first two games of the season. They’ve now won two consecutive games with the latest being a win over neighboring Class 7A, Tift County. The Indians scored on both offense and defense en route to last week’s wins. Kam Ward shined in both sides of the ball at running back (1 rushing TD and at linebacker (3 interceptions, 1-TD). Ward is a physical back who is rarely stopped with arm tackles. Cody Soliday is continuing to improve at quarterback and having receivers such as Gabriel and Garland Benyard certainly makes us think he will continue that trajectory. The Indians certainly have the experience, but then again, so do the Trojans. We like Brooks County by 4 this week and to grab the inside track to the Region 2 title.
The Skinny
The Ware County Gators are 4-0 for the first time since 2015. The Gators were on the good side of a come from behind victory last week to stay undefeated. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos was up to his old tricks, passing for 296 and 3-TDs while rushing for 166 yards and a touchdown. Ware County is averaging 267 yards through the air and 161 yards on the ground this season. The defense is allowing 19.2 points per game this season.
The Benedictine Cadets will roll into Waycross with an unblemished record of their own. The Cadets are averaging 43.6 points per game behind a balanced offensive attack, (averaging 209 yards passing and 211 yards rushing). Holden Geriner has passed for 942 yards and 12-TDs and no interceptions, completing 68.5 percent of his passes. Trent Broadnax (22 receptions, 430 yards, 9-TDs) and Zaquan Bryan (14 receptions, 325 yards, 3-TDs) are the top two receivers. LeShon Brooks and Justin Thomas lead the way on the ground with a combined 742 yards and 9-TDs. Holden Sapp leads the team in total tackles (53), tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (8.5). As a team, the Cadets have amassed 18 sacks on the season. They’ve also forced 8 turnovers. This game is shaping up to be a real dogfight, but we like Ware to edge Benedictine by 5.
The Skinny
The Athens Academy Spartans have not lost a regular season game since 2017. (That’s a span of 34 consecutive regular season games.) The Spartans look poised to make another deep run. They are averaging 41 points per game on offense. Palmer Bush was threw three touchdown passes last week and seven different Spartans found pay dirt in the victory. All eyes on Deion Colzie as the Spartans receiver just recommitted to Notre Dame. But let’s not forget about the Athens Academy defense that is surrendering only 10.7 points per game.
Hebron Christian also has a few high-level offensive players on their roster, quarterback Colton Gauthier is a South Carolina commit. The senior has thrown for 788 yards and 7-TDs through three games. Demetrius Rogers leads the team in rushing with 116 yards while Jack Lutrell (19 receptions, 317 yards, 1-TD) and Jaiden Avery Stowers (9 receptions, 257 yards, 4-TDs) lead the team in receiving. Hebron Christian has bounced back from a week-1 setback and the defense has played well in their last two outings, but we don’t know if they can slow down Colzie Bush and the rest of the Spartans. We like Athens Academy by 17 this week.
The Skinny
The Flowery Branch Falcons are winners of their last three games. The Flowery Branch offense is averaging 34 points per game. Quarterback David Renard has thrown for 1,280 yards and 7-TDs on the season. Connor Larson, Baxley O’Brien and Sal Sengson lead the team in receiving. Meanwhile Jaizen Ellingham and Myles Ivey make for a strong tandem in the backfield. Ellingham had two rushing touchdowns in last week’s victory. On defense the Falcons are allowing 27 points per game.
The Jefferson Dragons continued their winning ways last week. As a team the Dragons have churned out 1,345 rushing yards. They are led by junior quarterback Malaki Starks, who’s rushed for 513 yards and 7-TDs. We’ve mentioned this before but the Dragons have only attempted 25 passes through four games. Kolton Jones, Jordan Perry and Reese Johnson are the other top backs for Jefferson. Spencer Neese leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and TDs. Jefferson’s defense is holding teams to 11.7 points per game. No surprise to see Paxton Corkery and the aforementioned Starks at the top of the tackling leaders for the team. Corkery also leads the team in sacks (3). The Dragons have forced seven turnovers. The winner of this game is our favorite to win the region. Yes, we said it, even if this is the first region game for both teams. We hope the scoreboard operator is ready, both these teams can score in bunches…But we like Jefferson by 4 on the road.