We have entered the final third of the high school football season here in Georgia. This week in Part-2 of our Georgia High School Football Previews, we take a look at some key region matchups that will help determine region seedings for the playoffs.
Down in the City of Roses, Thomasville hosts the Cook Hornets. Thomasville has dominated this series, but Cook comes in riding a four game win streak. Will Cook’s quarterback Tony Blanding out-duel Thomasville’s Ricky Fulton this week?
There’s a big clash on Friday in Warner Robins as the Demons host the Ware County Gators. No one has been able to slow down Ware quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Can the Demons dial up the right defense on Friday to beat the Gators? Finally, up in Suwanee, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs visit the Collins Hill Eagles. The North Gwinnett defense has been pretty good all year, but can they ground the Eagles passing duo of quarterback Seth Horn and receiver Travis Hunter?
We were originally set to preview Cartersville and Blessed Trinity, but that game has been cancelled due to COVID concerns.
As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share. Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night.
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The Skinny
Thomasville has opened up region play with two straight wins, but will start a very difficult stretch in Region 1-AA. Coach Grage and his Bulldogs come into this game with a balanced attack on offense, averaging 164.4 passing yards and 147.4 receiving yards. Quarterback Ronnie Baker has thrown for 1,144 yards and 9-TDs. His top receivers are Ricardo Johnson and Taraje Felton. The duo has combined for 45 receptions and 507 yards and 4-TDs. Ricky Fulton leads Thomasville in rushing with 377 yards and 4-TDs. Ty Anderson leads the team in total tackles. As a team, Thomasville has forced 19 turnovers on the season.
The Cook Hornets have reeled off four consecutive wins for the first time since 2015. Cook is averaging 25.7 points per game. While we don’t have stats for the Hornets, we know that Jamarion Walker is a physical running back with a low center of gravity and has the ability to punish defenders. Quarterback Tony Blanding has played well for Cook, as he’s shown scrambling ability and more importantly his ability to make good decision finding open Hornets receivers. Cook is allowing 19.5 points per game. The winner of this game should be in line to host a first round playoff game. Both teams have played well of late, but we believe Thomasville is ahead of Cook at this point in the season. We like the Bulldogs by 16 at home.
The Skinny
The Warner Robins Demons are back in action this week after the bye. The Demons begin a very tough four game stretch as Region 1-5A might be the toughest in the state. Warner Robins comes into the game averaging 34.6 points per game. Quarterback Jalen Addie has thrown for 919 yards and 7-TDs and has also run for 430 yards and 7-TDs. Jahlen Rutherford has also added 396 yards and 4-TDs on the ground. Armon Porter (15 receptions, 412 yards, 5-TDs) and Daveon Walker (17 receptions, 331 yards, 1-TD) lead the team in receiving. The Warner Robins defense is allowing 13.7 points per game and is led by Demarcious Robinson and Jay Carter, both with 42 tackles on the season.
The Ware County Gators continue to roll along. They passed their first region test by beating Coffee last week. The Offense is averaging 36.8 points per game behind quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Castellanos has thrown for 1,578 yards and 14-TDs while rushing for 577 yards and 11-TDs. Raiden Kennedy leads the team in receiving yards and TDs with 331 and 5, but several Gator receivers have 10+ catches on the season. The Gators defense is allowing 18.6 points per game on the season. We believe this game will be a high scoring contest. I just seems like being able to slow down Castellanos is turning into mission impossible. Warner Robins keeps it close, but we like the Gators by 5.
The Skinny
The North Gwinnett Bulldogs have won back-to-back games after dropping two straight. The Bulldogs are averaging 23.8 points per game. Most of the North Gwinnett offense has come on the ground on the strength of Marcus McFarlane and his 503 yards and 3-TDs. Seth Anderson and Bobby Ezzard are a formidable receiving duo with a combined 37 receptions for 439 yards and 3-TDs. Defensively, the Bulldogs are allowing 8.7 points per game. Jayson Hodges leads the team in total tackles while Hunter Rizer leads the team in sacks.
The Collins Hill Eagles have done most of their damage offensively through the air. Junior quarterback Sam Horn has thrown for 1,651 yards and 16-TDs through seven games. Travis Hunter has caught 65 passes for 775 yards and 11-TDs. Running back Spencer Anderson leads the team in rushing with 345 yards and 7-TDs. James Smith leads the team in total tackles and also leads the team in sacks with 7. The aforementioned Hunter also leads the team in interceptions with 3. The Eagles are averaging 29.1 points per game while the defense is allowing 18.8 points per game. So the question is can the Bulldogs get enough pressure on Sam Horn to disrupt the potent passing attack. And Jordan Hancock vs. Travis Hunter should be a great matchup. We like the Bulldogs on the road by three.