This is Part II of our GHSA Football Previews called Eight Greats Around The State. In Region-6 Class A, Christian Heritage will host the Bowdon Red Devils. Can Bowdon’s stingy defense keep the Christian Heritage offense in check? In Region-7 4A there are two big matchups between the top four teams. First, Blessed Trinity hosts Flowery Branch. The Titans got a big win last week but face a big test as Flowery Branch comes in undefeated. Can Blessed Trinity slow down the Flowery Branch ground game? The other matchup features Denmark and Marist. The Danes were edged by Blessed Trinity last week, but there’s no time to feel sorry for themselves as Marist comes into the game undefeated. The Ware Eagles are a perennial power and seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Will the Danes get revenge this year? Finally, we take a look at a big matchup in Region-5-4A as Cartersville hosts Sandy Creek. Both teams are ranked in the top 3 in most polls and each have been dominant on defense. Can Sandy Creek dethrone the reigning Region champions? As always, please feel free to share and comment.
Key:
TFR – Turd Ferguson Report
NR – Not Ranked
The Skinny
The Christian Heritage Lions will host the Bowdon Red Devils this week in a Region-6 Single A matchup. The only blemish on the Lions record is a 7-point loss to Darlington. Otherwise the Lions have been pretty darn good. The defense is allowing 9.1 points per game, while the offense is averaging 34 points per game. Gage Leonard leads the team in rushing with 494 yards while Ethan Smith has run for 384 yards. Christian Thomas has passed fro 881 yards and 9-TDs. Ben Hermann and Solomon Locke lead the defense in tackles.
Meanwhile, the Bowdon Red Devils are 6-0 for the first time since 2013. The Red Devils are averaging 20.3 points per game on offense, but their defense has been pretty stingy, allowing only 8.6 points per game thus far. Bowdon’s best win this season was their 6-point victory over North Cobb Christian. Gage Stephens leads the Bowdon offense with 964 rushing yards. Bowdon is certainly vastly improved from last season, but we like Christian Heritage at home this week by 7.
The Skinny
The Blessed Trinity Titans will host the Flowery Branch Titans this week. The Titans edged region foe Denmark last week and have another tough test this week. The Titans have a potent one-two punch at running back with a healthy Elijah Green and talented freshman Justice Haynes. The Blessed Trinity defense is allowing 14.3 points per game, while their offense is averaging 26.3 points per game. Defensive end Grayson Gilder made a living last week wreaking havoc in the Denmark backfield.
The Flowery Branch Falcons have had to retool their offense after losing senior quarterback Elijah Gainey to a season ending injury in their scrimmage. The Falcons are now averaging just over 290 yards rushing per game. Jaizen Ellingham and Chandler White lead the way on the ground for Flowery Branch. The Falcons defense is allowing 8 points per game and has recorded three shutouts. However, we think Blessed Trinity is a little more battle tested at this point in the season. This game should be close again. But we like the Titans by a field goal.
The Skinny
The Denmark Danes look to get back on track this week after a heartbreaking loss to Blessed Trinity last week. Denmark’s high-powered offense is averaging 44.6 points per game led by dual threat quarterback Aaron McLaughlin and wide receiver Ze’vian Capers. Capers is one of the most talented receivers we’ve seen this season and is a mismatch for most secondaries. While McLauhglin has a big arm and is tough to bring down in the pocket. The Danes defense is allowing 7.3 points per game and has four shutouts to their credit.
The Marist War Eagles enter this game undefeated and are one of the favorites to win the Region. The run first Ware Eagles are averaging 39.1 points per game. Quarterback Connor Cigelske has rushed for 641 yards and passed for 801 yards. He has accounted for 21 TDs as he is the straw that stirs the drink for the Marist offense. Defensively, the War Eagles are allowing 6.8 points per game and themselves have three shutouts. If the defensive front can get pressure on McLaughlin, the War Eagles might be able to mitigate Capers effectiveness on offense. This game should be much closer than last year’s contest, but we still like Marist by 10.
The Skinny
This might be the defect Region Title game as two of the top teams in Class 4A face off at Weinman Stadium as the Sandy Creek Patriots visit the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes. Cartersville features one of the best defenses in Class 4A as the Purple Hurricanes are allowing only 5.4 points per game. They have two shutouts and have also held two other teams to just 2 points. Offensively, Tee Webb powers a unit that averages 32.1 points per game. Webb has passed for 1,358 yards and 14-TDs. The Canes have rushed for 890 yards on the season. Devonta Ross leads the team in receiving with 22 receptions for 525 yards and 5-TDs.
The Sandy Creek Patriots have also put together an impressive season as their defense is allowing 8.5 points per game. The Patriots have one shutout to their credit. Offensively, Sandy Creek is averaging 43.1 points per game. They have crossed the 40-point threshold in all but one of their games to this point. Brian Branch is threat at both receiver and in the secondary. Cartersville has not lost a regular season region game since October 21, 2011…that’s 50 consecutive wins. We believe this is the year that streak comes to an end. Patriots by 4.