Football supremacy in Henry County has belonged to Stockbridge since Keith Whitley arrived in 2009. During that time the Tigers have won five region championships, including the last four, and have not lost a regular-season game since 2014. The No. 3-ranked Tigers are 7-0 in what was expected to be a bit of a rebuild.
The latest challenger is No. 5 Dutchtown, which has prospered under second-year coach Cliff Fedd. The Bulldogs are off to a 7-0 start, matching a school record set in 2010 when the team went 11-2.
By all appearances this should be a defensive affair. Both sides are known for their hard-hitting style and being stingy when it comes to allowing points.
Dutchtown has bought into Fedd’s “bring the hammer” approach. The Bulldogs have three shutouts and not allowed more than 10 points in a game. They even limited high-scoring Jones County to 10 points in a critical win two weeks ago. Kevin Glenn, Adonis Butler and William Anderson make up the heart of the defense.
Stockbridge also has three shutouts and only one opponent has scored more than 13, that being reigning Region 5 champion Arabia Mountain. The Tigers graduated 10 scholarshipped players, including UGA signee Brenton Cox. Stepping up has been linebacker Steven Easan , who leads the team with 10 tackles per game, and end Garick Reese, who averages nine tackles. Brice Bass has a team-high 5.5 sacks.
Dutchtown still has games remaining against Eagle’s Landing and Locust Grove. Stockbridge must still play Woodland and end the season at No. 6 Jones County.
Here are four other interesting games in Class AAAAA:
Lithonia vs. Southwest DeKalb (Godfrey Stadium): These two old rivals are part of a three-way tie with Arabia Mountain atop the Region 5 standings.
Southwest (7-0) is led by Eian Scott, who has rushed for 518 yard and five touchdowns, and Jamel Starks (best known as a defensive back) with 322 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Quarterback Rion White has thrown for 732 yards and seven touchdowns, with Aquil Muhammad and Bryan Ulmer the two main targets. The SWD defense has three shutouts and is led by linebacker Derico Smith (52 tackles) and Starks, with lineman Joshua Tate adding 14 sacks.
Lithonia (6-1) is led by running back Shawn Morris (768 yards, six touchdowns), who averages 109.7 yards per game. Quarterback Seoul Newton and receiver Kevah Brantley have been a solid combination, connecting 21 times for 440 yards and five touchdowns. The defense is led by linebacker Asmar Hassan with 50 tackles and five tackles for loss.
Southwest DeKalb leads the series 14-2 and has won the last seven meetings. Lithonia’s last win against SWD came in 2002.
Carver at Banneker: Banneker (6-1) has won four straight games since losing to Class AAAAAAA Hillgrove. The Trojans have gotten their offense going the last two weeks, scoring 79 points. Gary Benton has rushed for a team-leading 547 yards and six touchdowns and quarterback Nick Williams has thrown for 372 yards and seven touchdowns. Carver (3-4) needs this win to have any chance of winning the Region 6 title for the second straight year. The Panthers are led by quarterback Deante Maxwell, who has thrown for 1,235 yards and 11 touchdowns and running back Jo'quavious Marks, who has rushed for 793 yards and four touchdowns. Carver owns a 6-0 lead in the series and won 24-23 a year ago.
Wayne County at New Hampstead: Quarterback Shamar Taylor has helped spark No. 8 Wayne County (7-0) into a share of first place in Region 2 with New Hampstead (4-2) and No. 7 Ware County (5-2). Taylor has thrown for 1,098 yards and 11 touchdowns, with 37 receptions going to Ashby Cribb, who has 37 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns. M.J. Fuller has rushed for 799 yards and 10 touchdowns. New Hampstead's offense is led by quarterback Deyandre Ruffin (806 yards, seven touchdowns) and running back Dontre Wallace (579 yards, eight touchdowns). Wayne County has won both previous meetings, taking a 52-16 victory in 2017.
Locust Grove at Woodland: While most of the attention in Region 4 is focused on the Dutchtown-Stockbridge showdown, this game could help determine the fourth and final playoff spot, with Union Grove the other team in the mix. Locust Grove is led by quarterback R.J. McDaniel, who has thrown for 1,402 yards and eight touchdowns, and running back Cade Powell (588 yards). Woodland quarterback Sharif Brown has thrown for 761 yards and run for 202. Christian Cannady is the top rusher with 394 yards. The series is even at 2-2 with Locust Grove winning 17-14 in 2017.
