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Thursday, October 11, 2007
Ship’s back on course at Whitewater
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whitewater is 4-2, which is amazing considering how the Wildcats’ offense struggled to score the first four games. But they seem to have righted their ship now, having put up 51 points in the past two. Not record-setting, but sufficient.
Last week, they won 20-12 on the strength of two Thomas Frierson touchdowns and two field goals by J.C. Jennings, including one from 43 yards. If they can do that week-in and week-out, their defense should be good enough to make it stand up.
Whitewater’s defense has held its last five opponents to 47 points. That’s not LaGrange-esque — the Grangers have hung up five straight shutouts — but if you give up fewer than 10, your chances are great.
Which brings us to the Wildcats’ game with McIntosh. The hope spawned by the Chiefs’ season-opening victory against Sandy Creek has given way to struggle. The Chiefs had a tight loss to East Coweta, then had Westlake on the ropes in the final minute before losing. They managed just 113 total yards in last week’s 27-0 loss to Starr’s Mill. Facing another quality defense against Whitewater, more struggles could be in the offing. Says here, Whitewater rolls.
MOVING ON …
Our Lady of Mercy has strung a series of school firsts together during the past three weeks. First three-game winning streak. First three-victory season. First back-to-back (to-back) 30-point games. They’ve set the school’s single-game scoring record three weeks in a row, which says something about how they’re playing (and who) but says more about the floundering history of the program.
Now, the Bobcats have their first Region 5-A game. This is not exactly Towns County, Mt. Zion-Carroll or Glascock County they’re playing. Eagle’s Landing Christian comes to Fairburn to do more than gawk at Evander Holyfield’s mansion across Highway 279. The Chargers are smokin’ hot on offense. Says here, Mercy will have beaucoup trouble slowing down ELCA QB Wes Carter, who amassed 561 total yards in a win over Bremen last week.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Fayette County at Creekside, 7:30 p.m. Friday
RECORDS: Fayette County (5-0, 3-0 Region 2-AAAA); Creekside (5-1, 3-1)
COACHES: Fayette County, Tommy Webb (36-50); Creekside, Kevin Whitley (48-14)
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Fayette County — QB/DB Brandon Boykin (Sr., 5-10, 175); FB/DB Matt Daniels (Sr., 6-1, 195); HB Cuincy Carruthers (Sr., 6-11, 175); Creekside — QB/DB Terrance Parks (Sr., 6-2, 200)
LAST YEAR: Creekside won, 35-14
LAST WEEK: Fayette County was off; Creekside beat Northgate 18-0
THE SKINNY: This is Fayette County’s chance to assert itself as a legitimate region title contender. Creekside won the region crown last year and has three straight 10-win seasons. Unlike years past, though, they’re having to rely much more on defense with the graduation of the electric Eric Berry. Their defense has not disappointed, allowing just 26 points through six games. Expect this one to be low-scoring, for Fayette (49 points allowed) has also been stellar on defense.
PREDICTION: Fayette County, 13-6
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Mercy’s good but ELCA’s better
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two streaks enter. Only one will emerge.
ELCA has taken the best shots of its only two scheduled public-school opponents and has put up 77 points. Now, the Chargers enter their Region 5-A schedule riding a three-game win streak and having scored 127 points in those three games.
Our Lady of Mercy is the region-opening foe for ELCA, and this is not your older brother’s Mercy team. Whereas ELCA has outscored the Bobcats 110-32 in three previous meetings, the Fairburn Catholic school is 3-2 in 2007 and has scored 118 points in its last three games — all wins. Mercy has not played the toughest of competition in that span, and thus ELCA has to be considered a solid favorite with quarterback Wes Carter (388 yards passing, 173 rushing last week) at the controls. Says here, Chargers bolt to win.
MOVING ON …
Stockbridge all of a sudden finds itself reeling after two straight losses. Now they face their third straight powerhouse program in Upson-Lee, which visits the Tigers Friday. At 1-2 in Region 4-AAAA, Division B, the Tigers probably have to win out — and they still have No. 6-ranked Westside-Macon on their schedule — to earn a spot in the region playoff and a chance to go to the state playoffs. They’ll have to contend with Upson-Lee’s Phillip Searcy, who rushed for 204 yards in a blowout win over Dutchtown last week. The Knights have already lost to Westside and still have Northside-Warner Robins and Baldwin to play, so this one has the feel of an elimination game. This was a shootout last year, with Upson-Lee winning 41-34. If Stockbridge quarterback Tyler Bass plays — he missed last week’s game while recovering from a concussion — it could be again. Says here, Stockbridge in a mild upset.
ACES
ELCA pitcher Hope Rush might be tempted to pull the Satchel Page trick of pulling her defenders of the field, what with the one-person wrecking crew she has been this fall. Rush has allowed just three earned runs in 177 innings of work and has struck out 316 of 624 batters faced, all while batting .459 herself with nine home runs and 34 RBIs … Ola hurler Allie Raines had a bid for a third straight no-hitter fall in the fourth inning of the Mustangs’ Region 4-AAA Tournament opener against Peach County, a game Ola won 3-2 in eight innings …
GAME OF THE WEEK
Henry County at Eagle’s Landing, 7:30 p.m. Friday
RECORDS: Henry County 4-1, 1-0 Region 4-AAA Division A; Eagle’s Landing 0-5, 0-1
COACHES: Henry County, Mike Rozier (15-50); Eagle’s Landing, Bob Stinchcomb (43-73)
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Henry County - WR/DB Chris Jackson (Sr., 6-1, 195), WR Jamal Patterson (Jr., 6-3, 205), QB Drew Little (Jr., 6-4, 240). Eagle’s Landing - LB/RB Ben Barnes (Sr., 6-2, 185), WR/DB Brock Callahan (Sr., 5-10, 170), QB Dylan Shaddix (Soph., 6-2, 200)
LAST YEAR: Eagle’s Landing won, 25-15
LAST WEEK: Henry County beat Jackson 24-14; Eagle’s Landing lost to Spalding, 28-0
THE SKINNY: On paper this one looks like a mismatch because Henry has put up 182 points in five games while Eagle’s Landing has been outscored 175-17 so far. Nonetheless, Henry has likely had this game in the back of its collective mind for a year. The Golden Eagles claimed their only win of 2006 against the Warhawks, a loss that contributed to Henry missing the state playoffs. Had they won, they might have avoided playing eventual state champion Peach County in the region playoff. The Warhawk offense is spearheaded by Little, who has more than 1,400 passing yards and has thrown just one interception in more than 150 attempts. Special teams have been a trouble spot for Henry, which gave up a punt return for a touchdown and had a punt snap recovered in the end zone for another in its win over Jackson last week.
PREDICTION: Henry County, 34-7
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Long, strange trip awaits FPK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Forest Park football coach Demarco Mitchell looks at the schedules of other county schools, he must wonder how this came to be.
I mean, Lovejoy will play its last nine games at Twelve Oaks Stadium, so Forest Park will travel a greater distance to any one of its home games than the Wildcats will ride the entire regular season. That seems to be generally accepted as a fact of life among county coaches. But then there’s this: 228.95. That’s the distance in miles between Forest Park’s campus on Phillips Drive and Bainbridge High School, where the Panthers play Friday night. It’s so far away that Bainbridge has a Mississippi ZIP code. Most of the rest of Georgia has ZIP codes that begins with 30 or 31. Bainbridge? 39819. Biloxi? 39530. This is fitting, since Bainbridge’s coach, Ricky Woods, just came to Georgia from Mississippi.
None of which, of course, means much Friday, except the Panthers will spend somewhere in the neighborhood of eight hours on a bus round-trip to play a two-hour football game. For the second time. They also played at Americus-Sumter in the opener, which didn’t turn out so well. Bearcats roll.
MOVING ON … If there is a good time for Lovejoy to be playing Griffin, this might be it. The Wildcats throttled Riverdale last week and have put up back-to-back wins after an 0-4 start, restoring some confidence. Damion Peterson had a breakout — breakway, even — game with 239 yards on 20 carries against the Raiders. Is that enough for them to beat the Bears? Well, Lovejoy lost to Mt. Zion, which Griffin blitzed 62-28 last week. Says here, Wildcats fall at home, though it could be close.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Mundy’s Mill at Hiram, 7:30 p.m. Friday
RECORDS: Mundy’s Mill (3-1-1, 1-0 Region 4-AAAAA); Hiram (4-2, 2-0)
COACHES: Mundy’s Mill, Kenny Barrow (39-23-1); Hiram, Andy Dorsey (11-6)
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Mundy’s Mill - RB Quintory Braswell (Sr., 5-9, 180), QB Miguel Starks (Sr., 6-2, 204), OL Darius Mitchell (Jr., 6-0, 390). Hiram - FB Coshik Williams, QB Tripp Mitchell, LB D. J. Green
LAST YEAR: Hiram won, 7-6
LAST WEEK: Mundy’s Mill beat North Clayton 28-27 in OT; Hiram beat Tri-Cities 5-0
THE SKINNY: By now, Mundy’s Mill should know what to do in a close game; the Tigers have had three contests that were three points or closer, including a 12-12 tie against Forest Park and their win over North Clayton last week. Which is good, given that the Hiram game a year ago was exactly that sort of game. But where Hiram struggled on offense last week, Mundy’s Mill seems to be hitting its stride on that side of the ball, and it comes at a great time. The Hornets figure to wind up next to them in the 4-AAAAA standings, and that makes this a swing game. The key will be how the Tigers handle Williams, who rushed for more than 1,500 yards last year.
PREDICTION: Mundy’s Mill, 16-14
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Time for another wake-up call
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
North Gwinnett ran the table last season, right up to the moment it went into a 9-0 vs. 9-0 game against Norcross and went thud in the night.
The Bulldogs get another chance tonight when they play host to Peachtree Ridge, in a battle of teams that enter the game with unblemished Region 7-AAAAA records.
Nothing in 7-AAAAA happens the easy way. Thoughts that Peachtree Ridge would enjoy a defending champion’s honeymoon were squelched in the second week, when Grayson defeated the Lions in a nonregion game.
And just when it looked like Norcross had what it took to run the table again, only a week later Peachtree Ridge rose up and knocked the Blue Devils off their perch.
Now, comes North Gwinnett into this mix, looking as impressive as ever. The Bulldogs started the season with quality wins over Walton and Brookwood. Since then, they’ve played 7-AAAAA foes Mill Creek, Collins Hill and Duluth — a combined three wins among them. They’re members of the region, so it was required duty, but that’s the kind of thing that can make your feet fall asleep.
North Gwinnett does a lot of things right. On the strong left arm of Michael Tamburo, it passes as accurately and more often than anybody in the region. With Tyler Jarry leading the way, the Bulldogs run the ball effectively. They are unbeaten, unblemished and until Friday night, as untouchable as ever, lacking only the thing that’s fueling Peachtree Ridge.
The wake-up call. Losing to Grayson wasn’t pleasant at the time, but Peachtree Ridge has been a house afire since. And, as evidenced by its victory against Norcross, it has the kind of defense that can shut a pass-happy team down.
Beating Walton and Brookwood shows that the Bulldogs are for real and should be included in any discussion of title contenders. Strange as it may sound, they should be all the moreso after Peachtree Ridge gets their attention and issues a wake-up call they can’t get anywhere else. It also happened to Lowndes, Roswell and Harrison, so a one-loss North Gwinnett will still be in some pretty good company.
•Stephenson vs. M.L. King: Here comes the biggest threat to Stephenson’s status as Class AAAAA’s No. 1 team. And the Jaguars know it. This one’s on the defense. It says here Stephenson has what it takes to remain king of the mountain, especially after Douglass almost clipped King last week.
• Flipping the script: I’m trying to hold off on sentencing teams to the anonymity the Winless Protection Program affords, although soon picking against the 0-fers will become too easy and they’ll require official shielding for their own good. Wins this week will help Clarkston, Lakeside-DeKalb, Lithonia, Montgomery County and Northside-Columbus avoid that fate.
Friday’s games
Winner/Loser
Adairsville/LaFayette
Apalachee/Elbert County
Armuchee/Temple
Athens Academy/Prince Ave. Christ.
Athens Christian/Mt. Zion-Carroll
Atkinson County/Terrell County
Bacon County/Lanier County
Bainbridge/Forest Park
Banks County/Rabun County
Banneker/Woodward Acad.
Benedictine/Hephzibah
Berkmar/Shiloh
Bleckley County/Dublin
Blessed Trinity/Riverwood
Bremen/Jefferson
Brookstone/Stewart-Quitman
Brookwood/Meadowcreek
Brunswick/Greenbrier
Bryan County/Portal
Buford/Holy Innocents’
Cairo/Westover
Calhoun/Sonoraville
Callaway/Lamar County
Camden County/Savannah
Carrollton/Cedartown
Cartersville/Haralson Co.
Carver-Columbus/Kendrick
Cass/Villa Rica
Cedar Shoals/Eastside
Centennial/Alpharetta
Central Gwinnett/South Gwinnett
Central-Macon/Southwest-Mac.
Chamblee/Dunwoody
Charlton County/Savannah Christ.
Chattooga/Dade County
Cherokee/Lithia Springs
Chestatee/East Hall
Clarke Central/Jackson County
Clarkston/Therrell
Clinch County/Calhoun County
Coffee/Tift County
Collins Hill/North Forsyth
Commerce/Social Circle
Colquitt County/Houston County
Creekview/Towns County
Cross Creek/Washington Co.
Darlington/Pepperell
Dawson County/Union County
Dodge County/Tattnall County
Dougherty/Crisp County
Douglas County/Chapel Hill
Early County/Brooks County
East Coweta/Tri-Cities
East Paulding/Woodland-Cart.
ECI/Claxton
ELCA/Our Lady of Mercy
Etowah/Murray County
Fayette County/Creekside
Fellowship Christ./Mt. Pisgah Christ.
Fitzgerald/Berrien
Flowery Branch/Gainesville
GAC/Avondale
Gilmer/Lumpkin Co.
Glascock County/Hebron Christ.
Glenn Hills/Harlem
Glynn Academy/Effingham Co.
Grady/North Atlanta
Grayson/Parkview
Greene County/Morgan County
Greenville/ChattahoocheeCo.
Griffin/Lovejoy
Habersham Cent./Dacula
Harrison/South Cobb
Hart County/Franklin County
Hawkinsville/Irwin County
Heard County/Manchester
Henry County/Eagle’s Landing
Heritage/Rockdale Co.
Hillgrove/East Jackson
Jefferson County/Metter
Jenkins/Johnson-Sav.
Johnson County/Wheeler County
Josey/S.E. Bulloch
Kennesaw Mtn./McEachern
Lakeside-DeKalb/North Springs
Landmark Christ./Whitefield Acad.
Laney/Screven County
Liberty County/Burke County
Lincoln County/Hancock Central
Lithonia/Newton
Loganville/Madison County
Long County/Jeff Davis
Lovett/Decatur
Macon County/Crawford Co.
Marist/Stone Mountain
Mary Persons/Jackson
McIntosh Co. Acad./Brantley Co.
Mill Creek/Forsyth Central
Miller Grove/Columbia
Milton/Northview
Monroe/Worth County
Montgomery Co./Treutlen
Monticello/Wilkinson Co.
Mundy’s Mill/Hiram
Newnan/Morrow
North Cobb/Woodstock
North Hall/White County
North Oconee/Gordon Lee
Northside-W.R./Baldwin
N.W. Whitfield/Gordon Central
Pacelli Catholic/Central-Talbotton
Peach County/Northeast-Mac.
Peachtree Ridge/North Gwinnett
Pebblebrook/Osborne
Pickens/West Hall
Pierce County/Appling County
Randolph-Clay/Bowdon
Ridgeland/Lakeview-F.O.
Ringgold/S.E. Whitfield
Rockmart/Coosa
Rome/Dalton
Roswell/Chattahoochee
Rutland/Pike County
Salem/Alcovy
Sandy Creek/Central-Carroll
Sav. Cntry Day/Jenkins County
Schley County/Taylor County
Seminole County/Pelham
Sequoyah/Alexander
Shaw/Hardaway
South Atlanta/Southside
South Effingham/Richmond Hill
South Forsyth/Duluth
Southwest DeKalb/Washington
Spalding/Ola
Sprayberry/Lassiter
Statesboro/Evans
Stephens County/Monroe Area
Stephenson/M.L. King
Swainsboro/Westside-Aug.
Thomas Co. Cent./Dutchtown
Thomasville/Mitchell County
Thomson/Butler
Toombs County/Vidalia
Trion/South Paulding
Tucker/Mays
Union Grove/Luella
Upson-Lee/Stockbridge
Walton/Pope
Ware County/Lakeside-Evans
Warren County/Aquinas
Wash.-Wikes/Oglethorpe Co.
Westlake/Northgate
West Laurens/Perry
Westminster/Druid Hills
Westside-Macon/Jones County
Wheeler /Kell
Whitewater/McIntosh
Wilcox County/Turner County
Windsor Forest/Bradwell Institute
Saturday’s games
Beach/Groves
Cook/Albany
Douglass/Redan
McNair/Towers
Northside-Col./Jordan
Riverdale/Jonesboro
St. Pius/Cedar Grove
Valdosta/Warner Robins
Walker/Cross Keys
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