AJC > Sports > Highschools > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 21
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
No turkey for Thanksgiving, just crow
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I am like that character in Forrest Gump, Benjamin Buford Blue, the one more commonly known as Bubba. If ever there was a way to prepare shrimp, Bubba could run it down until he had shrimp oozing through your pores.
So it is with me and crow.
It is with the taste of crow fresh upon my tongue that, undaunted, I venture back into the shark-infested waters of the second round of the high school football playoffs.
I said North Cobb would win in Class AAAAA and Fayette County wouldn’t in Class AAAA. Then, I had a wonderfully prepared crow souffle as I looked forward to Fayette County’s next game against Bainbridge and North Cobb’s next game sometime in the fall of 2008. That being a little far into the future to worry about now, I came back to the Fayette County game.
First, let’s dispense with the formalities. Fayette County’s going to win Friday. The Tigers were impressive in their completely-unforeseen-despite-winning-every-other-game victory over Baldwin last week. Certainly, they have more than enough left to take down Bainbridge. I would predict the rest of their playoff run right now, but maybe it’s better to wait until I’ve finished off the last of the crow dogs in the freezer.
Let’s instead turn our attention to the championship rematch between Roswell and, uh … Peachtree Ridge.
Yes, that Peachtree Ridge.
The one I doubted in favor of No. 1-ranked North Cobb, which has probably turned its uniforms in by now. The one I said would not once again run the table from Region 7-AAAAA’s fourth seed. The team I said everybody would see coming a mile away, knowing what it was capable of, the element of surprise gone for 10 games and an offseason of heightened expectations.
Amazing what crow aftertaste will do for a man, isn’t it? Peachtree Ridge will win Friday. There is no way I can doubt Bill Ballard’s Lions, not with visions of crow-flavored gum, crow tarts, and crow a la mode dancing in my head. Does it even matter who the Lions are playing? What’s that, you say? The other team is a champion, too? Champion, schmampion.
As far as I’m concerned, Peachtree Ridge is Bad, Bad Leroy Brown … baddest man in the whole (you know what) town and I have to say that because the song was popularized by a man named Croce, which is pronounced Crow-chee. This cannot possibly be a crow-incidence.
The last time I was right about a Peachtree Ridge loss was when Grayson beat the Lions at home. Then, of course, I had to get carried away with the feeling. I picked Grayson to beat Norcross shortly thereafter.
Three points, however, is not usually enough to beat Norcross, and it wasn’t nearly enough on that day. And now, here they are, about to play again. For the fourth time in two years. Grayson hasn’t won once.
I picked against Norcross twice. And each time the Blue Devils won decisively. So never mind the fact that the Rams looked like world-beaters against Chattahoochee last week. This game is Norcross’ world, and Grayson — blessed with speed and skill as it is — is just trying to get a nut. The Rams are 0-for-Norcross and 0-for-Norcross they will remain.
The only way to make sure this happens, of course, is to send the Blue Devils word that Grayson has been picked to win the game. By the time they figure out what the real deal is, I’ll be able to hide the rest of my crow supplies safely in a dog’s mouth somewhere.
M.L. King takes on Valdosta Friday. Back when Valdosta was falling on its face and going 1-9 last season — the worst season in its history — I told anybody who would listen that Valdosta would return much sooner than later. Now, here they are in the second round of the Class AAAAA playoffs and on metro Atlanta’s doorstep.
That having been said, MLK will win at home, if for no other reason than if they don’t, I’ll have several new friends to help me wash down the rest of these crow-kebabs I’ve accumulated. Fat chance of that happening, right?
Right. Because if one thing has proven true, lo these many years I’ve been in the prognostication business, it’s this: Predict well and the world laughs with you. Predict poorly, and you eat crow alone.
Those predicted against will chortle when you were wrong and they were right, but when the house inevitably wins — and I think we know who the house is here — you stand a better chance of finding Hoffa than finding them.
So, is it crow soup yet? Yep, and you out there who chortled amiss need to come get some.
CLASS AAAAA
Winner / Loser
Coffee / Newnan
East Coweta / Camden County
Lowndes / Douglass
M.L. King / Valdosta
Norcross / Grayson
North Gwinnett / Brookwood
Peachtree Ridge / Roswell
Walton / Harrison
CLASS AAAA
Winner / Loser
East Paulding / Mays
Fayette County / Bainbridge
Habersham Cent. / Cherokee
Northside-W.R. / Evans
Rome / St. Pius
Thomas Co. Cent. / Whitewater
Tucker / N.W. Whitfield
Ware County / Banneker
CLASS AAA
Winner / Loser
Cairo / Shaw
Carrollton / Westminster
Carver-Atlanta / Apalachee
Carver-Columbus / Monroe
Henry County / Westover
North Hall / Sandy Creek
Perry / Worth County
Stephens County / Chamblee
CLASS AA
Winner / Loser
Buford / Darlington
Calhoun / GAC
Charlton County / Fitzgerald
Cook / Dodge County
Jefferson County / Dublin
Lovett / Macon County
Pepperell / Holy Innocents’
Thomasville / Sav. Christian
CLASS A
Winner / Loser
Athens Academy / Whitefield Acad.
Brookstone / Sav. Cntry Day
Clinch County / Schley County
Dooly County / ECI
Fellowship Christ. / Gordon Lee
Lincoln County / Bremen
Warren County / Jefferson
Wilcox County / Miller County< / b>
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