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Thursday, November 22, 2007
Sandy Creek, Fayette will march on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you were going to highlight the favorites on the Class AAA bracket you’d probably have to start with Shaw and Carver-Columbus. After that, it looks wide open.
So it is that Sandy Creek, the No. 3 seed from 6-AAA has to feel it has as good a chance as anyone else to get to the Georgia Dome for the semifinals. The scariest team on the Patriots’ side of the bracket is Carrollton, and Sandy Creek beat the Trojans by two touchdowns.
That’s not to discount the Trojans from North Hall, who got to the third round last year and clearly know what to do when they get to the postseason.
But this looks like the time we might point to in two years and say, that’s when Ragion Neal came into his own. The Sandy Creek sophomore bolted for 182 yards last week in Sandy Creek’s 23-8 win over Hart County, which is significant because if opponents have to respect the running game, the chances of wideout Braxton Lane hurting them deep are enhanced.
Says here the Patriots’ defense, which has been solid all year, will slow down North Hall, and the group from Tyrone will make its first third-round appearance.
Sandy Creek 21, North Hall 12.
Bainbridge at Fayette County
Fayette’s Tigers are 11-0, Bainbridge’s Bearcats are 8-3. Yet both have an upstart feel in the big playoff picture. Neither has been here before.
Hate to look like a homer here, but I’ll take the home team, especially since Bainbridge is so far away it has a Mississippi ZIP code. There’s no good way to travel from Lake Seminole to Fayetteville, which means Bainbridge, under first-year coach Ricky Woods, will be out of its comfort zone from the get-go.
And Fayette, as I’ve written in this space before, seems to be coming up with all the answers. Here’s one: Matt Daniels and his 1,200 rushing yards.
Fayette County 19, Bainbridge 10.
Whitewater at Thomas County Central
The Wildcats have had a nice season, and their defense has been stellar all year. But like Bainbridge, they have to hit the road to the Rose City, where good teams have long been transitioning to basketball season.
Having steeled itself against the states’ marquee region (1-AAAAA), Thomas County Central looks to me to be the team to beat in AAAA, Northside’s 26-game winning streak notwithstanding. Whitewater will be competitive, but this will be a long right home.
Thomas County Central 31, Whitewater 17.
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Another shootout likely for Warhawks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A couple of weeks ago, I asked Mary Persons coach Rodney Walker about Henry County. His Bulldogs lost to the Warhawks in overtime, after Henry’s Chris Jackson happened to be in the right place as a pass bounced off a Mary Persons defender in the final seconds of regulation. Jackson grabbed the ball and scored to tie the game.
“I think he’s the best player in our region,” Walker said of Jackson. And the Warhawks as a group? “They’ve got a horseshoe.”
I survey the teams left in Class AAA, and none of them seems head and shoulders above the rest, though I suppose Shaw and Carver-Columbus have to be considered the favorites. That said, a team can ride a potent offense — which Henry has — and a little luck a long way.
The Warhawks, who lack a running game, manage to spread the passes around to enough players to have a different kind of offensive diversity. QB Drew Little is 59 yards shy of 3,000, and Jackson, who also anchors the defensive secondary, has more than 1,100 receiving yards.
The luck? Well, when you’re 10-1 it’s hard to say the entire thing was luck, but you do have to have some. But you also can’t discount their willingness to compete, even down 17-0 as they were last week against Harris County. With Westover’s Patriots coming to McDonough, another shootout would seem to be in the offing, but I’m going out on a limb and predicting the luck will last another week.
Henry 31, Westover 27.
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