AJC > Sports > Highschools > Blog > Archives > 2007 > December > 10
Monday, December 10, 2007
Defense, ha! Playoffs reward playmakers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Forget defense. In high school football, playmakers win championships.
That’s what I carried away from the latest Georgia Dome semifinals.
By Dec. 9, everybody that’s left plays good defense. But how do you score against these defenses that get off blocks and chase runners and quarterbacks faster than I can ever remember it? Playmakers.
What was the difference between Northside and Tucker? Marques Ivory.
The difference between North Gwinnett and Walton? Mike Tamburo and his sure-handed receivers.
ECI and Clinch County? Washaun Ealey.
Wilcox County and Athens Academy? The Dennard twins.
Carver and Chamblee? DeRon Furr and Jarmon Fortson.
There’s only one team left that can win the title primarily with defense, and that’s Lowndes, and I’m curious to see that matchup — North Gwinnett’s spread offense and the pinpoint passing of Tamburo against the state’s best defense.
My picks: Lowndes, Northside, Carver, Buford, Wilcox County. Not exactly going out on a limb.
I’m 27-of-30 since the quarterfinals, and I still can’t win my office pool, which must be rigged.
Talking points: Is Ivory the best quarterback in Georgia? … Is Northside with Ivory the best team in Georgia? … Or is it Buford? … Is Washaun Ealey another Garrison Hearst? … Did South Georgia dominate the Dome? Three schools on the Florida border and four others from middle/south Georgia are in the finals, while North Georgia outside metro Atlanta got shut out. I’m sure somebody noticed that.
And finally, remember that the final rankings are due in one week, and not all semifinalists will be in the AJC’s top four, nor will all quarterfinal teams be in the Top 10. The brackets tell you how far teams advanced, and the rankings will tell you how good they really are. So how would you rank them? How would you handle North Cobb, AAAAA’s No. 1-ranked team that lost in the first round?
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