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Thursday, September 25, 2008
AJC Football Predictions: Just how good is Lowndes, anyway?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Big news out of the world of politics this week: The economy is in trouble.
In other breaking news, Cobb County hasn’t won a high school football state title since 1967, and Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
Some things are so obvious that some people can’t even see it. Here we are five weeks into the season, and there are some things that are pretty clear and other things that we still need to determine. For instance, we know that Region 1-AAAAA is still the best in the state. We know that ECI is still the odds-on favorite in Class A. We know that Buford is still Buford.
Other things we need a little time to figure out. Exactly how good is Lowndes? Are they a team for the ages, or have they just not met their toughest competition? Also, who is the favorite in Class AAAA? I think that any of the teams in the Top 10 could be your state title winner. Ditto for Class AAA, which should make the next few months a lot of fun.
It’s also a lot of fun when you are living right and picking well. Last week was a 7-2 week, with Kell delivering on the upset special. On the season, we know that the guru of gridiron guessing is on his game with a 26-9 mark.
• This week’s big one: The last time I saw No. 1 Tucker play in person, Patrick Pass and the Tigers were getting beat on a chilly night in Middle Georgia in the state semifinals. Not much has changed, because the Tigers remain one of the best teams in the state, but they face their toughest test at No. 7 Marist tonight. Tucker is undefeated against teams with a combined 4-10-1 record. Marist hasn’t exactly blown my doors off either, and the Tigers have won four straight in the series. The Eagles already have let me down once by blowing one of my picks. Gimme the Tigers in a statement game.
• Honorable manhood: I took a big swipe at the, um, fortitude of the Kennesaw Mountain players last week by saying that they couldn’t win the big game. Give the Mustangs their due — they proved me wrong with their victory against North Cobb. Even though they have my respect and will break through as a playoff team this year, I still don’t think they can take care of Harrison.
• Quick hits: In Class A, the contender to dethrone ECI could come out of tonight’s meeting between sixth-ranked Twiggs County and No. 2 Wilcox County. In Rochelle, Wilcox gets the check mark. … For so long, Parkview was the Gwinnett standard bearer, but the torch passed a long time ago. Grayson handles the Panthers — with ease. … Thanks to North Gwinnett for rallying and rescuing my pick over Norcross. It would be easy to pick Mill Creek after such an emotional victory for North, but I won’t. And Gwinnett still is the center of all things good. … There is some chatter that Alpharetta could challenge for Region 6-AAAAA. Don’t believe the hype, because the Raiders have been enjoying a diet of cupcakes. Meat is on the table this week. Walton rolls. … I like Sequoyah and the boys from Hickory Flat on the road to No. 10 Rome. … How hyped are you for Oct. 3, when Northside takes a trip down 75 to Lowndes? Both teams take care of business this week to set up the latest Game of the Century. … Upset special of the week: Things get messy for No. 4 Newnan in the Swamp as Creekside pulls it out.
Pick / pan our Predix: Tell us how wrong - or right - we are with this week’s picks. And send in your predictions for Week 5.
AJC Weekend Predictions - Week 5
Winner / Loser
Alexander / Lithia Springs
Amer.-Sumter / Lee Co.
Aquinas / Glascock Co.
Athens Academy / Prince Avenue
Atkinson Co. / Randolph-Clay
Baldwin / West Laurens
Banneker / Tri-Cities
Benedictine / Long Co.
Bowdon / Darlington
Bradwell Inst. / Groves
Bremen / Walker
Brookwood / Berkmar
Buford / Decatur
Cairo / Monroe
Calhoun / Coosa
Camden Co. / Windsor Forest
Carrollton / Heritage-Catoosa
Cartersville / LaFayette
Carver-Atl. / Washington
Carver-Col. / Columbus
Cedar Shoals / Loganville
Central-Carroll / Ringgold
Central-Talb. / Chattahoochee Co.
Chamblee / Lakeside-DeKalb
Chapel Hill / Pebblebrook
Charlton Co. / Appling Co.
Chattooga / Armuchee
Chestatee / Pickens
Clarke Central / Heritage-Conyers
Clinch Co. / Terrell Co.
Coffee / Colquitt Co.
Collins Hill / North Forsyth
Cook / Albany
Creekside / Newnan
Cross Creek / Josey
Dalton / Woodland-Cart.
Dawson Co. / Rabun Co.
Druid Hills / Clarkston
Dublin / Toombs Co.
Dunwoody / Cedar Grove
ELCA / O.L. of Mercy
Early Co. / Berrien
East Coweta / Westlake
East Paulding / Marietta
Eastside / Elbert Co.
ECI / Jenkins Co.
Etowah / Woodstock
Evans / Glenn Hills
Fannin Co. / Oglethorpe Co.
Fitzgerald / Mitchell Co.
Flowery Branch / Johnson-Gaines.
Forsyth Central / Miller Grove
Gainesville / West Hall
Grayson / Parkview
Greene Co. / Putnam Co.
Griffin / Forest Park
Habersham Cent. / Winder-Barrow
Haralson Co. / S.E. Whitfield
Harrison / Kennesaw Mtn.
Henry Co. / Central-Macon
Holy Innocents’ / Mt. Pisgah
Jackson-Atl. / Eagle’s Landing
Jefferson / Union Co.
Jefferson Co. / Vidalia
Johnson-Sav. / Jenkins
Johnson Co. / Montgomery Co.
Jonesboro / Alcovy
Jordan / Lamar Co.
Kell / Pope
LaGrange / Shaw
Lakeside-Evans / Harlem
Lakeview-Ft. Ogle. / Mount Paran
Landmark Christ. / Fellowship Christ.
Laney / Dodge Co.
Lanier Co. / Calhoun Co.
Lassiter / Wheeler
Lincoln Co. / Commerce
Lithonia / Stone Mountain
Lovejoy / Mundy’s Mill
Lovett / Cross Keys
Lowndes / Tift Co.
Lumpkin Co. / Gilmer
M.L. King / Luella
Madison Co. / Salem
Manchester / Heard Co.
Mary Persons / Jackson
Mays / Douglas Co.
McEachern / South Cobb
Metter / Calvary Day
Miller Co. / Bacon Co.
Milton / Centennial
Model / Adairsville
Morgan Co. / Jackson Co.
Mt. Zion-Carroll / Trion
Norcross / Chattahoochee
North Atlanta / Riverwood
North Cobb / Cherokee
N. Cobb Christ. / Hebron Christian
North Gwinnett / Mill Creek
North Hall / Creekview
North Oconee / Banks Co.
N.E.-Macon / Howard
Northside-W.R. / Houston Co.
N.W. Whitfield / Murray Co.
Oconee Co. / Franklin Co.
Peach Co. / Perry
Peachtree Ridge / Duluth
Pepperell / Gordon Central
Pierce Co. / Brantley Co.
Ridgeland / Cedartown
Riverdale / Morrow
Riverside Military / East Jackson
Rockdale Co. / Apalachee
Roswell / Campbell
Screven Co. / Bleckley Co.
Seminole Co. / Pelham
Sequoyah / Rome
Shiloh / Meadowcreek
Social Circle / Athens Christian
S. Effingham / Effingham Co.
South Forsyth / Northview
South Gwinnett / Central Gwinnett
S.W. DeKalb / North Springs
S.W.-Macon / Monticello
Spencer / Crawford Co.
Statesboro / Wayne Co.
Stephens Co. / Hart Co.
Stephenson / Newton
Stockbridge / Ola
Swainsboro / S.E. Bulloch
Tattnall Co. / Jeff Davis
Telfair Co. / Dooly Co.
Thomas Co. Cent. / Jones Co.
Thomasville / Brooks Co.
Thomson / Richmond Hill
Towns Co. / Dade Co.
Treutlen / Wheeler Co.
Tucker / Marist
Turner Co. / Irwin Co.
Union Grove / Redan
Valdosta / Warner Robins
Walton / Alpharetta
Ware Co. / Glynn Academy
Warren Co. / North Paulding
Washington Co. / Liberty Co.
Wesleyan / Lakeview Acad.
West Forsyth / East Hall
Westminster / GAC
Westover / Crisp Co.
Westside-Macon / Bainbridge
Whitefield Acad. / Pace Academy
Wilcox Co. / Twiggs Co.
Woodland-Stock. / Rutland
Woodward Acad. / South Atlanta
SATURDAY
Blessed Trinity / Avondale
Brunswick / Burke Co.
Douglass / Greenbrier
Hardaway / Harris Co.
McNair / Towers
North Clayton / Mt. Zion-Jones.
St. Pius / Therrell
* Games against out-of-state teams not included
The Weekend Predix W-L percentage
Last week: 120-36 (.769) / Season: 485-164 (.747)
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