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September 2008
Take 10: Georgia’s most highly anticipated football games
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Northside-Lowndes game Friday night in Valdosta matches reigning state champions that are ranked nationally. In terms of build-up for a regular-season game, how does that rank all-time?
Here are the 10 mostly highly anticipated regular-season high school football games in Georgia history. And check out these classic AJC archive photos: Carver tops Brown, 1966.
Honorable mention
West Rome at Carrollton, 1971 — Both were 9-0. West Rome was No. 1 in Class AA, and Carrollton was No. 1 in A. It was a young Nick Hyder (West Rome) against the legend, Charlie Grisham (Carrollton). West Rome won 14-7.
The aftermath — Carrollton won Class A, but West Rome was upset in the AA semifinals. Hyder left in 1974 for Valdosta, where he would win seven state titles.
10: Washington-Wilkes at Lincoln County, 1986 — It was the season opener, and Lincoln was defending Class A champ, while Washington-Wilkes was Class AA runner-up. Both were preseason No. 1. Washington-Wilkes won 12-10, ending a 10-game losing streak in a series that dates to 1922.
The aftermath — Lincoln repeated as Class A champion, and Wilkes wound up runner-up again in AA after going 14-0.
9: Tift County at Valdosta, 1983 — In a game between 9-0 teams, defending Class AAAA champion (but ranked No. 4) Valdosta ‘’upset’’ No. 2 Tift 14-10 to extend its winning streak to 25 games.
Aftermath — Tift won the rematch in the region playoffs and then its first state title, beating LaGrange 59-6 in the AAAA final.
8: Brown vs. Carver, 1966 — It was the first year of integrated football in the Georgia High School Association, but no all-black team was state-ranked. Carver upset No. 7 Brown 20-7 at Cheney Stadium, signaling the start of the modern era of Georgia high school football. Carver was No. 7 in the next Atlanta Journal poll.
The aftermath — Carver was beaten twice down the stretch, and Brown emerged as city champion. Carver would reach the Class AA title game the next year. Historic photos: Carver tops Brown, 1966
7: Lowndes at Valdosta, 1980 — Both were 7-0. Lowndes had been No. 1 since preseason, although it had never won a state title. Valdosta, the underdog in a rebuilding year, won 17-8. Using the Bradley-Terry model, computer-rankings expert Loren Maxwell determined these were the best two teams that ever have played each other in the regular season since 1948.
The aftermath — Lowndes won the rematch in region playoffs 6-0 - its first-ever victory at Hyder-Bazemore Stadium, and its first state title.
6: Brookwood at Parkview, 2003 — About 10,000 fans squeezed in to Parkview’s Big Orange Jungle and saw second-ranked Brookwood end the top-ranked Panthers’ state-record 46-game winning streak in a rematch of the previous year’s Class AAAAA title game. The final was 35-21.
The aftermath — Parkview reached the quarterfinals. Brookwood finished unranked.
5: Avondale at Decatur, 1967 — Both were 8-0, but in those days, only the region champion qualified for the state playoffs. People were photographed watching the game on telephone poles at Decatur Stadium. Decatur’s Dennis Chadwick (brother of Alan Chadwick) and Avondale’s Charlie Dudish were the state’s best quarterbacks. Decatur won 24-14 and jumped Columbus to take the No. 1 ranking in Class AAA.
The aftermath — Decatur lost to Columbus 6-0 in the semifinals.
4: Thomasville at Central-Thomasville, 1987 — The annual city championship featured Class AAA’s top two teams (Central No. 1, Thomasville No. 2), both 5-0, and each fielded an AJC Super 11 quarterback — Central’s Charlie Ward and Thomasville’s Shawn Jones. Thomasville won 15-6 before 10,000 fans.
The aftermath — Central beat Thomasville in the region final and reached the Class AAA semifinals. In 1990, Jones led Georgia Tech to a national title, and Ward led Florida State to its first national title in 1993.
3: Northside vs. Warner Robins, 2000 — Two 9-0 teams, one No. 1, the other No. 2, each averaging more than 40 points a game, winning every game by at least 14 points. Northside had Chansi Stuckey, and Warner Robins had Willie Reid, both future NFL players. A crowd of 20,000 at McConnell-Talbert Stadium saw Warner Robins win 23-20.
The aftermath — Both teams lost in the second round of the playoffs.
2: Northside at Lowndes, this Friday night — Two nationally ranked teams, two reigning state champions, one with a 35-game winning streak, the other holding three of the past four titles in the highest class. Both are ranked in USA Today’s Super 25.
The aftermath — We’ll find out.
1: Boys’ vs. Tech, 1945 — Games between old Tech and Boys’ high schools, which shared the same campus at what’s now Grady High, were the top-drawing sporting events in the state in those days except when Georgia played Georgia Tech. For this one, a record crowd of 25,000 gathered at Ponce de Leon Park, and another 7,000 were turned away at the gate. Boys’ had won five of the past six state titles, while Tech was 9-0, with its best team in years. Boys’ won 14-0 on touchdown runs by Porter Payne (father of Billy Payne) and went on to win the GIAA title for the ninth and final time.
The aftermath — The Atlanta schools closed in 1947. The series ended 18-18-1.
Go on. Take Ten. Tell us which games you think were Georgia’s most highly anticipated of all-time. And let us know how you’d rank our top 10.
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State report: The Great Northwest, Take 1
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The state HOT and NOT report moves to the great Northwest this week where temperatures are always a little bit cooler, but the football heats up the fans. Again, we will divide the Northwest into two reports. This week, we focus on the Class AAAAA and AAAA teams in the area.
HOT
> East Paulding: The Raiders have made the transition from Class AAAA to AAAAA with relative ease this season with their biggest tests on the horizon. East Paulding takes on Etowah, North Cobb, Harrison and Kennesaw Mountain during the next four weeks, and coach John Reid’s team and the East Paulding fans can earn the respect in AAAAA that they are looking for.
> Dalton: Cat scratch fever is growing in Dalton, and with a 5-0 overall record and 2-0 mark in region play, the third-ranked Catamounts have taken care of business. However, Dalton ends the season with games against Sequoyah, Cass, Rome and Northwest Whitfield before playing a region play-in game for a chance to make the playoffs. Nothing is guaranteed for coach Adam Windegarden’s team.
> Rome: The No. 9 Wolves dropped the season opener to East Paulding, but have looked impressive since then. A gritty 26-21 victory over Sequoyah should assure that Rome will be 6-1 headed into the two-game gauntlet of Northwest Whitfield and Dalton.
> Northwest Whitfield: The jury is still out on the Bruins, who have a 4-1 record overall, but also sport a black eye with a 21-14 loss to Hiram. Mike Falleur’s team played 12 games last season, but the playoffs still a long way to go and the bulk of NW Whitfield’s schedule is back-loaded.
NOT
> Murray County: Victories will be hard to come by for the Indians, who were 0-for-last season. Murray County already has a win this season, and three could come their way by the end of the year.
> Paulding County: The Patriots (1-3) have given up more than 30 points in their three losses this season, and their only victory came against 1-4 Haralson County.
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AJC football rankings: Historic trappings for Northside-Lowndes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, Northside or Lowndes? Take sides now.
When’s the last time a regular-season game was this big? I don’t mean big in terms of “must win” because both teams will be going to the playoffs, win or lose Friday. But has there ever been a game where two teams with this much recent success have met?
We all know the history: Lowndes, the reigning Class AAAAA champ, has won three of the past four titles in the highest class and is ranked in every national poll I can find. Northside has won 35 consecutive games and consecutive Class AAAA titles and also is nationally ranked.
Where does this game rate in history in terms of a great programs hooking up at the peak of their greatness?
Before we get to that, there is other news …
Westside-Macon is No. 1 for the first time ever. …
Appling County is No. 5 in Class AA after the victory against Charlton County. Charlton is No. 8. …
Thomasville is 0-4 for the first time in history but more amazingly is unranked by the AJC for the first time this season. While stubborn, I do have limits. I still see T’ville in the state playoffs, maybe even the quarters. But I heard Brooks County really dominated. …
Marist, 38-0: I don’t know what say about that except never bet against Marist. A few Tucker friends told me they didn’t think Tucker deserved to be No. 1 even before the game. Tucker became the first team since Roswell in 2006 to go from No. 1 to unranked. Roswell came back and won a state title. …
Last week, I did a Take 10 on the coaches with the best chance of winning state titles at two schools. Well, scratch John Starr from the list. Chattooga fired Starr, who won state with Josey in 1995, the day after a loss to Armuchee last week. “I didn’t see it coming,” Starr told the Rome Tribune. Well, who did? Chattooga was 3-0 and had been pretty good, though never really good, in Starr’s 12 seasons.
So who you got? Northside or Lowndes? And why? Declare now.
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes (5-0) vs. Northside-Warner Robins
2. Camden County (4-0) vs. Beach
3. Northside-Warner Robins (5-0) at Lowndes
4. Newnan (5-0) OFF
5. Grayson (5-0) at Shiloh
6. Walton (5-0) OFF
7. Harrison (4-0) vs. Cherokee
8. Coffee (5-0) at Warner Robins
9. North Gwinnett (4-1) OFF
10. Stephenson (4-0) at Luella
Class AAAA
1. Westside-Macon (5-0) vs. Lee County
2. Mays (5-0) vs. Tri-Cities
3. Dalton (5-0) at Sequoyah
4. Statesboro (5-0) vs. Effingham County
5. Sandy Creek (4-0) vs. Whitewater
6. Marist (4-1) OFF
7. Chamblee (4-1) OFF
8. Thomas County Central (3-1) vs. Americus-Sumter
9. Rome (4-1) at Woodland-Cartersville
10. Evans (4-0) at Butler
Class AAA
1. Cairo (3-0) at Worth County
2. Baldwin (5-0) vs. Burke County
3. St. Pius (5-0) vs. North Atlanta
4. Dunwoody (5-0) OFF
5. Washington County (5-0) OFF
6. Gainesville (5-0) at West Forsyth
7. LaGrange (4-1) at Kendrick
8. Carver-Columbus (3-2) OFF
9. Carrollton (4-1) at Cartersville
10. Thomson (3-1) at Liberty County
Class AA
1. Buford (4-0) vs. Avondale
2. Westminster (4-0) vs. Lovett
3. Fitzgerald (4-0) vs. Cook
4. Jefferson County (5-0) vs. Swainsboro
5. Appling County (5-0) vs. Pierce County
6. Pepperell (4-0) at Armuchee
7. Blessed Trinity (4-0) vs. GAC
8. Charlton County (4-1) OFF
9. Henry County (3-1) vs. Mitchell County
10. Brooks County (3-1) vs. Putnam County
Class A
1. ECI (5-0) OFF
2. Wilcox County (5-0) at Telfair County
3. Clinch County (4-1) vs. Bacon County
4. Athens Academy (4-0) vs. Commerce
5. Savannah Christian (3-1) vs. Claxton (Sat.)
6. Lincoln County (4-1) at Aquinas
7. Brookstone (4-0) at Pacelli
8. Miller County (5-0) at Terrell County
9. Turner County (4-1) vs. Twiggs County
10. Bremen (4-1) OFF
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special Game of the Week? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to the game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
If you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com
Friday Night Photos
• Tucker vs. Marist
• Harrison vs. Kennesaw Mountain
• Walton vs. Alpharetta
• Buford vs. Decatur
• Parkview vs. Grayson
• East Paulding vs. Marietta
• Buford seeks 4-0 start
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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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State football report: Who’s hot, who’s not in Middle Georgia (Take 2)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We head back to the middle of the state for the second part of who’s hot and who’s not. All things in Middle Georgia football start and end in Warner Robins, that little Air Force town in the heart of the state. So, that is the best place to begin as we look at the top teams in classes AAA/AAAA/AAAAA.
HOT
— Northside-Warner Robins: The third-ranked Eagles, winners of the last two Class AAAA state championships, have made the transition to AAAAA with little difficulty. Coach Conrad Nix’s team has won 34 straight since losing in the state title game in 2005, and this year’s team has plenty of talent to compete with anyone in the state. Led by AJC Super 11 selections LB Eric Fields and DE Abry Jones, Northside will play in the game of the year on Oct. 3, when the Eagles travel to No. 1 Lowndes.
— Westside: Robert Davis built one of the most dominant programs at Warner Robins, and he has built No. 2 Westside into a top program in Class AAAA. The Seminoles have been nothing short of unbelievable this season, outscoring their opponents 220-14 in their first four games. Westside plays at Bainbridge this week, but the big game on the schedule will come on Halloween, hosting Thomas County Central.
— Washington County: The Golden Hawks are starting to remind people of their glory days, when Washington County was one of the most feared programs in the state. After a 4-6 anomaly of a season last year, No. 5 WaCo is putting the pain back into the House of Pain this season.
— Baldwin: The Braves lost in the first round of the playoffs last year, but they appear to be headed for bigger and better things after a thorough 22-0 victory against Carver-Columbus last week. Back-to-back games with Washington County and Thomson will be the biggest tests. The Braves should roll through their next four opponents.
NOT
— Warner Robins: The Demons have victories against Wheeler and Beach, but the prospects of a .500 season are slim in powerful Region 1-AAAAA.
Report back: Explain your hot or not Middle Georgia football picks and why they’re scorching it on the field or torching their seasons with losses.
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Take 10: Georgia’s football coaches who could win titles at two different schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are 13 coaches in GHSA history who have won state championships at two Georgia schools. Which coach is most likely to be the 14th on that list? At Take Ten, we think we know. Vote which coaches are Hot or Not in our photo gallery.
But first, here are the 13 who have done it: Charlie Brake (Morgan County, Westminster), Gene Brodie (Central Macon, Tift County), Buzz Busby (Kendrick, Statesboro), Wayman Creel (Northside, Lakeside), Jeff Herron (Oconee County, Camden County), Dwight Hochstetler (Bowdon, Greenville), Mike Hodges (West Rome, Thomasville), Jim Hughes (Thomasville, Colquitt County), Ralph Jones (Bainbridge, Cairo), Ray Lamb (Warren County, Commerce), Milt Miller (Worth County, Lowndes), Jerry Sharp (East Rome, Darlington) and Charlie Winslette (West Rome, Greene-Taliaferro).
Who’s next? The drum roll, please …
Tie-10: Mike O’Brien, Woodstock - It’s not going to happen, but what a story it would be. Valdosta fired O’Brien four years after winning the school’s last state title, in 1998. Valdosta was 70-20-1 under O’Brien and is 39-27 since. Woodstock was 15-47 before O’Brien and is 25-29 since.
Tie-10: John Starr, Chattooga - Starr’s Indians are 3-0, but they’ve never been out of the first round in Starr’s 12 seasons in Summerville, and they’re never going to have the talent Starr had with Deon Grant and Josey in 1995.
9: Blair Armstrong, Banks County - The former Peachtree Ridge coach left Gwinnett for the green acres of Banks, a Class AA program with some promise but no history of winning. Armstrong has been coaching close to 30 years, and the 4-6 record in 2007 was only his third losing season. Don’t put it past Armstrong, who also won a state title in Florida in 1982, but the clock is ticking on a long career. Note that Buzz Busby is the only coach to win titles at two Georgia schools and another in a second state (Alabama).
8: Mike Earwood, Starr’s Mill - Won with Cartersville in 1991. Time might be running out on Earwood, too, but he’s been close a couple of times, reaching the semifinals in 2000 and the quarters in 2005. Starr’s Mill is 0-4 this season, however.
7: Lee Campbell, Dodge County - Dodge is 0-4, a disappointment in Campbell’s first season, but the coach of Hawkinsville’s state champs in 2002 and 2003 is young enough, and Dodge has been a solid program for years, so the potential is there.
6: Charlie Flowers, Dougherty - A 2000 champion at Shaw, Flowers is in his second season at Dougherty, which won Class AAA in 1998 and made the final in 2005. But Dougherty is down, and it’s going to take time to fix.
5: Erik Soliday, Turner County - Turner is ranked this week after a big victory against Brooks County. Soliday, who also coached Turner from 1989 to 1996, won with Americus in 2000 and 2001 with John Harris and Leonard Pope. He’s definitely got a shot.
4: Ed Pilcher, Bainbridge - Pilcher surprised many when he left Thomas Central after 17 seasons. He won five state titles at TCC, all in the 1990s. Bainbridge’s support for football is at an all-time high, but losing to Harris County last week was sobering.
3: Rick Tomberlin, Valdosta - Tomberlin won state titles at Washington County in 1994, 1996 and 1997 with Takeo Spikes and Terrence Edwards. Tomberlin has things turned around at Valdosta after a 1-9 start in 2006, but times have changed, and state titles are no longer a matter of time in Valdosta.
2: Robert Davis, Westside-Macon - Davis won three titles at Warner Robins (1976, 1981, 1988). He’s now the second-winningest coach in Georgia behind Lincoln County’s Larry Campbell. Westside is 4-0 and ranked No. 2 in Class AAAA. This would be the No. 1 choice, except that Davis is in his 36th year. This might be Davis’s last good shot.
1: Rayvan Teague, Carrollton - Teague won at Swainsboro in 2000, and he’s averaged more than 10 victories in six seasons at Carrollton, which won a title under the late Ben Scott in 1998. Teague should have many years left in coaching. He’s the odds-on favorite.
Photos: Vote which coaches are Hot or Not!
Go on. Take Ten. Which of these coaches would you love to see go head-to-head in a dream title matchup? And name some other Georgia coaches you think could win anywhere, anytime.
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AJC high school rankings: Overrated, but still No. 1 — Region 1-AAAAA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was about to write a ‘’Region 1-AAAAA is overrated’’ blog today, and then go on to say that ‘’overrated’’ doesn’t mean 1-AAAAA isn’t still the state’s best region.
Then, I thought I should make this fun for all and rank the regions by class, which you can see below.
But isn’t it true that 1-AAAAA has been a little disappointing? Lowndes and Northside are legit, and Coffee looks pretty good. But I’d bet the fan bases of Valdosta, Warner Robins, Tift and Colquitt aren’t getting the results they’d expected at this point. And HoCo is still HoCo.
Beside each region number, I’ve listed the four teams that I think are the region’s best or the likely playoff qualifiers. I concede that I have not gone through each region to find the seeding rules and subregion/playoff scenarios to make these seedings as scientific as they could be. But these are what appear to me to be the best four teams without spending three days analyzing every score and upcoming schedule. I’m sure somebody will tell me where I missed the target.
AAAAA
1 - Lowndes, Northside-WR, Coffee, Valdosta
5 - Harrison, Etowah, East Paulding, Kennesaw Mountain
7 - North Gwinnett, Norcross, Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill
8 - Grayson, Brookwood, Parkview, Dacula
6 - Walton, Kell, Roswell, Lassiter
4 - Newnan, East Coweta, Creekside, Chapel Hill
2 - Stephenson, MLK, Luella, Union Grove
3 - Camden, Bradwell, Groves, Windsor Forest
AAAA
6 - Tucker, Marist, Chamblee, Southwest DeKalb
1 - Westside, TCC, Harris County, Bainbridge
5 - Mays, Whitewater, Sandy Creek, Banneker
2 - Statesboro, Brunswick, Ware, Glynn Academy
7 - Dalton, Rome, Sequoyah, Sprayberry
4 - Mount Zion, Griffin, Forest Park, Jonesboro
8 - Cedar Shoals, Clarke Central, Rockdale, Apalachee
3 - Evans, Glenn Hills, Lakeside, Hephzibah
AAA
2 - LaGrange, Carver-Columbus, Troup, Shaw
1 - Cairo, Peach, Worth County, Perry
5 - St. Pius, Dunwoody, Carver-Atlanta, McNair
3 - Baldwin, Thomson, WaCo, Burke County
7 - Gainesville, Flowery Branch, West Forsyth, Creekview
8 - Stephens, Eastside, Hart County, Franklin
6 - Carrollton, Cartersville, Ridgeland, Central Carrollton
4 - Woodward, Mary Persons, Woodland, Jackson
AA
6 - Buford, Westminster, Blessed Trinity, Lovett
1 - Fitzgerald, Thomasville, Cook, Brooks
3 - JeffCo, Laney, Dublin, Vidalia
2 - Charlton County, McIntosh, Appling, Pierce
4 - Henry County, NE Macon Central Macon, SW Macon
5 - Callaway, Manchester, Pike, Heard
7 - Pepperell, Calhoun, Rockmart, Chattooga
8 - Jefferson, Union County, Riverside, North Oconee
A
2 - Wilcox, Twiggs, Turner, Dooly
1 - Clinch, Miller, Randolph-Clay, Terrell County
3 - ECI, Savannah Christian, Johnson County, Savannah Country Day
4 - Brookstone, Greenville, Schley, Pacelli
5 - Landmark Christian, ELCA, Holy Innocents’, Whitefield
6 - Bremen, Darlington, Bowdon, Gordon Lee
7 - Lincoln County, Wash-Wilkes, Wilkinson, Warren
8 - Athens Academy, Wesleyan, Social Circle, Commerce
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
AJC TEAM RANKINGS - Week of Sept. 22, 2008
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes (4-0) at Tift County
2. Camden County (3-0) at Windsor Forest
3. Northside-Warner Robins (4-0) at Houston County
4. Newnan (4-0) at Creekside
5. Grayson (4-0) vs. Parkview
6. Walton (4-0) at Alpharetta
7. Harrison (3-0) vs. Kennesaw Mountain
8. Coffee (4-0) at Colquitt County
9. North Gwinnett (3-1) at Mill Creek
10. Stephenson (3-0) vs. Newton
Class AAAA
1. Tucker (4-0) at Marist
2. Westside-Macon (4-0) at Bainbridge
3. Mays (4-0) at Douglas County
4. Dalton (4-0) vs. Woodland-Cartersville
5. Statesboro (4-0) at Wayne County
6. Sandy Creek (4-0) OFF
7. Marist (3-1) vs. Tucker
8. Chamblee (3-1) vs. Lakeside-DeKalb
9. Thomas County Central (2-1) vs. Jones County
10. Rome (3-1) vs. Sequoyah
Class AAA
1. Cairo (2-0) vs. Monroe-Albany
2. Baldwin (4-0) at West Laurens
3. St. Pius (4-0) at Therrell
4. Dunwoody (4-0) at Cedar Grove
5. Washington County (4-0) vs. Liberty County
6. Gainesville (4-0) vs. West Hall
7. LaGrange (3-1) vs. Shaw
8. Carver-Columbus (2-2) vs. Columbus
9. Carrollton (3-1) vs. Heritage-Ringgold
10. Thomson (2-1) vs. Richmond Hill
Class AA
1. Buford (3-0) at Decatur
2. Charlton County (4-0) at Appling County
3. Westminster (3-0) at GAC
4. Fitzgerald (3-0) at Mitchell County
5. Jefferson County (4-0) at Vidalia
6. Pepperell (3-0) at Gordon Central
7. Blessed Trinity (3-0) at Avondale (Sat.)
8. Henry County (2-1) vs. Central Macon
9. Thomasville (0-3) at Brooks County
10. Laney (2-1) vs. Dodge County
Class A
1. ECI (4-0) vs. Jenkins County
2. Wilcox County (4-0) vs. Twiggs County
3. Clinch County (3-1) at Terrell County
4. Athens Academy (3-0) at Prince Avenue Christian
5. Savannah Christian (3-1) OFF
6. Twiggs County (3-0) at Wilcox County
7. Lincoln County (3-1) vs. Commerce
8. Brookstone (4-0) OFF
9. Miller County (4-0) vs. Bacon County
10. Turner County (3-1) vs. Irwin County
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special Game of the Week? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to the game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
If you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com
Friday Night Photos
• St. Pius vs. Carver-Atlanta
• South Gwinnett vs. Grayson
• East Paulding vs. McEachern
• Roswell vs. Kell
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AJC’s Georgia High School Football Predictions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If your favorite team’s football season ended right now, would you take a 9-1 record?
That will be one win more than Northside-Warner Robins will have by season’s end. One win more than Norcross, East Paulding or Valdosta. One less win than Camden County, ECI or Grayson. The exact record for Harrison, Carver-Columbus, Walton and St. Pius.
Now, how many of you smiled and how many gnashed your teeth at those statements? Load the Cannon! Start an Eagle Nation uprising! Unleash the Hoya Dawgs.
A 9-1 record last week should have me feeling pretty darn cocky and ready to take on the world, but perfection is always the goal. So, yes, I am mad that Northside got lucky and beat a Carver-Columbus team that proved it is the team to beat in Class AAA, even if it is ranked second. That limb that I crawled out on last week in calling for the end to the Northside winning streak looks pretty strong when compared to the rest of the schedule. My pick is that the Eagles lose two in the regular season, and now I can’t ever go eat at that Japanese steak house on Watson Boulevard again.
For the year, the guru of gridiron guessing is 19-7 on the young season.
• Starting in the middle: OK, now that I have alienated a huge portion of the blogging community by saying that Northside will lose two games this year, this week’s matchup with Valdosta won’t be one of them. Eagles fans got all bent out of shape when they won and dropped in the polls to No. 3 behind Camden County, and Valdosta fans blew a gasket with the Wildcats winning against Jonesboro and falling completely out of the rankings. Region 1-AAAAA fans like to say they are the SEC of high school football. If that is the case, then AAA Carver-Columbus (though very talented) would be on the par with Middle Tennessee State. I’m sorry, but Georgia or Florida isn’t supposed to beat MTSU 7-6. Take the Eagles at home, but the day of reckoning is coming.
•My Gwinnett groove: Biggest game between ranked opponents is at North Gwinnett, which plays host to Norcross. Both teams are 2-1 with what would be considered quality losses, but I give North Gwinnett the edge because they have a quality victory against Brookwood and experience in winning these tougher matchups. … I have appropriately been educated that Grayson is the home of the Rams. I think they play some celestial shooting stars this week. Baaaaaaa! Rams win, and Gwinnett still rules the universe.
•Rush to judgment: Rush Propst has the community in Colquitt County dreaming of December play dates and shifts in the power structure in Region 1-AAAAA. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Packers. The MTV Icon won’t have figured Lowndes out just yet. Still two years away from Packer domination!
•Out and about: I’m really getting on the St. Pius train. In perhaps the best game in the metro area, pick the Lions to defend their No. 4 ranking against Carver-Atlanta. … Kennesaw Mountain can’t win the big game. Tonight versus North Cobb is a big game. Pick the Warriors. … Baldwin has a chance to make some waves, but Carver-Columbus should be spoiling for a beatdown on someone. … After Mays exposed Whitewater last week, pick Carrollton at home. … Upset Special of the Week: Kell at home over Roswell.
• Check out all of Whitfield’s predictions
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Take 10: A look at our dream high school football matchups
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You’ve thought about it. Somewhere out there is a team you’ve just been dying to play. It could be the history, the attraction of a new road game or maybe you just hold a grudge from a girl that broke your heart freshman year at UGA. (We know you’re out there, Julia from Smyrna.)
After seeing Northside-Warner Robins eke out a 7-6 win over Carver-Columbus, we at Take Ten got to thinking about our own dream matchups. Seeing a pair of defending state champions tangle is the perfect example.
Here are our top 10 dream football matchups:
10: Carver-Columbus vs. Tucker - The Tigers faced a former Class AAAA powerhouse. How about a current one? We like the idea of seeing two of the state’s best linebackers in Tucker’s Jonathan Davis and Carver’s Jarvis Jones. The Tigers offense would have its hands full with the Tucker defense. Prediction: 4-2 Tucker (Tigers win on a pair of safeties. Offenses combine for negative yardage.)
9: Cartersville vs. Sandy Creek - This game is contingent on Patriots wideout Braxton Lane coming out of retirement. Cartersville’s Donovan Tate did. Watching Tate cover the receiver who broke all of Calvin Johnson’s receiving records (in three years) would be fun. Maybe we could throw in baseball gloves to make them feel more comfortable. Prediction: 24-21 Patriots
8: ECI vs. Athens Academy - The Bulldogs have an 18-game winning streak lead by tailback Washaun Ealey and linebacker Dexter Moody. We thought giving someone like the Spartans a shot at the champs would be quality entertainment. Athens is led by wideout McKay Academy. The Spartans have already logged a quality 40-14 win over Whitefield Academy. Prediction: 35-34 Bulldogs
7: Buford vs. Hollywood - If you read our Take Ten last week, you saw the Wolves’ well-crafted video mergers of famous films and game highlights. We’ve had our ear to the ground this week and learned that Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings series) and The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix series) are ticked off. Lawsuits are coming. We think Dallas Lee and the Buford defense can handle themselves. Prediction: 58-7 Buford (The shutout is broken in the fourth quarter after Gandalf hits Neo for a 53-yard pass.)
6: Newnan vs. Etowah - These are two of our favorite teams to watch. The Eagles can fly high with the split-back veer, and the Cougars offense is potent with quarterback Russell Powell. We’d like to see one of them make noise in the playoffs this year (like Newnan did a year ago). Prediction: 35-28 Cougars
5: East Paulding vs. Maryville (Tenn.) - It would be difficult to know the significance of this unless you knew East Paulding coach John Reid. The Raiders coach has made a quick turnaround at his first Georgia coaching gig. East Paulding had one winning season in 11 years prior to Reid’s arrival in 2006. Since then, the Raiders are 26-3. Maryville is one of the best program’s in the nation, winning 12 titles and four straight in Tennessee’s Class AAAA. Reid’s previous coaching stop was at Alcoa, Tenn., where he suffered three losses to the crosstown rival Maryville Rebels. It would be nice to see if Georgia talent made a difference. Prediction: 31-14 Rebels
4: Harrison vs. Walton - The two best teams in Cobb County should see each other before the postseason, but they won’t. Walton took the most recent matchup 37-28 in the second round of the playoffs last fall. Hoyas tailback Robbie Godhigh vs. Walton’s defensive front would be the key matchup. Prediction: 17-15 Hoyas
3: Peachtree Ridge vs. Roswell - How could you not want to see these teams again? Most of the faces have changed, but we can guarantee some bad blood remains. Two year ago, the pair tied for a state title. Then, the rematch came in the playoffs in 2007. Instead of some sort of finality, the game ended in uproar as Hornets tailback Alex Daniel scored (we think) on a controversial overtime touchdown. Prediction: 39-38 Roswell (Peachtree Ridge recovers a fumble with 24 seconds remaining only to have the refs overturn the play due to a prematurely blown whistle. Roswell goes on to score and win on a two-point conversion. Oh, wait…)
2: Camden County vs. Northside-Warner Robins - The Wildcats are No. 2 in our latest rankings poll, while the Eagles are third in their new classification. Neither of these teams need more tests. Camden County has faced Norcross and Hoover (Ala.) in its first three games. The Eagles played the aforementioned Carver game. Prediction: 27-21 Wildcats
1: Lowndes vs.Trinity (Euless, Texas) - Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) is the nation’s top-ranked prep football program according to USA Today. Trinity is second. We’ve already seen Byrnes challenge the state of Georgia, downing North Gwinnett 36-21. What we’d like to see is the best team in Georgia take on the best team in the “best state of high school football.” Let’s see how the Peach State ranks with the Lone Star State. Prediction: 21-20 Vikings
Go on. Take Ten. What are the games that you’ve been dreaming about? Who are the schools that should be playing this season? Were we missing something on our list? Let us know. Here’s your chance to set the record straight.
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AJC high school rankings: Valdosta wins game, loses ranking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the way it is …
Class AAAAA — Camden jumps Northside. … Valdosta is out of the rankings despite winning. … Over/under on Northside-Valdosta is 19.5 points. … North Gwinnett and Norcross replaced Valdosta and North Cobb in the rankings. … Also considered Stephenson. Almost considered East Paulding and Etowah.
Class AAAA — Mays jumps four spots to No. 4. … This class is hard to project. Too many unproven teams. The last team in my Top 5 to win state was Bainbridge in 1982. … Congrats to Westside’s Robert Davis on victory No. 346, which ties him w/ Dan Pitts for No. 2 in Georgia history.
Class AAA — Carver stays put at No. 2 despite loss to Northside. … It’s No. 2 Carver vs. No. 3 Baldwin this week. I like Carver in that. … The Grangers are back in the Top 10. … Cartersville nipped Thomson for the No. 10 spot.
Class AA — Thomasville becomes the first school in history to be ranked at 0-3. Nobody outside the Top 10 would’ve done better against Thomasville’s gauntlet of higher-class opponents. … Unlike AAAA, which is wide open, I feel pretty confident that the runner-up to Buford in AA will come from teams in the current Top 10.
A — Miller County joins the Top 10. Considered Johnson County & Bowdon.
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
AJC TEAM RANKINGS - Week of Sept. 15, 2008
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes (3-0) vs. Colquitt County
2. Camden County (3-0) OFF
3. Northside-Warner Robins (3-0) vs. Valdosta
4. Newnan (3-0) vs. Morrow
5. Grayson (3-0) at South Gwinnett
6. Walton (3-0) at Wheeler
7. Harrison (2-0) vs. South Cobb
8. Coffee (3-0) vs. Houston County
9. North Gwinnett (2-1) vs. Norcross
10. Norcross (2-1) at North Gwinnett
Class AAAA
1. Tucker (3-0) at Miller Grove
2. Westside-Macon (3-0) vs. Jones County
3. Bainbridge (2-0) at Harris County
4. Mays (3-0) vs. Alexander
5. Dalton (3-0) at Murray County
6. Statesboro (3-0) vs. Thomson
7. Sandy Creek (3-0) at Osborne
8. Marist (2-1) vs. North Springs
9. Chamblee (2-1) at Lithonia (Sat.)
10. Thomas County Central (1-1) at Upson-Lee
Class AAA
1. Cairo (2-0) OFF
2. Carver-Columbus (2-1) at Baldwin
3. Baldwin (3-0) vs. Carver-Columbus
4. St. Pius (3-0) at Carver-Atlanta
5. Dunwoody (3-0) vs. Clarkston
6. Washington County (3-0) vs. Troup
7. Monroe-Albany (3-0) vs. Crisp County
8. Gainesville (3-0) at North Hall
9. LaGrange (2-1) at Central Macon
10. Cartersville (3-0) vs. Westminster
Class AA
1. Buford (3-0) OFF
2. Charlton County (3-0) at Tattnall County
3. Westminster (2-0) at Cartersville
4. Fitzgerald (3-0) OFF
5. Brooks County (2-0) vs. Turner County
6. Jefferson County (3-0) vs. Bleckley County
7. Pepperell (3-0) OFF
8. Blessed Trinity (2-0) vs. Washington-Wilkes
9. Henry County (2-1) OFF
10. Thomasville (0-3) OFF
Class A
1. ECI (3-0) at Wheeler County
2. Wilcox County (3-0) vs. Bryan County
3. Lincoln County (3-0) at Abbeville (S.C.)
4. Clinch County (2-1) vs. Seminole County
5. Athens Academy (3-0) OFF
6. Savannah Christian (2-1) vs. Jenkins
7. Twiggs County (3-0) OFF
8. Brookstone (2-0) vs. Taylor County
9. Washington-Wilkes (2-1) at Blessed Trinity
10. Miller County (3-0) at Atkinson County
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special Game of the Week? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to the game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
If you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com
Friday Night Photos
• Lovett at Buford
• Shiloh at Brookwood
• Washington at Douglass
• Mill Creek at Norcross
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AJC high school football predictions: North Cobb will fall
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
North Cobb coach Shane Queen really gets on my nerves.
Can’t stand his bald head, his spread offense or his team’s orange and blue colors. Mostly, though, I hate that Shane Queen and his Warriors were the only blemish on a week that was a 22-yard field goal away from being perfection.
All right, I don’t really dislike Shane Queen, but it occurred to me as I was making my way off of Highway 41 the other night to cover the North Cobb-M.L. King game that I have never seen a Queen-coached team lose. I knew then that I was in trouble.
But trouble meant an 8-1 week, showing the true picking prowess of the prep pigskin prognosticator. I’m stylin’ and profilin’ a lot prouder than the Nature Boy Ric Flair this week, especially after his daughter’s boyfriend laid out Naitch with a few chops of his own. On the year, the guru is 10-6, which would make me the Braves’ second-best pitcher on the active roster.
• Back to west Cobb: No. 10 North Cobb has to find some more diversity in its offense. Quarterback Michael Emerson took more shots to the body than a UFC fighter. No. 8 Harrison hasn’t missed a beat with a new coach, but can the Hoyas figure out a way to stop Derrick Lott? Since I am not covering the game, take the Hoyas at home.
• I “heart” Gwinnett: Just to perpetuate the myth that everything about the AJC has a Gwinnett bias, I intend to pick every Grayson game this season. Here is how biased I am to Gwinnett: Off the top of my head, I can’t tell you fifth-ranked Grayson’s mascot. But they are Gwinnett, and all things Gwinnett are good. Take the Grayson whatevers over Dacula.
• Sweet home, Allerbammer: No. 3 Camden County can’t help its region schedule of Savannah patsies, but the Wildcats “ain’t skeered” when it comes to likes Alabama’s Hoover High, made famous by MTV. The Wildcats have played well on the big stage so far, and there is no reason to think they don’t remain undefeated.
• Feel-good story: Had to be sort of an escape to get back to football after all Sequoyah and Creekview went through leading up to the first battle of Ball Ground in Cherokee County. A double overtime thriller had to take the minds off the passing of Creekview coach Al Morrell’s wife and the death of Sequoyah defensive coordinator Ray Face in May. Take the Chiefs in another close one at home over Hillgrove.
• Down the sidelines: Why do we Georgians butcher Old World city names? KAY-ro justifies its No. 1 ranking over Thomasville. … Lovett is one of the few teams that can play Buford close. And by close I mean 24 points. Buford train keeps rolling. … Northside-Warner Robins is still dangerous but hardly the power from the previous three years in my eyes. The Eagles’ game at Carver-Columbus will be the best in the state. Out on a limb pick goes to Carver. … Let the lovefest for East Paulding begin. Now is the Raiders’ chance to earn respect. East Paulding beats South Cobb, but don’t bet on a rout. … Also, pick No. 8 Mays over No. 5 Whitewater and Marietta over Cherokee.
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Take 10: Searching for YouTube’s top high school football videos
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you look around, you’ll notice the world is changing. The Internet has made the world faster and smarter.
But in this mass of greatness, you’re still prone to find useless items — like pages dedicated Kenny G and videos of a goat that sounds like a man. There’s a lot out there.
After watching the amazing leap by Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno this weekend, Take Ten decided to brave the unknown and find the best online content for our loyal readers.
Here’s the top 10 high school football related YouTube videos:
10: Eric Berry’s highlight reel — Before the dynamic Berry was doing this, he was one-man highlight reel at Creekside. The best moment is about 23 seconds in.
9: Hawkinsville vs. Lincoln County playoff game (2006) — The announcers were confused. So were we. Here’s the highlight of a free kick on a field goal after Lincoln County called for a fair catch on a punt. We’ve never seen this, nor did we know it was a rule. Listening to the LCTV crew is worth the lesson.
8: Buford Wolves introductions — We’ll admit, we wanted to rank Buford on this list three times. The production staff for the Wolves has put together a handful of quality pregame introductions, including this mix of game highlights and this monologue from Morpheus in “The Matrix.” There was also a more personal intro and a Lord of the Rings crossover.
7: Allen Iverson feature — We were told once that the former NBA MVP was one of the greatest high school players ever. Considering he came from the same part of Virginia that produced NFL quarterbacks Aaron Brooks and He Who Shall Not Be Named, we believe it. This video is just a taste of that. The highlight: It mentions that Iverson one caught seven interceptions in a game. Not a bad day.
6: North Cobb rap and slideshow — The high school AV department really outdid themselves with this video. The song is homemade. The slideshow is classic. The clip from “The Warriors” is perfect. Now if we can just find a picture of North Cobb coach Shane Queen not looking so angry.
5: West Canann football team loss — There’s rarely anything comforting about a loss, but this team looks really good doing it.
4: Champ Bailey feature — This is a short video revisiting the high school glory of one of Georgia’s finest. We actually didn’t know Bailey’s real first name was Roland. We’d stick with Champ, too.
3: Reggie Bush highlight reel — You’ll find a boatload of highlight tapes, but few match what Bush did in his high school career. Noel Devine, the current tailback at West Virginia, is another eye-popper, but Bush is the original. See if you can count how many tackles he breaks in the video. We’ve gotten as high as 1,317.
2: The Amazing 12-year-old — OK, we know this isn’t high school, but we’re convinced after watching this kid that he could throw on a Lowndes Vikings uniform and rush for a buck fifty.
1: Herschel Walker TD run at the 1979 state title game — There’s nothing fancy about this one, but it takes our top spot for a reason. For one, we’re just amazed the camera was invented prior to 1980. It’s amazing to see a national sensation before he’s about to blossom. This is HW raw and in his prime.
Go on. Take Ten. Are these the best high school football YouTube videos? Can you think of something better? Do you (like us) think that child is older than 12? Let us know. Here’s a chance to voice your opinion and tell us where the best videos are.
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Georgia high school football: Middle Georgia teams are hot … and not
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Middle Georgia high school football has so many good stories that we will need two takes to cover all that’s going on in the heart of the state. This week, we look at classes A/AA/AAA to see, as always, who’s hot and who’s not:
HOT
> Dublin: Like it or not — and some of their fans on statewide blogs make it hard to love the green and gold — Dublin is here to stay. Coach Roger Holmes has built the perfect system of being able to reload and not rebuild. Just go ahead and accept the Shamrock Bowl as your high school football shrine. Rashad Smith, a member of the AJC’s The Georgia 150 team, is worth the price of admission.
> Twiggs County: Ever since former Georgia Tech standout Tony Hollings graced the Cobra Pit, Twiggs County football has been on the map.
> Toombs County: Granted the two victories aren’t that impressive, but 2-0 is hotter than 0-2. The real test will come the next three weeks against No. 8 Jefferson County, No. 7 Dublin and Screven County - not to mention a Halloween meeting with county rival Vidalia.
> Southwest Macon: I don’t care if Albany is riding a 22-game losing streak, any running back that goes for 294 yards and three touchdowns like Southwest Macon’s Adrian Alexander did gets my attention. Both Southwest and Northeast Macon are 2-0. The high school world is changing.
NOT
> Dodge County: Let’s see, the school board fires Greg Robinson, who led his team to 12 victories in back-to-back seasons with region-runner-up finishes to Dublin. They bring in heralded coach Lee Campbell, who won two championships at Hawkinsville, and lose their opener to Southeast Bulloch, a team that was 2-8 last year? And Dodge loses at home?
> Perry: Losses to Northside-Warner Robins and Wilcox County are not bad losses, but 0-2 is 0-2.
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AJC high school football rankings: September 8, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s my starting 11 ..
1: What’s up w/ Ware? Is it the QB injury? New coach? I don’t see Lowndes having much trouble with the Gators. I’m talking 31-7.
2: Who’s No. 2? Northside and Carver. The defending champs are No. 2, according to the pollmeister, but both are defending champs. Some game they’ll have Friday. Might go to that one. Northside will win and cover.
3:. Huge win for North Cobb over MLK. Any team can have a good season, but to lose so many key players and beat a team like MLK shows NC is a program (and Shane Queen is a coach) with staying power. Yet I still think Harrison will win Friday.
4: Coffee will beat Shaw, but Tift County sure did sully Region 1-AAAAA’s reputation last week.
5: Whitewater vs. Mays. Great game in 5-AAAA, an underrated and very tough region. Had to give Mays its due w/ a #8 ranking. Whitewater, ranked #5, can solidy my faith in that program, too. W will get the W.
6: Thomasville is ranked #10 despite being 0-2. Might still be #10 despite being 0-3 if the ‘Dogs play Cairo close.
7: Lots of great games this week involving a non-ranked team. Coffee vs. Shaw is one. The others - Marist at Chamblee, Baldwin at Peach, Troup at Dunwoody, Stephens County at LaGrange, Lovett at Buford. I think the non-ranked team will win at least three of those. I just don’t know which three, but it will NOT be Lovett.
8:. Buford, 42-0 at halftime. That’s ridiculous.
9: Washington-Wilkes was unranked last week. Lost Friday. Then got ranked this week. Ask me about that. Almost ranked Troup using the same logic.
10: Not sure that WaCo, Monroe and Gainesville are really Top 10 teams. We haven’t seen the last of Shaw, Perry, LaGrange and Carrollton. Just figured I’d give those other three their day in the sun while they’re undefeated.
11: Rankings DO mean something. People think they don’t, but they do.
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
AJC TEAM RANKINGS - Week of Sept. 8, 2008
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes (2-0) vs. Ware County
2. Northside-Warner Robins (2-0) at Carver-Columbus
3. Camden County (2-0) at Hoover (Ala.)
4. Newnan (2-0) vs. Lovejoy
5. Grayson (2-0) vs. Dacula
6. Valdosta (2-0) vs. Jonesboro
7. Walton (2-0) vs. Campbell
8. Harrison (1-0) vs. North Cobb
9. Coffee (2-0) vs. Shaw
10. North Cobb (2-0) at Harrison
Class AAAA
1. Tucker (2-0) at Lithonia (Sat.)
2. Westside-Macon (2-0) vs. Upson-Lee
3. Chamblee (2-0) vs. Marist
4. Bainbridge (1-0) vs. Lee County
5. Whitewater (2-0) vs. Mays
6. Dalton (2-0) vs. South Paulding
7. Statesboro (2-0) at Burke County
8. Mays (2-0) at Whitewater
9. Sandy Creek (2-0) at Alexander
10. Ware County (1-1) at Lowndes
Class AAA
1. Cairo (1-0) vs. Thomasville
2. Carver-Columbus (2-0) vs. Northside-Warner Robins
3. Baldwin (2-0) at Peach County
4. St. Pius (2-0) at Oconee County
5. Dunwoody (2-0) vs. Troup (Sat.)
6. Stephens County (2-0) at LaGrange
7. Flowery Branch (1-1) at Creekview
8. Washington County (2-0) at Morgan County
9. Monroe-Albany (2-0) at Glynn Academy
10. Gainesville (2-0) vs. White County
Class AA
1. Buford (2-0) vs. Lovett
2. Charlton County (2-0) vs. Pierce County
3. Westminster (2-0) OFF
4. Henry County (2-0) at Union Grove
5. Fitzgerald (2-0) at Worth County
6. Brooks County (2-0) OFF
7. Dublin (1-0) at Laney
8. Jefferson County (2-0) at Toombs County
9. Pepperell (2-0) vs. Villa Rica
10. Thomasville (0-2) at Cairo
Class A
1. ECI (2-0) at Bryan County
2. Wilcox County (2-0) vs. Wilkinson County
3. Lincoln County (2-0) at Hephzibah
4. Clinch County (1-1) at Randolph-Clay
5. Athens Academy (2-0) vs. Walker
6. Savannah Christian (1-1) at Wheeler County
7. Bremen (2-0) at Rockmart
8. Twiggs County (2-0) vs. Hancock Central
9. Brookstone (2-0) at Greenville
10. Washington-Wilkes (1-1) at Social Circle
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special Game of the Week? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to the game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
Like, if you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com
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Around the state: Georgia high school football report
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On our state-wide trek around Georgia high school football, we move up the coast to the CORE to take a look at the Central Ogeechee River Empire, which stretches from the Fruitcake Capital of the World up to Swainsboro and over to the South Carolina line between Savannah and Augusta.
WHO’S HOT
• Statesboro: It doesn’t matter if the coach is Buzz Busby or Steve Pennington or if the featured back is De’Angelo Tyson or Nic Lanier, the 10th-ranked Blue Devils just keep rolling. Lanier had two touchdowns rushing and one receiving as the Blue Devils rolled to a 40-8 shellacking of Josey in the season-opener. Statesboro will be without the services of Lanier this week against Groves after he was ejected in the third quarter last week.
• ECI: What more is there to say about AJC Super 11 player Washaun Ealey, future Georgia linebacker Dexter Moody and future Georgia Tech defensive tackle J.C. Lanier? Well, plenty, but for the purposes of this look, those are names enough. If ECI doesn’t win another state title it will be a disappointing season in Twin City.
• Metter: It would have been easy to put Metter in the NOT category since it had lost 23 straight games coming into this season, and a 27-12 victory against Portal isn’t going to shake the high school football world to its foundations, but the once-proud and tradition-filled program is moving forward.
• Swainsboro: Scott Roberts took over for a coach who had won nine or more games in three of the last six years when Shane Williamson moved on to Toombs County, but the Tigers got off to the right start with a 27-0 victory against Bleckley County. Swainsboro will face its old coach in the season finale at Tiger Field.
WHO’S NOT
• Screven County: A 13-3 loss to Dublin in the Shamrock Bowl isn’t much to hang their heads about, but the Gamecocks have a tough stretch ahead with Toombs, Bleckley, Vidalia and Swainsboro all in a row in the middle of the season. Screven should get back on track against Laney this week.
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Take 10: Remembering top high school football individual performances
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Football is a team sport, and you won’t find anyone at Take Ten willing to argue against that. But every once in a while the Friday night stage gives us an individual performance worth talking about beyond the next home game. Toney Williams provided us with that a week ago. It would be impossible to remember every game-changing performance by legends like Herschel Walker or Eric Zeier.
But here’s 10 of the best individual performances in the history of Georgia high school football:
10: Toney Williams vs. Chattahoochee (2008) - If you’re a program looking to turn a corner, it doesn’t hurt to have your Division I quality tailback blowup on your rival. Williams, who is committed to Tennessee and is one of the AJC’s Super Southern 100, rushed 40 times for 350 yards and six touchdowns. He caught another TD for seven total in Milton’s 51-49 victory.
9: Keith Henderson vs. Cass (1984) - It was just a season opener but a state record at the time. Henderson began his assault on the Cartersville school rushing record with 423 yards on just 23 carries. Not a bad way to start the season.
8: Washaun Ealey vs. Clinch County (2007) - Ealey is already Take Ten’s touchdown king. Last year in the Georgia Dome, he was the master of clutch. Ealey tore up Clinch County for 280 yards and four touchdowns in the state semifinals. Said Ealey at the time: “I thought, I hoped I would be able to have a pretty good day today. I didn’t think it would be like this.” Good call. When we have a rocking day at Guitar Hero, we never see it coming either.
7: Brian Smith vs. Villa Rica (1994) - We would rate this game higher but the crackpot team at Take Ten was unable to find exact numbers for Pepperell’s Smith who allegedly carried the ball 53 times in a 26-20 win over Villa Rica in the playoffs. If you have memories of that game, please email us. We suspect Smith iced his legs for a week.
6: Fedale Hall vs. Our Lady of Mercy (2007) - We like this one for two reasons: It was recent and it came by way of a sophomore. Mount Pisgah’s talented soph rushed 15 times for 382 yards, caught four passes for 74, returned five kickoffs for 197 yards and also nabbed an interception for 22. Hall scored six touchdowns and recorded a state record 675 all-purpose yards. The prize for his efforts? His team lost 63-62, a state record for points in a non-overtime game.
5: Herschel Walker vs. Everyone (1975-1979) - Look, we know how you all feel about HW. If we listed his efforts in the 1979 state final, you’d have 14 other examples of how awesome or great Walker was. Like that time a 14-year-old Herschel Walker rushed for 317 yards against the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers. Man, what a game.
4: Marques Ivory vs. Tucker (2007) - Here’s a case where the Gipper won one for the team. The AJC’s 2006 Class AAAA Player of the Year had the cast removed from a broken fibula just a week prior to Northside-Warner Robins’ semifinal matchup against undefeated Tucker in the Georgia Dome. Ivory didn’t even start the game. He entered in the second half down 21 points to a team that hadn’t allowed more than 14 the entire season. Ivory passed for three scores and led the Eagles on a game-winning field goal drive.
3: Jeremy Privett vs. Pierce County (2003) - We will acknowledge that this selection is sort of like picking a quarterback from Texas Tech for the Heisman. That being said, Privett tossed eight touchdown passes against Pierce County. It’s a state record he set earlier in the season against Brantley County with seven scoring strikes.
2: Wright Bazemore vs. Someone (Before the facemask was invented) - There is legend around the Take Ten offices of an 11 touchdown performance by the legendary Valdosta coach. It was in Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Later the story changed saying it was 10 scores in two different games. This was sometime in the 1930s so Take Ten will leave this in the urban myth category.
1: Suqurey Pitts vs. Valdosta (1987) - Sometimes you have a good night. Sometimes your accomplishment echoes in eternity. Pitts, a linebacker for Carver-Columbus, fueled one of the greatest upsets in Georgia football history by catching two TDs, blocking a punt and adding five tackles for loss in the 21-7 win over No. 1 Valdosta. Consequently, after the game he finished the Panama Canal barehanded and delivered a baby while saving it from a burning house. He also stopped all production of New Coke.
Go on. Take Ten. What are the greatest individual performances that you remember? Were we way off base? Do you remember something better? Here’s your chance to shine light on the legends that matter.
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