GWINNETT: North Gwinnett has had Brookwood’s number lately

When Brookwood hosts North Gwinnett today, it will be trying to stop a couple of skids. Brookwood has lost the past the three games against North Gwinnett, including two last season. The Broncos also have started the past two seasons 0-2.

They’ll have to avoid the costly mistakes they committed in a season-opening loss to Walton, and they must contain Bulldogs’ quarterback Michael Tamburo.

“Obviously they are a very good offensive football team,” Brookwood coach Mark Crews said of North Gwinnett. “They’ve got a quarterback that runs the offense very efficiently. A defense can do a good job and still end up giving up a lot of points, so obviously the offense is a concern.”

Crews has concerns about his own offense, too. He’ll use two quarterbacks, sophomores Kent Rollins and Ben McLane. Kellen Williams, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound Alabama commit, anchors an otherwise inexperienced line. The Broncos will have to score more than the one touchdown they managed in the 14-9 loss last week.

Coach Bob Sphire, who took the Bulldogs to the Class AAAAA title game last season, is 3-0 against Brookwood. But none of that matters, he said.

“They’re big, they’re mean and nasty and all those kinds of things,” Sphire said of Brookwood, winners of the past three Region 8-AAAAA titles. “Our kids have played really hard every time we’ve lined up against them. We’ve been fortunate. We’re not counting any chickens before they hatch. Nobody is going to hand us anything. [Crews] will have them well prepared.”

NORTH GWINNETT AT BROOKWOOD

> When; where: 7:30 p.m. today, Brookwood Community Stadium, Snellville.

> Records, rankings: Both teams are 0-1 and neither is ranked.

Other top games

ST. PIUS (1-0) AT GAC (0-1)

> When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Spartan Stadium, Norcross.

> Why it counts: The stakes are a little higher when two successful programs meet.

> Three keys: 1. Will St. Pius be flat after huge win against Marist? 2. St. Pius’ Cole Moon ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns against Marist.

3. GAC must eliminate the errors of last week.

CHATTAHOOCHEE (0-1) AT PARKVIEW (0-1)

> When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Big Orange Jungle, Lilburn.

> Why it counts: Non-region game, but neither team wants to start out 0-2.

> Three keys: Milton’s Toney Williams ran for 350 yards and six touchdowns in Milton’s 51-49 win over Chattahoochee in the season opener. 2. Parkview gave up 30 points to a Collins Hill team with one returning starter. 3. Chattahoochee hasn’t scored against the Panthers in two previous meetings.

PEACHTREE RIDGE (0-1) AT LOWNDES (1-0)

> When, where: 8 p.m. today, Martin Stadium, Valdosta.

> Why it counts: Battle of the last two state champions. Peachtree Ridge shared the title with Roswell in 2006. Lowndes, winners of three of the past four AAAAA titles, is ranked No. 2 nationally.

> Three keys: 1. Peachtree Ridge is very young and it showed last week. 2. Lowndes put up 63 points in the opener, 56 in the first half. 3. Lowndes’ Greg Reid is a dynamic two-way player.

Elsewhere

> North Hall at Buford; Mill Creek at Central Gwinnett; Collins Hill at Dacula; Wesleyan at Darlington; Duluth at Meadowcreek; Mount Zion-Jonesboro at Shiloh; South Gwinnett at South Forsyth; Grayson at Warner Robins; Berkmar, Hebron Christian, Norcross do not play