Five reasons why Stephenson-M.L. King is big

By Todd Holcomb

For the AJC

Stephenson and M.L. King will play for first place in their region in a nationally televised game Friday night at Hallford Stadium in front of a crowd that is expected to exceed 10,000.

Here are five reasons it’s considered the game of the week in metro Atlanta:

The teams: Stephenson is 6-0 and ranked No. 7 in Class AAAAA. M.L. King is 5-0 and ranked No. 8. Both have won region titles and averaged nine or more wins during the past five years. "It's even across the board," Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell says. "We carry a little more size than they do on the offensive line against their defensive line. That's going to be the issue of the game, which interior line decides they want to take over the game."

The players: Stephenson will have five Division I-A signees from this class. They are linebacker Tyrone Cornelius (committed to Miami), defensive backs Chris Sharpe (Louisville) and Kenneth Ladler (Vanderbilt), running back Raymond Sanders (Kentucky) and defensive tackle Michael Thornton (more than 30 offers). M.L. King has the state's top-rated running back in Mack Brown (Florida) and seven others with offers from smaller colleges. Stephenson has 32 alumni on college rosters this season, 11 in Division I-A. M.L. King has 21 alumni on college rosters, eight in Division I-A.

The stakes: One or the other has won Region 2-AAAAA each of the past four seasons. "I'm not taking anything from Union Grove [the other undefeated team in the region], but it usually comes down to our ball game," M.L. King coach Corey Jarvis says. "This rivalry is about who wants to be the best in region.’’

The exposure: ESPNU will have four trucks for a nationally televised game that will reach millions of viewers. "It's something that kids and parents will look back on several years from now," Gartrell says. "There will be lots of VCRs rolling."

The familiarity: Brown, M.L. King's star running back, attended Redan Middle School, which is Stephenson territory. He also made a comment this week declaring that M.L. King would win the game, although he backed off those statements later, adding that his team must play to its potential. "A lot of their kids know him well," Jarvis says. "A lot of these kids know each other from the parks. They've been competing since rec ball."

Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily

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When, where: 6 p.m. Friday, Hallford Stadium, Clarkston

Records, rankings: Stephenson is 6-0 overall, 3-0 in Region 2-AAAAA and No. 7; M.L. King is 6-0, 3-0 and No. 8.

Last meeting: Stephenson won 27-7 in 2008.