Third-ranked Valdosta will try to beat a No. 1-ranked team for the first time since 1998 on Friday, when the Wildcats are home against Colquitt County.
The Georgia High School Football Historians, with help from the Ghost of Cleveland Field, came up with some interesting facts this week about Valdosta’s history against No. 1 teams that parallels the rise and fall of the program’s dynasty.
Valdosta is 15-12-1 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution going back to 1952. Wright Bazemore, the legendary coach who won 14 state titles from 1947 to 1971, was 7-2 against No. 1 teams. Nick Hyder was 7-3-1. Pretty nice standard, to say the least.
No school has beaten more No. 1’s than Valdosta, but the last victim was McEachern in Valdosta’s 23rd and last state-championship victory. Coincidence?
A Valdosta victory would end a five-game losing streak against No. 1 teams, make Valdosta 8-0 for the first time since 2001 and perhaps even vault the team to the top of the rankings for the first time since 1999.
Note: Another Valdosta streak has already ended. According to preliminary reports, this is the first blog to reference the Ghost of Cleveland Field in some six years. Ghost sightings have been rare since the installation of artificial turf at Cleveland Field some 10 years ago, shortly after Valdosta last made a state final appearance.
In other games of note in Class AAAAAA this week …
-When the month started, Camden County (5-2, 0-2) was ranked No. 3, and Tift County (5-2, 0-2) was complaining it should’ve been ranked somewhere, too. Now the loser of Friday’s game in Kingsland, especially if it is Tift, will be walking on thin ice just trying to make the playoffs.
-There is another big game in Region 1 in Leesburg, where Lee County (5-1, 1-1) is home to Lowndes (6-1, 1-1). Lee is coming off a 58-14 loss to Colquitt County. QB Garet Morrell injured a hand. His absence would be hard to overcome. But Lee needs just one more victory – albeit against Lowndes, Camden County or Valdosta – to put itself in the playoffs, something many thought impossible when the Trojans moved from AAAAA into perhaps the state’s toughest region.
-A couple of programs quietly on the rise are Douglas County (3-3, 2-1) and Westlake (4-1, 3-0), teams that play Friday in a Region 3 game. Under second-year coach Bryan Love, formerly a Camden County coordinator, Westlake has risen from 0-10 in 2012 to 5-6 last season and now 4-1. In its third season under Jason Respert, Douglas County (3-3, 2-1) has a fair shot at its first winning season since 2007.
-North Cobb and Marietta were projected playoff teams from Region 4. North Cobb had the best QB (Tyler Queen). Marietta had the best RB (KirVonte Benson). Now, the loser of Friday’s game at Marietta will be walking on ice from here.
-Woodstock (5-2, 3-2) and Roswell (4-2, 3-1) haven’t had winning seasons or playoff appearances since 2010, but the winner of their Region 5 game at Roswell should feel pretty good about breaking those droughts. Roswell has beaten No. 8 Milton, but lost to 2-4 Wheeler. Woodstock is 0-2 since its three-overtime victory over Etowah.
-It seems almost impossible that Brookwood (2-6) will avoid its first losing season since 1986, but any victory from here would be memorable. The Broncos play at home Friday against No. 5 Dacula, then finish with No. 2 Grayson and defending Region 8 champion Archer.
-Second-ranked Grayson (7-0, 5-0) gets a test Friday at home against Central Gwinnett (4-2, 3-1), a team that appears in good shape for its first playoff berth since 2006. Central’s Eric Forrest has thrown for 1,764 yards, which ranks fifth in the state.
-Regions 2 and 7 are off this week.
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