The two most talked about games in Class AAAA this weekend will feature the classification's top ranked teams. No. 1 Cartersville hosts Westlake in arguably the top Week 4 game in the state, and No. 2 Thomson takes a trip to Class AAA No. 1 Pace Academy in another must-see matchup PREVIEW HERE. Both match ups offer validity to their already impressive resumes. However, there are four other interesting storylines developing in Class AAAA this Friday that we should all keep an eye on.
Spalding vs. Lovejoy: Spalding returns to Memorial Stadium for the first time since a dramatic turnaround produced a 10-2 season a year ago. From 2004-2014, the school had posted just one winning season. After a 53-50 loss to Griffin to start this season, Spalding pitched a 22-0 shutout at Jonesboro the following week. Now, head coach Nick Davis host Lovejoy in the two programs' first-ever meeting. Spalding will rely on senior running back Askia Moses, who opened the season with 166 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Griffin. Class AAAAAA Lovejoy is coming off a 24-21 loss to Stockbridge and is 1-2 on the season.
St. Pius at Marist: Marist awaits long-time rival St. Pius in what will mark the school's 51st all-time meeting. Marist holds a 30-17-3 edge in the all-time series, but the War Eagles have lost four straight to St. Pius and will be looking to reverse the trend. St. Pius continues to search for positive momentum as its difficult schedule continues. The Golden Lions are 0-2 and fell flat in a 21-7 loss to Benedictine last week. St. Pius started 0-2 last year also, before using a 10-game winning streak to reach the quarterfinals where Bainbridge held on to an 18-17 victory.
Northwest Whitfield vs. Model: Northwest Whitfield hosts a red-hot Model team out of Class AA in its final non-region game. After scoring 103 points in wins over Ringgold (49-24) and South Atlanta (54-7), Northwest Whitfield struggled offensively last Friday as Dalton held on to a 10-3 victory. The Bruins will look to regain that rhythm against Model, which opened the year with a 22-0 win at Sonoraville and dominated Adairsville 51-21 last Friday. Northwest Whitfield will have to slow down Model quarterback and middle linebacker Kyler Edlridge. The senior is averaging 122 yards per game through the air and has already rushed for six touchdowns. Defensively, he has a team-high eight solo tackles to go with his Blue Devil-high 3.5 tackles for a loss.
Oconee County vs. Morgan County: Oconee County hosts Class AAA Morgan County with a chance to move to 3-0. Head coach Travis Noland has three more non-region games before his Warriors take on a talented Region 8 field that includes North Oconee, St. Pius, Madison County, Jefferson and Stephens County- where he coached for nine seasons (2005-2013). The Warriors are yet to be challenged with a 24-point win over Clarke Central and a 29-point win at Walnut Grove, but Morgan County is coming off a 23-13 win over North Oconee, which is Oconee County's first region opponent this season. While we all know common opponents offers no guaranteed formula to predict future outcomes, a solid win over Morgan County this Friday would add momentum as Oconee County gets set to not only battle playoff spot, but contend for the Region 8 title later this season.
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