When No. 5 Hart County plays No. 10 Jefferson on Friday in Hartwell, it will provide the Bulldogs a chance to climb up in the 8-AAA standings and could be an indicator as to the pecking order of the region.
Jefferson (4-1, 2-0) is tied at the top with Morgan County (5-1, 2-0), which has region victories against East Jackson (70-6) and Franklin County (33-0). Hart County defeated Jackson County 56-13 in its region-opener last week. The programs have met five times since 2010, and Jefferson won four of the previous games, including 35-7 last season.
The Jefferson offense is led by senior Colby Clark, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound quarterback, who is 14-of-26 passing for 331 yards and five touchdowns and leads an offense which averages 345 rushing yards and 66.2 receiving yards per game. He has passed to three different players for touchdowns. Sophomore Malaki Starks has five receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Josh Cochran has four catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Donsha Gaither has two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown.
Ten different Jefferson players have rushed for touchdowns, including five each from Clark and Starks. Clark has 47 carries for 207 yards. Starks has 20 carries for 354 yards. They are joined by junior Kolton Jones, who has 19 carries for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Tre Reece has added six carries for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Kade McNally has 12 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Carter Stephenson, Levin Jones, Hyson Porter, Isaiah Copeland and Jordan Perry each have rushed for one touchdown.
Hart County quarterback Luke Lee, a 6-0, 170-pound senior, is 52-of-76 passing for 729 yards and nine touchdowns. He was 17-of-26 passing for 233 yards and three touchdowns last week against Jackson County. Lee has passed to six different players for touchdowns. Preston Mewborn, a senior, leads with seven catches for 108 yards and three touchdowns. Cane Berrong, a 4-star recruit at tight end, has 14 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-4, 220-pound senior committed to Notre Dame. Malachi Thomas, a 6-foot, 180-pound junior, has 12 receptions for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Jacobi Jones, a junior, has seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs running game is led by Thomas, who has rushed 77 times for 623 yards and eight touchdowns. J'Len Lackey, a sophomore back, has 72 carries for 461 yards and six touchdowns.
Here is another notable matchup:
-- No. 4 Greater Atlanta Christian (5-1, 2-0) at Dawson County (5-1, 2-0): If history holds, this game will decide the 7-AAA title as it has the past three seasons. GAC leads the series against Dawson 8-1, winning 23-20 last season. GAC quarterback Jackson Hardy is 72-of-123 passing for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns. Tyler Bride has 76 carries for 755 yards and 11 touchdowns, including five touchdowns against Prestonwood Christian from Texas on Sept. 6. Dawson's sophomore quarterback Zach Holtzclaw is 63-of-106 passing for 977 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. Hunter Barron has 15 receptions for 226 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Shawn Thomas has 88 carries for 473 yards and five touchdowns. Dakohta Sonnichsen has 20 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns.
Class AAA top-10 schedule
1. Peach County (5-1, 2-0) is off and will play at home against Rutland on Oct. 18 in a Region 4 game.
2. Cedar Grove (4-2, 2-0) against Towers in a Region 5 game Thursday.
3. Pierce County (5-0) will play at home against Brantley County in a Region 2 game.
4. Greater Atlanta Christian (5-1, 2-0) travels to Dawson County for a Region 7 game on Friday.
5. Hart County (5-0, 1-0) will play at home against No. 10 Jefferson in a Region 8 game.
6. Liberty County (3-0, 0-0) opens Region 2 play at home against Tattnall County.
7. Appling County (4-1, 0-0) opens Region 2 play at home against Long County.
8. Crisp County (4-3, 0-0) is off and opens Region 1 play against Monroe on Oct. 18.
9. Lovett (4-2, 1-1) plays at home against Stone Mountain in a Region 5 game.
10. Jefferson (4-1, 2-0) will play at No. 5 Hart County in a Region 8 game.
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