When Monroe Area defeated then-No. 10 Hart County 28-21 last week, it helped turn Friday's Region 8 game against the No. 8 Jefferson Dragons into the type of game it is now.
Important.
Jefferson is at the top of the 8-AAA standings at 4-0, with Morgan County and Monroe Area each tied at 3-1. Hart County is at 1-2 after back-to-back losses to Monroe Area and Jefferson. With two weeks left in the regular season, the upset-minded Purple Hurricanes have nothing to lose and everything to gain when it plays host the Dragons. Monroe Area won 35-21 last season.
The Purple Hurricanes feature a balanced offense that averages 193 rushing yards and 147 receiving yards. Sophomore quarterback Selatian Straughter Jr. is 75-of-107 passing for 1,141 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions. He also leads the running production with 97 carries for 621 yards. His favorite target has been junior Damarius Has Endricks, who has 30 receptions for 446 yards.
Jefferson enters the game averaging 343 yards rushing, 53 yards passing. Quarterback Colby Clark leads the efforts with 89 carries for 434 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is 18-of-35 passing for 373 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Malaki Starks has 37 carries for 436 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Kolton Jones has 25 carries for 316 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan Perry and Tre Reece each have rushed for three touchdowns. Kade McNally has two rushing touchdowns on 23 carries. Carter Stephenson, Paxton Corkery, Isaiah Copeland and Hyson Porter have rushed for one touchdown each.
Here are two other games to monitor:
-- No. 2 Cedar Grove vs. Pace Academy (Region 5): The Saints are close to locking up their third consecutive region title – and four out of the past five – and Pace Academy stands in the way. Cedar Grove is 4-0 in the region with Lovett (3-1), Westminster (2-1) and Pace (2-2) trailing. Cedar Grove is outscoring opponents 179-17 in the region and 259-103 overall this season.
-- Cherokee Bluff at Greater Atlanta Christian (Region 7): The Spartans can pretty much claim the 7-AAA title with a victory. GAC leads the region at 4-0 with Dawson County, North Hall and Fannin County each at 2-1. GAC is coming off a 49-6 victory against Lumpkin County. Senior quarterback Jackson Hardy is 93-of-156 passing for 1,438 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he has rushed for three touchdowns. Senior Tyler Bride has 93 carries for 863 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Class AAA top-10 schedule
1. Peach County (6-1, 3-0) vs. Central-Macon in Region 4.
2. Cedar Grove (6-2, 4-0) vs. Pace Academy in Region 5.
3. Pierce County (7-0, 2-0) at Tattnall County in Region 2.
4. Greater Atlanta Christian (7-1, 4-0) at home against Cherokee Bluff in Region 7.
5. Appling County (6-1, 2-0) at home against Brantley County in Region 2.
6. Crisp County (5-3, 1-0) at home against Worth County in Region 1.
7. Lovett (6-2, 3-1) off. Will face Redan on Nov. 1 in Region 5.
8. Jefferson (6-1, 4-0) at Monroe Area in Region 8.
9. Jenkins (7-1, 6-0) vs. Groves in Region 3.
10. North Murray (7-1, 6-0) off. Travels to Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe on Nov. 1 in Region 6.
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