The exceptional level of competitiveness seen in Class AAAA over the past two seasons is a result of breakout performances, drastic turnaround campaigns and the sustained success of the classification’s most consistent programs. There are not going to be any region games on the slate until Week 2, but this opening week will still stage crucial tests for some of the classification’s top contenders. Here are my top 10 games to keep an eye on this weekend.
Cairo at Thomasville
Cairo will open its season at Class AA Thomasville in the 75th all-time meeting between the schools. Thomasville has a 41-27-6 lead in the series heading into the matchup and defeated the Syrupmakers 15-14 in last year’s opener. Cairo was defeated by eventual Class AAAAA state champion Bainbridge 15-7 the following week to conclude its non-region schedule. The Syrupmakers will once again take on Thomasville and Bainbridge before taking on the Region 1 competition this year. Playing this duo of challenging opponents in non-region play will serve the Syrupmakers well. This past season, Cairo followed up its two non-region losses by sweeping the region and taking a 10-game winning streak all the way to the quarterfinals before being defeated by Troup 20-17. As a result of the loss to the Tigers, all three of Cairo’s losses a year ago were one-possession defeats—something to note as a very capable Cairo team begins 2019.
Baldwin vs. Washington County
Similar to Cairo, Baldwin was also the beneficiary of its challenging non-region lineup a year ago. The Braves opened the year 0-5, including a 19-7 loss to Washington County, before sweeping Region 3 and stringing together seven-straight wins to advance to the state quarterfinals. This year’s game will be played on Saturday at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium and how well Baldwin performs against the Class AA-based Golden Hawks will be a telling sign of whether or not the Braves are going to be the favorites to take the top seed out of Region 3 for a second-straight year.
Eastside at Ola
Last year’s meeting between Ola and Eastside was the first in the program’s history and the Eagles ran away with a dominant 42-17 victory. Eastside took the momentum to produce a record-breaking 12-1 2018 campaign, while Ola’s season spiraled into a 1-9 finish. Ola will be much improved after gaining experience while competing with a very young team in 2018. Eastside has its starting quarterback Noah Cook back to pace the offense and build off of last year’s impressive run.
Woodward Academy vs. Westminster
Woodward Academy’s defense struggled mightily in 2018 and the War Eagles were defeated by Westminster 56-31. Those 56 points were the most allowed by the War Eagles until their 65-21 loss to Mary Persons in the second round. Friday’s home matchup against the Wildcats will be an early indicator as to how much improvement has been made on that side of the football. The 27.92 ppg allowed last season were the most since Woodward’s 1954 season.
Cartersville at Allatoona
Cartersville has gone 55-0 against teams not named Blessed Trinity over the last four seasons, and is my preseason pick to win this year’s state title. Last year, Cartersville dominated this matchup 35-0 under head coach Joey King. Former defensive coordinator, Conor Foster, is now the head coach of the Purple Hurricanes and this will be his debut.
Ridgeland vs. Calhoun
Ridgeland is facing off with Calhoun in the Corky Kell Classic Thursday at Rome’s Barron Stadium. The Panthers will be led by first-year head coach Kip Klein, a long-time Ridgeland assistant that is filling in for Cortney Braswell. Ridgeland lost to Calhoun in last year’s matchup, but led for most of the first half and played the Yellow Jackets tough.
St. Pius at Blessed Trinity
St. Pius will visit two-time defending champion Blessed Trinity in the most anticipated opening matchup in the classification. Blessed Trinity will have Banks Atkins quarterbacking the Titans offense this year and Elijah Green is going to lead a talented backfield after the departure of Ohio State signee Steele Chambers. Blessed Trinity won last year’s matchup 35-13. The victory was the Titans’ sixth-straight over St. Pius, which had previously won the first five all-time matchups between the programs, and moved the all-time series 6-5 in favor of Blessed Trinity.
Oconee County at Jefferson
Oconee County earned the No. 3 seed out of Region 8 last season as St. Pius and North Oconee grabbed the top 2. Oconee County was able to defeat Jefferson 20-13 in its opener, but the 28-14 loss to St. Pius and the 23-8 loss to North Oconee exposed Oconee County’s inability to put points on the board against Class AAAA’s elite defenses. Watch for senior quarterback Max Johnson and Oconee County’s offense as they take on a talented Jefferson team.
Thomson vs. North Augusta (SC)
Thomson went 5-7 in 2018 under first-year head coach Michael Youngblood. The team opened the year with a tough 32-24 loss to North Augusta. A Bulldogs win this time around would serve as a boost as Thomson and Youngblood embark on Year 2.
Burke County vs. Benedictine
Baldwin, Thomson and Burke County are going to be in a heated race for the Region 3-AAAA title this season. Last year, Burke County edged Thomson 30-28 in the season finale to take the No. 2 seed after falling 30-7 to Baldwin. The Bears finished the year 8-4 after a 42-35 loss to Eastside in the second round. One of Burke County’s other losses came in this matchup as Benedictine left with a narrow 23-22 victory.
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