Is Columbus for real?
We should get a good idea this week. The Blue Devils are 4-0 for the first time since 1974 after a 21-14 victory over Marion County, which was ranked No. 1 in Class A last week. Now they’ll face their biggest challenge of the season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in the Region 1-AAAAA opener when they meet perennial power Carver-Columbus, which has won 11 of the past 12 meetings with Columbus, the last five of which weren’t close. Carver also has won seven region championships in the past eight years.
"We're extremely confident right now," Columbus coach Phil Marino told Davis Mitchell for this story in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. "But I think some people look at our schedule and say, oh, well we haven't played anyone. We just look at it as not being given the right respect. I don't know if this game will definitely change that, but, for us, I think there is definitely a chip on the shoulder."
Look for Columbus RB/DB Essang Bassey, a Wake Forest commitment, to be a key. He has rushed for 205 yards and 20 carries and has 190 yards and three touchdowns on six receptions. Defensively, he has had only three balls thrown his way (with one completion for 6 yards). He also returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown against Marion County last week and played a big role in helping contain Lorenzo Smothers, the Eagles’ do-everything all-state player.
Here are some of the other top games involving Class AAAAA teams this weekend:
- Kell at Cambridge (7:30 p.m. Friday): Kell has won 20 consecutive subregion games, but the Longhorns' streak came close to ending in this matchup last year. Kell won 28-27 on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Rosendahl to Ivan Walls as time expired, and the Longhorns went on to win subregion and 7-AAAAA titles. Fourth-year Cambridge is seeking its first playoff berth.
- Loganville at Lanier (7:30 p.m. Friday): Defending 8-AAAAA champ Lanier will put its 17-game regular-season winning streak on the line in a matchup of two of the region's four unbeaten teams. Loganville is 4-0 for the first time since 1998 after beating Winder-Barrow 27-21 last week. Lanier beat the Red Devils 28-14 in 2014. Salem and Gainesville also are unbeaten in region play.
- Mundy's Mill at Northgate (7:30 p.m. Friday): Mundy's Mill, Northgate, Starr's Mill and Drew are the strength of 4-AAAAA Div. A, and this game will start the process of sorting out the order of finish. Mundy's Mill beat the Vikings 41-34 last season and finished second in the subregion, while Northgate took third. Both teams won region play-in games to earn state playoff berths.
- New Manchester at East Paulding (7:30 p.m. Friday): New Manchester is off to another strong start (3-0, 2-0), but the Jaguars will need to keep the momentum going as they begin a three-game stretch against 5-AAAAA playoff contenders East Paulding, South Paulding and Allatoona. New Manchester lost all three of those games last year but recovered in time to earn its first playoff berth.
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