There’s a lot of curb appeal for this week’s game between No. 1 Rome and No. 4 Carrollton.
The two Class AAAAA powers are both iconic programs who are both off to a 3-0 start.
If Rome wins, the Wolves will have a huge advantage in Region 7. They beat Kell, the third team in the region trifecta, a week ago and will all but nail down the region title with a win. If Carrollton wins, the Trojans take control of the region and shake up the state rankings.
But no one has beaten Rome for a long time. Coach John Reid’s team has won 30 straight games, back-to-back state championships and averages 40.3 points, 310 yards rushing and 125 yards passing. The Wolves average 9.2 yards per play.
Carrollton’s defense will be the best the Wolves have faced to date. Linebackers Kevin Swint, a junior, and Chaz Chambliss, a sophomore. Both already have offers from Georgia and Alabama. The Trojans gave up 27 points to East Coweta in the opener, but only nine total points in the last two games.
So far no one has slowed Rome. Led by quarterback Knox Kadum and running back Jamious Griffin, the Wolves were able to outscore prolific Class AAAAAAA power Marietta 51-41 in the opener that lasted well into the night. Last week they put up 35 against a good Kell defense.
Colquitt County at Warner Robins: While most of the eyes in North Georgia will be focused on what happens in Rome, most of South Georgia will be focused on this one. No. 3 Warner Robins (3-0) will try to take down Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Colquitt County (4-0) when the teams play for the first time since 2011.
This game matches a pair of high-powered offenses. Warner Robins lost nothing from its record-setting production factory of 2017. The Demons are averaging 46 points per game behind quarterback Dylan Fromm, who has already thrown for 1,072 yards and nine touchdowns.
It may come down to the Warner Robins defense, which has had trouble at times and allowed Locust Grove to score 40. Colquitt quarterback Jaycee Roberts and a strong group of running backs led by Daijun Edwards have put up 44.3 points per game against an elite schedule.
Houston County at Veterans: Veterans (4-0) will host county rival Houston County (2-2) in attempt to win its first five games for the first time since the school began playing football in 2010. That would require beating Houston for the first time; HoCo has won the first four meetings.
Wayne County at Glynn Academy: The No. 8 Yellow Jackets (3-0) will challenge Class AAAAAA No. 6 Glynn Academy, which has won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the two rivals. Wayne County's offense features running back M.J. Fuller, but took a hit last week wen quarterback Shamar Taylor was hurt early in the game. Wayne will have its hands full stopping the Glynn Academy running game, led by Quantavious Bostic. Glynn leads the all-time series 51-33-1 and won last year's game 38-27.
Lovejoy vs. Southwest DeKalb: Southwest (4-0) should have its defense challenged by Lovejoy (2-1), an offensive-minded team that's tallied 40 points over the two previous weeks. SWD has allowed only 21 points and has two shutouts. The Panthers have also seen their offense come to life under running backs Eian Scott (365 yards, five TDs) and Jamel Starks (205 yards), while quarterback Rion White continues to develop.
Banneker at Riverwood: The winner of this game will have a leg up on first place in a very balanced Region 6. Both teams are coming off a loss to teams from a higher classification. Banneker (2-1) was beaten by Hillgrove, Riverwood (2-1) by Kennesaw Mountain. Riverwood has a strong attack led by quarterback Aaron Graham (505 yards passing, six TDs; 250 yards rushing, two TDs) and running back Reese White (442 yards, six TDs). Bannker's offense is led by quarterback Nick Williams and features running backs Kobe Harris (161 yards) and Gary Benton Jr. (140 yards, four TDs).
New Hampstead at Richmond Hill postponed: Savannah-Chatham Public Schools announced that all athletic events scheduled through Saturday have been cancelled because of Hurricane Florence. The game may not be played, as New Hampstead and Richmond Hill do not share the same off week later in the season.
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