A versatile eight-man front featuring defensive tackle Andre Hadley is behind the Cairo Syrupmakers’ impressive 2-0 start.
Hadley has 5 ½ sacks through two games, a big tally for a defensive tackle. The Syrupmakers shut out Thomasville, 14-0, in Week 1 and followed it up with a 13-7 win over Bainbridge.
Allen, a senior being looked at Kennesaw State, is not the only one receiving praise from Syrupmakers coach Tom Fallaw. Senior linebacker Marcus Gaines, junior defensive end Malik Taylor and senior defensive end Trivorick Hardy have all make big plays on a defense that returned seven starters from last season.
Fallaw also pointed to recent coaching additions. Co-defensive coordinators Steve DeVoursney and Jody Allen both have strong coaching backgrounds. DeVoursney coached Griffin to the state championship last season. Allen spent time as West Georgia’s defensive coordinator the past four seasons.
It’s all come together to produce a stingy defense that Fallaw says adjusts well to a variety offense.
“It’s easy to jump into a 4-2-5, for example,” he said.
While the defense is thriving, the offense is a work in progress. Fallaw said key mistakes—penalties, turnovers and dropped passes—have prevented the Syrupmakers from finishing off drives.
“We’ve moved the football, but we’ve just founds to commit key mistakes in situations that undo drives,” Fallaw added.
The Syrupmakers host West Florida of Pennsacola on Friday.
Streak Snapped
Congrats to the Dougherty Trojans, who ended their 12-game losing streak in dramatic fashion last week. Doughtery QB Michael Whatley completed 16 of 19 passes for 310 yards, highlighted by an 81-yard touchdown pass to Sewonjai Henderson in the fourth of quarter of a 42-36 victory over Randolph-Clay. The Trojans won just two games over the past three seasons. They’ll look to match that win total against Crisp County on Friday.
National Rankings
Buford continues to climb the national rankings. The Wolves, who knocked off AAAAAA power McEachern last week, climbed to No. 18 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25. They are 12th in the MaxPreps' computer generated Freeman Rankings, and 22nd in the USA Today Super 25.
AAAA Product Watch
(Weekly glance at some of the Georgia High School products to come out of AAAA. Please add more in the comment section so I can help track them throughout the season).
--Sandy Creek product Demarre Kitt had his first reception for Clemson on Saturday, a 16-yard grab in the Tigers’ 73-7 rout f South Carolina State.
--Speaking of Sandy Creek receivers, Calvin Johnson had a big night for the Detroit Lions on Monday. Johnson caught seven passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions' win over the New York Giants. Johnson even drew praise from LeBron James after performance.
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