It appears that two of Georgia's best quarterbacks are at or near the end of their high school careers.
Justin Fields, the consensus No. 1 QB prospect in the country, played his final high school game last week in a nationally televised (ESPN2) game against Dalton. Fields' Harrison team won 28-26 while Fields played one of his best games of the season. But Fields suffered a broken right index finger in the third quarter. It was announced this week that he would need surgery and not return in a Hoyas uniform. Fields is committed to Georgia.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking too soon on Central Gwinnett's Jarren Williams, the consensus No. 8 dual-threat QB prospect nationally. Williams, who is committed to Kentucky, passed for more than 400 yards last week, but his team suffered a crushing 41-34 loss to Meadowcreek.
Central, off this week, will be eliminated from playoff contention in Region 7-AAAAAAA if Parkview beats Meadowcreek on Friday. If Meadowcreek wins, Central is back in business but still would need to defeat Parkview on Nov. 3.
But, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings, the chances of Central and Williams making the playoffs dropped from 91.5 percent to 3.9 percent after the Meadowcreek loss.
Fields and Williams, both having all-state seasons, are in GHSF Daily's POW Watch, probably for the last time.
The POY Watch is designed to be a fun look at some of the best players. Players naturally will drift in and out, and that should not be taken as a critique of their season. It is an honor to appear in the POW Watch even for a single week.
1. QB Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville: Lawrence was 16-of-22 passing for 288 yards and four touchdowns in a 62-0 victory over Chapel Hill. For the season, Lawrence is 134-of-183 passing for 2,648 yards and 34 touchdowns with only one interception. He holds the state record for passing yards in a career (13,260) and needs one TD pass to tie the career record of 155 held by Deshaun Watson. Lawrence, who is committed to Clemson, is the consensus No. 2 overall senior recruit in the country. Cartersville (9-0) is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA.
2. QB Michael Barrett, Lowndes: Barrett was 9-of-13 passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries in a 52-10 victory over Camden County. For the season, Barrett is 74-of-114 for 1,365 yards and 12 touchdowns with one interception. He has rushed for 770 yards and 11 touchdowns on 84 carries (9.2 ypc). Barrett has offers from Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Michigan and Tennessee, among others. Lowndes (9-0) is averaging a state-best 53.9 points per game and is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAAA.
3. DL Adam Anderson, Rome: Anderson had two tackles, one for a loss, in a 45-7 victory over Villa Rica. For the second consecutive game, Anderson did not play in the second half, which was played with a running clock. For the season, Anderson has 42 tackles, 18 for losses, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups. The consensus No. 2 OLB prospect nationally, Anderson committed to Georgia last week. Rome (8-0) is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA.
4. WR Rashod Bateman, Tift County: Bateman had seven catches for 82 yards in a 38-35 victory over Colquitt County. It was the first game this season that Bateman was held without a touchdown. For the season, Bateman has 55 catches for a state-leading 1,198 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is on pace to set a state record for receiving yards in a season, held by M.L. King's Demarco Robinson (1,655), if Tift plays 13 games. Bateman is committed to Minnesota. Tift is 7-1 and ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAAAA.
5. RB/CB Kyler McMichael, Greater Atlanta Christian: McMichael rushed for 68 yards and three touchdowns on six carries and returned a kickoff 70 yards in a 56-6 victory over North Hall. He had one tackle. On the season, McMichael has rushed for 858 yards and 18 touchdowns on 73 carries (11.3 ypc). He has scored a touchdown every 4.5 times he has touched the ball. He has 12 tackles as a cornerback. McMichael, an AJC Super 11 pick and a top-125 national recruit, is committed to Clemson. GAC is 8-1 and ranked No. 3 in Class AAA.
6. QB Bailey Fisher, Rabun County: Fisher was 10-of-17 passing for 233 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-7 victory over Elbert County. Fisher has thrown for at least two touchdowns and rushed for at least one in every game. For the season, Fisher is 102-of-153 passing for 1,839 yards and 19 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has rushed for 543 yards and 17 touchdowns on 95 carries. Undersized at 5-11, 195, Fisher has Division II offers. Rabun County is 8-0 and ranked No. 4 in Class AA.
7. RB Dameon Pierce, Bainbridge: Pierce rushed for 226 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries in a 63-14 victory over Thomas County Central. For the season, Pierce has rushed for 1,540 yards and 25 touchdowns on 151 carries. He missed one game with an injury. Pierce has rushed for 6,196 yards and 85 touchdowns in his career. A top-200 national recruit, Pierce is committed to Florida. Bainbridge is 6-2 and ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAA.
8. QB Jacob Cendoya, Mount Pisgah Christian: Cendoya was 13-of-22 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 241 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in a 45-37 victory over Fellowship Christian. On the season, Cendoya has passed for 1,994 yards and rushed for 1,007 yards. Cendoya has interest from mid-major Division I schools. Mount Pisgah is 7-1 and ranked No. 7 in the Class A private-school division.
9. QB Jarren Williams, Central Gwinnett: Williams was 25-of-43 passing for a career-high 401 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-34 loss to Meadowcreek. For the season, Williams is 190-of-310 passing for 2,596 yards and 22 touchdowns with three interceptions. Williams has rushed for 451 yards and nine touchdowns and leads the state with 3,047 total yards. Williams, who is committed to Kentucky, has thrown for 6,684 yards and 62 touchdowns in his career.
10. QB Justin Fields, Harrison: Fields rushed for 205 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries and was 7-of-11 passing for 180 yards and a touchdown in a 28-26 victory over Dalton but suffered a broken finger that ended his high school career. For the season, Fields rushed for 958 yards and 15 touchdowns on 121 carries and was 100-of-152 passing for 1,683 yards and 21 touchdowns with two interceptions. Harrison is 6-2 and ranked No. 4 in Class AAAAAA.
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