Things don’t appear to change much this fall in Class AAAAA, where the same familiar faces will be favored to contend for the state championship.
It all begins with No. 1-ranked Rome, which starts the season with a 27-game winning streak. The Wolves lost their entire defensive line and will need to reconstruct much of the defense, although that side of the ball looked good in a preseason scrimmage against New Manchester. The offense is loaded with the return of four-year starter Knox Kadum at quarterback, Jamious Griffin at running back and Xavier Roberts-Donaldson at receiver. Traceton Lawrence ran for 124 yards in the scrimmage.
No. 2 Buford hasn’t won a state title since – gasp, 2014 – and only reached the semifinals last season before losing to Rome. The Wolves have a lot of talent back on offense with sophomore quarterback Aaron McLaughlin and running back Derrian Brown, who should benefit from running behind an offensive line that has the sort of size that many college programs would enjoy. Some services rate Harry Miller as the No. 2 center in the country. But Buford suffered heavy losses on defense and that area will need to come around if the Wolves want to return to the title game.
No. 3 Warner Robins has most of the same returning that went 14-1 last year and came up short in the title game. The Demons had seven players sign college scholarships off that team, so there’s work to be done. However, the Fromm brothers – receiver Tyler and quarterback Dylan – are the tip of the high-scoring offense. A demanding schedule (non-region games against Tift County, Colquitt County and Northside) won’t be easy to negotiate and Region 1 should be improved.
Carrollton opens the season ranked No. 4 and has the unfortunate fate of sharing the same region with Rome. They meet on Sept. 14, a game that will be shown on Georgia Public Broadcasting. The Trojans will unveil a new quarterback (they had three quality contenders in the spring) and have at least four D-I prospects.
Stockbridge has the misfortune to be an excellent team fighting against some great teams. The Tigers have won their region title in five of the last six seasons, but have yet to get past the semifinals. This year might be tougher, since the team lost 25 seniors and 14 college signees, including a pair of five-star recruits.
Here’s a look at each region with the favorites and others to watch:
Region 1: Warner Robins will be the popular pick, with Thomas County Central, Harris County and Veterans making a push under new coaches. TCC hired Ashley Henderson, who won three GISA titles at Valwood. Veterans signed Milan Turner, who won a state championship at Emanuel County.
Region 2: Looks like a two-team race between Wayne County and Ware County. Ken Cribbs took Wayne to the title last year and his son, Ashby, is an all-state caliber receiver. Ware went through a weird year with weather problems and postponements and never got on track.
Region 3: It seems like it has come down to Griffin, Starr's Mill and Whitewater in this league and that should be the case again. The outsider to watch may be Fayette County, which had 1,000-yard rusher Caleb Pressley move in from St. Francis.
Region 4: Stockbridge will always be the team to beat here, even in rebuilding mode. The championship could be decided when Jones County plays Stockbridge, a game the Tigers won a year ago. Most of the teams in this league are doing some serious rebuilding, which could lead to an unpredictable year. Keep an eye on Dutchtown, which returns quarterback Arendez Fedd and added transfer Dontavious King at wide receiver.
Region 5: Arabia Mountain broke through to win the region last year and the Rams return quarterback Bryson Williams, a possible all-state player. Southwest DeKalb appears ready to turn the corner and contend again, while Miller Grove has a new coach.
Region 6: Carver may have the state's best running back in Jo'Quavious Marks and returns a nice nucleus from last year's region championship team. Coming up fast is Banneker and keep on eye on what new coach Robert Edwards can do at Riverwood.
Region 7: Rome, Carrollton and Kell make this the toughest region in the state. Keep an eye on Hiram as an up-and-comer with Pete Fominaya moving up from Florida to take over the program.
Region 8: Buford remains the big dog. No question. Flowery Branch took a big hit when new school Cherokee Bluff opened and dropped a level of classification. That leaves Clarke Central as the team most likely to challenge the Wolves and grab the No. 2 playoff spot.
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