Through five games, second-ranked Cedar Grove has tested its mettle against some of the best football programs in the Southeast, and with just one loss to Class AAAAAAA McEachern, it's tough not to say that the Saints are the best team in Class AAA.
Top-ranked Calhoun would beg to differ, but if you could take away the Saints' semifinal loss to Calhoun last season, Cedar Grove probably could be on top of the polls, solely based on its 2018 performance. Granted, it's hard to argue with the undefeated top-ranked defending-champions.
But back to the Saints.
Cedar Grove opened its season with two road victories against tough out-of-state opponents -- Summerville (South Carolina) 21-7 and Hewitt-Trussville (Alabama) 34-30 -- before coming back to Georgia. Against Columbia in the third game of the season, Cedar Grove won 45-0. The next week, the Saints lost to Class AAAAAAA McEachern on the road, 24-17. Last week against Lovett, Cedar Grove stretched its legs in a Region 5 battle, defeating the Lions 45-0.
A quick glance at the Cedar Grove stat sheet provides a snapshot of the program's progress through five games. There is talent all over the field. Let's break it down to see who is making things happen for the Saints:
-- Quarterbacks --
-- Austin Smith: The 6-foot-2, 180-pound sophomore has 32 completions in 49 attempts for 302 yards and five touchdowns. He is averaging 6.16 yards per attempt.
-- Kendall Boney: The 5-11, 180-pound senior has 18 completions in 27 attempts for 281 yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 10.41 yards per attempt.
Notable: Both quarterbacks have played in each of the games and are each averaging around 60 yards per game. Each has thrown one interception in the 76 combined attempts. Cedar Grove has 583 passing yards for an average of 116.60 per game.
-- Receiving --
-- Jadon Haselwood: The 6-2, 196-pound senior is the consensus No. 1 recruit in the nation. Haselwood has been committed to UGA since his sophomore season. He has caught 22 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. Haselwood averages 13.14 yards per reception and 57.8 yards per game.
-- Rashad Jordan: The 5-9, 165-pound senior has caught 12 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging 14.17 yards per catch with 34 yards per game.
-- Montre Montfort: The 6-foot, 200-pound senior hass caught five passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns for an average of 10.6 yards per reception.
-- Demetri Cooper: The 6-foot, 180-pound senior has caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.
Notable: For an offense that leans toward the run, Cedar Grove is stacked at the receiver position. Haselwood leads the way, but a talented supporting cast can take on any role needed.
-- Rushing --
-- Robert Jones III: The 5-10, 195-pound senior has 370 yards on 45 carries with four touchdowns. He is averaging 8.22 yards per carry and 74 yards per game.
-- Rashad Dubinion: The 5-10, 177-pound freshman has 31 carries for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging 7.13 yards per carry and 44.2 yards per game.
-- Chavon Wright: The 5-7, 190-pound junior has eight carries for 63 yards and three touchdowns for an average of 7.88 yards per carry and 31.5 yards per game.
Notable: Cedar Grove likes to run and has rushed for 873 yards, with 13 rushing touchdowns to eight passing touchdowns. Cedar Grove averages 174.60 yards of rushing per game.
-- Defense --
-- Chris Sanford: The 6-foot, 200-pound senior middle linebacker leads the team with 38 total tackles and one sack and two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Sanford has 11 solo tackles.
-- William Jenkins: The 6-1, 210-pound senior outside linebacker has 36 total tackles with 14 solo, 22 assisted, one tackle for loss, one interception and one forced fumble and recovery.
-- Isaiah Ratcliff: The 6-1, 200-pound junior outside linebacker has 35 tackles with 14 solo and 21 assists. He has one sack, two tackles for loss and one interception.
Notable: The Saints defense has two shutouts (Columbia and Lovett) and allowed Summerville one touchdown.
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