Get ready for another competitive season in Georgia’s middle classification. Last year showcased the depth of the classification with a highly-competitive regular season and its unforgettable postseason. Here are 5 teams with great storylines worth following this season.
1. Blessed Trinity
2018 Outlook: Blessed Trinity made an incredible run to capture its first-ever state title last season, and the group of seniors returning to the field this year, is more than capable of a championship encore. Running back Steele Chambers, who recently committed to Ohio State, gives the Titans an unstoppable combination of athleticism, experience, versatility and power coming out of the backfield. Star linebacker and UGA-commit JD Bertrand missed half of last season with a fractured foot, but was a difference maker when he returned in the playoffs. Quarterback Jake Smith is only getting better, and his favorite target, Ryan Davis, is a big-play receiver with textbook routes, dependability and the clutch factor. Blessed Trinity will have lots of pressure on them this season, but this group has already proved they can handle it.
2. Woodward Academy
2018 Outlook: Woodward Academy won its fourth-straight region championship for the first time in its 115-year history this past season. Led by head coach John Hunt, the War Eagles have reached two semifinals and two quarterfinals the last four seasons and recorded 46 wins in the same span. Last year’s War Eagles maintained their offensive firepower with 39.1 ppg, but the drop-off defensively was steep. After holding opponents to just 6.85 ppg in 2016, the defense allowed 22 ppg in 2017. Youth definitely factored into this dip as the roster consisted of just 13 seniors, but now Woodward Academy is returning a roster that is very experienced and very capable of competing with any team in the classification this year. Woodward’s most electric player is Tahj Gary, the reigning Region 4-AAAA Player of the Year, and a do-it-all back that rushed for 19 touchdowns and 1305 yards, while adding a team-high 37 catches, 790 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 205-pound 3-star can work in traffic and gash defenses with his speed and physicality when given space, but also has plenty of returning talent to surround him. In total, 22 of the team’s 23 receiving touchdowns were caught by underclassmen a year ago and all 41 of the team’s rushing touchdowns in 2017 came from underclassmen.
3. Cartersville
2018 Outlook: Cartersville has won six consecutive region championships, with five perfect regular seasons, two state titles and an incredible 77-5 record in the same span. The Purple Hurricanes carried a state-best 41-game active winning streak into last year’s second round playoffs at the peak of this prominence, but a shocking 21-17 loss to eventual state champion Blessed Trinity ended the Canes’ bid for a three-peat, as well as the record-breaking varsity career of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. When Cartersville head coach Joey King took the job in 2014, Lawrence was a freshman, and has started all 82 games that King has been with the program. King and his staff, however, have been able build depth and talent up and down the roster, as well as a strong system on both sides of the football. The Canes will be a tough matchup this upcoming season for any team, in or outside of region competition. This year’s starting quarterback in going to be junior Tee Webb, a 6-foot-4 passer that has already been offered by Louisville, Mercer, Austin Peay and Rutgers. And this year’s senior class includes Jackson Lowe, a 6-foot-5 tight end and 4-star prospect committed to Tennessee, Isaiah Chaney, a 6-foot-4 defensive end committed to Wake Forest and Kaleb Chatmon, a 3-star wide receiver.
4. Mary Persons
2018 Outlook: Mary Persons swept Region 1 a year ago and has tremendous talent returning to a roster that went 11-3 and reached its second-straight final four. The Bulldogs’ first loss came in its opener (21-17) against eventual Class AAAAAA state champion Lee County and then they dropped a 35-14 matchup to Class AAA finalist Peach County in non-region action before running into Class AAAA state champion Blessed Trinity (28-7) in the semis. Quarterback J.T. Hartage will be back for his senior season after completing 146-of-215 passes (68 percent), for 1865 yards, 19 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions; he also rushed for 321 yards and seven touchdowns. Quen Wilson returns as the leading rusher but will need a running mate to step up and split the carries, especially early in the season. Wilson got better as last season progressed and rushed for a career-high 213 yards off 23 carries and scored four times in Mary Persons’ 51-32 quarterfinal win over Jefferson. Hartage has a slew of targets returning that have the potential to take Mary Person’s passing game to the next level. Antoine Davis was a running back for Tattnall Square two seasons ago, but joined Mary Persons in 2017 and made a smooth transition into a starting cornerback and wide receiver. Class of 2019 receiver Deadrek Alford caught Mary Persons’ only touchdown in its loss to Blessed Trinity and added a nine-catch, 164-yard game in the 28-21 win over Upson-Lee. Tight end Ladamion Sands is primarily a linebacker, but he can certainly contribute as a blocking and receiving tight end. Last year, Sands was the team’s second-leading tackler behind Jatorian Hansford, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound linebacker/safety hybrid that will be playing for Mizzou this fall.
5. Ridgeland
2018 Outlook: Rossville-native and first-year head coach Cortney Braswell will lead Ridgeland this season, taking over for Wesley Tankersley, who led the program to its first-ever perfect regular season and an 11-1 overall record in 2017. Tankersley hasn’t travelled far, taking over for Stephens County this offseason, which resides in Region 8-AAAA. Starting quarterback Tanner Hill will be entering his senior season and will be given more control in the new system that is scratching the program’s traditional Wing-T option for a modernized attack. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Hill has exceptional mobility and the physical and mental experience to prepare him for a big year. Hill also happens to be one of the few returning starting quarterbacks in the region next year, so that will another incredible advantage. This is a fast team with tremendous athleticism and they will likely get better and better as the season progresses.
