Top 10 games of Week 8

Last meeting: Prince Avenue Christian won 29-7 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. These are the only unbeaten teams in the region, and one or the other has won 8-A each of the past five seasons, Prince Avenue in 2011, 2013 and 2014, Athens Academy in 2010 and 2012. Prince Avenue has won five of the past six games in the series. 2. Prince Avenue's leading rushers on a team that passes only about four times per game are backs Kevon Hudson (63 carries, 619 yards, 11 touchdowns), Jordan Hightower (38-445-4) and Andrew Hayes (45-257-6). Sophomore QB Grant Roland is a game manager who rarely runs or passes out of the Wing-T offense. NG Dalton Owens is the leading tackler. All-state LB Zach Ragle has missed two games with injuries but returned strong last week. 3. Athens Academy QB Drew Richardson, a returning starter, has thrown for 584 yards and rushed for 288 and scored 10 touchdowns. Freshman RB Payton Bowles (23-361-5) is averaging 15.7 yards per carry. Another top runner is RB/DB Will Corry (41-277-4). MLB Wyatt Settles is the leading tackler. He has 3.5 sacks and five other tackles for losses. Settles also caught the winning TD pass in the fourth quarter of a 14-7 victory over Commerce.

Calvary Day at Savannah Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Garden City Stadium, Garden City

Records, rankings: Calvary Day is 5-0 overall, 1-0 in Region 3-A Div. A and No. 5; Savannah Christian is 4-1, 1-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Calvary Day won 7-3 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. The winner of the Calvary Day-Savannah Christian game has gone on to capture the subregion every year since the region was subdivided in 2008. Calvary Day won last year on a touchdown run by Robert Heyward that was set up by Jeremiah Mercer's 44-yard punt return to the Savannah Christian 1-yard line. 2. Calvary Day runs the ball about 81 percent of the time (207 carries, 47 pass attempts). QB Salvador Calderon is the leading rusher with 57 carries for 519 yards and four touchdowns and has passed for 340 yards and three TDs. Freshmen Jeremy Smith (38 carries, 297 yards, six TDs) and Nolan Smith (53-274-8) also have big roles. 3. Savannah Christian has won four consecutive games since a 15-14 loss to Jenkins on a last-minute field goal in the opener. The Raiders rely even more on the run than Calvary Day, with 225 carries and only 30 pass attempts. The player to watch is AJC Super 11 pick Demetris Robertson, who has 358 yards rushing, 53 yards receiving, 133 yards in kick returns, 26 tackles and two interceptions.

Colquitt County at Lee County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Trojan Field, Leesburg

Records, rankings: Colquitt County is 6-0 overall, 1-0 in Region 1-AAAAAA and No. 1; Lee County is 6-0, 1-0 and No. 6.

Last meeting: Colquitt County won 58-14 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. Colquitt County, Lee County and Camden County (6-0, 1-0), are the 1-AAAAAA teams that won their openers. In 2014, Lee County was 5-0 against a weaker schedule and not surprisingly blown out by Colquitt. More surprising was Lee's response - successive victories over Lowndes and Camden County, which put the Trojans on the map statewide for the first time in the highest classification. 2. The quarterbacks in this game have similar statistics. Colquitt's Chase Parrish is 72-of-105 for 1,123 yards and 16 touchdowns with two interceptions. Lee's Garet Morrell is 60-of-107 for 1,116 yards and 16 touchdowns with three interceptions. Both are dangerous on their feet, although Morrell (26-226-3) is more apt to run than Parrish (14-137-1). 3. Both teams have all-state candidates at receiver. Colquitt's Kiel Pollard (committed to Arkansas) has 25 receptions for 412 yards and eight touchdowns. Lee's Tray Eafford has nine touchdowns on his 17 receptions for 460 yards.

Jefferson County at Metter

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tiger Stadium, Metter

Records, rankings: Jefferson County is 4-2 overall, 2-0 in Region 3-AA and No. 8; Metter is 4-1, 1-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Jefferson County won 27-21 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. Jefferson County and Metter have emerged as 3-AA's only unbeaten teams in region play, which is ironic because region rivals Screven County, Dublin and East Laurens all started 4-0 overall. But Jefferson County and Metter both beat Dublin, and Jefferson County knocked out Screven. East Laurens was routed by Swainsboro. 2. Metter QB Aljeraude Dekle rushed for 167 yards in the 17-14 victory over Dublin. Chris Tarver added 106 yards and is the team's leading rusher with 424. Another key back is Shamel Johnson, who has 350 yards rushing and eight catches for 139 yards. Metter gets 80 percent of its offense running the ball. 3. Jefferson County has had some excellent dual-threat quarterbacks in the coach J.B. Arnold era (see B.J. Bostic), and current QB T.J. Bell is one. He rushed for 175 yards on 17 carries in the Dublin victory. Against Screven, he rushed for 89 yards and three touchdowns and was 9-of-14 passing. Linebackers Kurt Bell and P.J. Stone had big games in the Dublin win.

Jonesboro at Spalding

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Griffin

Records, rankings: Jonesboro is 5-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 4-AAAA Div. B and unranked; Spalding is 6-0, 2-0 and No. 7.

Last meeting: Spalding won 35-13 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. The 4-AAAA Div. B title will be decided in the next three weekends. Jonesboro and Spalding are tied for first place with Riverdale, which both teams play in their next game (Jonesboro on Oct. 16, Spalding on Oct. 23 after a bye week). 2. Both teams broke losing streaks against Griffin in their most-recent game. Jonesboro broke a 22-game streak with a 13-7 win two weeks ago, its first victory since 1981 in a series Griffin leads 40-3. Montralius Mosley rushed for 171 yards and scored on runs of 1 and 84 yards. Spalding won 28-6 last week, its first victory against its cross-town rival in eight all-time meetings. Naricuss Driver rushed for 231 yards and scored on runs of 6, 94 and 63 yards. 3. Both teams are led by outstanding quarterbacks. Jonesboro's Zerrick Cooper (committed to Clemson) is rated the nation's No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in 247Sports' composite rankings. Spalding's Driver has a chance to finish the season with 1,000 yards both rushing and passing. The junior has 688 yards passing and 560 rushing in six games.

Lanier at Gainesville

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bobby Gruhn Field at City Park, Gainesville

Records, rankings: Lanier is 5-0 overall, 4-0 in Region 8-AAAAA and No. 6; Gainesville is 4-1, 4-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Lanier won 26-23 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. Lanier and Gainesville are the only remaining 8-AAAAA teams unbeaten in region play, and the winner is likely to win the region title. Lanier's victory in 2014 ultimately gave the Longhorns the first region title in program history. Gainesville had won six region titles in seven years and has 29 overall. 2. Lanier has won 18 consecutive regular-season games. The Longhorns, noted primarily for their defense, allow 6.6 points per game and have held four of five opponents to a touchdown or less. The defense is led by DT Derrick Brown, the nation's consensus No. 9 recruit. Brown has 20 tackles for losses and five sacks. RB Mark Baity has rushed for 318 yards. QB Tahj Tolbert has passed for 347. 3. Gainesville allowed 60 points in its first two games but only six since. Gainesville intercepted Heritage (Conyers) five times and forced six turnovers against Salem. QB Messiah Dorsey has thrown for 774 yards (78-of-122 passing, 9 TD) and rushed for 301. RB/LB Chris Byrd has rushed for a team-leading 391 yards, caught 17 passes and is among the team leaders in tackles.

Marist at St. Pius

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, George B. Maloof Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Marist is 5-1 overall, 4-0 in Region 6-AAAA and No. 6; St. Pius is 3-2, 3-0 and No. 9.

Last meeting: St. Pius won 10-9 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. St. Pius won the 2014 game on Michael Matthews' 30-yard field goal with 20 seconds left. It was St. Pius' third consecutive win in a series that had been played each year since 1962 until the abstinence of 2010-13. Marist won 25 of 26 meetings before St. Pius's 2008 victory. 2. Marist averages 317.7 yards rushing, 56.2 passing. RB Michael Addicks (433 yards rushing), QB Jack Dinges (242 rushing) and RB/WR/KR Cameron Pearson (501 all-purpose yards) are key offensive figures. The leading tacklers are LB Charlie Utsch and DB Chris Bradley. DB Will Toner has three interceptions. DL Ben Page has forced two fumbles and blocked a kick. 3. St. Pius averages 238.4 yards rushing, 38.8 passing. The primary ball carriers are FB Lawson Cooper (79-399-6), QB Reed Egan (55-257-3) and HB Grant Holloman (34-223-1). Cooper has not been tackled for a loss this season. LB Winston O'Stricker is the leading tackler and has forced two fumbles. PK Nick Jones has made seven field goals, a long of 45 yards, and put eight of 17 punts inside the 20-yard line.

North Cobb at McEachern

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Walter H. Cantrell Stadium, Powder Springs

Records, rankings: North Cobb is 3-3 overall, 2-0 in Region 4-AAAAAA and unranked; McEachern is 4-1, 1-0 and No. 7.

Last meeting: McEachern won 48-28 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. North Cobb and McEachern are the only unbeaten teams in 4-AAAAAA play, and the winner is likely to win the region championship. The teams have combined to win five of the past eight region titles - McEachern in 2009, 2010 and 2012, and North Cobb in 2007 and 2013. 2. North Cobb has won three straight after opening the season with losses to Northside (Warner Robins), North Gwinnett and Cartersville, all of which rallied from fourth-quarter deficits. QB Will Lovett, who took over after the graduation of four-year starter Tyler Queen, is one of the top passers in Cobb County, with more than 1,200 yards. RB Jai Irwin had 105 yards rushing in the victory last week over Hillgrove. 3. McEachern had a tougher-than-expected battle with a 1-5 Marietta team last week before winning 27-10 in its region opener. McEachern led 13-7 in the second half, but fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Tyler Simmons and Sam Jackson put the game away. Jackson has rushed for 592 yards and seven touchdowns. Simmons has 13 receptions for 204 yards along with five rushing touchdowns. Preseason all-state QB Bailey Hockman has thrown for 814 yards and five touchdowns.

Pace Academy at Greater Atlanta Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Norcross

Records, rankings: Pace Academy is 5-1 overall, 2-1 in Region 6-AA and No. 7; Greater Atlanta Christian is 5-1, 3-0 and No. 3.

Last meeting: Greater Atlanta Christian won 37-7 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. Greater Atlanta Christian is tied with Wesleyan for first place in 6-AA, one game ahead of Pace Academy and Lovett. GAC is the defending region champion and has won five region titles in its history. Pace Academy began playing football in 2008 and must win this game to retain any realistic hopes of earning its first region title. 2. Sophomore QB Gunnor Faulk leads the Pace Academy offense. He is 60-for-103 passing for 700 yards and has rushed for 284 yards on 31 carries. Juniors Jordan Payne (64 carries, 374 yards) and Deon Jackson (45-323) are the leading rushers. Four-star WR Trey Blount is the leading receiver (14 catches for 268 yards). 3. GAC QB Davis Mills is 65-for-106 passing for 1,074 yards and 12 TDs. The senior has 21 scholarship offers, with Stanford reportedly the leader. Mills shares the workload in the running game with Alex Rowe and Marcus Young. Rowe was the leader in the Spartans' 51-14 victory over KIPP Atlanta Collegiate last week, rushing for 88 yards and scoring on runs of 34, 4 and 2 yards.

South Effingham at Coffee

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jardine Stadium, Douglas

Records, rankings: South Effingham is 5-0 overall, 3-0 in Region 3-AAAAA and unranked; Coffee is 5-1, 3-1 and No. 9.

Last meeting: Coffee won 35-28 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. South Effingham RB Patrick Brown rushed for 195 yards in the 2014 game, but Coffee scored the winning touchdown on a 38-yard TD run by QB Tyree Paulk (since graduated) with 3:40 left. South Effingham was 2-4 then, but is now 5-0 for the first time since 2008. 2. Brown remains South Effingham's workhorse. He has 775 rushing yards (at least 94 in every game) and six touchdowns on 111 carries. QB Tyler Pullum is 52-of-80 passing for 747 yards and seven touchdowns and also has 208 rushing yards. His main target is WR Marcus Boyd (17-290-4). MLB Makenzy Newbill has 41 solo tackles, and NG Timmell Jackson has nine tackles for losses. 3. Coffee gets three-fourths of its yardage in the run game. RB Demetrius Davis has 575 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on 62 carries. He also has seven catches for 156 yards. QB Max Hughes is 44-of-87 passing for 525 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. The most active defenders are DB Jakenzie Walker, LB Quan Grady and DB Jarquavius Jefferson (three interceptions).

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