First place in Region 4-AAA Div. B will be determined this week when No. 3 Blessed Trinity hosts No. 6 Westminster. Barring an upset over the final two weeks, the winner of this game will be the No. 1 seed for the region playoff game and be guaranteed a home game in the first round of the state playoffs.
“The loser of this game will be put in a precarious situation,” Blessed Trinity coach Tim McFarlin said. “Whoever loses could end up on the road in the first round against someone like Washington County or Laney.”
That means the two powers will be playing for more than pride.
The two private school rivals have played annual since 2004. Westminster leads the series 6-4, but Blessed Trinity has won the last three games, including 18-0 a year ago.
It’s probably been a while since the two schools have been so close in ability. Although Blessed Trinity will be favored, partially because of the home-field advantage, there is a thin line between the two squads.
“It’s like two teams looking at each other in the mirror,” McFarlin said. “We’ve both got good linemen, a good quarterback, a good running back, and are good on the defensive side. It should be a very good football game.”
Blessed Trinty is led by quarterback Conor Davis, who has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns, with only one interception. The top running threat is Milton Shelton, who has 482 yards and 10 touchdowns despite missing two games with injuries. The top receiver is Matthew Higgins, who has 23 catches for 331 yards and four touchdowns. Matthew Castner (6-1, 275) leads a large, physical offensive line.
The Blessed Trinity defense features linebacker Patrick Jasinski (6-1 ½, 218), who has committed to Central Florida. Fellow linebacker Logan Craighead and tackle Joe Camacho are also big parts of the unit that has two shutouts.
Westminster’s offense is led by quarterback Rankin Woley and running back Zay Malcome. The Wildcats are led on defense by Charlie Trense, who averages double-figures in tackles. Trense is headed to Notre Dame to play lacrosse.
In other games of interest scheduled for Friday:
Morgan County at Oconee County: Oconee County puts its unbeaten record on the line in the first real test the Warriors (6-0, 2-0 Region 8) have faced this season. Oconee is led by quarterback Zeb Noland, who has thrown for 894 yards and seven touchdowns, with only one interception. Chase Major has 14 catches for 486 yards, including one catch for 95 yards. The Warriors also run it effectively, with sophomore Christian Casey (643 yards) leading the way. Morgan (3-3, 1-1) leads the series 12-9-1 and has won two straight. Morgan won last year's game 41-29.
Josey at Laney: The two old rivals, located about two miles apart, have met every year in the "Battle for the Tracks" except for two since 1964, when they joined the GHSA. Laney leads the series 34-14 and the Wildcats have won four straight and 11 of the last 12 Laney has won the last three games by shutout and won the last four by an average score of 47.7-1.5. Laney (3-3, 1-1 in Region 3) has been playing well the last three games since coach Lemuel Lackey moved his son, Levan, into the starting quarterback spot. Josey (1-6, 0-3) has lost its last five games.
Washington at Therrell: This game could determine third place in Region 4-AAA Div. B. Washington (3-3, 2-0) must still play Blessed Trinity and Westminster, while Therrell (2-4, 0-2) has already played the two powerhouses. The two old city of Atlanta schools have played 32 times, with Therrell winning 18. But Washington has won the last nine meetings.
Jackson at Peach County: Jackson (4-2, 3-1 Region 2) is the last obstacle standing between No. 5 Peach County (7-0, 5-0) and a showdown with No. 7 Westside Macon for the Region 2-AAA championship. Peach is led by quarterback Robert Allen, who has thrown for 1,059 yards and nine touchdowns, with only two interceptions. Saire Davis has 30 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns and Kearis Jackson has 20 catches for 230 yards. Keyshawn Lowe has rushed for 638 yards and seven touchdowns and James Jackson has 387 yards and three touchdowns.
Jackson features a deep group of running backs, with four players over 200 yards: Antonio Grier (342 yards, two TDs), Juan Sims (326 yards, five TDs), Ira Sheppard (321 yards, five TDs) and Shaderious Crowder (211 yards, two TDs). Quarterback Sha’colvian Douglas has thrown for 474 yards and six touchdowns. Sims is an all-around threat; he also has 299 yards receiving and averages 104.2 all-purpose yards.
Peach has won the only two meetings between the two teams, including 51-16 in 2013.
Appling County at Cook: Appling County (4-2, 2-1 Region 1) will try to bounce back after last week's overtime loss to No. 10 Dodge County. Cook (5-2, 4-0) has won five straight games and a win would set up a showdown next week against Dodge County for the Div. A title. A win by Appling keeps the Pirates alive for the subregion title. Cook leads the series 9-6-1 and won the last two meetings, both in the playoffs.
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