Here’s what to look for during Week 8 of the high school football season.
Class AAAAAA
North Cobb plays at Hillgrove on Friday in game that should determine the main challenger to second-ranked McEachern in Region 4.
There’s also a neat side story. Both head coaches have sons who are star quarterbacks.
North Cobb’s Tyler Queen, son of Shane Queen, was the preseason all-state pick at quarterback in AAAAAA. He’s 49-of-92 passing with 11 touchdowns. He’s also a threat to run.
Hillgrove’s Elijah Ironside, son of Philip Ironside, is 77-of-139 passing for 1,021 yards with 18 touchdowns.
Other things to watch this week in AAAAAA and the other classifications:
- The top game in the class is No. 9 Collins Hill (5-0) at No. 8 Norcross (4-2). It was a pivotal game in 2012, when both entered unbeaten in the region. Norcross got 295 yards rushing from Alvin Kamara and went on to win the state title.
- No. 1-ranked North Gwinnett should be tested by Mill Creek, which might be called the best fifth-place team in the state. The Hawks are 4-2 with losses to Peachtree Ridge and Norcross. They made the quarterfinals a year ago.
- Region 1 had three tight games last week. Expect more Friday. No. 6 Camden County plays at Tift County, and No. 10 Valdosta goes to Lowndes. This is the first time since 2002 that Valdosta has been favored. Lowndes has won eight of the past nine.
Class AAAAA
- The Region 6 championship, an additional round of home-field advantage in the playoffs and the No. 1 ranking in AAAAA are likely to be at stake when DeKalb County-rivals Stephenson and Tucker meet Friday at Hallford Stadium. One player to watch will be Stephenson's leading rusher, Dallas Rivers, a transfer from Tucker who rushed for 1,100 yards for the Tigers last season.
- Whitewater coach Amos McCreary picked up the 150th victory of his career last week when his team beat Northgate 17-6, and this week the Wildcats will try to extend their winning streak to six games when they face McIntosh, which is 5-0 for the first time in school history. McCreary is 76-28 since starting the Whitewater program in 2004, after going 74-38 in 10 seasons at Creekside.
- The first-place team in Region 5 has lost each of the past two weeks, and North Paulding will try to stop that streak when it faces Rome on Friday. North Paulding is one of four teams with one loss in the region, but the Wolfpack controls its destiny and will win the region championship if it wins its final four games against Rome, Paulding County, Allatoona and Villa Rica.
- Evans plays at Jones County and Houston County plays at Lakeside-Evans as those four teams work to sort out which two will join Northside and Warner Robins as playoff teams from Region 2. Richmond Hill and Effingham County will meet to determine which will be the biggest challenger to Ware County in 3.
Class AAAA
- Liberty County has a chance for a statement victory, when the 6-0 Panthers travel to No. 5 Statesboro for a battle of Region 3, Division A unbeaten teams. Statesboro (6-0) is allowing eight points per game and owns an impressive 21-7 victory against Burke County. The Panthers are led by all-state linebacker/fullback Raekwon McMillan, who had 19 tackles in last week's victory over Glenn Hills. Statesboro has won six of the seven meetings, including a 19-0 shutout last season.
- Grady, winner of four consecutive, faces undefeated Washington-Atlanta on Friday night at Lakewood Stadium. Grady coach Ronnie Millen notched his 100th victory earlier in the season and has won four of five meetings with Washington, including a 42-22 victory against the Bulldogs last season. Friday's game kicks off at 8 p.m. Washington has won its first five games by an average margin of 32.6 points.
- In Region 6, Chamblee will look for its third consecutive shutout and fourth of the season, when the Bulldogs face Columbia at North DeKalb Stadium. Marist has bounced back from consecutive losses with convincing victories against Therrell and Columbia. The War Eagles take on Lithonia at Hallford Stadium. Lithonia is 1-0 in region play, but has never beaten Marist in 11 tries.
Class AAA
- The No. 1-ranked Buford Wolves, No. 2 Cartersville Purple Hurricanes and No. 4 North Hall Trojans could threaten the state scoring record. The Wolves have scored 273 points, putting them on pace to score 546 during the regular season. North Hall has scored 244 and could eclipse the 504 it scored in 2007. Cartersville has scored 291 points, which would put the Canes at 485. The offenses are in pursuit of the GHSA scoring record of 549 points by Camden County in 2011. Fifteen teams have topped 500 points in a season. On Friday, Buford plays at White County, North Hall is at Fannin County and Cartersville is off.
- No. 6 Jefferson County plays at No. 3 Washington County in a game that should determine the Region 3 championship. Washington County leads the series 9-1-1, including last year's 57-14 victory. Jefferson County has not allowed more than 14 points in a game, but will have its hands full trying to slow a Golden Hawks team that has tallied 235 points.
- No. 10 Blessed Trinity (3-2) plays at improved Decatur (4-2), which is looking for a statement game. But Decatur has lost two consecutive (Cedar Grove and Woodward Academy).
Class AA
- No. 7 Jefferson is the defending state champions, but at 3-2 (1-1 in Region 8) is in a fight to stay in the picture for a No. 1 seed. The Dragons are coming off a 21-14 loss to Washington-Wilkes, who is in the driver's seat for the region title. Now, Jefferson must face undefeated Rabun County (5-0, 2-0), who is off to its best start since 1998. This will be the toughest task so far this season for Rabun County, who will be on the road and travel again next week to play Washington-Wilkes. It's safe to assume Jefferson will be motivated to get back on the winning track and in the playoff picture. Meanwhile, if Rabun County can keep the game close, it may find itself in the mix for the program's first region title since that 1998 season.
- No. 9 Fitzgerald (4-1-1, 2-0 in 1-AA) plays host to No. 8 Brooks County (5-1, 2-0) in what could decide the region title. Brooks County is the defending region champion, while Fitzgerald won the year before. Brooks County won last year 27-24 to snap a three-year losing streak. Fitzgerald, however, is 5-2 in the series since it renewed in 2006.
- No. 1 Lamar County (5-0, 2-0) likely is safe this week at home against Monticello (2-3, 0-2), but Lamar County's eyes will be on another key showdown in Region 4, when No. 10 Macon County (4-1, 2-0) travels to play Bleckley County (4-1, 2-0). Bleckley County won 28-20 last year in the first matchup between the schools.
Class A
No. 2 Aquinas (5-0, 1-0) at No. 9 Lincoln County (3-1, 2-0): In the game of the weekend in Class A, the Irish will put their unblemished record on the line in Lincolnton against the Red Devils, who are starting to get healthy. The winner most likely will claim the Region 7 title and an automatic top eight berth in the state playoffs. Lincoln County won last year 20-13.
No. 7 Prince Avenue Christian (5-1, 2-0) at Commerce (4-2, 2-0): The winner will have a leg up on the Region 8 championship. Prince Avenue Christian is looking to get back to the Class A private-school title game, while Commerce is looking to get back on track after going 14-19 the past three seasons.
Pacelli (5-0, 2-0) at No. 8 Marion County (5-0, 2-0): Pacelli is 5-0 for the first time since 2007, and the Vikings are in search of their first region championship since 2004. Marion County is in search of its third region title in four seasons, as well as recognition as one of the top programs in Class A and a public-school title contender.
No. 10 Emanuel County Institute (4-2, 1-0) at Treutlen (3-2, 2-0): After losing its first two games, defending public-school champion ECI has recovered from a slow start to become a serious threat to repeat. Treutlen will look to stay in the hunt for its second region championship in more than 50 years. But it has lost 15 in a row to ECI, including the past two seasons by a combined score of 95-6.
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