Bryan County at Benedictine
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Savannah State University's T.A. Wright Stadium, Savannah
Records, rankings: Bryan County is 5-0 overall, 4-0 in Region 2-AA and unranked; Benedictine is 5-0, 4-0 and No. 7.
Last meeting: Benedictine won 21-9 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Bryan County gets about two-thirds of its offense from a running game led by Nick Scott, a senior who has rushed for 635 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had 129 yards and four touchdowns in a 54-21 victory against Long County last week and a season-high 173 yards on 26 carries against McIntosh County Academy two weeks ago. 2. Benedictine's yardage totals are slightly better than Bryan County's but are nearly identical. Benedictine has rushed for 1,115 yards (compared to 1,106 for Bryan) and passed for 561 (compared to 528). The Cadets' running game is led by J.J. Gaines (57 carries, 334 yards), Mike Huggins (19-261) and Chance Jackson (42-224). 3. These are the two remaining undefeated teams in 2-AA, and the winner is likely to win the region championship. Benedictine is seeking its first region title since 2000. Bryan County has played football since 1976 and never won a region title, and one more victory will assure the Redskins of their fourth winning season in 38 years.
Burke County at Wayne County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Donaldson-Madray Field at Jaycee Stadium, Jesup
Records, rankings: Burke County is 2-2 and unranked in Class AAAA; Wayne County is 5-0 and No. 5 in AAAA.
Last meeting: Burke County won 43-14 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Wayne County has three major college prospects. QB Malique Jackson (55-84 passing, 762 yards, 14 TDs) has committed Florida State. Wisconsin is a leader for WR Krenwick Sanders (25 receptions, 454 yards, 11 TDs) and DL/OL Jeremy Patterson. 2. Burke County was ranked No. 3 in preseason but has been lost in the shuffle after losses to Coffee (32-14) of Class AAAAAA and seventh-ranked Statesboro (21-7) of AAAA. Burke County QB Donquell Green has been explosive against lesser teams (five touchdowns vs. Hephzibah) but was intercepted four times against Statesboro and held below 50 yards rushing against Coffee. 3. Wayne County is 5-0 for the first time since 1994, also the last year that Wayne County had been ranked until this season. Wayne County's Jody Grooms is also the coach who led Lakeside of Evans to its first state ranking in 2009. Grooms came to Jesup in 2010.
Camden County at Coffee
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Jardine Stadium, Douglas
Records, rankings: Camden County is 4-1 overall, 1-0 in Region 1-AAAAAA and No. 6; Coffee is 4-1, 0-1 and unranked.
Last meeting: Camden County won 39-12 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Coffee QB Tyree Paulk has thrown 14 TD passes, twice the number of any other Region 1 player. He is 77-of-123 passing for 989 yards. He's also Coffee's leading rusher with 148 yards. Six Coffee receivers have TD receptions. Brandon Roe has four. 2. Camden County defeated Valdosta 14-10 last week despite missing leading rusher Chris Williams (269 yards), who is committed to Alabama. He is expected back this week. Another Alabama recruit, Kalvaraz Bessent, took his place in the backfield and rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries. Camden attempted only one pass in the game between Top 10 teams. It was incomplete. 3. Coffee was ranked for the first time since 2008 after a 4-0 start, but the 32-29 loss to Tift County last week means Coffee is on thin ice from here to make the playoffs. It might take a victory over Camden, Colquitt County or Valdosta, and that's assuming victories over Lowndes and Brunswick. Tift led 32-20 in the final minute last week when Anthony Fussell returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, but Coffee failed to cover an onside kick.
Etowah at Milton
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagles' Nest, Milton
Records, rankings: Etowah is 5-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 5-AAAAAA and unranked; Milton is 5-0, 2-0 and No. 7.
Last meeting: Milton won 59-27 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Etowah is expected to play without some key players, but only one - star DB/WR Ben Rowell (broken arm) - is confirmed. Etowah's offense is led by QB John Oliver and RB Brandon Engle. Oliver rushed for 131 yards, passed for 123 and scored the winning touchdown on an 80-yard run in a 38-36 victory against Roswell last week. Engle, the team's offensive MVP in 2012, rushed for 151 yards in a 31-14 win against Wheeler on Sept. 20 and had 277 yards against Centennial earlier this season. 2. Milton's Micco Brisker and Chad Toliver have had to take over the duties at running back after the Eagles lost Treyvon Paulk, a Tennessee commitment, reportedly for the season because of a knee injury. Brisker and Toliver combined for 173 of Milton's 188 yards rushing in a 38-9 victory against Wheeler last week. 3. Etowah and Milton are the only 5-AAAAAA teams that are undefeated overall and are tied with Walton for first place in the region at 2-0. Etowah is 5-0 for the first time since 2008, when it finished 9-2. Milton hasn't been 5-0 since 1999, when it lost in the first round of the playoffs and finished 6-5.
Jefferson at Washington-Wilkes
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tiger Stadium, Washington
Records, rankings: Jefferson is 3-1 overall, 1-0 in Region 8-AA and No. 4; Washington-Wilkes is 5-0, 2-0 and No. 5.
Last meeting: Jefferson won 31-0 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Jefferson's quarterback is junior Evan Shirreffs, the younger brother of Bryant Shirreffs, who led the Dragons to the state championship last season and now plays for N.C. State. Evan Shirreffs has passed for about 930 yards and 11 touchdowns. His top target has been T.J. Skelton, who in the past two games had 11 catches for 236 yards and four TDs. 2. Washington-Wilkes QB Deandre Harris is 48-of-78 passing for 639 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jalen Turner is the leader in receptions with 17 catches for 314 yards and seven TDs, and TB Quay Blackburn is the rushing leader with 613 yards and six TDs on 57 carries (10.8 yards per carry). 3. The winner of this game will emerge as the favorite to win the 8-AA title, although Rabun County remains undefeated at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the region. Jefferson's victory in last year's meeting proved to be the deciding factor in the Dragons winning their third region title in five years. Washington-Wilkes last won a region championship in 2006.
Peachtree Ridge at Collins Hill
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Fahring Field, Suwanee
Records, rankings: Peachtree Ridge is 5-0 overall, 3-0 in Region 7-AAAAAA and No. 5; Collins Hill is 4-0, 2-0 and unranked.
Last meeting: Collins Hill won 41-10 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Peachtree Ridge has a balanced offense that is averaging 200 yards passing and 183.4 rushing. Jordan Ellis, who has committed to Virginia, has rushed for 654 yards and 10 touchdowns on 94 carries and had a season-high 197 yards on seven carries in a 49-0 victory against Habersham Central last week. Junior QB Chance Thrasher is 63-of-110 passing for 971 yards and nine TDs. 2. Collins Hill's Tyler Henderson rushed for 86 yards and three touchdowns and had three catches for 61 yards and a TD in a 42-13 victory over Mountain View last week. Tyler Herman was 11-of-17 passing for 202 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 34 yards and a score. 3. Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill and North Gwinnett are the remaining undefeated teams in Region 7-AAAAAA. Peachtree Ridge is trying to improve to 6-0 for the first time in the program's 11-year history. Collins Hill is trying to get to 5-0 for the first time since 2009.
Pierce County at Appling County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jimmy Swain Stadium, Baxley
Records, rankings: Pierce County is 5-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 1-AAA and No. 10; Appling County is 3-2, 2-0 and unranked.
Last meeting: Pierce County won 36-34 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. This game should decide the region title, as it has the past two seasons with Pierce County winning in 2011 (Region 2-AA) and 2012 (1-AAA). The Maxwell Ratings consider Pierce and Appling to be at least 17 points better than any other team in 1-AAA. In the 2012 game, Pierce County led 36-21 entering the fourth quarter and held on for a 36-34 victory. In 2011, Appling entered 9-0 but got down 21-0 early in the fourth quarter and lost 21-14. 2. Pierce County coach Sean Pender calls Tyler Harris the best pure quarterback in Georgia, including Gainesville's Deshaun Watson. Harris is 100-of-161 passing for 1,305 yards and 11 touchdowns. Harris is committed to SMU. 3. Appling County lost its leading rusher from 2012, Justin Moore, to a season-ending knee injury early in the year and started 0-2 with losses to Wayne County and Liberty County. The Pirates since have dominated lesser competition since, averaging more than 40 points per game. QB Vernon Dasher has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of those wins.
South Paulding at North Paulding
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Den, Dallas
Records, rankings: South Paulding is 4-0 overall, 4-0 in Region 5-AAAAA and No. 10; North Paulding is 4-1, 4-1 and unranked.
Last meeting: North Paulding won 29-28 in overtime in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. South Paulding took sole possession of first place in 5-AAAAA with a 48-45 victory over Allatoona last week that gave the Spartans a 4-0 record for the first time in school history. South Paulding is playing its eighth season of football and seeking its first playoff berth. North Paulding is in a three-way tie for second place (along with Allatoona and East Paulding), a half-game behind the Spartans. 2. South Paulding QB Chandler Burks passed for 391 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 116 yards and two scores against Allatoona last week. For the season, Burks is averaging 300.5 yards passing and 119.3 yards rushing and has rushed or passed for 20 touchdowns. 3. North Paulding has a balanced offense that averages 213 yards passing and 180 rushing. QB Chase Noonan is 59-of-86 passing for 960 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Corn Collins is the leading rusher with 514 yards on 73 carries, and Kayden Bishop (19 catches, 313 yards, four TDs) and Mac Seagle (15-321-4) are the leading receivers.
Tift County at Colquitt County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Memorial Stadium, Moultrie
Records, rankings: Tift County is 4-1 overall, 1-0 in Region 1-AAAAAA and unranked; Colquitt County is 4-1, 1-0 and No. 3.
Last meeting: Colquitt County won 49-7 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Colquitt County DE Jamiyus Pittman, a preseason all-state pick who has committed to Ole Miss, remains on the sidelines with a leg injury, but junior DE Quintin Hampton has picked up the slack. He had six sacks against Lowndes last week. On offense, Colquitt's leaders are QB Daniel Mobley (926 yards passing, 171 rushing), RB Sihiem King (501 yards rushing) and WR Todd Boyd (294 yards receiving). 2. Tift County has two of the five leading rushers in Region 1. They are RB Ladarius Stewart (452 yards, three touchdowns, 68 carries) and QB Ryan Wedgeworth (365, four, 58). Wedgeworth is 31-of-50 passing for six touchdowns. 3. Tift County had lost 10 consecutive region games dating to 2010 until a 32-29 victory over previously unbeaten Coffee last week. That was the most significant victory in the two-year tenure of head coach John Reid, who had been hired away from East Paulding, where he was 60-15 in six seasons at a program that had been one of the state's worst for more than a decade. Before that, Reid's teams at Alcoa, Tenn., won two state titles.
Washington County at Lovett
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium/Conley-Oakley Field, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Washington County is 4-0 and No. 3 in Class AAA; Lovett is 5-0 and No. 2 in AA.
Last meeting: Washington County won 48-35 in 2012.
Three things to know: 1. Washington County RB Danyale Wicker (452 yards rushing), RB Melvin Hill (370) and QB A.J. Gray (331) each have rushed for more than 100 yards in a game at least twice this season. Gray, who got all-state recognition last season in football (at defensive back) and basketball, is 25-of-35 passing for 524 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. 2. Lovett QB Willie Candler sat out last week's 35-13 victory over Fort Payne, Ala., with a leg injury but is expected to play this week. He was 8-of-9 passing for 81 yards and a touchdown in the 28-7 upset of St. Pius two weeks ago. Jay Harris, who rushed for 161 yards against St. Pius, also was limited last week. All-state DB/RB Grant Haley ran for 141 yards in that game. 3. In the 2012 game, Lovett couldn't stop the Golden Hawks. QB William Walker (since graduated) and RB Melvin Hill had 415 yards rushing between them, and Washington County scored on all seven drives that didn't run up against a half. But Lovett was within 42-35 until the final four minutes.
