Class 2A blog: What to watch in Week 5

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Standifer Stadium, Blakely

Records, rankings: Westover is 0-0 and unranked in 4A; Early County is 2-0 and No. 7 in 2A.

Last meeting: Early County won 21-19 in 2011.

Maxwell’s projection: Early County by 2

Notes: This cross-classification game is notable for two reasons. First, it’s projected to be a very close game. Secondly, it involves two teams whose schedules were greatly affected by COVID-19 concerns. The Bobcats are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2012 are looking to become 3-0 for the first time since 2007. Their season was put on hold for the last two weeks due to the highly controversial decision to quarantine the team for two weeks despite there being no reported COVID-19 cases within the program. Their regional health director told the school that any player who got on the field with an infected player would have to quarantine. The Bobcats played Pelham, which used a player later discovered to have COVID-19, and 31 Bobcats came in contact with him. The Bobcats' 2-0 start, which included a 35-21 win over 1-A Public’s then-No. 4 Pelham, catapulted them into the rankings for the first time since 2007. Westover will be making its season debut. The Dougherty County School System, of which Westover is a member, decided back in mid-August to postpone all athletics until Oct. 1. As a result, the Patriots will only play a six-game schedule this season, with Early County being their only non-region opponent. These teams, located an hour apart, have only met four times (1972-73; 2010-11), with Westover’s lone win in the series coming in 1974. Westover senior defensive back Cameron Bergerson will be the only AJC preseason all-state selection on the field. Rated by recruiting services as a 3-star, Bergerson committed to Duke in August.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed Early County has having last been ranked in 1980.

Heard County Braves at Cedartown Bulldogs

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Doc Ayres Field at Cedartown Memorial Stadium, Cedartown

Records, rankings: Heard County is 4-0 and No. 6 in 2A; Cedartown is 1-2 and unranked in 4A.

Last meeting: Heard County won 24-15 in 2015.

Maxwell’s projection: Cedartown by 7

Notes: The Braves are looking to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2012, when they ran the tables during the regular season and didn’t lose until the second round of the 2A playoffs. A win Friday would also give them more than last year, when they finished 4-7 for their first losing season since 2003. Their early success most notably includes a 35-30 win over 1A Private’s No. 10 Darlington last week, and they’ve climbed from being unranked in the preseason to No. 6. The Braves are just two years removed from the 2A state title. Their most notable player from a recruiting perspective is 3-star linebacker and Florida commit Chief Borders, who transferred into the program and began playing for the Braves two weeks ago. The Bulldogs beat AAAAA’s New Manchester 24-0 last week for their first win of the season. It was their first shutout since 2017, when they beat Gilmer 63-0 on Sept. 1. They began this season ranked No. 7 but lost 21-10 to 3A’s Rockmart in their opener, then lost the following week, 14-7, to 5A’s unranked Calhoun. The Bulldogs have a pair of preseason all-state selections in junior defensive lineman C.J. Washington and senior defensive back Jayden Johnson, a 4-star committed to South Carolina. Cedric Washington, a junior rated as a 4-star athlete by recruiting services, is committed to Georgia. These teams first played in 2014 and 2015, with the series tied at 1.

Swainsboro Tigers at Dublin Fighting Irish

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Shamrock Bowl, Dublin

Records, rankings: Swainsboro is 2-2 and unranked in 2A; Dublin is 0-1 and No. 7 in 1A Public.

Last meeting: Dublin won 35-13 in 2019.

Maxwell’s projection: Dublin by 14

Notes: This rivalry between two storied programs that are a one-hour bus ride apart goes back to 1919, and the Fighting Irish leads the all-time series 43-24-2. Their win last year was the series' most lopsided since 2013, when the Fighting Irish won 56-7. The Fighting Irish, who are coming off a 2A state championship, reclassified to 1A Public. This will be their first game back since the entire team was quarantined for two weeks following a confirmed COVID-19 case. They’ve played just once, when they lost 33-20 to Dodge County on Sept. 11. The Tigers are one of the luckier teams in the state that has played every week since the GHSA season opened Sept. 4, despite other teams cancelling games on them. To maintain a 10-game regular season schedule, they played Washington County twice in a three-week span, splitting the series and losing to the Golden Hawks last week by a score of 27-22. The Tigers opened the season No. 8 but were shut out 28-0 by Metter in their opener and have been unranked ever since. However, they bumped Washington County from the rankings the next week with a 20-14 win. The Tigers have three senior three-star D-I commits who are also preseason all-state selections in twins Cedric and Fredrick Seabrough, who play receiver and tight end and are committed to N.C. State, and linebacker Zabrien Harden, who is committed to Arkansas State.

Westside Patriots at Putnam County War Eagles

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, War Eagle Stadium, Eatonton

Records, rankings: Westside is 1-2, 0-0 in Region 4 and unranked; Putnam County is 3-0, 0-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Westside won 14-0 in 2005.

Maxwell’s projection: Putnam County by 22

Notes: The War Eagles are looking for their first 4-0 start since 1994, when they went 9-1 in the regular season and reached the 1A quarterfinals, finishing 11-2. Shaun Pope is in his third season as War Eagles coach and the team is in its first season in Region 4 after reclassifying from Region 2, where they reached the playoffs last season for the first time since 2015, which was the last time they had a winning season. After edging 3A’s Morgan County 5-2 — a score that requires a double-take — the War Eagles have coasted to a par of wins over Monticello and 1A Public’s Social Circle, winning by a combined score of 94-0 for their first shutouts since 2015. Westside is led by second-year coach Jon Wiley. After the Patriots won their opener 45-7 over 1A Public’s Greene County, they’ve lost 18-6 to Warren County and 7-6 to Lincoln County, also both of 1A Public. They’re hoping for their first playoff appearance since 2014 and their first winning season since 2006, when they went 7-3. These teams have played just two other times, in 2004 and 2005, when both were members of 7-2A. They split those two games. Friday will serve as the Region 4 opener for both.

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