In addition to the spotlighted games below, there are two key matchups in Region 6: the Columbia Eagles (4-1, 3-0) vs. the Washington Bulldogs (2-1, 1-1), and the Lovett Lions (3-2, 2-1) at the Pace Academy Knights (1-4, 1-2).
The Eagles (minus-13) and Lions (minus-11) are the favorites to win according to Maxwell’s Projections.
The South Atlanta Hornets (3-1, 2-0) have already beaten both Lovett and Pace Academy, and the Knights — who also lost to Columbia — need a win Friday in the worst way. If Lovett wins, it will represent the Knights’ fifth loss, meaning they’d most likely need to win out, plus win a playoff game, to avoid their first losing season since 2012.
Last year, the Knights beat Lovett 21-6 the week after losing 22-14 to South Atlanta.
Should the Lions lose a second region game Friday, it could open the doors for a lot of playoff scenarios and tiebreaker drama between as many as seven of the nine teams in the region. KIPP and Therrell are 1-4 in the region, but most likely, it will be five teams — Columbia, South Atlanta, Lovett, Pace Academy and Washington — fighting for the four playoff spots.
The Eagles currently sit atop the standings with a half-game ahead over the Hornets. Their game with Washington last year was canceled.
For a preview of the Northeast-Washington County and Rabun County-Pierce County games, check out the GHSF Daily’s top 10 games here.
Worth County Rams at Cook Hornets
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Cook Memorial Stadium, Adel
Records: Worth County is 3-2, 0-0 in Region 1; Cook is 3-2, 0-0 in Region 1.
Last meeting: Cook won 21-14 in 2020.
Maxwell’s projection: Cook by 6
Notes: This loser of this game will likely have to beat two of Early County, Thomasville and Fitzgerald to secure a playoff spot. The Hornets hold an 18-15 edge in the series, which began in 1960. The Rams last beat Cook 37-30 in 2016, but have lost to the Hornets in each of the last four seasons. The Rams opened with a 35-28 upset win over 1A Public’s No. 9 Turner County and are 2-2 since. In their next two games, they’ll play Thomasville on the road, then host Fitzgerald. Rams junior quarterback Chip Cooper is 83 of 154 passing for 962 yards and 13 touchdowns to one interception, and he’s rushed 69 times for 618 yards and three touchdowns. The Hornets’ first three games were against ranked opponents and they beat 1A Public’s No. 5 Pelham 24-20 and lost 52-7 to 5A’s No. 3 Ware County and 42-20 to 1A Public’s No. 2 Brooks County. They’re looking for a third consecutive win after beating Randolph-Clay and Brantley County a combined 78-19.
Pepperell Dragons at Fannin County Rebels
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Rebel Stadium, Blue Ridge
Records: Fannin County is 5-1, 1-0 in Region 7; Pepperell is 1-5, 0-1.
Last meeting: Fannin County won 36-23 in 2020.
Maxwell’s projection: Fannin County by 1
Notes: The Dragons have stumbled out of the gate in each of the past two seasons after a 9-3, second-round finish in 2019. They went 5-5 last year for their first non-winning season since 2014. Last week in their region opener, the Dragons lost 21-20 to a Dade County team they beat 41-14 the year before. Their lone win was over Temple, 24-20, on Sept. 17. The Dragons have reached the state tournament every season since coach Rick Hurst arrived in 2015. Junior DJ Rogers is one of the state’s leading rushers with 584 yards and eight touchdowns on 79 carries. The Rebels lost 32-0 to unranked Sonoraville on Sept. 3, but then beat Southeast Whitfield, Banks County and Gordon Central a combined 122-25. With their 57-6 win last week over Gordon Central, they’ve now won six consecutive region games dating back to last year, when they claimed the 7-2A title and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1995. Senior quarterback Chip Reece replaces Luke Holloway, who was one of 17 seniors to graduate from last year’s 10-1 team. Reece is 21 of 34 for 314 yards and five touchdowns to one interception, adding 397 yards and two touchdowns on 49 carries. Junior Andrew Waldrep anchors the defense with 46 tackles, nine tackles for loss, a sack, three hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovered.
Haralson County Rebels at Elbert County Blue Devils
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Granite Bowl, Elberton
Records: Haralson County is 4-1, Elbert County is 2-2.
Last meeting: Never met
Maxwell’s projection: Haralson County by 1
Notes: The Rebels have outscored opponents 156-34 outside of an 18-15 loss to Manchester in their second game. They shutout their last two opponents, Model and Banks County, 96-0. The Rebels have a pair of preseason all-states in athlete Clay Hyatt and defensive lineman Riley Bell. Hyatt is 9-for-16 passing for 188 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions, and he’s one of the state’s leading rushers with 729 yards and seven touchdowns on 82 carries. At linebacker, he has 36 tackles, six tackles for loss, two hurries, two pass deflections and a caused fumble. The Blue Devils beat Lincoln County 28-16 last week and are looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019. Shannon Jarvis is in his second season with the Blue Devils, and they can match last year’s win total (3-6) by beating the Rebels. They have a 3-star athlete in junior Christian Harris, who holds offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech and South Carolina. Harris leads Elbert County with 201 yards on 12 catches, and he has a pass deflection on defense. This is each team’s last game before they begin region play.
Follow the AJC’s Class 2A coverage and The Class 2A Blogcast on Twitter.
About the Author
