Two Class 3A games featuring former Class 4A programs highlight Week 3 when No. 3 Oconee County and No. 5 Sandy Creek face programs from higher classes.
When Class 5A No. 9 Clarke Central (1-0) travels to No. 3 Oconee County (2-0) on Friday, the Warriors will be adjusting from an injury to one of the team’s best players, and Clarke could see a different Oconee County program than the one that began its season with a 27-7 victory against preseason No. 10 North Oconee (4A), then beat Cedar Shoals 35-0 last week.
Clarke Central will be the first ranked program that the Warriors have faced since games have been played.
“Well, we are going to find out a lot about ourselves tonight,” said Oconee County coach Travis Noland. “We will have to do without one of our best players, so we will just see how it goes.”
Starting quarterback West Weeks went down with a hand injury in the second quarter last week during the Warriors' victory against Cedar Shoals. Weeks, a Virginia commitment, is rated as a three-star athlete by 247Sports. Jacob Wrights, a junior quarterback, filled in for the injured Weeks and will start against Clarke Central.
“I think we’ve gotten better each week,” Noland said. “I think we’re just a program that is a million-rep team. We missed a lot of reps this spring and summer. So we’re just now starting to feel like we’re making some progress, and it’s going to be a huge challenge because Clarke Central is incredibly talented team.”
Clarke Central is coming off a 10-3 victory against Cedar Shoals, a program the Warriors shut out 35-0.
Other top games
Class 5A Griffin (1-1) at No. 4 Peach County (0-1): Peach County is coming off a 14-7 loss to an unranked 6A Northside-Warner Robins team. But the Trojans are optimistic and will undoubtedly, if history holds true, rebound and likely make a deep playoff run.
“You’re not defined by one game,” coach Chad Campbell said to the Leader-Tribune. “We have nine or 10 games, and if we play well, we get to 11 to 15 games. ... As far as I know, you’re defined by your last one.”
Griffin opened its season with a 35-14 victory against Spalding before losing 45-6 to Class 7A No. 2 Lowndes on the road last week.
7A Newnan (1-0) at No. 5 Sandy Creek (1-0): Sandy Creek is coming off a 28-24 victory against an unranked 5A Northgate program last week. The Patriots have played Newnan four times – all victories – but not since 2015. This will be Brett Garvin’s first meeting against Newnan and a homecoming of sorts for Newnan’s Chip Walker, who coached at Sandy Creek for 12 years and won three state titles. The Cougars beat Whitewater 42-17 last week.
Here is this week’s Class 3A top-10 schedule
1. Cedar Grove (0-0) – Off. Opens season at Class 7A Milton on Oct. 2
2. Crisp County (2-0)—Off. At 1A Private No. 1 ELCA on Sept. 25.
3. Oconee County (2-0) – Hosts Class 5A No. 9 Clarke Central on Friday.
4. Peach County (0-1) – Hosts Class 4A Griffin on Friday.
5. Sandy Creek (1-0) – Hosts Class 7A Newnan on Friday.
6. Greater Atlanta Christian (2-0) – Off. Travels to Hart County on Sept. 25.
7. Pierce County (2-0) – Hosts 1A Public Claxton on Friday.
8. Westminster (0-0) – Off. Opens season at Class 2A No. 4 Pace Academy on Sept. 25
9. White County (2-0) – Hosts Class 4A Pickens on Friday.
10. Rockmart (1-1) – Off. At Coahulla Creek on Sept. 25.
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