It seems the battle against the unseen enemy has not ended.
After weathering the COVID-19 storm last season, we’re back at it again, with four programs already cancelling games and more expected to do so as we head this week into the 2021 high school football season.
Last season ended with Pierce County enjoying its first state title after a 13-7 victory against Oconee County in the 3A title game at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. Then came a long, strange offseason. During the spring and summer months, things looked promising with COVID number dissipating.
But the number of positive COVID tests are surging, almost mirroring where we were when schools and sports shut down in March of 2020.
The delta variant has opened a whole new can of worms. The GHSA’s COVID guidelines are still in place -- reporting positive tests and quarantining -- but at this time, the state hasn’t mandated masks, and many school systems are not limiting the size of crowds.
There is one major change: If a program misses a game because of COVID, it will not be treated as a no-contest like last season. Instead, the game is considered a forfeit/loss, unless otherwise rescheduled. This could -- and most likely will -- create a logistical nightmare during region play and the playoffs.
So welcome to 2021, another season of uncertainty.
One of the best teams in the state, Crisp County, is ranked No. 7 entering the season. But Crisp already is facing preseason troubles due to COVID-19.
“Well, we aren’t going to go this week,” said Crisp head coach Miguel Patrick, who left Cedar Grove after last season to take over the Cougars job after Brad Harber left to join the staff at Bleckley County. “Everything for us is shut down until Aug. 23.”
Crisp was scheduled to play Tift County on the road Friday, but the Cougars instead are eyeing a road trip to Class 6A Houston County for its season-opener in Week 2. Disruptions early in the season, however, are manageable, Patrick said.
“What happened is our first opponent, Tift, we both got ahead of it, and they found another opponent,” he said. “And now we are searching for another opponent. But I’m sure when it gets to region play, if you miss a game because of COVID, it will count as a forfeit against you.”
All coaches are dealing with these issues. On top of fielding a much-expected quality football program, uncertainty remains, and the season could be at the mercy of success on the field, as well as the difficult logistics and scheduling issues.
But we’ve lived through this situation before and found a way.
So let’s get back to the field:
-- Class 3A’s top player is likely to be tight end Jake Johnson from No. 3 Oconee County. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound AJC Super 11 selection, a 4-star recruit, is committed to LSU. Last season, Johnson caught 37 passes for 787 yards and 10 touchdowns. He leads an Oconee program which returns many moving parts from last season’s runner-up finish, and it would not be a shock if the Warriors to make another playoff run.
-- The best team at the beginning of the season is top-ranked Cedar Grove. The Saints return talent, and despite being in its first season under head coach John Adams, Cedar Grove is arguably the team to beat. In Miguel Patrick’s first season as a head coach in 2019, Cedar Grove beat Crisp to win its third state title, which came in defense of the 2018 championship won by head coach Jimmy Smith. Smith also led the Saints to the 2016 state title after beating GAC at the Georgia Dome.
-- Defending-champion Pierce County -- which opens at No. 4 -- will factor heavily in head coach Ryan Herring’s third season. Peach County is always a post-season threat, and the Trojans have a new stadium to enjoy entering 2021. Greater Atlanta Christian graduated talent, but the Spartans always factor. GAC’s best player is likely lineman Addison Nichols. The 6-5, 318-pound lineman is a 4-star recruit committed to Tennessee.
-- No. 6 Carver-Atlanta has been a program on the rise, and with returning talent at the quarterback position and elsewhere, the Panthers could be a darkhorse. Carver opens its season against West Forsyth on Wednesday in the Corky Kell Classic.
-- No. 8 Westminster is never out of the discussion in 3A. The Wildcats – in Gerry Romberg’s 30th year – seem to find a way to factor every season. But Westminster lost out in the first round of the playoffs in the last two seasons. From 2014-2018, Romberg led the Wildcats to a semifinal appearance, a state title and then three quarterfinal appearances. Could this be the year of Westminster’s resurgence?
-- No. 10 Rockmart, the former 2A program which advanced to the second round of the playoffs last season in its first year in Class 3A, is back. The Yellow Jackets won the 6-3A region title and finished 9-2 on the year.
-- No. 9 Appling County is entering the season following a quarterfinal exit in head coach Rick Tomberlin’s last season with the Pirates. Jordan Mullis took over the program in his first season as a head coach. Mullis was the defensive coordinator under Tomberlin and spent time a Wayne County where he coached football and baseball.
-- Another team to watch is Sandy Creek – which classed down to 3A from 4A before the 2020 season. The Patriots suffered COVID-19 forfeits last season and finished 2-4, while missing the playoffs for the second time since 2001. The fuel to succeed following a dismal season, coupled with returning talent on the offensive and defensive sides, could prove valuable for coach Brett Garvin. The Patriots are unranked entering the season, however that could change.
On Tuesday we will look at the top games in Week 1 and update on any cancellations and schedule changes. Here is the SCOREBOARD for the first week of the season.
Here is the 3A Top 10
Class 3A
1. Cedar Grove
2. Peach County
4. Oconee County
4. Pierce County
5. Greater Atlanta Christian
6. Carver (Atlanta)
7. Crisp County
8. Westminster
9. Appling County
10. Rockmart
Below is the AJC’s 3A preseason all-state team:
OFFENSE
QB - Zach Holtzclaw, Dawson County, Sr.
RB - D.J. Bell, Pierce County, Sr.
RB - Quintavious Lockett, Carver (Atlanta), Sr.
WR - Janiran Bonner, Cedar Grove, Sr.
WR - Tyler Griffin, Southeast Bulloch, Sr.
TE - Jake Johnson, Oconee County, Sr.
OL - Mateo Guevara, Cherokee Bluff, Sr.
OL - Clayton Hixon, Jackson, Sr.
OL - Addison Nichols, Greater Atlanta Christian, Sr.
OL - Austin Starr, Mary Persons, Sr.
OL - J.D. Trowell, White County, Jr.
ATH - Rashod Dubinion, Cedar Grove, Sr.
PK - Alex Bacchetta, Westminster, Sr.
DEFENSE
DL - Felix Hixon, Jackson, Sr.
DL - Quentel Jones, Peach County, Sr.
DL - Christen Miller, Cedar Grove, Sr.
DL - Darris Smith, Appling County, Sr.
LB - Donelius Johnson, Pierce County, Sr.
LB - Dialo Mosley, Carver (Atlanta), Sr.
LB - Jeremiah Telander, North Hall, Jr.
LB - Whit Weeks, Oconee County, Jr.
DB - Daytin Baker, Pierce County, Sr.
DB - Kayin Lee, Cedar Grove, Jr.
DB - Will Hardy, Greater Atlanta Christian, Sr.
DB - Jaden White, West Hall, Sr.
P - Brett Sterner, Harlem, Sr.
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