The official AJC top-10s have been rolled out. That establishes the teams to beat, but it is only the beginning of the discussion. There will be plenty of other teams that can be expected to contend for the eight region championships or one of the 32 state playoff spots.
Here are some teams that are outside the state rankings, but are capable of making the state playoffs – and maybe even making some noise. Remember, it was only five years ago that Bainbridge won the state championship with a 10-5 record.
Here are five teams that could make some noise during the 2023 season
Loganville: The Red Devils won their first eight games – including a whacky victory over bitter rival Monroe Area on a over-the-head backward pass – and finished second in Region 8. After the season coach Brad Smith, himself a Loganville native, took off for Allatoona.
Loganville recovered nicely by hiring Gene Cathcart, likely the best unemployed head coach in the state. Cathcart was surprisingly – and inexplicably -- given the boot at Jefferson, despite going 49-11 and reaching the state championship game in 2020.
Cathcart admitted he missed coaching football and found a good situation at Loganville, where principal Brad Bolemon is a former player and athletics director Jeff Segars is widely regarded as a high-character guy.
“To be honest, I didn’t realize how much I missed it,” Cathcart said. “These are great kids and you feel like have great kids and good players -- and their character is good, the leadership is good -- you always have a chance. I don’t think they fully believe how special we can be.”
The Blue Devils are expected to be solid with their starting groups, but will need to build the sort of depth that’s needed to ensure success in Class 5A football.
Loganville has a pair of winners in captains Charles Barkley Smith, a receiver-cornerback who has committed to Yale, and Dylan Robbins, an undersized (6-2, 250) lineman who plays both ways. A pair of standouts who played last year as freshmen return – linebacker Luke Culbertson, who had 65 tackles, and quarterback Brody Hannah, who got into three games in relief of starter Jack Crowe.
Loganville played Cedar Shoals in the scrimmage game. The Red Devils opened with an 18-play drive but was unable to score, turning it over on downs.
“If anything our kids probably learned what our standards are,” Cathcart said. “It’s little things that determine whether you reach that standard, little things like technique and making changes on the fly and being able to adjust. The margin between success and failure is in the details.”
Decatur: Coach William Felton has done a great job building the program back to prominence and the Bulldogs are coming off its first region championship since 2004. Decatur has a challenging non-region schedule to start – it lost four of those five games a year ago – and is expected to mix it up with Tucker and Chamblee to determine the title.
Decatur has plenty of holes to patch up on offense, including at QB where Malachi Miller transferred to Cedar Grove. But the defense – which is Felton’s specialty – returns Asa Bailey (69 tackles, eight tackles for loss), Ethan Johnson (57 tackles, nine for loss, six sacks), Tyjae Richardson (52 tackles, 10 for loss, three fumble recoveries) and Quay Hood, a 6-3, 260-pound force.
Northside-Columbus: The defending Region 3 champions must replace Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year Malachi Hosley, who ran for 2,182 yards and signed with Penn, and all-state linebacker Eric Cowling Jr., who had 94 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.
Expect a bigger role for quarterback Caden Clay, who threw for 1,331 yards and 15 touchdowns, and running back Devaughn Scott. The defense will lean on defensive back Ward Walker and outside linebacker Ben Beach.
Clarke Central: Coach David Perno’s Gladiators were a solid team by the end of the season, but had to open the playoffs on the road at Cartersville. Clarke graduated quarterback Lucien Anderson, but return top returning rushers Kendrick Curry (589 yards, eight TDs) and Corey Watkins (525 yards, four TDs) and top receiver Jaden Cofer (45 receptions, 557 yards, four TDs). Curry is also the top returning tackler and will be joined by Bartez Gillespie Jr. and Alexander Leahy. Demari Kelley had 4 ½ sacks and four hurries.
Hiram: The Hornets secured the program’s signature win last season when they beat then No. 4-ranked Calhoun. Hiram is led by all-state tight end Walter Matthews (20 catches, eight TDs), a Southern Cal commit, and running back Jamarion Whatley, who had 1,122 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. The defense is led by Kendarious Brown, Josiah Pope and Jason Gyebi and pass-rusher supreme Dontae Pettway.
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