It didn’t take Starr’s Mill long to recover from the graduation losses sustained on offense from last year’s 10-4 team. While the Panthers are far from a finished product, the progress shown from the first game to the second game has been impressive.
“To me that’s the biggest step,” coach Chad Phillips said. “You get some live situations to evaluate and you make personnel adjustments. And our kids are really working hard. This is a close group and we’ve got some great leadership on this team.”
Starr’s Mill hurt their own chances with turnovers in the opener against East Coweta and lost 21-20 when a two-point conversion play failed at the end of the game. Last week the fog and confusion cleared and the Panthers rolled to a 35-0 win over Mount Zion.
“That first game we had four new backs. Now we’re a little more battle tested,” Phillips said.
That starts with sophomore quarterback William Yarbrough, who had some nervous moments against East Coweta but was full of confidence for the second game. Yarbrough has thrown for 127 yards and rushed for 56 yards in two games.
“Last week he didn’t miss a call or a signal,” Phillips said. “He’s getting more settled in.”
It was a concern for Starr’s Mill to replace 1,000-yard running back Kalen Sims, but that fear has been alleviated by the ascendance of Devin Bennett. A track star by nature – Bennett is a decathlete – has already rushed for 262 yards and four touchdowns. Bennett is still learning the proper run angles and where he needs to be sometimes, but when he gets the ball, he is a threat to take it to the house.
Juniors Brandon Mathis (117 yards rushing), Joseph Curry and Colin Bartek have also had their moments.
The offensive line is led by all-region choice Joseph Rampey (6-4, 270) at tackle and Cole Sanders at guard. Middle linebacker Wes Haney was named the team’s player of the week against Mount Zion and Jackson Baxley was cited for the big hit of the week.
Starr’s Mill has another test this week in Union Grove, which has flexed its offensive muscle in its 2-0 start. The Wolverines have scored 89 points in easy wins over Hampton and Spalding.
Union Grove ran for 451 yards last week in a 41-10 win over Spalding after rushing for 365 in the opening 48-6 win over Hampton. Running backs Jaylen Blackwell and Dechavion Williams are the top ball carriers.
“They’ve got two skill kids who play both ways who are outstanding,” Phillips said. “They’ve got a lot of speed and that traditionally has been our Achille’s.”
Starr’s Mill leads the series 2-0, but the teams haven’t played since 2005.
In other interesting games in Class 5 A this week:
Clarke Central at Oconee County: The No. 9 ranked Gladiators (1-0) had a week off following their opening win over Cedar Shoals. Clarke Central quarterback William Robinson is growing into the role; he threw for 176 yards. It helps that he has a game-breaker like Jairus Mack, who caught three passes for 136 yards, including a 70-yarder. Oconee County (2-0) is the No. 3 team in Class 3A and played for the 4A championship a year ago. The Warriors are stout on defense, especially lineman Justin Coleman, who had nine tackles and blocked a field goal last week. The series is tied 3-3 and Clarke Central has won the last three meetings. But the games have been decided by one touchdown the last two seasons.
Woodward Academy at Marist: No. 7 Woodward Academy (0-1) will look to bounce back from its season-opening loss to Class A Private power Eagle’s Landing Christian, but the opponent is Marist, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 5A. Woodward got a strong running effort in the opener behind Damari Alston (164 yards) but turned the ball over three times. Ball security will be crucial against a veteran Marist team (1-0) that doesn’t make many mistakes.
The two programs are among the most iconic in the state. Marist is the fifth-winningest program in GHSA history (725) and Woodward Academy is No. 6 at 714. Marist leads the series 27-23-2 and won the last meeting 34-17 in 2017.
Eastside vs. Newton: It’s a big week for bragging rights in Newton when the two oldest rivals square off. Eastside (1-0) had a huge offensive effort from Dallas Johnson (253 yards, two TDs) and Sincere Johnson (102 yards, one TD) in a win over Winder-Barrow. The Eagles are still settling in at quarterback behind Dayton Green, who had to move over from receiver when starter Jaylen Woods sustained a season-ending injury. Newton (1-0) leads the series 8-7-1 and won last year’s game 42-7.
Jones County at Veteran: Jones County may be the best winless team in the state. The Greyhounds have lost to Class 7A No. 1 Grayson and No. 4 North Gwinnett – and led North in the second half. Quarterback John Allen Richter has thrown for 355 yards and one TD, but has five interceptions. Freshman receiver Zion Ragins averages 17.4 yards on eight receptions. No. 5 Veterans (2-0) has only allowed seven points and has been operating efficiently behind quarterback Blake Ethridge (404 yards passing, two TDs), receive Nate Boehm (16 catches, 184 yards) and running back Lebron Fields (217 yards, two TDs).
McIntosh at Fayette County: The annual rivalry game has been tilted heavily in Fayette County’s direction, with the Tigers winning 24 of 31 meetings. But McIntosh has done better since Lee Belknap arrived in 2011, winning four of seven games, including the last two. McIntosh won 21-20 last year and the most recent six meetings have been decided by an average of 4.8 points. Fayette County has won its first two, while McIntosh has lost its first two games.
Harris County at Upson-Lee: Up-and-coming Harris County (2-0) may face its toughest test against a talented Upson-Lee team. Harris County is led by quarterback Cooper Corey, who has thrown for 223 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Upson-Lee (1-0) ran up 388 total yards in its 24-0 win over LaGrange.
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