No high school football game in Georgia this season will feature more of the state’s top 100 seniors than Friday night’s matchup between Buford and North Cobb in Kennesaw as part of the Corky Kell Classic.
Buford has a state-best eight players among the top 100 in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The best-known player among the group is likely running back Victor Venn, who rushed for 1,211 yards and 18 touchdowns on 137 carries despite splitting time in the backfield with Gabe Ervin, who is now at Nebraska. Venn, who is ranked No. 78, has committed to Colorado.
The Wolves’ highest-rated senior prospects are athlete Isaiah Bond (No. 23, committed to Florida) and defensive back/receiver Jake Pope (No. 37, committed to Alabama). Other Wolves among the top 100 are safety Malik Spencer (No. 56, Michigan State), CB Ryland Gandy (No. 70, Pittsburgh), LB V.J. Payne (No. 90, uncommitted), QB Ashton Daniels (No. 93, Stanford) and ATH C.J. Clinkscales (No. 99, Boston College).
Class 7A North Cobb counters with five top-100 players, tied for second-most in the state. Four are ranked in the top 50, and all four are transfers from Brookwood – No. 11 Marquis Groves-Killebrew (CB, Georgia), No. 18 De’Nylon Morrissette (WR, Georgia), No. 26 Samuel Mbake (WR, uncommitted) and No. 48 Andre Stewart (CB, Kentucky).
That group doesn’t include No. 55 prospect Joshua Josephs, an uncommitted linebacker. It also doesn’t include Malachi Singleton, a four-star junior quarterback who passed for 1,691 yards and rushed for 1,091 in 2020 despite missing a few games.
North Cobb used its 28-14 victory in last year’s matchup to jumpstart a 10-2 season, its best since 2016, that produced the school’s first region championship since 2013.
Buford rebounded from the loss with 13 consecutive victories, culminating with a 34-31 overtime victory over Lee County in the Class 6A championship game. It was the Wolves’ second consecutive state title and 13th in school history.
Here are five more top games involving Class 6A teams. All games are Friday unless noted, and all are subject to change:
*Dalton at Calhoun: These northwest Georgia rivals will meet in the debut game for Dalton head coach Kit Carpenter, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace Matt Land. Dalton went 2-7 last year, its first losing season since 1959 (not counting 2011 forfeits), and lost to Calhoun 41-14 in the opener. Land was 80-43 in 11 seasons and remains as a teacher in the school system.
*Harrison at Allatoona: These Cobb County rivals met in the 2019 6A championship game, which Harrison won before moving on to 7A in reclassification. The Buccaneers earned some payback with a 27-17 win in last year’s opener. Allatoona has a star in tight end Bennett Christian, who has committed to Ohio State, but will have to break in a new quarterback after the graduation of Elan Hall.
*Pierce County at Brunswick: Brunswick bounced back from a 31-10 loss to Pierce County in the opener and went on to an eight-win season, the Pirates’ best since 2010. Pierce County used the victory as a springboard to its first state championship in school history. Pierce County is led by running back D.J. Bell, who rushed for 1,521 yards last season, ninth-best among returning players.
*Valdosta vs. Warner Robins (Saturday at Mercer): Interim head coach Shelton Felton will make his debut with Valdosta after the Wildcats fired Rush Propst in the offseason. The Wildcats beat Warner Robins 28-25 in the opener last year, but that win was later overturned by forfeit (as were all the Wildcats’ wins, making their official record 0-12). Warner Robins went on to win the 5A title.
*Westlake vs. Archer (Thursday at Dacula): Westlake will be among the first of the Class 6A schools to kick off the season when it travels to Dacula for the Corky Kell Classic. Westlake, which tied a school record with 11 victories last season and won a seventh consecutive region title, is led by quarterback R.J. Johnson, who passed for 3,197 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2020.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
