It’s the first full weekend of region games in Class 7A with all eight regions and virtually every team in action.
The top game, by some wide margin, will be No. 3 Mill Creek at No. 1 Buford. It’s the GPB TV game of the week Friday.
Both teams are 6-0 and ranked in the top 25 of seven national polls with Buford peaking at No. 2 (High School Football America) and Mill Creek at No. 9 (Massey Ratings and Cal Preps).
They’re the top two teams in Region 8. Oddly, they’ve never played each other despite their school districts bordering each other until this year when another school (Seckinger) opened between the in northern Gwinnett County. They’ve been in different classifications, but now Buford is in Class 7A for the first time.
Buford’s Justice Haynes has rushed for 870 yards on 100 carries and scored 15 touchdowns, one on a kickoff return. Mill Creek’s Caleb Downs has 525 all-purpose yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions (17 for his career). Both are AJC Super 11 picks committed to Alabama.
The next best game is Walton and Kennesaw Mountain from Region 5. Both have been in and out of the top 10. Kennesaw Mountain currently is No. 10 and 6-0. Walton is 4-2 but with losses to top-10 teams Mill Creek and North Cobb.
This game pits two of 7A’s best quarterbacks. Kennesaw Mountain’s Cayman Prangley is 95-of-143 passing for 1,519 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions. Walton’s Jeremy Hecklinski is 99-of-153 for 1,912 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions.
In Region 3, The McEachern-Marietta game could decide a region title, although their records wouldn’t show it. McEachern is 4-3 overall, 1-0 in region play, while Marietta is 2-5, 1-0. Both have played tough schedules, especially Marietta.
Below are this week’s computer Maxwell Ratings projections by region.
Region 1
Colquitt County vs Camden County -43
Valdosta vs Richmond Hill -34
Region 2
Carrollton at Pebblebrook -18
East Coweta at Campbell -37
Region 3
McEachern vs Marietta -4
North Paulding vs Harrison -15
Region 4
Brookwood at Newton -8
Grayson at South Gwinnett -8
Parkview at Archer -30
Region 5
North Cobb vs Wheeler -38
Osborne at Cherokee -6
Walton at Kennesaw Mountain -1
Region 6
Denmark vs South Forsyth -5
Milton vs Forsyth Central -42
Lambert at West Forsyth -20
Region 7
Duluth at Seckinger -34
Meadowcreek vs Discovery -23
Norcross at Berkmar -48
North Gwinnett at Peachtree Ridge -15
Region 8
Collins Hill vs Mountain View -5
Dacula vs Central Gwinnett 0
Mill Creek at Buford -12
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