Bleckley County and Schley County have never played each other in football, but their first meeting on Friday night in Schley County will be one of those ranked vs. ranked things.
Quality.
The Royals are ranked No. 4 in Division I after victories against Dodge County (33-6) and Wilcox County (44-14). Schley County was ranked at the top of Division II before losing last week to unranked Early County (19-17) and dropping to No. 4 in the latest poll.
Bleckley County features a balanced offense that averages 200 rushing and 170 receiving yards per game. Senior quarterback Eli Mullis is 18-of-36 passing for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
Seniors T.J. Mays and Jahvon Butler have combined for five touchdowns, with Mullis rushing eight times for one touchdown. Four different receivers – Mays, Marcus Newsom, Jaden Mobley and Nazario Johnson -- each have a touchdown reception.
Schley County prefers the pass, averaging 228 passing yards a game. Schley has 71 rushing yards. Junior quarterback Jay Kanazawa is 36-of-57 passing for 456 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior Malachi Banks leads the run game with 22 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns. JaLewis Solomon, Sam Forehand, Kendall Sims and Luke Forehand each have one touchdown reception.
Notable: Three Division I ranked teams – No. 3 Rabun County, No. 9 Darlington and No. 10 Elbert County – and two Division II ranked teams – No. 6 Johnson County and No. 9 Aquinas – are idle this week.
Class A Division I rankings, schedule
1. (1) Prince Avenue Christian (2-0); Friday vs. Monroe Area
2. (3) Swainsboro (3-0); Friday vs. Dodge County
3. (4) Rabun County (3-0); Off.
4. (6) Bleckley County (2-0); Friday at Division II No. 4 Schley County
5. (5) Irwin County (1-1); Friday at Turner County
6. (2) Brooks County (2-1); Friday at Mitchell County
7. (7) Whitefield Academy (3-0); Friday vs. Wesleyan
8. (8) Lamar County (3-0); Friday vs. Manchester
9. (10) Darlington (3-0) Off.
10. (NR) Elbert County (3-0) Off.
Class A Division II rankings, schedule
1. (2) Clinch County (3-0); Friday at Cook
2. (10) Early County (3-0); Friday vs. Terrell County
3. (4) Charlton County (3-0); Friday vs. University Christian (FL)
4. (1) Schley County (1-1); Friday vs. Division I No. 4 Bleckley County
5. (6) Bowdon (2-1); Friday at Tattnall Square
6. (8) Johnson County (2-0); Off.
7. (5) Wilcox County (0-2); Friday at Pelham
8. (9) Washington-Wilkes (2-0); Friday vs. Georgia Military
9. (NR) Aquinas (3-0); Off.
10. (NR) Montgomery County (2-0); Friday at Wheeler County
About the Author
