Here’s a look at a few of the top games of the week.
Private No. 1 Athens Academy (6-0, 0-0 in Region 8) at Private No. 2 Prince Avenue Christian (5-1, 0-0). (Preview courtesy Georgia High School Football Daily.) This is the sixth consecutive time these Athens-area rivals have met while both were ranked. Athens Academy has won the last four meetings and dominated the 2019 game, although Prince Avenue QB Brock Vandagriff was injured and did not play. Vandagriff, who is committed to Georgia, has completed 109 of 157 passes (69.4 percent) for 1,674 yards, or 279.0 per game. Logan Johnson has 29 receptions for 562 yards and nine touchdowns. Landon Owens has 1,165 all-purpose yards – 444 rushing, 285 receiving and 436 returning. Prince Avenue is scoring 49.3 points per game, the most in Class A Private. Athens Academy is allowing 8.3 points per game, fewest in Class A Private. The Spartans also have been prolific on offense. Palmer Bush is 53-of-71 passing for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns. AJC Super 11 WR/DB Deion Colzie has 253 receiving yards despite missing the past two games. He’s expected back. Charlie Chisolm is the leading rusher with 530 yards. Athens Academy won last season, 24-0.
Public No. 5 Dublin (4-1, 3-0 in Region 4) at Public No. 9 Wilcox County (5-1, 4-0). (Preview courtesy Georgia High School Football Daily.) Dublin and Wilcox County are the only remaining unbeaten teams in Region 4-A Public games, and the winner will emerge as the overwhelming favorite to win the region title. Dublin won a state championship last year in Class 2A. Wilcox County won a state championship in 2009 and most recently captured a region title in 2012. Dublin is the highest-scoring team in the classification, scoring 46.2 points per game with a run-dominated offense that averages 284 yards per game on the ground. J.T. Wright rushed for a combined 157 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries in two blowout victories last week and had 111 yards and three touchdowns the previous week. Wilcox County’s player to watch is linebacker Martez Thrower, a three-star linebacker who is committed to Kentucky. Thrower, a first-team all-state selection last season, rushed for 95 yards and two TDs and had four solo tackles and a sack in a 38-14 victory over Wheeler County. QB Abe Stowe passed for 204 yards the previous week in a 56-21 win over Montgomery County.
Public No. 6 Macon County (4-1, 3-0 in Region 5) vs. Schley County (3-2, 1-2). Macon County stormed back from a 21-3 deficit in the first half last week against previous No. 8 Taylor County, but went on to outscore the Vikings 49-30 the rest of the way for a 52-33 win. Senior RB Davion “Smokey” Clark rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, and junior RB/DB Brandon Cochran rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries, as the Bulldogs had more than 500 total yards. After missing the playoffs from 2008 to 2017, Schley County has advanced to the post season for three consecutive years. But that streak could be in jeopardy as the Wildcats sit fifth in the region, have already lost to two teams in front of them (Taylor County, 33-14, and Marion County, 15-14), and probably needs to knock off either Macon County or upstart undefeated No. 10 Chattahoochee County. Schley is led by senior RB/DB Zamon Ross, who reportedly has offers from East Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky and Nebraska. Macon County won last season’s meeting, 24-18.
No. 8 North Cobb Christian (4-1) vs. Bowdon (3-3). North Cobb Christian is coming off of a two-week bye. The last time they played, things didn’t end well as the Eagles dynamic wing-T offense was shut down by private No. 4 Fellowship Christian, 27-0. Senior RB/LB Caleb Cannon leads Cobb County in rushing with 708 yards and seven touchdowns. After starting the season 0-3, with all three loses coming at the hands of Class 2A schools (Temple, Bremen, and No. 5 Haralson County) with a combined record of 13-2, the Red Devils have won three straight. Bowdon won last season, 27-21.
Other games of note:
Private No. 9 Trinity Christian (4-2) at Whitefield Academy (4-2)
Montgomery County (4-1, 3-1 in Region 4) vs. Johnson County (3-1, 1-1)
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