Baldwin at Spalding
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Griffin
Records, rankings: Baldwin is 5-2 overall, 4-0 in Region 4-4A and No. 9; Spalding is 5-1, 2-0 and No. 6.
Last meeting: Baldwin won 35-0 in 2020.
Things to know: These are the only Region 4-4A teams without region losses. Spalding, seeking its first region title since 2003, is 5-1 after consecutive 1-9 seasons. Baldwin’s most recent region title came in 2018. Spalding has won five straight games after an opening loss to county rival Griffin. RB Nazir Berry, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound speedster, accounts for almost half Spalding’s total offense with his 818 yards rushing and 272 yards receiving with 13 touchdowns. Spalding has played two quarterbacks, but sophomore Curt Clark had a breakout game in a 31-26 victory over Perry this month. Clark was 15-of-20 passing for 160 yards and rushed for 98 yards. Baldwin’s losses are to heavyweights Ware County and Brookwood, both taken on to replace canceled games. No opponent, including those two, has held the Braves below 20 points. The 32.9 points per game will be a school record if Baldwin maintains it. The offense is led by sophomores Solomon Burney (697 yards passing) and Micah Welch (680 rushing and 16 touchdowns) and junior Shatavious Hogan (514 receiving).
Brookwood at Grayson
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Grayson Community Stadium, Loganville
Records, rankings: Brookwood is 5-2 overall, 1-0 in Region 4-7A and unranked; Grayson is 6-2, 2-0 and No. 9.
Last meeting: Grayson won 58-17 in 2020.
Things to know: These are the only Region 4-7A teams without region losses. Grayson has won 19 consecutive region games and three straight region titles. Brookwood is chasing its second region title in 10 years, first since 2017. Rebuilding with a young core after its 2020 championship season, Grayson is a run-first, defensive-minded team in contrast to Brookwood. Grayson employs two good running backs, Joe Taylor (643 yards rushing) and Dylan Elder (504), plus Joseph Stone Jr. (499), a dual-threat quarterback. Brookwood gets two-thirds of its yards passing. Dylan Lonergan, a top-100 national prospect among juniors, has thrown for 2,031 yards and 18 touchdowns and has good wheels (338 rushing yards). Brookwood’s average score is 34-21. Grayson’s is 23-16. Though Grayson is ranked by GHSF Daily, Brookwood has the higher composite ranking at No. 7, including a high of No. 4 in the computer Maxwell Ratings. Brookwood has lost to Collins Hill and North Paulding. Grayson has lost to Creekside and Mill Creek.
Colquitt County at Lowndes
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Martin Stadium, Valdosta
Records, rankings: Colquitt County is 7-1 overall,1-0 in Region 1-7A and No. 5; Lowndes is 6-1, 1-0 and No. 7.
Last meeting: Colquitt County won 40-10 in 2020.
Things to know: These are the only Region 1-7A teams without region losses. One or the other has won the region title every year since 2014, with Lowndes winning in 2017 and 2019 and Colquitt winning the other five. Colquitt has won six of the past eight meetings in the series. The 2020 blowout was a surprise as both entered undefeated with top-three rankings. Colquitt held Lowndes to 153 total yards. This season, Colquitt averages 40.5 points per game, second best in class, while Lowndes averages 34.6, the 10th-best. Both teams allow more than 20 points per game. Colquitt has won five straight games since an August loss to Westlake and beat Camden County in overtime last week. Lowndes has lost to Walton in overtime and Lee County by three points. Colquitt County has the region’s leading rusher (Charlie Pace, 864 yards), passer (Neko Fann, 1,521 yards) and receiver (Ny Carr, 562 yards). Lowndes is more dependent on a single player, QB Jacurri Brown, a four-year starter with 1,278 yards passing and 566 rushing this season. Lowndes has won 23 straight home games.
Lincoln Co. at Washington-Wilkes
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tiger Stadium, Washington
Records, rankings: Lincoln County is 5-2 overall, 2-0 in Region 8-A Public and unranked; Washington-Wilkes is 6-1, 2-0 and No. 9.
Last meeting: Washington-Wilkes won 14-13 in 2020.
Things to know: These east Georgia rivals are two of three unbeaten teams in 8-A Public (defending region champion Commerce is the other). All three reached the state quarterfinals last season. Washington-Wilkes is seeking its first region title since 2014. Lincoln County won 33 region titles in 39 years from 1974 to 2012 but hasn’t won one since. Both teams rely heavily on the run. Lincoln County is led by Tevin Gartrell, who has rushed for 831 yards and eight touchdowns on 88 carries. Semaj Jenkins (41 carries, 389 yards) and QB Trey Huff (52-320) combine to contribute another 100 yards per game. Huff is 27-of-29 passing for 403 yards. Washington-Wilkes is on pace to have two 1,000-yard rushers in the regular season. Jamarquez Tyson has run for 856 yards and 12 touchdowns on 83 carries, with at least 100 yards in four consecutive games and a high of 220 in a win over Cross Creek on Sept. 3. Quarterback Dalen Cobb has rushed for 810 yards and 12 TDs on 80 carries. Cobb also is 53-of-87 passing for 800 yards and nine TDs.
Milton at Roswell
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ray Manus Stadium, Roswell
Records, rankings: Milton is 6-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 5-7A and No. 4; Roswell is 6-1, 2-0 and No. 8.
Last meeting: Milton won 20-14 in 2020.
Things to know: Milton and Roswell are the two remaining unbeaten teams in 5-7A, and the winner will emerge as the likely region champion. Milton has won three consecutive region titles. Roswell is 38-27-1 against its north Fulton County rival in a series that began in 1950. Milton led 20-0 at halftime of last year’s game and held on for a six-point win. Milton’s Jordan McDonald ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. He’s back this year and leads the Eagles with 524 yards rushing on 73 carries. QB Devin Farrell (committed to Virginia Tech) has passed for 1,186 yards, rushed for 347 yards and accounted for 20 touchdowns. DL Lebbeus “L.T.” Overton is the No. 2 junior prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Roswell QB Robbie Roper is 85-of-122 passing for 1,619 yards (269.8 per game) and 20 touchdowns. He also has run for 255. The leading rushers are Ryan Hill (57 carries, 331 yards) and Nykahi Davenport (57-322). Milton (39.9 points per game) and Roswell (35.1) are among the 10 highest-scoring teams in Class 7A.
Monroe Area at Oconee County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Watkinsville
Records, rankings: Monroe Area is 7-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 8-3A and No. 7; Oconee County is 7-0, 2-0 and No. 2.
Last meeting: Oconee County won 35-16 in 2020.
Things to know: These are the only Region 8-3A teams without region losses. Oconee County hasn’t been seriously challenged in region play since joining Class 3A in 2020. Monroe Area is 20-4 in region games since hiring Kevin Reach as coach in 2017, and the Purple Hurricanes won a region title in 2018. Monroe Area’s Selation Straughter (736 yards passing, 932 rushing) and Alan Jones (1,001 rushing) account for 97% of the team’s offense. Oconee County has a wider range of weapons that include Jacob Wright (1,302 passing yards), C.J. Jones (733 rushing), Jake Johnson (533 receiving) and Darius Johnson (474 receiving). Monroe Area’s average score is 34-9 to Oconee County’s 30-13, but the computer Maxwell Ratings rank Monroe Area’s schedule as 40th-best in the class compared to Oconee’s third-best. Oconee County has won 19 straight home games.
New Hampstead at Benedictine
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Savannah
Records, rankings: New Hampstead is 7-1 overall, 1-0 in Region 3-4A and unranked; Benedictine is 6-2, 1-0 and No. 3.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: These are the two undefeated teams in four-team 3-4A, and the winner is likely to be the region champion. New Hampstead, which opened in 2014, has never won a region title. In that same span, Benedictine has won five region titles and two state championships. Though they are in the same region, they didn’t face each other last year because of the COVID policies of the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, which includes New Hampstead. Benedictine (45.3 points per game) and New Hampstead (42.0) are the two highest-scoring teams in 4A. Benedictine’s best-known players are QB Holden Geriner (138-of-208 passing for 1,836 yards, committed to Auburn) and RB Justin Thomas (committed to Georgia baseball), who leads the team in rushing (781) and total yards (1,500) and is second in receiving (515). New Hampstead is led by junior QB Pauly Seely (87-of-158 passing for 1,375 yards) and Samari Dowdy, who ran for 340 yards on 15 carries in a 46-38 victory over Windsor Forest on Sept. 30. New Hampstead has gone from 3-7 to 6-2 to 7-1 in three seasons under former McEachern coach Kyle Hockman.
Northside (W.R.) at Lee County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Trojan Field, Leesburg
Records, rankings: Northside is 6-2 overall, 0-0 in Region 1-6A and No. 9; Lee County is 7-1, 1-0 and No. 2.
Last meeting: Lee County won 20-14 in 2020.
Things to know: Lee County can clinch its fifth consecutive region championship with a victory this week. If Northside wins, the Eagles also would need to defeat Houston County next week to win their first region title since its 2014 state championship season. Northside defeated region rival Valdosta 13-10 last week in a game that doesn’t affect the standings because of the Wildcats’ postseason ban. Northside won on a 23-yard field goal by Ashton Paredes with five seconds remaining. QB Cameron Brown passed for 87 yards and rushed for a team-high 60 yards. Sharing time at quarterback with Damien Dee, Brown has passed for 319 yards and rushed for 205. Dee has passed for 484 and run for 162. Lee County freshman Ousmane Kromah is the No. 2 rusher in Region 1 and among the top 10 statewide with 1,212 yards. He ran for three touchdowns and caught a 77-yard TD pass in a 29-9 victory over Houston County last week. The Trojans also have the region’s leading passer (Chris Martin, 957 yards) and receiver (Jevell Fugerson, 530 yards).
Starr’s Mill at Whitewater
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Wildcat Stadium, Fayetteville
Records, rankings: Starr’s Mill is 5-2 overall, 3-0 in Region 2-5A and unranked; Whitewater is 6-1, 3-0 and unranked.
Last meeting: Starr’s Mill won 42-0 in 2020.
Things to know: The winner of this meeting of the two remaining unbeaten teams in 2-5A play will be the front-runner for the region title, although Whitewater still has to face third-place Harris County, which has one region loss (42-20 vs. Starr’s Mill). Whitewater leads the series 8-7, but Starr’s Mill has won the past four by an average of 34.5 points. Starr’s Mill has won five consecutive region titles, while Whitewater is seeking its first since 2012. Both run the ball almost exclusively, each attempting fewer than eight passes per game. Starr’s Mill averages 284.6 yards and has five backs with at least 20 carries for the season. The biggest part of the workload goes to Brandon Mathis (71 carries, 623 yards, nine touchdowns) and Greigh Joseph (77-475-7). Whitewater averages 320 yards per game rushing and has six backs with at least 20 carries. Quarterback Austin Williams is the team’s leading rusher with 461 yards and is 24-of-52 passing for 339 yards. Adeoluwa Erinle (50-329) and Dalton Bonner (46-310) both have at least 300 yards and four touchdowns rushing.
Thomasville at Fitzgerald
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jaycee Stadium, Fitzgerald
Records, rankings: Thomasville is 7-1 overall, 3-0 in Region 1-2A and No. 3; Fitzgerald is 7-1, 3-0 and No. 2.
Last meeting: Fitzgerald won 29-28 in 2020.
Things to know: These are the only Region 1-2A teams without a region loss. Each has won two of the past five region titles. In the 2020 game, Fitzgerald trailed 28-21 in the fourth quarter and scored a safety and a touchdown to win and moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in the rankings. This season, both have lost to a 2020 finalist, Fitzgerald to champion Pierce County, and Thomasville to Oconee County. Fitzgerald gets about 80% of its total yards rushing. DeNorris Goodwin, with 443 yards, is the rushing leader on a team averaging 6.6 yards per carry. No team has rushed for 200 yards or passed for 150 on Fitzgerald this season. Thomasville is more balanced but leans on Malik Haprer, who has rushed for 848 yards, including a career-high 238 against Worth County last week. Fitzgerald’s E.J. Lightsey and Thomasville’s Ty Anderson are returning first-team all-state linebackers. These schools first met in football in 1922. Thomasville leads the series 14-13-2.
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