Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.) at Buford
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
Records, rankings: Chaminade-Madonna is 2-1 and No. 1 in Florida’s Class 3A (MaxPreps); Buford is 3-0 and No. 1 in Georgia’s Class 6A.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: Chaminade-Madonna Prep of Hollywood, Fla., lost in the Class 3A championship game last year, coming up just short of its fourth consecutive state title. The Lions have six seniors among the consensus top 230 in Florida, and all of them play defense. The highest-rated of the group are DE Kenyatta Jackson (No. 10, 34 offers), CB Ryan Turner (No. 46, committed to Ohio State) and CB Brian Dilworth (No. 83, uncommitted). Offensively, the Lions are led by a pair of sophomores – QB Cedrick Bailey and RB Davion Gause. Bailey is 34-of-65 passing for 500 yards and three touchdowns, while Gause has rushed for 409 yards and five TDs on 54 carries. The team’s only setback was a 26-24 loss to Florida’s American Heritage, a top-50 team nationally. Buford is coming off a 44-17 victory over another out-of-state power, North Carolina’s Myers Park. The Wolves rushed for 289 yards, led by Victor Venn (97 yards) and C.J. Clinkscales (59). Venn and Clinkscales, along with QB Ashton Daniels, are among eight Buford seniors rated among the top 100 in Georgia.
Cherokee at Cartersville
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Weinman Stadium, Cartersville
Records, rankings: Cherokee is 2-2 and unranked in Class 7A; Cartersville is 3-0 and No. 3 in 5A.
Last meeting: Cherokee won 14-12 in 2020.
Things to know: Cherokee’s victory in last year’s meeting ended Cartersville’s 62-game winning streak in regular-season games. Cherokee opened this season 2-0 and rose to No. 9 in the rankings but has since lost consecutive games to Class 6A schools Rome (27-7) and Creekview (21-14). QB A.J. Swann is 49-of-82 passing for 675 yards and eight touchdowns. The leaders in receiving yardage are Caleb Richardson (181), Adarrius Harshaw (153) and Aidan Moore (106). Tyler Goddard, Morgan Cox and Kyan Simmons are all averaging double-digit tackles. This is Cartersville’s fourth consecutive game against a ranked or higher-classification team. The Purple Hurricanes won the previous three, with the closest call coming last week against Creekside, then the No. 2 team in 5A. Jake Parker threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Schiltz in the final two minutes for a 17-14 victory. Parker is 31-of-59 passing for 456 yards and five TDs in an offense that averages 167 yards passing and 139.7 rushing. Amari White ran for 87 yards against Creekside.
Evans at Washington County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The House of Pain, Sandersville
Records, rankings: Evans is 4-0 and unranked in Class 6A; Washington County is 1-0 and No. 10 in 2A.
Last meeting: Washington County won 17-7 in 2020.
Things to know: Evans, an unbeaten but unranked Class 6A team, has won 15 of its last 17 regular-season games, but one of the losses came against Class 2A Washington County last year. The Knights are in their first season under former Southeast Bulloch coach Barrett Davis, who was hired after Lemuel Lackey left to become head coach at Fox Creek in South Carolina. Evans gets about 65 percent of its offense from a running game led by senior Joseph Hampton, who ran for a season-high 195 yards and two touchdowns two weeks ago in a 22-20 win over Harlem and has 446 yards rushing for the season. Washington County, playing its first game of the season last week because of COVID disruptions, beat Swainsboro 22-21. The Golden Hawks rallied from a 21-8 deficit in the fourth quarter. A.J. Hagins scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run, and Washington County stopped a fourth-down reverse at about the 20-yard line to preserve the victory. D.J. Braswell rushed for 104 yards and intercepted a pass. Washington County is 5-2 all-time against Evans.
Irwin County at Tift County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Brodie Field, Tifton
Records, rankings: Irwin County is 2-1 and No. 1 in Class A Public; Tift County is 3-1 and unranked in 7A.
Last meeting: Irwin County won 35-20 in 2020.
Things to know: These are bordering county schools separated by the Alapaha River. They played last season for the first time in 15 years, and Irwin intercepted five passes, returning two for touchdowns. Irwin went on to win its second straight Class A Public championship. This season, Irwin lost its opener in overtime to Fitzgerald despite a 324-124 edge in total yards, then routed Monroe and Wilkinson County. Against Wilkinson, Irwin blocked four punts in the first half. Nemo McCoy blocked two of them. The Tift game precedes Irwin’s Region 2-A Public opener with No. 2 Brooks County on Sept. 24. Tift County is under a new coach, Noel Dean, who won multiple state titles in Michigan, retired, then came back to test out south Georgia football. The Blue Devils started 3-0 against a weak schedule, then lost 24-7 last week to Appling County, the No. 6 team in Class 3A. Led by AJC Super 11 DL Tyre West, Tift is strong on defense. It has forced 16 turnovers, but the offense struggled to block and was held to minus-10 yards in the second half last week.
Lovett at South Atlanta
When, where: 5:30 p.m. Friday, Lakewood Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Lovett is 3-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 6-2A and No. 5; South Atlanta is 1-1, 0-0 and unranked.
Last meeting: Lovett won 37-12 in 2020.
Things to know: South Atlanta won its first region title in history last season. That’s partly because Lovett’s victory over South Atlanta didn’t count in the standings as the region voted to delay the official region schedule two weeks because of COVID-19. South Atlanta then went unbeaten in official league games, including a victory over Pace Academy, which beat Lovett, knocking the Lions down to the No. 3 seed. South Atlanta has a new coach, Michael Woolridge, who came from Hardaway. South Atlanta returns all-state RB Keyjuan Brown, who rushed for 225 yards and five touchdowns last week in a 60-30 victory over Mundy’s Mill. He ran for 149 against Lovett last season and 1,581 for the season in 11 games. Lovett is allowing only 72 yards rushing per game this season and 174.2 yards overall. All-state LB Stevie Bracey, a Virginia commit, is the team leader in tackles. Luke Graham and Christian Bell have 10.5 tackles for losses between them. Henry Stimmel has rushed for a team-leading 283 years in a run-oriented offense.
Mill Creek at West Forsyth
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Wolverine Stadium, Cumming
Records, rankings: Mill Creek is 3-0 and No. 3 in Class 7A; West Forsyth is 2-1 and No. 10 in 7A.
Last meeting: Mill Creek won 20-17 in 2020.
Things to know: This will be the first game between ranked teams in West Forsyth’s history. These two met last season while unranked, and Mill Creek won on Khamari Glover’s 75-yard punt return in the final minute. Caleb Downs returned an interception 73 yard for a score earlier in the game. Downs, a blue-chip junior recruit, is back, leading a defense that is allowing 10 points per game and negative rushing yards against three good opponents (Parkview, Norcross, Dacula). Mill Creek’s offense is balanced. Hayden Clark has thrown for 551 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. He’s a two-year starter, now a junior. West Forsyth, ranked for the first time since 2012, is averaging 40 points per game against three good teams (Carver of Atlanta, Cartersville, Walton). The Wolverines have Class 7A’s second leading rusher, Peyton Streko, who went for 267 yards and six touchdowns against Walton. They’re also balanced as Keegan Stover, a junior two-year starter, has thrown for 627 yards, and TE Oscar Delp has 19 receptions for 322 yards.
Pierce County at Clinch County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Donald Tison Field at Panther Stadium, Homerville
Records, rankings: Pierce County is 2-1 and No. 3 in Class 3A; Clinch County is 1-2 and No. 5 in A Public.
Last meeting: Clinch County won 14-13 in 2011.
Things to know: These two schools, located about 40 miles apart in south Georgia, haven’t faced each other in 10 years. Clinch County has won 12 of the 15 previous meetings. However, Pierce County is enjoying its best run in program history (37-3 over the past three seasons) and comes in as the defending Class 3A champion. The Bears, who have dealt with injury problems early in the season, lost to Class 6A No. 7 Brunswick 20-13 in the opener but have posted consecutive shutouts against Wayne County and Claxton. RB/LB Donelius Johnson is the Bears’ leading rusher with 175 yards, including 139 against Claxton, and tied for the team lead in tackles with 22. Clinch County was outscored 59-6 in losses to Macon County and Appling County but bounced back with a 40-14 victory over then-No. 6 Pelham last week. Demonte Massey blocked two punts, returned an interception 8 yards for a touchdown and made six tackles. Amazi Williams ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers have reached the semifinals or beyond for six consecutive seasons.
Sandy Creek at Westminster
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Alfred E. Thompson Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Sandy Creek is 3-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 5-3A and No. 5; Westminster is 2-1, 0-0 and No. 7 in 3A.
Last meeting: Westminster won 14-6 in 1995.
Things to know: Region 5 is the toughest in Class 3A, according to the Maxwell Ratings. The favorite is No. 1-ranked Cedar Grove, and Greater Atlanta Christian and Carver of Atlanta have been ranked at times this season. COVID-19 protocols canceled the Westminster-Sandy Creek game last season. Westminster, which suffered its only loss to No. 8 St. Pius of Class 5A, is well-rounded, as usual, though the Wildcats have struggled running the ball this season (just 56.7 yards per game). Standout players include TE/DL Holden Staes (18 receptions, committed to Notre Dame), DB Robert Clarke (team-leading 15 solo tackles, three for losses), FS/WR Denton Shamburger (second in tackles, third in all-purpose yards) and P/PK Alex Bacchetta (committed to Penn State). Sandy Creek has been more of a passing team this season. Geimere Latimer has thrown for at least 200 yards in each game. He had four TD passes against Newnan and three against Starr’s Mill. All three Sandy Creek victories have been against larger schools.
Thomasville at Oconee County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Watkinsville
Records, rankings: Thomasville is 4-0 and No. 4 in Class 2A; Oconee County is 3-0 and No. 2 in 3A.
Last meeting: Oconee County won 44-14 in 2020.
Things to know: Oconee County won handily in the 2020 game. QB Jacob Wright was 12-of-15 passing for 244 yards and three touchdowns, all to TE Jake Johnson, who had five receptions for 144 yards. Those two are back this season along with LB Whit Weeks, who returned an interception for a score. Oconee continues to get big plays from the passing game, averaging 18.0 yards per completion with 25% going for touchdowns. Oconee will find a tougher Thomasville team this time, although the 2020 team went on to the Class 2A quarterfinals. This season, Thomasville has beaten three ranked opponents (Brooks County, Cairo, Bainbridge). Thomasville is more of a run-based team now. Malik Harper (386 yards rushing) and Ricky Fulton (246) each have 100-yard rushing games. Ty Anderson is a two-time all-state linebacker. Oconee County has won 19 consecutive regular-season games and 17 straight home games.
Wesleyan at Prince Avenue Christian
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Brad Akins Field, Bogart
Records, rankings: Wesleyan is 2-1 and No. 7 in Class A Private; Prince Avenue Christian is 3-1 and No. 4 in A Private.
Last meeting: Prince Avenue Christian won 50-3 in the 2020 Class A Private semifinals.
Things to know: Prince Avenue Christian beat Wesleyan twice in 2020, once during the regular season (52-26) and again in the semifinals. State player of the year Brock Vandagriff passed for 606 yards in the two games, but he’s at Georgia now. Sophomore Aaron Philo controls the offense now, and the Wolverines’ offense hasn’t missed a beat. Philo is 83-of-123 passing for a state-best 1,379 yards with 15 touchdowns. Bailey Stockton, Ethan Christian, Josh Britt and Elijah DeWitt all have at least 10 receptions and 222 yards. All four are juniors. The Wolverines average 378.8 yards passing and 64.5 rushing. Prince Avenue’s only loss came against No. 3 Calvary Day, 21-13 in the opener. Wesleyan is more balanced offensively, averaging 154 yards passing and 125.3 rushing. Senior QB Jett Miller is 46-of-68 passing for 443 yards, and junior Will Tucker has rushed for 230 yards. The Wolves’ loss came against Class 5A No. 10 Decatur 13-6 on Aug. 27. Prince Avenue is second in scoring (47.5 points per game) in A Private, while Wesleyan is No. 4 in defense (6.67 ppg).
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