South Georgia football programs to play for historic region title | Week 10 preview

Last meeting: Camden County won 34-23 in 2023.

Things to know: These south Georgia icons have lost what might be called region semifinal games – Camden County to Valdosta, and Lowndes to Colquitt County – but their 6-1 records and pedigrees say the story isn’t over. Lowndes can still win the region by winning out (Richmond Hill and Valdosta remain on the schedule). Camden was down and out last season when it used a must-win 10th-game victory over Lowndes, rallying from a 20-7 deficit for a 34-23 victory, to launch a Class 7A semifinal run. Camden has a balanced team, with Parks Riendeau (1,258 yards passing), AJC Super 11 tight end Elyiss Williams (584 receiving) and Jordan Hardy (539 rushing) leading the way. With Hardy out last week, Antwan Williams rushed for 140 yards against Richmond Hill. The 2023 game sunk Lowndes to a 4-6 finish and its first failure to reach the playoffs in nine years. This year’s Vikings are Class 6A’s most improved winning team, according to GHSF Daily’s Improvement Tracker. Their 38-35 loss to 10th-ranked Colquitt County finished with a 43-yard field goal as the horn sounded. Lowndes is more run-oriented statistically, but sophomore QB Jayce Johnson was 20-of-27 passing for 312 yards and three touchdowns against Colquitt. Jaylin Carter had 12 receptions for 193 yards. The Vikings’ most dynamic player is WR/QB/CB Marvis Parrish (449 rushing yards, 181 receiving, 110 passing).

Cartersville at Cedartown

When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Doc Ayers Field/Cedartown Memorial Stadium, Cedartown

Records, rankings: Cartersville is 8-0 overall, 4-0 in Region 7-4A and No. 2; Cedartown is 8-0, 4-0 and No. 5.

Last meeting: Cartersville won 24-2 in 2019.

Things to know: The winner of this game almost certainly will be the region champion, Cedartown can clinch the title with a victory, while Cartersville might need to beat Hiram next week to clinch. This is the latest that Cedartown has played a game between unbeaten teams since the Bulldogs and Carrollton were 9-0 in 1982 (Cedartown won). Cartersville played Troup when both were 9-0 in 2018 (Cartersville won). Nate Russell leads Cartersville’s offense. The first-year starter is 76-of-110 passing for 1,341 yards and 14 touchdowns. Kelson Mitchell (team-leading 32 solo tackles, six tackles for losses) stands out on a defense that is allowing 5.8 points per game. No team has scored more than 13 points against the Purple Hurricanes, including ranked opponents Calhoun and Rockmart. Cedartown is averaging 42.4 points per game. Cedartown averages 250.2 yards rushing and 97.0 passing per game. Perhaps the best two-way player in Class 4A, Clemson-bound Tae Harris has 692 yards rushing and 192 yards receiving with nine touchdowns while making 59 tackles. These teams’ best common opponent is probably Rockmart. Cedartown won 24-3, and Cartersville won 35-6. Cedartown and Cartersville first played each other in 1912. Cedartown leads the series 25-22-3.

Cherokee Bluff at Oconee County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Warrior Stadium, Watkinsville

Records, rankings: Cherokee Bluff is 7-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 8-3A and No. 4; Oconee County is 4-3, 2-0 and No. 9.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: These are two of three teams without losses in region play. The other is third-ranked Jefferson (6-2, 3-0). This game matches two of Class 3A’s best passers. Cherokee Bluff’s Brooks Brien is 91-of-152 for 1,559 yards and 16 touchdowns. His main target is K.T. Thompson, who has 33 receptions for 678 yards and 10 touchdowns. Thompson is committed to Georgia Southern as a baseball player. Oconee County’s Titus Watkins is 90-of-137 passing for 1,481 yards and nine touchdowns. Mason Hall, a sophomore, has 39 receptions for 539 yards. Oconee County is the more dedicated running team. Caiden Wood leads with 518 rushing yards. Oconee County has won four straight games, most impressively against Stephens County, a 35-10 victory. The Warriors opened with losses to North Oconee 21-10, Clarke Central 37-36 and Morgan County 34-13. The Maxwell Ratings rate Oconee County’s opponents 12 points better than Cherokee Bluff’s this season.

Harlem at Westside (Augusta)

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Battlefield, Augusta

Records, rankings: Harlem is 4-1 overall, 2-1 in Region 4-3A and unranked; Westside is 6-0, 4-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Harlem won 36-14 in 2019.

Things to know: Westside, chasing its first region title since 2000 and first 10-0 regular season since 1982, is the only team in this region without a region loss. Harlem is the first of four straight Westside opponents with one region loss. The others are Baldwin, West Laurens and Howard. Harlem is the best of the four, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings. Westside is a two-to-one rushing team. Jeanarion Kamga, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound running back, has rushed for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 10.3 yards per carry. He rushed for 250 yards last week against Cross Creek and 222 last month against Hephzibah. He ran for 1,504 yards as a junior. Harlem leans on Malik Tyler, an even smaller back at 5-7, 165. He’s rushed for 527 yards. Except for the Greenbrier game, which Harlem won 38-37 in overtime, neither team has allowed more than 16 points in a game. Westside and Harlem have one common opponent. Westside beat Aquinas 21-16. Aquinas beat Harlem 12-7. This region will play two games on the final week of the regular season (Tuesday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 9). That’s good for Westside, which has a bye that Tuesday, meaning the Patriots are the only region team that will not play two games over any five days.

Houston County at Coffee

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jardine Stadium, Douglas

Records, rankings: Houston County is 6-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 2-5A and No. 8; Coffee is 6-1, 1-1 and No. 6.

Last meeting: Coffee won 34-10 in 2021.

Things to know: Houston County, its only loss to Warner Robins 54-44 last month, is facing a three-week schedule of horrors against No. 6 Coffee, No. 3 Thomas County Central and No. 2 Lee County. Coffee is coming off a humbling 48-14 loss to Lee County but, as Class 5A’s reigning champion, is not likely to just go away. Lee County punished Coffee with its running game. Houston likely will take a different approach. AJC Super 11 QB Antwann Hill has thrown for a state-leading 2,198 yards (69.9% completion rate). Isaiah Mitchell has 888 receiving yards. M.J. Mathis has 682. They have 20 TD receptions between them. Coffee hopes to show that those 48 points were a fluke. They were certainly an anomaly. Coffee hadn’t allowed more than 18 points in a game since 2022. It will be critical for Coffee to re-establish its run game, particularly star back Tyrese Woodgett. He rushed for 684 yards over his first four games, was injured early against Mainland, Fla., on Sept. 20, sat out against Northside of Warner Robins and was held to 24 yards on 15 carries against Lee County. Coffee leads the series between these two 9-3. This is the first time they’ve played when both were ranked.

Lakeside (Evans) at Brunswick

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Glynn County Stadium, Brunswick

Records, rankings: Lakeside is 7-0 overall, 5-0 in Region 1-5A and unranked; Brunswick is 6-1, 5-0 and No. 9.

Last meeting: Brunswick won 46-22 in 2023.

Things to know: All other teams in this region have at least two region losses, so this is almost certainly for the region championship. Brunswick has won region titles two of the past three seasons, though not last season. Lakeside has not won a region title since 2009. Lakeside is 7-0 for the first time since the school opened in 1988. Lakeside’s most exciting player is Ty Jones. Just 5 feet, 8 inches and 145 pounds, he’s 46-of-71 passing for 725 yards and has rushed for 802 yards (11.1 ypc) and seven touchdowns. He also has two interceptions and two punt returns for touchdowns. He’s also a star basketball player. His sidekicks are brothers Brandon Grissom (592 rushing yards) and Mikeal Grissom (355 receiving yards). Brunswick has won six consecutive games since losing its opener to Camden Couty 51-41. William Heck has rushed for 882 yards. Grant Moore has thrown for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns. Moore entered the 2023 Lakeside game for spot duty and was 5-of-5 passing for 101 yards and three touchdowns. Heze Kent, a tight end and top-200 national junior prospect, has 259 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The Maxwell Ratings say Brunswick has an 85.2% chance of bringing home the region title. Brunswick leads the series 4-1.

Lovett at Hapeville Charter

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Banneker High School, College Park

Records, rankings: Lovett is 7-0 overall, 3-0 in Region 5-2A and No. 5 in Class 3A-A private; Hapeville Charter is 3-3, 2-0 and unranked in 2A.

Last meeting: Lovett won 25-14 in 2015.

Things to know: These two teams, plus Carver of Atlanta, have pulled away in the region standings. With three losses overall, Hapeville Charter is a fascinating case. GHSF Daily ranked the Hornets No. 6 in preseason, then forgot about them after their opening 66-6 loss to Lee County. They’ve gone on to lose, as most Class 2A teamd would, to Cartersville and Westlake. The Maxwell Ratings, along with MaxPreps, now rank Hapeville in the top six. They notice that Westlake beat Douglass, the No. 5 team in Class 5A, easier (23-7) than it did Hapeville (21-14). Hapeville was in the red zone in the final two minutes before a bad snap ended the drive. Hapeville is led by RB Robert Henderson (630 rushing yards) and DB Zach Smith (four interceptions, three return touchdowns, committed to Indiana). Lovett is 7-0 for the first time since 2000. Kalil Townes has rushed for 1,026 yards. Casani Bartlett has scored touchdowns on eight of his 24 receptions for 536 yards. Connor Deviney has made seven of nine field goals and put 34 of 41 kickoffs in the end zone.

Sumter County at Carver (Columbus)

When, where: 7 p.m. Thursday, Odis Spencer Stadium, Columbus

Records, rankings: Sumter County is 7-0 overall, 4-0 in Region 1-2A and No. 8; Carver is 6-1, 4-0 and No. 3.

Last meeting: Carver won 36-27 in 2019.

Things to know: A Sumter County victory could be called the biggest in school history. This game almost certainly will decide the region championship. Sumter County won a region title in 2016 but has never beaten a top-10 opponent (0-44) or finished unbeaten in region play or the regular season. This is the first time that Sumter has faced a top-10 opponent while also ranked since 2004, when the school opened to great expectations after Americus and old Sumter County merged. That team finished 3-8. Sumter County is now 12-5 in two seasons of good work under coach Will Rogers, who inherited a program that had gone 3-24 the previous three seasons. The Panthers have not allowed more than 20 points in a game. Running backs Quayshaun Tatum (423 yards), Aaron Kearse (406) and Damontae Reeves (384) have 17 touchdowns in Sumter’s run-based attack. Carver has won 40 of its past 41 region games (lost to Thomasville 15-14 in 2022). This season’s standouts include Kobe Caslin (760 rushing yards), Braylon Jakes (375 receiving yards), A.J. Wilson (11 tackles for losses) and top-10 junior national recruit Tristian Givens (17 TFL, nine sacks).

Telfair County at Wheeler County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bulldog Stadium, Alamo

Records, rankings: Telfair County is 4-2 overall, 2-0 in Region 4-A Division II and unranked; Wheeler County is 6-1, 3-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Telfair County won 33-29 in 2023.

Things to know: These are small bordering counties in southeast Georgia, and the winner will be on course for a historic region championship. Telfair County last won a region title in 1993. Wheeler County, which opened in 1966, has never won a region championship. They are the only Region 4 teams without a region loss. In their 2023 game, Telfair County trailed 29-13 with five minutes left and scored three touchdowns, the last at the end of a 94-yard drive with 35 seconds remaining. Jabari Zanders had more than 300 yards of total offense. Telfair followed that up with upset losses that cost the Bulldogs the region title, but they rebounded to reach the Class A Division II semifinals, the best finish in school history. Zanders, the star of last year’s Wheeler County game, is back. He’s thrown for 701 yards and rushed for 251 with 10 total touchdowns. Decardyia Ellis has rushed for 422 yards. Bradyn Cook has rushed for 365 yards and has a team-leading 48 tackles in four games. Wheeler County finished last season 3-7 but is now 6-1 for the first time since 1998. Alvin Ricks is Class A Division II’s leading rusher with 1,422 yards, including 379 with six touchdowns last week in a 66-48 victory over Montgomery County. Wheeler County has completed only five passes this season, but Ricks’ consistency has made that work. He has rushed for at least 125 yards and a touchdown in every game. He also has a fumble return and interception return for touchdowns.

Ware County at Perry

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Herb St. John Stadium, Perry

Records, rankings: Ware County is 3-3 overall, 1-0 in Region 1-4A and No. 6; Perry is 5-2, 2-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Perry won 17-13 in 1993.

Things to know: This region started with four top-10 teams in preseason. Only these two remain unbeaten in region play. Perry, the defending Class 4A champion, has yet to face the other two – Benedictine and Warner Robins. Ware beat Benedictine 38-14 last week, and Benedictine has a win over Warner Robins, so Ware is in the most envious position. Ware’s statistics are deflated by a schedule that inflicted two losses against Florida opponents and another against Class 5A Coffee, but Jamir Boyd rushed for 144 yards on 27 carries against Benedictine. Luke Hooks has thrown for only 692 yards, but for 11 touchdowns, four to Jamario Rice. Perry is balanced offensively, as it famously was during its 2023 title run. Ahmad Gordon, a 1,800-yard rusher last season, remains the rushing leader with 662 yards. Cullen McDaniel, who took over for graduated 2,500-yard passer Colter Ginn, has thrown for 1,069 yards. Kiel Sparks has 40 receptions for 495 yards.

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