As we enter weekend No. 3 of the high-school football season, there are a number of intriguing matchups that will take place tonight. Here are five to watch.
Mill Creek at Norcross – The Blue Devils better look out; they’re hosting a team that seems to get better by the week. The Hawks are led by Zach Landis at quarterback, and are 2-0 heading into region play. Norcross was beaten soundly by Camden County at the Kell Classic, and struggled mightily with South Gwinnett. If the Blue Devils get caught looking past Mill Creek to their matchup with North Gwinnett the following week, it could spell trouble for Keith Maloof and company.
North Cobb at Harrison – North Cobb shocked just about everybody with their thrilling win over M.L. King last week. If they can pull off a win over Harrison, which knocked off Peachtree Ridge in Week 1, we’ll know the Warriors are for real. Derrick Lott headlines a tough North Cobb defense.
Coffee at Shaw – Shaw has to try and recover from a loss to a very good Sandy Creek team, and will have a chance, at least, to pick off state-ranked Coffee at home. When all is said and done tonight, Shaw might be the best 0-3 football team in the state.
Thomasville at Cairo – Like Shaw, Thomasville, which is an excellent football team, has the potential to be 0-3. I’ve kept them ranked despite two tough losses to Thomas County Central and Colquitt County, but the Bulldogs might just be worn down for this one. If I had to make a prediction, I’d say that Cairo wins in a rout. (Remember, the Syrupmakers defeated TCC easily last week.)
Northside-Warner Robins at Carver-Columbus – Last but not least is the huge inter-classification matchup between two reigning state champions. What makes this one interesting is the fact that neither team has really been tested this season (Northside has played Perry, a decent Class 3A team, and a Washington, Fla. team that is clearly a shell of what it was last season; Carver has played Spencer and Tri-Cities and shut them both out). This game will give us the opportunity to see just how affected each team is by the graduation of their 2008 classes; names like DeRon Furr, Jarmon Fortson, Nick Bass, Tijuan Green and Marques Ivory come to mind. It’s a shame they couldn’t have played last year, but these are still two of the best teams in the state. Check the game out online at www.gpb.org/football/watch, as Score will be broadcasting it live in the Web.
Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.
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