The following is an excerpt from the August 27 edition of the Georgia High School Football Daily, an e-mail newsletter compiled by longtime Georgia high school football writers Todd Holcomb and Chip Saye:
Weekend Preview: GHSF Daily’s 10 best
Clinch County at Charlton County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, at Indian Field (The Swamp), Folkston
Records, rankings: Clinch County (9-3 in 2008) is No. 3 in Class A; Charlton County (9-2 in 2008) is unranked in AA.
Last meeting: Charlton County won 28-7 last season.
Three things to know: 1. Charlton County has won six straight in the series, called the Swamp War, and leads it 24-22-1. 2. Charlton County returns only eight starters from a team that failed to get out of the first round for the first time since 1994. 3. Clinch County brings back an all-state candidate at quarterback in Vintavious Cooper, a 1,000-yard rusher in Anthony McNeil (1,169 yards rushing) and the team’s two leading tacklers, LB Zack Thomas and LB Trey Richardson.
Dalton at Calhoun
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Phil Reeve Stadium, Calhoun
Records, rankings: Dalton (7-3 in 2008) is unranked in Class AAAA; Calhoun (12-3) is No. 2 in Class AA.
Last meeting: Dalton won 30-7 in 2008.
Three things to know: 1. Calhoun’s new quarterback in Nash Nance, a transfer from Darlington who succeeds first team all-state QB Michael Johnson. 2. Nance’s top target is Super 11 pick Da’Rick Rogers, viewed by many as the state’s top receiver. 3. Dalton returns seven starters on an offense that finished fifth in Class AAAA last year with 30.3 points per game.
Loganville at Clarke Central
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Billy Henderson Stadium, Athens
Records, rankings: Loganville (9-2 in 2008) is No. 10 in Class AAAA; Clarke Central (9-2) is unranked in Class AAAA.
Last meeting: Loganville won 29-28 in overtime in 2008.
Three things to know: 1. Clarke Central must replace quarterback John Wilson, who led the team in rushing and passing last season. Expect to see a lot of Martay Mattox, a transfer from Cedar Shoals. 2. Loganville has its own impact transfer on offense in RB Storm Johnson, who helped Buford to the Class AA championship last season. 3. Clarke Central allowed 19.5 points per game last season, but the Gladiators have a more experienced group this year as nine starters return to the unit.
Peachtree Ridge at Harrison
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bruce Cobleigh Stadium, Kennesaw
Records, rankings: Peachtree Ridge (12-3 in 2008) is No. 3 in Class AAAAA; Harrison (9-3) is unranked in Class AAAAA.
Last meeting: Harrison won 13-3 in 2008.
Three things to know: 1. Peachtree Ridge returns six starters, including four of the top five tacklers, from a defense that allowed 10 points or less in nine of the final 11 games last season. 2. Lions QB Nick Lombardo, who passed for 1,536 yards, is Gwinnett second-leading returning passer. 3. Harrison must replace the entire offensive line, leading rusher Robbie Godhigh and QB Christian Burnett.
St. Pius at Marist
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Hughes Spalding Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: St. Pius (9-2 in 2008) is unranked in Class AAA; Marist (13-2) is No. 4 in Class AAAA.
Last meeting: St. Pius won 21-10 in 2008.
Three things to know: 1. Junior Andy Perez will be the third member of the Perez family to start at quarterback for Marist, joining his uncles Rob and Dan. 2. St. Pius’ Cole Moon rushed for 1,394 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. 3. St. Pius’ victory last season ended a stretch in which Marist won 25 of 26 meetings.
Thomasville at Thomas County Central
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, the Jackets’ Nest, Thomasville
Records, rankings: Thomasville (7-5 in 2008) is No. 3 in Class AA; Thomas County Central (8-3) is unranked in AAAA.
Last meeting: Thomas County Central won 13-7 last season.
Three things to know: 1. Thomasville leads the series 23-20, but Central, now the larger school by a wide margin, has won 11 of the last 12. 2. Thomas County Central will use a platoon at quarterback to replace Taylor Payne (1,100 yards passing), with juniors Eric Dodson and Eric McCraw offering good speed for the run-dominated offense. 3. Thomasville returns 15 starters, including GHSF Daily preseason all-state safety Fred Holton, who has committed to Georgia Tech.
East Paulding at Rome
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Barron Stadium, Rome
Records, rankings: East Paulding (9-3 in 2008) is unranked in Class AAAAA; Rome (11-3) is No. 3 in Class AAAA.
Last meeting: East Paulding won 10-7 last season.
Three things to know: 1. East Paulding is 33-6 in coach John Reid’s three seasons after winning just 16 games in the 10 previous years. 2. Rome RB Reggie Whatley is a GHSF Daily preseason all-state player who rushed for more than 1,200 yards with 18 touchdowns last season. 3. East Paulding lost seven players to college football and returns only three starters on defense.
M.L. King vs. Southwest DeKalb
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Hallford Stadium, Clarkston
Records, rankings: M.L. King (8-3 in 2008) is No. 8 in Class AAAAA; Southwest DeKalb (9-4) is No. 1 in Class AAAA.
Last meeting: M.L. King won 21-12 in 2008.
Three things to know: 1. M.L. King’s Mack Brown, a Super 11 selection who is viewed by many as the state’s top running back, rushed for 1,660 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. 2. T.J. Stripling, another Super 11 pick, leads a Southwest DeKalb defense that allowed just 8.8 points per game in 2008. 3. Southwest DeKalb has not been ranked No. 1 since Sept. 12, 2000, two years before M.L. King opened.
Tucker at Brunswick
When, where: 7 p.m. Saturday, Glynn Stadium, Brunswick
Records, rankings: Tucker (14-1 in 2008) is No. 2 in Class AAAA; Brunswick (9-3) is unranked in AAAA.
Last meeting: Tucker won 26-12 last season.
Three things to know: 1. Tucker graduated 32 seniors and 16 starters from its state championship team. 2. Tucker has a pair of linemen in James Vaughters and Quenton Brown who have several major Division I-A offers. 3. Brunswick returns 14 starters but lost all-state players in WR/DB Darius Slay and RB Harold Small.
Prattville (Ala.) at North Gwinnett
When, where: 8 p.m. Saturday, Tom Robinson Memorial Stadium, Suwanee
Records, rankings: Prattville (1-0) is ranked No. 1 in Class 6A in Alabama and No. 21 nationally by USA Today. North Gwinnett (0-0) is ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAA.
Last meeting: Never played.
TV/radio: Comcast Sports Southeast; 680 The Fan
Three things to know: 1. This game is the second half of a doubleheader at North Gwinnett. In the first game, South Carolina state champion Byrnes (ranked No. 2 by USA Today) faces Central Gwinnett. 2. Prattville is the three-time defending champion in Alabama’s 6A classification. 3. North Gwinnett has two tackles (Ja’Waun James and Austin Shepherd) who have committed to Alabama and will be protecting 6-foot-5 C.J. Uzomah, the converted receiver who is replacing all-state quarterback Mikey Tamburo.
Note: GHSF Daily will list TV/radio information only about games that we select for the GHSF Daily “10 Best” or feature in other ways, and only if TV/radio information is sent to us ahead of publication.
Spotlight
Newnan-LaGrange rivalry resumes tonight
Newnan and LaGrange resume a rivalry tonight that began on Nov. 20, 1908, according to LaGrange football historian Scott Sickler. Newnan won that game 58-0. This year, both teams are ranked for their 83rd meeting.
GHSF Daily asked Sickler to give us the five most significant games in the series in his memory. They are:
1981: Newnan wins the Region 6-AAAA championship game with a 21-0 victory on its way to the state final. LaGrange had beaten a 9-0 Newnan team 25-7 two weeks earlier in the regular season. Top players: RB Warren Newson, Newnan; DL Wilbur Strozier, LaGrange.
1991: LaGrange beat Newnan 20-14 to win a region title that gave it home-field advantage during its Class AAAA championship run. Top players: RB Corey Bridges, Newnan. QB Rodney Hudson, LaGrange.
1992: LaGrange and Newnan were 8-0, and LaGrange was the defending champion in Class AAAA, but Newman won 19-3. It snapped LaGrange’s 23-game winning streak. Top players: QB Derrick Steagall, Newnan; DB Andre Short, LaGrange.
2004: Both teams had some preseason national rankings for this season opener, won by LaGrange 35-7. Top players: QB Tyler Horne, Newnan. LB Tray Blackmon, LaGrange.
2005: Newnan snaps LaGrange’s 29-game winning streak with a 23-14 victory in the season opener for both teams. Top players: QB Thomas Darrah, Newnan; DL D.J. Stafford, LaGrange.
Game facts: Kickoff at Callaway Stadium is 7 p.m. LaGrange is ranked No. 4 in Class AAA. Newnan is No. 10 in AAAAA. The game will be broadcast by J93.3-FM in Atlanta and 100.9-FM in LaGrange.
In The News
Sphire’s choice for No. 1: Peachtree Ridge
Lowndes is the No. 1 team in GHSF Daily’s rankings, and Camden County got the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press preseason poll, although Grayson – a team ranked No. 5 nationally in the Rivals100 – could be poised to take that spot in the new poll.
Is there a team that’s hiding in the shadows? According to North Gwinnett coach Bob Sphire, it’s Peachtree Ridge.
“I think they’re the best team in the state,” said Sphire, whose team plays in Peachtree Ridge’s region, 7-AAAAA. “We went to camp with them. I just think they have tremendous skill kids and are huge up front, and from what I saw of them, they could adjust to just about any style that they’d face – the spread, smash-mouth, anything.”
It’s that versatility that Sphire believes might give Peachtree Ridge an edge over Grayson and Lowndes, teams that run a Wing-T offense.
If one team is just better than another, that team likely will win. But when talent is comparable, the team that practices daily against a more versatile offense might have an advantage getting through five rounds of the state playoffs, according to Sphire’s theory.
Sphire says his own team’s offense, the spread, makes his defense more experienced defending passing teams.
“We learned some things when we went to Lowndes [and lost in the 2007 Class AAAAA final 34-7] that we made adjustments on,” Sphire said. “We practice differently to prepare ourselves better for that kind of football team that we’ll see come playoff time. That may have been a weakness of ours that was exposed.”
Rome quarterback asks to be reinstated
Malcolm Watkins, Rome’s starting quarterback who left the team last week, has asked to be reinstated, but he won’t play in Friday night’s opener against East Paulding, GHSF Daily has learned.
Watkins will be on suspension, according to this story in the Rome News-Tribune.
The starter will be sophomore Chad Barton.
“[Barton's] got some good players around him, which helps not to put the entire burden on his shoulders,” Rome coach Sid Fritts told the Rome News-Tribune.
Former LaFayette coach King passes away
Jack King, the former head coach and principal for whom LaFayette’s football stadium is named, passed away last week. He was 82. This story by Scott Herpst of the Walker County Messenger includes a picture of King with current LaFayette coach Perry Swindall. King was LaFayette’s head coach from 1956 to 1967 and principal until 1980.
All-DeKalb County preseason team released
Mack Brown and Ken Malcome, the running backs who will do battle Friday in the game between M.L. King and Southwest DeKalb, are among the top names on the preseason all-DeKalb County team released today by the DeKalb Champion newspaper.
There are six Southwest DeKalb players and four M.L. King players on the team. Southwest DeKalb is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA. M.L. King is No. 8 in AAAAA.
Brown, who rushed for 1,660 yards last season, has committed to Florida. Malcome, who rushed for more than 900 yards, has committed to Georgia.
OFFENSE
QB Akil Dan-Fodio, Redan (6-4, 210, Jr.)
RB Mack Brown, ML King (5-10, 195, Sr.)
RB Ken Malcome, Southwest DeKalb (6-0, 212, Sr.)
RB Cole Moon, St. Pius (6-4, 200, Sr.)
WR Byron Dickerson, Druid Hills (6-2, 185, Sr.)
WR DeAntonio Murray, Stone Mountain (6-1, 180, Jr.)
TE James Vaughters, Tucker (6-2, 222, Jr.)
OL Dontre Stephens, ML King (6-1, 331, Jr.)
OL Dominique King, Stone Mountain (6-3, 300, Sr.)
OL Hugh Williams, Marist (6-5, 218, Sr.)
OL Michael Thornton, Stephenson (6-1, 275, Sr.)
OL Kyle Sargent, Southwest DeKalb (6-0, 240, Sr.)
ATH Cameron Myers, ML King (6-0, 185, Sr.)
K Austin Breed, Dunwoody (5-9, 160, Sr.)
DEFENSE
DL Jamel Dobbs, Cedar Grove (6-1, 255, Sr.)
DL Art Norman, Chamblee (6-1, 235, Sr.)
DL Tank Sessions, Columbia (6-6, 230, Sr.)
DL T.J. Stripling, Southwest DeKalb (6-6, 215, Sr.)
DL Quenton Brown, Tucker (6-3, 210, Sr.)
LB Jonathan Brooks, Miller Grove (6-2, 200, Sr.)
LB Naim Wakeel, Southwest DeKalb (5-10, 190, Sr.)
LB Rahmon Swain, ML King (6-2, 195, Sr.)
LB Tyrone Cornelius, Stephenson (6-2, 190, Sr.)
DB Jonathan Gibson, Lakeside (5-10, 175, Sr..)
DB Jonathan Mincy, Southwest DeKalb (5-10, 165, Sr.)
DB Kenneth Ladler, Stephenson, (5-11, 188, Sr.)
DB Sharron Golightly, Southwest DeKalb (6-0, 185, Sr.)
ATH Phillip Wood, Marist (5-10, 195, Sr.)
P Damian Goggins, Cedar Grove (6-2, 205, Sr.)
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