After meeting for a total of exactly 50 matchups dating back to 1912, a 51st matchup is set for this Friday as the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes will travel to Cedartown to face the Bulldogs for a battle for the Class 4A-Region 7 championship.
The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network starting at 8 p.m., and digitally on Atlanta News First, ZEAM and the National Federation High School Network.
This will be the first time since 2019 the two schools are squaring off against one another after being added back in the same region for the first time in five years. Cartersville came out on top in its last matchup against Cedartown, 24-2. The two schools lined up against each other the previous four years before GHSA realignment moved some teams around.
This year’s matchup between the Purple Hurricanes and the Bulldogs is the second time in the last seven years the two programs are meeting in the regular season undefeated. The last time, in 2017, saw both programs at 4-0 on the year with the top-recruit in the country in the Class of 2018, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, leading the way for Cartersville, taking down Cedartown 41-7.
Overall, Cedartown leads the overall series 25-22-3 for a total of 50 matchups between the two schools with the 51st being the highest-rated matchup since the schools began playing one another. Cartersville is ranked at No. 3 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution while Cedartown sits at No. 6 in their polls, making Friday night’s matchup one of the most intriguing in the state this weekend.
The four-time state champion Cartersville Purple Hurricanes are led by head coach Conor Foster who is currently in his sixth season with the program. This year marks the fourth season for the Purple Hurricanes that they have started 8-0 or better under Foster leading the program. The head coach holds 67 wins during his time at Cartersville with only seven losses during his tenure leading the program.
Cartersville currently holds the second-longest regular season win-streak, winning 22-games in a row during the regular season and having won 28 out of its last 30 games dating back to 2022.
The Cartersville offense has been scoring nearly 38 points per game this season, tied for the ninth-largest average in 4A and have a multitude of weapons around them to make one of the top offenses in the class.
The Purple Hurricanes are led by junior quarterback Nate Russell as he is in his second season with the keys to the Cartersville offense. Russell has been responsible for throwing over 1,300 yards on a 69% completion percentage, totaling 14 touchdowns and averaging 167 yards through the air a game. On the ground Russell has used his legs to keep defenses guessing. Russell has also accounted for five touchdowns on the ground as well. Along with Russell on the ground, starting running back, Baylon Long, has added six touchdowns on 59 carries to provide a steady option in the backfield.
“I think you see a guy this year who’s growing up, the game is starting to slow down for him,” said Foster. “I think his confidence level is high. You know in the past, if you missed a throw or two, you know he would get frustrated very easily and now I think the confidence level is the difference. He’s been in these situations. He’s learned how to respond appropriately and how to lead us and so we’re going to continue to lean on him, and that’s been good for his development.”
The weapons Russell possesses on the outside are dangerous and effective for the second-year starter. Wide receivers Jamauri Brice and Brady Marchese along with 4-star tight end Cole Crawford have provided exceptional options in the pass game for Russell and the Purple Hurricanes offense. Marchese leads the team in receiving with 606 yards through the air as he and Brice have combined for nine touchdowns on the season. Crawford has added six receptions and a touchdown of his own on the season as the tight end missed two games due to injury.
The defense for Cartersville is led by University of Cincinnati-commit, senior defensive back Jordyn Woods who has totaled 27 total tackles along with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble on the season. In the secondary, cornerback Kaden Baldwin has totaled a team-high four interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns.
Linebacker Kelson Mitchell leads the Cartersville defense with eight tackles for loss on the season while also accumulating a team-high 59 total tackles, leading the next highest tackler by 12 tackles. Linebackers Brayden Logan, Treshaun Winters and Reed Ezell have been integral to the Cartersville defense only allowing a total of six touchdowns on the season and less than four yards per rush.
They will have their hands full trying to stop an explosive Cedartown offense who is averaging the third most points in 4A by scoring close to 43 points per game throughout this season.
The hosts for Friday night’s clash, Cedartown, is led by Jamie Abrams as he is in his fifth season with the Bulldogs football program. This is the second time during Abrams’ tenure at Cedartown where the program has started 8-0 or better with the last being in 2022 where the Bulldogs made it to the state championship where they suffered a crushing loss to Benedictine, 14-13.
Cedartown has won 12 regular season games in a row, tying for the eighth-longest win-streak in Georgia high school football with programs such Savannah Christian and Starr’s Mill.
The Bulldogs offense is led by senior quarterback Isaiah Johnson, who has been playing clean and smart football throughout the first eight games this season, totaling 748 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air and 170 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Johnson was in a rare situation during the offense when he made the switch from one important position to another, going from linebacker to quarterback.
“I have no complaints about him whatsoever,” said Abrams. “It’s really an unselfish move for him and I know it’s not his no. 1 position, but he understands that it gives us the best chance to win, so he has embraced that since February and he came in everyday in the early mornings and never missed a day, now he can see the benefits from it.”
The Bulldogs have accumulated more than 2000 yards rushing on the ground with five players totaling over 170 yards rushing on the season and three with already over 300 yards on the ground. Seniors Juelz Davis and Michael Gibbons Jr. have totaled 680 total yards on the ground along with four touchdowns. Senior Clemson-commit, 4-star safety Tae Harris has been playing both ways for the Bulldogs and has been electric to say the least. Harris has 884 all-purpose yards on the Cedartown offense along with nine touchdowns, becoming a huge part of the Bulldogs attack.
On defense Gibbons leads the team in total tackles by a wide-margin, totaling 93 on the season, 24 higher than the next highest player. Senior defensive back Sam Smith leads the team with the most tackles for loss with 10.5 on the season. Gibbons and Smith average the most tackles on the team with Gibbons at close to 12 and Smith right under nine. The pair have also combined for 9.5 sacks on the season.
Harris plays as big of a role on defense as he does on the offensive side of the ball. The Clemson-commit averages just under eight tackles a game and has four tackles in the backfield for negative yardage, making an impact whenever he steps on the field.
Friday night’s matchup between Cartersville and Cedartown has much larger implications than a regular season game, but will most likely decide a Class 4A-Region 7 championship as only one team can walk away from tomorrow’s game remaining undefeated.
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