In a third postseason matchup between the two programs in the last thirteen years, the No. 4-seed out of Region 1-6A, Camden County Wildcats will travel up to Cobb County to face the undefeated No. 1-seed out of Region 5-6A, the North Cobb Warriors in the first round of the GHSA 6A State Playoffs.
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.
The only meetings on the gridiron between the Warriors and the Wildcats has been in the first round of the GHSA postseason where the two schools have split the all-time series 1-1. In 2011, legendary Camden County head coach Jeff Herron, a three-time state champion with the Wildcats, shut out North Cobb with a decisive 34-0 shutout. Ten years later, Shane Queen’s North Cobb team paid it forward with a 44-6 victory in the first round of the 2021 playoffs.
Now with both programs back in the same position, the series tie-breaker will be broken on Friday night at Emory Sewell Stadium.
“We have got a great community,” said Queen. “Our student body does a great job and our kids have created a culture where people want to come out and support them because they do the right thing.”
Under Queen’s tenure with the program for the last 19 years, the North Cobb faithful have been lucky to host 15 playoff games and compete in 23 of them. This year’s Warriors are looking to be the first Queen-led group to make it out of the quarterfinals since the last time they made it in 2016.
On one sideline, you have an experienced coaching staff with a 19-year veteran head coach who has seen the postseason on numerous occasions. Compared to the opposing sideline where Camden County head coach, Travis Roland has led the Wildcats to the postseason in his first season with the school. After a 7-3 regular season in a grueling region, the Wildcats held onto the No. 4-seed out of Region 1-6A ultimately making the postseason.
The Camden County offense is led by starting quarterback Parks Riendeau, who finished the regular season with an efficient 20-to-five touchdown to interception ratio. The junior quarterback completed about 60% of his passes during the regular season, leading an offense that scored over 420 points on the season, averaging about 42 points per game.
While numerous playmakers on the Camden County offense make this unit a well-oiled machine, 5-star senior tight end, Georgia-commit Elyiss Williams has been a nightmare all season long for opposing defenses. His imposing stature at 6-foot-7, 235-pounds, Williams is a big body target that can line up all over the field, making it almost an impossible task to keep him from having an impact on the game. The senior has totaled over 750 yards on 52 catches on the season, averaging 15 yards per reception.
“He is a generational talent,” said Roland. “Biggest thing I told the coaches was we can’t waste a generational talent. He makes defenses have to play honestly and I think having him allows us to truly have a tell when the other team lines up.”
As nice as it is to have Williams on your sideline, quite the opposite can be stated for teams that have to go up against him as they have to game plan around Williams to keep him contained.
“The problem is they are so athletic and they have so many athletes, it’s hard to focus on stopping one guy,” said Queen. “He is a great player but they are also a phenomenal team.”
Along with Williams on the outside, Sean Green has proved to be a reliable option for the Wildcats totaling 500 yards on 41 receptions on the season.
Running backs Jordan Hardy and Antwan Williams lead a ground attack that has amassed close to 1800 yards rushing on the season as the two have combined for 23 touchdowns on the ground so far this season.
Defensively, Camden County has numerous playmakers that can change the game at any moment for the Wildcats.
Junior linebacker, Xavier Brown leads the Wildcats defense in tackles with 116 total on the season as well as eight tackles for loss, averaging close to 12 tackles a game for Camden County.
The upperclassman leadership will be huge for the playoff push for Camden County. Senior linebacker Donald Widener Jr. and senior defensive lineman Jerome Roundtree have come up big for the Wildcats, combining for 91 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss during the season.
While the upperclassman will be a huge part of the success for Camden County, sophomore linebacker Kingston Melton finished second on the team in total tackles with 53 on the season along with six tackles for loss. Melton and Brown have been exceptional from their linebacking position as they will have a tough task to halt the North Cobb offense.
Senior quarterback Nick Grimstead has continued to play clean football for North Cobb as he is responsible for 26 total touchdowns on the season with only one interception. The senior has thrown for close to 1500 yards and has added close to 600 on the ground with his legs, proving to be a true dual-threat from the quarterback position.
The running back tandem of Zach Belyeu and Quay Echols has proved to be more than efficient for the Warriors allowing them to have a stable ground game to go along with their deadly air attack. The two have combined for over 1,600 yards on the ground with 24 rushing touchdowns on almost 200 carries total for the backs combined. Echols at 6-1, 230-pounds brings a power running style, with Belyeu bringing more of an elusive option at the position.
With the help of Tennessee-commit, junior offensive lineman Brandon Anderson and the rest of the North Cobb offensive line, Grimstead and the running back duo have been able to find holes in the defense all season long.
Steele Ingram and Micah Billingsley have continued to excel on the outside as pass catchers for the Warriors. Ingram leads the team in most receiving categories such as yardage, touchdowns and receptions with 547 yards on 24 catches, finding the endzone seven times this season. Billingsley isn’t far behind him with 17 receptions for 309 yards, adding four touchdowns to his stat totals. Sebastian Easley and Malcolm Smith have combined for six touchdown receptions as well.
Experience will be a huge factor for North Cobb as its defense is filled with numerous upperclassmen with experience in a playoff environment.
Senior linebacker Cooper Negron has been outstanding commanding the middle of the Warriors defense, totaling 124 tackles including 10 tackles for loss and four sacks, leading an impressive North Cobb defensive unit with a handful of playmakers.
Senior defensive tackle Kam Cullins is a problem on the inside for opposing offensive lines along with Dominick Moody for the Warriors. Both defensive lineman will be playing football at the next level with Moody already being committed to ECU. The two have combined for 39 tackles and eight sacks on the season, getting into the opposing backfields.
Leading the backend of the Warriors defense is Dy’lon Womack, a senior defensive back who has made throwing on North Cobb very difficult. Womack has produced a team-high seven interceptions along with seven pass break ups, leading an impressive North Cobb secondary.
Loading ...
