Mill Creek at Norcross CSS Game of the Week
Colquitt County at Lowndes
2012 Result: Lowndes 17, Colquitt County 14
Lowndes returned 13 starters from last season including the anchor of its offensive line, Dyshon Sims, who is committed to Georgia, and its entire starting linebacking corps. This stout defense helped the Vikings claim a 42-2 win over Luella (Ga.) in their opener.
The Vikings, however, were stunned with a 15-14 Week 2 loss to Newton, a team they beat 31-0 last year. The loss seemed to be a wake-up call and in Lowndes’ three other games the Vikings have outscored opponents 192-2. Colquitt County has played a grueling non-region schedule and comes off a bye week.
In the Packers’ last game, they posted a 34-0 win over Carver-Columbus. The defense held Carver-Columbus to just 90 yards of total offense, but Ole Miss-commit Jamiyus Pittman broke his leg in the second quarter, which is a big loss for the Packers. This should be a hard-hitting, intense defensive battle.
Valdosta at Camden County
2012 Result: Camden County 43, Valdosta 6
Valdosta has the enrollment of a Class AAA program, but the toughness and tradition of the program enables the Wildcats to continue to compete in arguably the state’s toughest region. In this battle of Wildcats, Valdosta will hope to get its offense going with athletic quarterback Mac Loudermilk and running back Malcom Joseph. Wideout Alex Cason will be going against one of the best secondaries in the state with Camden County’s Kalvarez Bessent and Chris Williams (both Alabama commits).
The Camden County offense features its wing-t attack that has the ability to wear out any defense. Valdosta’s 3-star defensive tackle Darrius Sapp will have to use his 6-foot-1, 305-pound frame to disrupt running lanes or Camden County could run free. This sets up to be a physical football game and should be a lot closer than last year’s rout.
Parkview at Brookwood
2012 Result: Parkview 21, Brookwood 14
Parkview and Brookwood are both yet to record a win this season. The Panthers and Broncos both played a tough opening schedule, but have been beaten by double-digits each game with exception of Brookwood’s 25-20 loss to Archer last week. That loss became the first time in school history that the Broncos lost to Archer.
The woes for Parkview appear to be on the offensive side of the football and quarterback Jack Chambers will need to continue maturing and developing trust within the unit. The Panthers have passed for just 56 yards per game and ran for 135 yards per contest.
Brookwood is without senior running back Josh Brown, who tore his ACL against McEachern. Quarterback Joey McLane has been required to take a larger role in the offense without the team’s primary rusher. The Broncos need a spark, and newcomer Jesse Brown ran in a 55 yard touchdown last week and could be a guy to get the Broncos back on track.
Woodward Academy at Blessed Trinity
2012 Result: Blessed Trinity 21, Woodward Academy 14
3-1 Woodward Academy’s 21-14 loss to No. 1 Class AA ranked Lovett in its season opener actually looks pretty good now and the War Eagles appear to be improving each week. Woodward Academy has the advantage in skill players over the Titans and South Carolina-commit Terry Googer has been phenominal this season. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound playmaker has carried the ball 64 times for 520 yards and scored six touchdowns.
Blessed Trinity also fell victim to Lovett this season, and also lost to a solid Hart County team. The Titans come off a 30-0 win over White County and are led by a strong defensive unit that has allowed less than 5.0 points per game. Woodward Academy will challenge Blessed Trinity’s defense and comes in averaging close to 250 rushing yards per contest. The Titans will have to play damage control on that side of the ball to hold footing.
Towers at St. Pius X
2012 Result: St. Pius X 48, Towers 6
Towers was 0-4 at this time last year and had been outscored 135-10. Fast forward and the surprising 4-0 Titans have flipped the scrip and hold a 115-7 scoring advantage against the same four opponents. That is a 233 point swing in just one season. They will need to continue the trend because the Golden Lions waxed them last season and will be looking to do it again after getting embarrassed last week by Lovett 28-7.
Joey Connors quarterbacks the St. Pius X offense and has playmakers Nick Ruffin, Dalton Wilson and Jack Pelt to power their potent rushing attack. Expect St. Pius X to get back to the bread and butter of its offense and run the ball right at the Titans.
Cook at Thomasville
2012 Result: Cook 17, Thomasville 3
Thomasville could not find its offense last year in its loss to Cook, and has flashed signs of inconsistency this season. Thomasville Quarterback Payton Dixon is an athletic playmaker that has completed close to 60 percent of his passes, and Mario Cherry leads the running attack and averages just south of 100 rushing yards per game. There is a lot of youth that contributes to the Bulldogs offense, and as a result they possess depth that has allowed eight receivers to catch passes this season.
In order to top Cook, the offensive line will have to protect Dixon and finish blocks for all four quarters against an aggressive Cook defense. The Hornets comes off a bye week that followed a 38-13 win over Dougherty. 31 of the 38 of Cook’s points in the win came in the first half and they are averaging 30 points per game.
Griffin at Stockbridge
2012 Result: 17-14 Stockbridge
In this battle of unbeatens, it will be the fast-paced Griffin offense against the loaded Stockbridge defense. 6-foot-5, 205 pound receiver Christopher Owens and 6-3 flanker Darquavious Mangham will star in the Bears high-scoring attack. Griffin averages 41.0 points per game and will look to use tempo and big plays to control the game.
Stockbridge has Kendarius Webster, a 4-star cornerback with offers from FSU, Ole Miss, UGA and Clemson to shadow Owens. Stockbridge has allowed just 5.5 points per game in its four games this season and will look to top Griffin for the second straight season after losing the previous six meetings.
South Forsyth at Alpharetta
2012 Result: Alpharetta 21-0
4-0 South Forsyth has already matched its win total from last season and has used an opportunistic defense and well-rounded offense to post its first region win of the season last week (Lambert). Alpharetta on the other hand has battled through a grueling first four games and come out with a 2-2 record.
Milton handed the Raiders a 31-24 loss and Class AAAAAA power Lovejoy escaped Alpharetta with a 24-23 win. Both Milton and Lovejoy are excellent at running the football and this appears to be the formula escape a talented Alpharetta team. Junior defensive lineman Andrew Butcher has become a leader on the Raiders’ defensive front and the Tennessee-commit could have a field day against the War Eagles after squaring off with top competition this season.
Lanier at Monroe Area
2012 Result: Monroe Area 33, Lanier 20
Monroe Area is paced by Auburn-commit Stanton Truitt and Lanier can expect the explosive 4-star to produce plenty of big plays. Michael Gallup is another offensive weapon at the Purple Hurricanes disposal, and at 6-3, 205 holds offers from Kentucky, Missouri and NC State. Monroe Area averages 360 rushing yards per game and Lanier will be facing one of the states’ best offenses.
The Longhorns can produce on the offensive side of the ball as well and junior running back Tario Fuller has already gained 529 rushing yards this season and 11 touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Ashton Barnes has burst to the scene and the Longhorns will need the full arsenal to pull off the upset.
Lanier wideout Tim Leazer earned the Gwinnett Daily Post fans choice player of the week after catching four passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns in last Friday’s win over Madison County. On defense, Lanier’s Trevon McSwain is a 6-foot-6, 215 pound junior defensive end that has risen in the recruiting ranks this season.
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