3rd Annual Battle of the Borders Preview

Four of Dekalb County’s top teams will be put to the test as they host four of Florida’s most successful programs for a third straight year in the Chick-fil-A Battle of the Borders. The two talent-laden states combined for 69 of the 256 NFL Draft picks this year with Georgia accounting for 30 picks, second only to Florida’s 39. The third edition of the Battle of the Borders will once again feature some of the top prospects in nation.

To open the day, Marist takes on Coconut Creek from Pompano Beach, Fla. Marist Coach Alan Chadwick is entering his 31st season at the helm and comes off a third round loss to eventual state champions Buford last year. Coconut Creek started 2014 3-1 but eventually fell to a 4-6 record. Uncommitted recruits Trayvon Mullen and Binjimen Victor along with Georgia commit Malek Young and Arkansas commit Alexy Jean-Baptiste lead Coconut Creek. Marist used its relentless rushing attack and opportunistic defense to dominate time of position and score a dramatic 17-14 win over Godby in last year’s Battle of the Borders. Coconut Creek is making its first appearance in the event.

The second game of the day will be the Hallandale Chargers against the Cedar Grove Saints. The two teams are both making their first appearance at the Battle of the Borders. Coach Dameon Jones has the Hallandale program on the rise after a 10-win season and a playoff appearance in which they lost to eventual state champion Miami Central 35-19. The Chargers feature top players such as wide receiver and Florida-commit Joshua Hammond, Miami-commit and cornerback Deion Jackson and Florida Atlantic-commit and quarterback Tyler Huntley. Cedar Grove is also riding the momentum of a successful season after head coach Jermaine Smith led the Saints to a 9-3 finish, the school’s best since 1992. An unforgettable 28-21 win over Blessed Trinity in the region championship gave the Saints the top seed and a playoff berth for the fifth straight season. Cedar Grove crushed Westside-Augusta 45-7 in the first round, but like Hallandale, fell to the eventual state champs in their classification. Calhoun ended the Saints’ season with a 38-18 victory. Juniors Netori Johnson, who has pledged to play at Alabama, and cornerback Tre Shaw are some of the top prospects in the state for the class of 2017 and highlight the Saints’ deep well of talent.

The final two games of the football marathon will star four southeastern giants and confirm the reality that no field in the country will host more top recruits than Hallford Stadium on Aug. 29. Godby faces Tucker in the evening game with an estimated 5:30 p.m. kickoff. Both teams are returning to the Battle of the Borders are looking for their first win at the event. Tucker finished last year 10-3 in what marked the Tigers’ Class AAAAAA debut. Georgia. Godby stumbled to start the season with its loss to Marist last year but would finish 12-3 and make an appearance in the state finals.

Tucker has never been short on talent and has been one of the winningest programs in the state the last several years. Jonathan Ledbetter (Georgia), Elijah Sullivan (Kansas St.), Duke Shelley (Kansas St.), Detric Bing-Dukes (Georgia), Dominick Sanders (Georgia), and Juwaan Williams (Oregon) have kept Tucker on the map in recent years and this year will be no different for the Tigers as they will still have some top tier talent with Tabarius Peterson, Demarko Durr and Chase Tyson. Like Tucker, Godby has been a factory and is known for sending kids to play at the collegiate level. Danny Thomas (USF), Brendan Loftus (Miami), PJ Simmons (Kent St.), Jacob Pugh (Florida St.), De’Eric Culver (Louisville), and Kenny Young (Maryland) have all played for the Tallahassee school. This year Godby will lead on Cedric Wood, Darius Bradwell and Tywuan Watson. .

The last game of the night will see two-time defending Florida state champion American Heritage versus three-time Battle of the Borders participant Stephenson. Stephenson finished the season 8-4 with a loss to Stockbridge in the second round of the playoffs. Stephenson is still in search for its first state title, but the Jaguars are the type of program has proven the ability to compete with the region’s most decorated programs. The Jaguars had the daunting task of playing Miami Central in last year’s Battle of the Borders and fell in a 21-20 heartbreaker. The Jaguars face another challenge as American Heritage makes its Battle of the Borders debut.

Georgia schools went 1-3 last year but the overall series is tied 3-3 heading into Year 3. M.L. King beat Blanche Ely (Fla) 41-15 and Stephenson defeated Norland (Fla.) 29-12 in the two-game inaugural 2013 edition.

2015 SCHEDULE

Saturday, Aug. 29

(All Games At Hallford Stadium)

11:45 AM | Coconut Creek vs. Marist

2:30 PM | Hallandale vs. Cedar Grove

5:30 PM | Godby vs. Tucker

8:30 PM | American-Heritage vs. Stephenson