The high school football season kicked off with a bang last week as the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic signified the beginning of the season with prominent matchups around the state.
This week, the theme of prominent match ups is no different as the Great Atlanta Bash will feature the Mill Creek Hawks traveling to Norcross to take on the Blue Devils in a battle between Gwinnett County-rivals with postseason aspirations.
It will be the first time that the Great Atlanta Bash will be held at Norcross and will feature a familiar match that has been played 17 times over the course of their programs history.
Mill Creek is on a three-game win streak against Norcross, defeating the Blue Devils by two touchdowns, 27-13 a year ago. Norcross last won against Mill Creek in 2020 in overtime, 23-20.
Both Mill Creek and Norcross are coming off victories a week ago to open their seasons with the Hawks winning 56-26 at Lambert and Norcross winning the “Maloof Bowl”, 31-10 against head coach Keith Maloof’s son, Tyler Maloof and Lanier.
Having played each other many times prior to their matchup on Friday night, both head coaches know that whenever they play, it won’t be a cake walk for either team.
“They are solid like they always are,” said Maloof. “Their box is really good, their corners are good, the quarterback is a two-year starter, the two running backs are really talented and they are big at the tight end position. We have got our work cut out for us on offense and defense because they execute just as well as any team you’d see on offense,” said Maloof.
Both coaches know the importance of scheduling tougher teams to begin the season as they know it can only help their programs as the season progresses.
“We’ve been playing them for a long time,” said Mill Creek Head Coach Josh Lovelady. Keith and I are good friends off the field and we know that if we have the chance to schedule each other we will because we know that the kids are going to be coached well and they are going to play hard. Both programs are very stable as far as when we play we are going to give each other a battle,” Lovelady added.
The Mill Creek offense has a multitude of playmakers led by quarterback Shane Throgmartin, who is entering his second season as the Hawks starter. The senior is coming off of a week one victory where he threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns, completing passes to seven different pass catchers.
When the Hawks aren’t attacking through the air, their vicious running attack can cause problems for opposing defenses. Mill Creek lost star running back Cam Robinson to graduation, but has found an answer to replace his production with the duo of Daniel Smith and Gabe Hatchell-Van Drie. Last week, the two combined for 261 yards with Smith carrying the ball 14 times for 196 yards.
Both backs possess talent, but nothing would be possible if it wasn’t for the guys up front on the Hawks offensive line led by offensive tackle Air Force-commit, Jax Murphy. Murphy has started for Mill Creek since his sophomore year and has gained 80 pounds over the last couple of years, leading the Hawks offensive line.
The pass catchers for the Hawks proved to be difference-makers in Week 1, led by senior wide receiver Trey Walker, junior Shawn Cummings and senior tight ends Miles Gindlesperger and Alabama-commit, Luke Metz. Metz and Gindlesperger each caught touchdowns last week and have proved to be important pieces in the offense.
In playing on both sides of the ball, both Metz and Cummings have excelled in their roles, remaining effective for Mill Creek. Metz plays both middle linebacker and tight end and Cummings plays defensive back and wide receiver.
The Hawks defense features playmakers constantly flying around to the ball including senior defensive lineman, North Carolina-commit Devin Ancrum. He has proved to be a problem for opposing offense, consistently wreaking havoc and getting into the backfield disrupting plays. Ancrum blocked two extra points last week to go along with multiple tackles for loss.
“He is all over the place, he is going to UNC and he is an issue for most offenses as far as getting him blocked, because of his unique blend of size and speed,” said Lovelady.
Mill Creek cornerback Connor Faber won Defensive Player of the Week for his performance last week that featured a scoop-and-score for a touchdown to go along with nine total tackles.
“He’s a kid that was injured last year, that hadn’t played in a while and has really come out and played hard,” said Lovelady.
This year’s Norcross team is filled with talent, beginning with quarterback Dillon Muhammed. This is his first season as a full-time starter for the Blue Devils, throwing for 250 yards and rushing for 50 more to go with two touchdowns in last week’s opener in the “Maloof Bowl.”
With Muhammed, running back Kobe Robinson, and wide receivers Alex Garnett and Saun Clark have stepped up and become playmakers for Norcross. Against Lanier, Robinson rushed for over 150 yards on 23 attempts along with nine receptions for over 140 yards and a touchdown from Clark to add to the Norcross offensive totals.
Having playmakers all over spreads out the field, but having a reliable offensive line as Norcross does filled with experience has to be a comforting site for Maloof and the Blue Devils. The Norcross offensive line, led by center Cole Hilsmier, guard Adrik Flores and tackle Mehki Combs creates opportunities for the Blue Devil-playmakers to put the ball in the end zone.
“Last week I saw an offensive line grow up a lot from Grayson week to this week,” said Maloof. “In high school football, as your o-line goes, you go and everyone has good skill positions nowadays, but o-line and d-line are where the nuts and bolts of it are in high school football,” Maloof added.
Linebackers Ezekiel Theodoris and Esias Tompkins, defensive end Jaylen Brown and defensive end Carter Luckie, lead the Blue Devils on defense having experience in playing in big games. Tompkins and Brown are seniors who have started for the Norcross defense in the last three years.
While they are younger in the backend according to Maloof, they possess the talent and skill in the secondary to remain a dangerous defense. After three-year starting cornerback Lionel Burns III, there’s not a ton of experience, but the trio of Joshua Burks, Jordan Maduro and Jaiden Macklin provide a ton of promise in the backend of the Blue Devils defense.
Mill Creek and Norcross will play on Friday, August 23 at 8 p.m. at Norcross High School. The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network, and streamed digitally on the Atlanta News First website and app. To view Friday’s live stream, CLICK HERE!
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