A top-ten battle for the Region 4-7A crown takes place Friday Night in Gwinnett as the No. 8 Parkview Panthers take on the No. 7 Grayson Rams. Grayson is coming off a pivotal 41-14 region win against the Archer Tigers Friday and is seeking to win back-to-back region titles.
For Parkview (7-2, 3-1) to win the region, they have to beat Grayson (7-2, 3-1) and would need Archer (5-4, 3-1) to lose to Newton (7-2, 2-2) this week. Parkview beat the Newton Rams 28-21 in a big-time matchup to set up the opportunity.
The Panthers have faced a ton of adversity this year especially with their top running backs going down to injury earlier in the season in Khyair Spain and Trelain Maddox. Spain rushed for 2,383 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2022. Junior Davin Rouse and sophomore Brian Stokes have stepped in admirably and have carried the load in the ground game. Rouse had his first career 100-yard game against Newton a few weeks ago.
The Panthers also have some big-time playmakers on offense including Mike Matthews (Tennessee commit) and Carson Wilson (East Tennessee Commit). Matthews has 628 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Wilson has 480 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Grayson quarterback Jeff Davis has taken notable strides forward and looks comfortable in year two as the starter. He takes care of the football and is very accurate with his throws. Davis is completing 73% of his passing with 25 touchdowns to only one interception all season. An underrated part of his game is his ability to extend plays with his legs and make pinpoint throws off the run. His touch and accuracy were on display last Friday night when he threw three touchdowns and just five incompletions. His growth is one of the reasons why this Grayson offense is so good.
Also, can’t forget the playmakers on the Grayson offense. Kylan Fox is a mismatch nightmare for opposing defensive backs, safeties, and linebackers. Fox is a tough guard in the red zone and can beat double teams. He has seven touchdowns this season. WR John Cineas is a big play threat waiting to happen. Cineas has several big-play touchdowns on offense and special teams. You also can’t sleep on his big body. Cineas can also be a threat in the red zone and is great at catching the 50/50 ball. Grayson has numerous ways to exploit you. Parkview has some great corners on the back end in 4-star Zelus Hicks and Jalyn Crawford (Auburn commit). It will be interesting to see if they can slow them down.
The matchup to watch in this one is the Grayson defense against the Parkview offense. In the last three games, Grayson has given up an average of just 10 points. The Rams have produced three shutouts this season. In their win against Archer, they forced three turnovers. The Parkview offense has hit their stride scoring 25 points or more in the last five games. Grayson has a plethora of talent defensively in 4-star LB Tyler Atkinson and 4-star CB Jaylen Bell, and their front seven can get after you. It will be intriguing to see who comes out on top in this matchup.
Grayson is 11-4 against Parkview all-time and had won five consecutive matchups until Parkview stopped the streak last season with a 28-21 victory. There is a lot on the line and this one with major playoff implications. It will be a fun battle for the region crown between two rivals.
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