A cataclysmic meeting between two of the best in the trenches is set for this Friday as the Savannah Christian Raiders travel north to face the Blessed Trinity Titans for the first-ever meeting between two dominant Georgia high school football programs.
The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network starting at 8 p.m., and digitally on Atlanta News First and the National Federation High School Network.
The undefeated Raiders have remained perfect on the season, holding their opponents to scoring just a little over eight points per game while scoring over 37 points per game. The Blessed Trinity offense is averaging 26 points per game on the season, with its defense allowing just over 13 points per game.
Both programs are coming off of victories last week where Savannah Christian defeated Fellowship Christian 28-7 and Blessed Trinity defeated a talented Hebron Christian team by two touchdowns, taking down the Lions 24-10.
Savannah Christian head coach Baker Woodward is in his seventh season leading the football program, as he and his Raiders have started 5-0 for the first time since 2014 and are looking to go 6-0 for the first time since 2011. Woodward and Savannah Christian finished 12-3 on the season last year and came up just short as they made it all the way to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Class A-Division I GHSA State Championship and were defeated by Cedar Grove, 49-28.
“Last year, our guys were excited about playing in Mercedes-Benz,” said Woodward. “Being there and understanding how big of a moment it was and what a privilege it was to be there I think it kind of hurt us a little because we had never been there and didn’t know what to expect. I thought the moment may have been too big for us and I think they are eager to have a shot to get back there.”
Blessed Trinity’s Ed Dudley is in his second year with the Titans after leading them to a 9-3 record a year ago in his first season. Dudley has coached high school football in the state of Georgia since 1992 and has spent time at big programs such as Buford, Walton, Ware County, Carrollton, Winder-Barrow and now the Titans of Blessed Trinity. In his more than three years of experience, this is the first time Dudley has faced the Savannah Christian Raiders football program.
“I am really pleased with the start of our season thus far,” said Dudley. “We had a pretty veteran group coming into this fall and knowing that we scheduled some tough opponents.”
Friday’s meeting between the Raiders and the Titans is a battle of what has been these teams strong suits all season long: Savannah Christian’s elite run game and defensive front against a stout defense from Blessed Trinity and a balanced Titans offensive unit. With the weather becoming what it is with Hurricane Helene inbound, expect a high volume of rushes for both teams as the storm will play a factor into both teams play-calling.
The defensive front for Savannah Christian is up there with some of the best in the state, led by a pair of 5-stars in its front seven in 2025 defensive end Elijah Griffin and 2027 edge rusher LaDamion Guyton.
Griffin and Guyton create numerous problems for the Blessed Trinity offense as both of them are ranked as the No.1 players in the state in their respective recruiting classes and top-5 players in the country. Both high-profile prospects have received offers from major college football programs around the country and will have coaches around the country pulling out all the stops to get them to commit.
Along with the star defensive linemen, the pair of junior linebackers in Reid Penrose and John Gross has been excellent to start the season, doing everything that is asked of them along with strong safety Athen Hudspeth in the backend of the Raiders defense.
“Those three guys, they represent everything we want to see in a Raider, in terms of work ethic, academics and of course on the football field,” said Woodward.
Blocking the two highly-recruited defensive stars is a daunting task, but the Blessed Trinity offensive line has held its own so far through the season as they have helped produce over 1,100 yards of total offense on the year, with over 650 yards on the ground.
“That’s a tough task right there so I think we’re going to have to use the quick-passing game, the screen game, try to get the ball out into space and get away from those guys, because they have some fabulous players upfront,” said Dudley.
The Titans offense, led by senior quarterback Brooks Goodman, has found its stride early on in the season and have faced talented defenses so far in the early season. Goodman commands a well-rounded offense, getting the ball to his playmakers out in space, having already thrown for 500 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Goodman has been able to spread the ball around with six pass-catchers recording receptions on the season. Junior wideout Quinn Davis leads the Titans in receptions and yards with 16 catches for 171 and two touchdowns. Savannah Christian’s Zo Smalls isn’t the only talented back taking the field on Friday as Blessed Trinity running back, Ahmontae Pitts, has got off to a hot start this season with over 540 all-purpose yards, leading the team in rushing (401 yards) and has the second-most receiving yards (139 yards).
For the Raiders, the Flexbone offense that has become the staple of the Savannah Christian offense this season is carried by senior running back and Georgia Southern-commit, Smalls. Smalls has been on a tear to start the season, accumulating over 870 total yards on the season including over 840 rushing yards through five games. With the help of the Savannah Christian offensive line that averages around 280-pounds, Smalls has been able to find holes in defenses all season and make plays for the Raiders offense. Junior quarterback Blaise Thomas has made good decisions with the football in running the option attack for the Raiders. While the offense for Savannah Christian is mostly focused on the run game, Thomas hasn’t had to use his arm too much thus far this season but is capable of getting the ball to his pass catchers in space.
While Savannah Christian’s Griffin and Guyton headline the Raiders defense and can get in the backfield by any means necessary, Blessed Trinity has a first-class defense as well, with sophomore edge rusher D.J. Jacobs spearheading a relentless pursuit for the Titans. The recruiting site 247Sports has Jacobs listed as a 5-star and the No. 8 player in the country and the second-highest rated player in the state only behind Savannah Christians’ Guyton. Off the edge, Jacobs size at 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds creates an elite choice for the Titans in causing chaos for opposing offenses. Last season as a freshman, Jacobs totaled 81 tackles including 14 tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles while facing some of the top talent in the state in Class 6A. This season, the sophomore has totaled 45 total tackles and four sacks in the middle of his second season. Along with Jacobs, senior safety and Boston College-commit Marcellous Townsend and freshman nose tackle Dawson Jacobs have become playmakers for the Titans defense. Townsend has totaled three interceptions on the season and Jacobs picked up his first offer from West Virginia on Tuesday. Jacobs leads a Blessed Trinity defense that has only allowed two rushing touchdowns on the season as they welcome one of the best rushing teams in the state to town on Friday night.
Loading ...
