With high school football well underway, there are numerous standout players all over the state. Georgia is stocked with next-level talent, but here are five players from the Score Prep coverage area (Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Cherokee, Forsyth and Calhoun counties) that fans will want to watch out for this season.
OL JaWuan James, North Gwinnett: James is considered by many the best offensive tackle in the state and in the Southeast. He has been the anchor of a North Gwinnett spread offense, one of the most prolific in the state over the past few years. Just ask Brookwood, which suffered a 41-13 defeat against the Bulldogs last week. James was able to keep Mikey Tamburo, now at Boise State, upright for the past few seasons. James has great feet, which is a must for an elite lineman. He also has very long arms and great body control. If North Gwinnett reaches the state championship for the second time in three years, it will be in large part because of James and the rest of the offensive line. James will play college football for the University of Alabama next season.
RB Mack Brown, M.L. King: The State of Georgia has always been known for great running backs such as Garrison Hearst, Jonathan Dwyer and of course Herschel Walker. Will Mack Brown one day be mentioned in that same class of great backs? It’s definitely a possibility the way the senior has performed over his high school career. Brown had a stellar junior season in ‘08 with over 1,700 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. In his first game of the 2009 season, he faced a tough Southwest DeKalb defense and only tallied 66 yards on 21 carries. However, he was able to regain some momentum in the contest against North Cobb, as he racked up 138 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns. Brown has excellent speed and also has great balance. He is known as power back, but also has great speed and cut-back ability. He has committed to play football at the University of Florida in 2010 and will fit well in Urban Meyer’s spread offense.
RB Ken Malcome, SW DeKalb: If Mack Brown is the best running back in the state, then Kendrun Malcome is not far behind him. As I mentioned earlier, M.L. King faced off against Southwest DeKalb in the season opener for both schools, with Malcome carrying the ball 17 times for 75 yards in the defensive battle against the Lions. Malcome does not have the speed of Brown, but he can run over defenders and has excellent vision. The Panthers have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but if they want to take home another state title for head coach Buck Godfrey, Malcome will have to keep up his ferocious downhill running. He will play for the University of Georgia next fall.
OL Kolton Houston, Buford: Class 2A Buford has hands-down been the most dominant team in the state over the last few years, as the Wolves have not lost a game since December 2006. This season, Kolton Houston is the player that makes that team go game in and game out. He was named first-team All-State last year as a junior by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. Houston and the Buford offense have won their first two games in convincing fashion, scoring 86 points against North Hall and Grovetown combined. The one big asset that Houston displays is his versatility; the big, athletic lineman can play any position on the O-line. He has also played a good amount of defensive tackle and has been very effective at that position as well. Houston will bring his athleticism to Athens next year, as he signed earlier this year to play for Georgia.
DT Garrison Smith, Douglass: There has never been a shortage of great defensive linemen in the State of Georgia and this year is no different. Garrison Smith is not only the best defensive tackle in the metro area, he may be the best defensive player in the state. He is on a Douglass team that has struggled to find wins recently and has lost its first two games this season. But the defense has been a bright spot for the Astros, only giving up 10 points per game, and a lot of it has to do with the play of Smith. Scouts took notice of him last season when he tallied 108 tackles, 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles while rotating between the tackle and end positions. With a dominant player like Smith, expect Douglass to be in every game this season. He will play for the Bulldogs of UGA in September of 2010.
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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