Sandy Creek and Carver Atlanta headline the game of the week. Carver Atlanta is off to another stellar start to the season (5-1) after coming up short last year and losing in the state championship game to region rival Cedar Grove. Sandy Creek (6-1) lost to Dawson County in the first round of the state playoffs last year. Sandy Creek brings back Geimere Latimer, the reigning Class 3A offensive player of the year. Latimer has thrown for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 326 yards. Bryce Bowens is also having a phenomenal year, and Carver Atlanta heavily depends on him for their offense. Bowens has thrown for 1,022 yards and has ten total touchdowns. This region 5 3A opener is essential because only four teams are in the region this year compared to eight last year, making tiebreakers even more critical. Sandy Creek had the best overall record last year but finished third in the region because of tiebreakers.
Sandy Creek is currently on a three-game winning streak with an average margin of victory of 23 points. Sandy Creek Coach Brett Garvin talked about what has led to the consecutive wins.
“We played well on defense and practiced well the last couple of weeks. The focus level is probably the biggest thing,” said Garvin. “We’ve come out to practice focused and ready to go. Not having to scream and holler to get them to go. I’ve been really pleased with that part of it.”
Bowens is the engine that drives Carver Atlanta. Coach Darren Myles spoke about what has allowed Bowens to have a great start to the year.
“Bryce’s preparation allows him to be confident during the game. He’s a tough kid. Blitzes and tackles don’t really phase him. Everything is pretty much mental,” said Myles. “Anything that will affect him will be inside his head, not from an opponent. That’s why you see the poise from him. That’s why you see the composure. He has a live arm and is athletic enough to run to take off and hurt you with his feet.”
Coach Garvin talked about what Latimer and his younger brother Amari (a freshman) bring to Sandy Creek. Amari leads the team in rushing yards with 355 yards and has six touchdowns. Both players play a significant role in the offense.
“They are very athletic and good in space. Amari is just a 9th grader, so he is G’s little brother. G is a senior. G’s intellect and football IQ are really good, and that helps a lot,” said Garvin. “He’s almost kind of like having a coach on the field. Amari is a really hard-nosed kid with very good vision and a lot of natural football instincts. He’s a pretty good linebacker too.
A matchup that could be vital in this one is the dynamic playmakers of Carver Atlanta vs. Sandy Creek secondary. Z’yeek Mender and DeAndre Buchanon have combined for 790 yards receiving and eight touchdowns on the season.
“Well, for one, both of those guys have been playing for four years. Deandre Buchanon was a starting receiver as a freshman, so the game has started to slow down for him,” said Myles. “Z’yeek Mender did not start as a freshman on varsity, but he got some playing time. Believe it or not, he was the backup quarterback as a freshman. Neither one of them is phased by any coverage of the defensive backs or anybody coming to hit them. They are extremely tough. I am confident enough to match them against any defensive back to win their matchups. I think what’s helped them is the fact they have played since they were freshmen.”
“We can’t allow their playmakers to make big plays because they are very capable of that. All of a sudden, they throw it to #9 (Deandre Buchanon), and he takes one about 60 because he is that fast and he’s that good,” said Garvin. “So we have to make sure we keep things in front of us and keep things contained up. Don’t let them get rolling because if they start rolling, they are a beast to stop.”
Another matchup that will loom large is Carver Atlanta’s defensive line vs. Sandy Creek’s offensive line. Sandy Creek has a great rushing attack and leans heavily on the Latimers for their offense. Carver Atlanta has three guys that can get after it on the defensive line, and they are led by Aquantis Clemmons, who leads the team with six sacks. It will be an interesting chess match between both teams on that side of the ball.
“We have Aquantis Clemmons, who is a four-year starter. I believe the game has slowed down for him too. He led the state in tackles for losses as a freshman,” said Myles. “You come into the game and are thinking, okay, we got to block #57. Then you have Akliss Smith and Jamontez Hines, which can also get loose, leaving them with one-on-one blocking. Of course, there are times when those guys are holding up and occupying those offensive linemen, and linebackers are pretty much being able to roam, like Shingo Weems, for example.”
Coach Garvin talked about the keys to the game and what Sandy Creek needs to do to come out with a win and keep building momentum on the season.
“It’s not always the best team that wins, but the team that manages their mistakes the best. We must come out and manage and reduce our mistakes,” Garvin said. “You can’t give teams like Carver an open door. I promise you they are going to walk through it. We can’t do those kinds of things. We have to play as close to mistake-free football as we can.”
Carver Atlanta has one primary goal this season: to get back to the state championship game and win it all, but it first starts with Friday Night.
“You know it’s always to go 1-0, as cliche as it sounds. One of the things we talked about in the spring is that now we know it is not impossible to get to the state championship,” said Myles. “We got there, played a good first half, and didn’t finish. The goal is to get back. We talked about the process of getting there, and the process is hard work, commitment, and discipline. The big goal is to get back to the state championship game and win it.”
Carver Atlanta is 2-0 all-time vs. Sandy Creek winning their matchup last year 36-29 thanks to a 92-yard bomb from Bowens to Buchannon with four minutes left in the game.
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