The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame game takes place in Grayson at 8 PM on Peachtree TV. Many notable Hall of Famers will be there, including Andre Hastings, Bill Curry, Emerson Boozer, Herschel Walker, Larry Kinnebrew, Matt Stinchcomb, and many more. This weekend marks the inaugural class of the Georgia High School Hall of Fame as Georgia starts a new tradition thanks to I.J. Rosenberg’s vision and the many others who helped bring it to life. The induction ceremony will be held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Ga, at 7 PM.
Brookwood comes into this game at 4-3 (2-0 in region 4) and has rattled off three straight wins after going through a gauntlet of a schedule that included nationally ranked Bishop Gorman. Grayson is 6-1 (2-0 in region 4), with their only loss coming on the road to Lowndes.
Brookwood brings in talented QB Dylan Lonergan (Alabama Commit), who has 15 total touchdowns on the season, six of them going to talented receiver Bryce Dopson. Brookwood coach Philip Jones talked about the tandem and their chemistry this season.
“They are great friends, probably best friends. You become in sync with the other person whenever you are together all the time,” said Jones. “They practice together a lot, so I’m sure that is a big part of it. They’ve been playing together for a long time. On the field, they are comfortable and know each other well.”
A matchup that could loom large in this game is Brookwood’s playmakers vs. Grayson’s secondary. Dopson leads Brookwood in receiving yards and touchdowns. Miles Massengill leads the team in receptions. Grayson has been more susceptible to giving up the big play down the field this year because of different players starting in the rotation due to injury.
“Here in the last couple of years, people have had success on us just when we have a letdown and people hit a big play. That has kind of been our Achilles heel. If you look at the Lowndes game, we turned it over right out of the game, and then they hit a deep ball to get down to the one on the very first play of the game,” said Carter. “If you let Dopson and Lee Niles run vertical balls and give Lonergan time, you are in trouble because they can flat-out fly. We have a huge challenge. They are the best offense we have seen by far. I think we have a chance to be pretty good defensively. We are dealing with the injury bug right now and have been for a couple of weeks. We haven’t had the same starters in our secondary back-to-back weeks all season.”
An under-the-radar player who could have offers rolling in soon and could be a significant factor in this game is linebacker Tyler Atkinson. Atkinson is a starting linebacker for Grayson as a freshman. He leads the team in sacks and is second with 61 total tackles. Last game, he had 11 tackles, a pass breakup, and a sack. Coach Carter talked about what has the young player playing so well early in his career.
“He is a special talent in all aspects of the game. Physically, he is unlike any other freshman that I have been around. He knows the game and is a competitor,” said Carter. “He makes mistakes, but he is a 14-year-old kid out there playing Friday Night Football. When he makes his mistakes, he is still going 100 miles per hour. Any defensive coach in the country will tell you to get me a big, physical kid that can run and let him play hard, and I will take it. He has a ton of accolades, and he deserves it.”
Offensively, the key for Grayson will be establishing the rushing attack and continuing to lean on Joe Taylor and Dylan Elder. Last year Taylor ran for 1,092 yards and 12 TDS and had been dominant running the football. Grayson also has dangerous playmakers on the outside in Caden High and Jojo Stone Jr, so you have to pick your poison.
“Joe is a great kid and is definitely a leader of our offense. He is going to run hard. Anytime he touches the ball, he is trying to score. I can’t talk highly enough of Joe,” said Carter. “Caden High and Jojo Stone Jr are pretty dynamic with the ball in their hands in space. People can’t just focus on them, which allows them to do much more. They are explosive kids. They want the ball in their hands—a bunch of positives when it comes to football with them two for sure. I think Caden, being a senior, wanted to leave his mark this year. He’s been our constant big play guy on offense all season.”
“They have Joe Taylor, running back who is a physical, downhill kid who is having a good year for them. A couple of other running backs to compliment him,” said Jones. “When you commit too much to stop the run, they are good enough with their athletes in space and their quarterback to take advantage of you downfield. They are doing a really good job on offense this year.”
For Brookwood, it starts with linebacker Malcolm Mccain who has 76 tackles and six sacks. Mccain is a Miami (OH) commit. His play and the defensive line could be crucial factors in this game in slowing down the Grayson offense. Coach Jones talked about the players that have made a difference this year on the defensive side of the ball for Brookwood.
“It starts for us up front and center with Myles Parker, our nose guard. He’s 6’1 and about 320 pounds. He is incredibly strong and athletic for his size and is a division 1 player. Malcolm is ultra-dependable,” said Jones. “He shows up ready to work every day and is serious about the task. He is a leader, physical, instinctive, and does everything so well. The guy that has stepped up and made a huge difference for us this year is Noah Holton. I think he has four interceptions this year. He also had a fumble return for the touchdown. Last year, he was playing on the scout team.”
Friday night will be an exciting contest between both teams with mutual respect for one another and a rivalry currently tied at 7-7 all-time. Brookwood won 35-14 on the road in Grayson last year to tie the series. There isn’t a better way to bring in the inaugural hall of fame class than with a marquee 7A region matchup in Gwinnett County.
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