PREP BEAT: Friday night news and notes

Valdosta and Lowndes will get together tonight with both teams in the top 10. It’s the 49th time the “Winnersville Classic” will be played and this one is as big as any in recent memory. This is one of the biggest high school football rivalries in the nation, matching what some refer to as the best program in the country – Valdosta – (hence the Winnersville nickname) with Lowndes, who has won three state titles since the Wildcats last won one. Randy McPherson’s Vikings have won the past six games, which is by far their longest streak in the rivalry. Lowndes is coming off a bye week, which came after a disappointing 3-0 win over Ware County. Valdosta, meanwhile, defeated Atlanta power M.L. King last week on the road and has had just five days to recover. One interesting matchup to watch is the Valdosta passing game against the Lowndes secondary. Quarterback Ryan Whilden will look for Score 44 TE Jay Rome, a highly sought-after college prospect. But the Vikings are stacked at DB, with three major college prospects of their own in Geraldo Orta, Tyler Hunter and Kenneth Durden. … Former Georgia Bulldog Michael Lemon has a very talented brother. Stratford running back Marquez Lemon has tallied 21 touchdowns and 986 rushing yards already this year. … No. 8 Johnson County has benefitted from having duel-threat quarterback DJ Rozier, who has 933 yards passing and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 526 yards and six touchdowns. … Class AAAA No. 2 Clarke Central is averaging 42 points per game and has not scored less than 34 in any game all year. … Gainesville LB/RB AJ Johnson has scored four touchdowns out of the Wildcat formation this year for the Red Elephants. Johnson has committed to play linebacker at Tennessee next year. … GAC is having quite the turnaround season. The Spartans went 1-9 last season but are off to a 4-1 start this year. Tim Cokely’s team will play 4-2 Decatur tonight.

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