Friday night's Central Georgia high school football scouting reports
Game of the week
Northside (4-4, 1-1) at Valdosta (5-4, 2-1)
The good news for the Wildcats is that they have the region’s top rusher, Rajaez Mosley with 802 yards. But Northside has No. 2 and 3 in Jadin Daniels and Eric Smith, Daniels only eight yards back. Valdsota does have the passing edge with Tate Rodemaker, who has 2,404 yards and 23 touchdown passes, with Aalah Brown, Jaheim Bell, and Tarrell Roberts 1-2-3 in receiving yards in the region. The Wildcats have scored 63 more points in one more game than the Eagles, but Northside is giving up 20.3 points a game to 32.1 for Valdosta.
Games of the week
Thomas County Central (5-3, 0-2) at Veterans (7-1, 1-1)
Veterans brings a larger arsenal of weapons, with QB Sebastian Verger, RB Cyrus Zuell, PK Daniel Gibbs, and both teams are a little more offense-oriented. But the Warhawks get more than 100 more yards a game on offense and allow 11.5 more yards a game defensively. TCC has given up six more touchdowns than Veterans, which leads the region in rushing offense and defense.
West Laurens (5-3, 1-2) at Upson-Lee (5-3, 2-1)
The visitors are playing for their playoff lives, the hosts are playing for the possibility of hosting a playoff game for the first time in decades. The wet weather is an advantage for the Raiders, who rely less on the pass. Then again, Upson-Lee has some tough-to-corral skill players with Daymon Thomas, Thadd Webb, and Demeke Colbert. Thomas ran through a solid Howard defense last week for 261 yards and four touchdowns. QB Jake Davis had a bad game against Mary Persons and got better against Howard. The Knights have a little more balance, and how the Raiders respond to last week’s 52-13 loss to Mary Persons.
The Matchups
Class 4A
Perry (5-3, 1-2) at Mary Persons (8-0, 3-0)
Perry brings some momentum after breaking a three-game losing streak with a win at Spalding last week, and there’s a chance Mary Persons could be a little flat after dominating West Laurens 52-13 in Dexter. Perry’s Lane Rucker is among the state’s leaders with 2,260 yards passing, completing 53.5 percent. But can the Panthers slow down QB J.T. Hartage (1,711 yards, 71-percent completions, 15 TDs, 2 INTs ), and playmaker Quen Wilson (962 rushing yards, 19 TDs, 383 receiving yards)?
Howard (5-3, 2-1) at Spalding (3-5, 0-3)
Spalding is now in the spoiler role in the region, but can still finish with a non-losing season. Howard is working toward a strong finish, and with powerful Mary Persons as the regular-season finale, the Huskies need the win to stay in the hunt for a home playoff game. They had good stats last week, but gave up too many big plays against Upson-Lee.
Class 3A
Westside (6-2, 4-0) at Pike County (6-2, 2-2)
The Seminoles are on a four-game winning streak, and three haven’t been close, by 39, 33, and 37. It’s doubtful this game will be a blowout, being on the road against a team that’s trying to improve its playoff seeding by a spot, battling Jackson for third. The Pirates have some tasks with Westside QB Victor Dixon (1,269 yards, 10 TDs) and big running back Tyshaun Freeman (926 yards, 10 TDs). If the field becomes an issue, the Seminoles can travel by ground with a short passing game.
The Games
Class 6A
Houston County (2-6, 0-2) at Lee County (8-0, 2-0)
Class 5A
Jones County (7-1, 4-1) at Ola (1-7, 0-5)
Class 3A
Peach County (6-2, 4-0) at Jackson (5-3, 3-1)
Rutland (0-8, 0-4) at Central (2-7, 1-4), at Ed DeFore
Class AA
Bleckley County (3-5, 1-3) at Dodge County (8-1, 4-1)
Washington County (7-1, 3-1) at Northeast (3-5, 2-2), at Thompson
East Laurens (1-7, 0-4) at Southwest (2-6, 0-4), at Henderson
Putnam County (2-6, 1-4) at Elbert County (5-3, 3-2)
Banks County (4-4, 3-2) at Monticello (3-5, 2-3)
Lamar County (3-5, 1-3) at Heard County (6-2, 4-0)
Class A
Greenville (2-6, 1-4) at Crawford County (2-6, 0-5)
Manchester (5-3, 3-2) at Dooly County (4-4, 3-2)
Central Talbotton (0-8, 0-5) at Hawkinsville (2-6, 1-4)
Brookstone (6-2, 4-1) at Macon County (4-4, 3-2)
Marion County (8-0, 5-0) at Taylor County (4-4, 3-2)
Tattnall (5-3, 4-0) at FPD (2-6, 2-2)
Lincoln County (3-5, 1-4) at Hancock Central (5-3, 3-2)
Stratford (3-5, 2-2) at Twiggs County (0-8, 0-4)
Mount de Sales (7-1, 3-1) at Wilkinson County (1-7, 1-3)
GISA
Pinewood Christian (2-6, 0-2) at Trinity Christian (4-4, 0-2)
John Milledge (9-0) at Frederica (6-2)
Flint River (5-4, 1-0) at Gatewood (5-2, 0-0)
Edmund Burke (5-3, 2-0) at Brentwood (6-3, 2-0)