MMQB: Around Central Georgia

No more polls until the end of the season, then once by divisions and once with all teams, as well as the Maxwell Ratings computer list

Who coined the phrase “SEC West on steroids”

          This guy, in a different writing life, on the Region 1-6A of a few years ago when everybody was a top-10 team, when a 7-3 Houston County team with Jake Fromm went from No. 1 to not making the playoffs.

          Here we go again, different version, with not everybody being playoff caliber and some having odd seasons, yet all four are in the quarterfinals.

          Valdosta stumbled around with losses of 48-13, 71-36, and 63-7, leading to folks in that part of Lowndes County to start wailing for wholesale changes.

          Those losses, of course, came to 7A No. 1, 7A No. 9, and No. 1 in 6A.

          And the Wildcats are still here.

          Coffee started off 6-0, with only one team – then-No. 5 in 5A Ware County - managing to creep up to 14 points. Then the Trojans went 1-3, giving up three fewer points in a 30-20 loss to Northside than they’d given up all year.

          They were outscored 65-29 in the other two losses. Of course, all three losses were to ranked region rivals.

          And the Trojans are still here.

Then there’s Northside, which teetered on the brink of its first non-winning season since 1991, a 3-7 year under Stan Gann, the Eagles only losing season since 1970.

          With losses to 3A No. 4, 5A No. 9/6, 5A No. 6/7, 6A No. 1 and No. 9/10.

          Six of Northside’s opponents are still playing.

          In the latest Maxwell Ratings, Northside is 37th among all 422 GHSA teams, and is third among teams with non-normal-quarterfinal records, behind No. 24 Camden County (7A, 7-4), and No. 30 Marietta (7A, 5-6).

          Lee County is second, Valdosta 32nd, and Coffee 54th.

          All but Lee County are on the road for the quarterfinal, head to north and northeast of the perimeter in Atlanta.

          Should all four win – no real stretch – Friday, then Northside would visit Valdosta and Coffee would be at Lee County.

Fans bored with success? Busy?

          Friday’s kickoff weather as of Wednesday afternoon: between 20-50 percent chance of rain at kickoff, temps around 50. Maybe more rain, maybe not.

          It’s been worse.

          That’ll probably be enough to keep a lot of people home where they can not really find out what’s going on by listening to the radio.

          Of course, too many people have been doing that even with nice weather.

          Baldwin’s Jesse Hicks went off a bit in the Milledgeville Union-Recorder about the upstart Braves’ bandwagon having way too many empty seats.

          “It’s disappointing, not to me per se, but because it affects the kids,” he told the paper. “It’s hurtful to see them affected by it. The city does not understand how it makes these kids feel when they show up. It takes the football to another level. I’m begging the people to please come out and support these kids.” 

          And how that place can’t be close to packed on the home side for a visit from a power like Cartersville is astounding.

          Dublin head coach Roger Holmes said one problem is that now a lot of former longtime Irish fans have kids going elsewhere, and grandkids in another school’s band.

          Warner Robins’ home crowds the past two seasons, during this 24-3 run, have been anything but impressive, the Demons rarely coming close to filling the two fan sections of McConnell-Talbert, including for the likes of nationally ranked Colquitt County.

          “But there are people walking around.”

          Not because there’s no room in the stands, because they’re not there – as is the case elsewhere, too – for the game.

          Weather aside, how many area home teams’ stadiums will be full Friday night is debatable. And disappointing.

          It’s the quarterfinals. Do what you expect your team to do, and show up. If you must leave, leave, but at least bow up and last a quarter.

          Show up or shut up.

John Milledge bids farewell to Marchman

Friends, fans, colleagues mourn Marchman’s loss

          J.T. Wall is used to giving speeches with emotion, but when he’s surrounded by teen agers on a football field.

          Sunday was a mighty different.

          The John Milledge head coach spoke at the funeral of former JMA head and assistant coach Don Marchman, who died a few days earlier at the age of 69, only a few weeks after cancer took his wife of 44 years.

          “It was kinda rough,” said Wall. “We had it here at the school. It was a packed house at the Trojan Center.”

          Marchman had been battling dementia for about four years.

          “I talked to him and his wife, and we kinda came up with the idea that he needs to be doing something,” said Wall, who played for Marchman for one season and then was hired by him years later. “We brought him back, and he was kinda helping with the middle school, and then he was helping us on Friday nights. It kept him busy.

          “He’d been on the sideline with us about every game up until this year.”

          Wall said he hardly ever saw any signs of what Marchman was fighting.

          “Twenty years ago when he was coaching me, he’d tell the same story two or three times,” Wall said. “I’m around people like that all the time. I do the same thing.

          “He was a great man, and he meant a lot to all of us.”

Transfer talk

          Jordan Slocum up and left Southwest late in the summer and transferred to the greener grass of Hapeville-Charter, a Class AA program that won last year’s state title – in its seventh season – after reaching the semifinals.

          Alas, Slocum was never able to get out of the backup role, although he shared time early with Jeremy Stephens.

          While at Southwest and through the summer, according to his Twitter feed, Slocum had been offered by Colorado State, Rutgers, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida Atlantic, and Morgan State.

          The feed has been pretty quiet since before transferring, with no mentions of any offers.

          Teams have to input stats into Maxpreps, so between Southwest and Hapeville, there’s no telling what Slocum’s numbers really are.

          From what the two teams did offer, Slocum completed 45.8 percent of his passes for 2,527 yards, 29 TDs and 13 INTs, going 158 for 345.

          Hapeville only put stats in for about six games, and has Slocum going 9 for 15 for 249 yards, three scores and a pick in five games.

          It’s doubtful Southwest would have been a playoff team had Slocum stayed, but he’d have started and played against teams with quality prospects (in region alone) and no doubt had some games with attention-getting numbers.

          He’ll still get a look – those first three seasons happened – but his stock only dropped. Sometimes the better team isn’t the better move.