This week's Central Georgia high school football scouting reports
Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by midnight Friday or by 10:30 a.m. Saturday for inclusion in Central Georgia’s only comprehensive roundup.
Second Round
GHSA
Griffin (R2/2, 7-4) at No. 10 Jones County (R4/1, 8-3)
Maxwell picks
Warner Robins over Woodward by 40
Jones County over Griffin by 11
Perry over LaGrange by 11
Carver over Baldwin by 8
Appling County over Upson-Lee by 27
Peach County over Thomson by 16
Pierce County over Central by 31
Early County over Bleckley County by 5
Fitzgerald over Northeast by 27
Thomasville over Dodge County by 4
Calvary Day over FPD by 4
ELCA over Stratford by 22
Brooks County over Dublin by 7
Lincoln County over Hancock Central by 1
Macon County over Warren County by 21
The Bears have used four different QBs, but complete barely half of their passes as a team. They have a variety of targets, though. Jones County has more than twice as many touchdowns – 54-26 – and owns more weapons all over the place. The underrated defense is led by Deon Richardson (9.4 tackles a game) and JaVorious Venerable (9 TFLs).
Woodward Academy (R3/2, 7-4) at No. 2 Warner Robins (R1/1, 9-1)
The War Eagles can get stuffed on the ground, managing eight yards against Marist and 48 a few weeks ago against Creekside. They’ll face arguably the best defense they’ve seen when they visit The Mac, between sophomore Victor Burley up front (20 TFLs) to Ahmad Walker and Demarcious Robinson at LB, and Xavier Hill (three INTs) in the back.
LaGrange (R2/2, 8-3) at No. 8 Perry (R4/1, 6-4)
Lane Rucker is 190 yards from 2,000 yards passing for the season – not a norm for the Panthers – and Mikhail Kendrick 58 yards rushing from 1,000. Perry has three targets with at least 370 yards (Curtis Head, Daequan Wright, and Brantley Gibson), and a defense that has several playmakers. The Grangers were a playoff program, and then hit a drought for a decade. Perry eyes its third quarterfinal trip in history, dating back to the first one, in 1959.
No. 9 Baldwin (R4/2, 5-1) at No. 3 Carver-Columbus (R2/1, 9-0), Saturday
The Tigers have made the playoffs 15 years in a row, winning a state title in 2007 under Dell McGee. They haven’t passed this round since 2013, and didn’t play a ranked team in 2020, playing only a region schedule. Baldwin QB Derrick Lewis passed for five TDs last week as the Braves survived. Carver has cracked 40 points five times, so Baldwin’s defense has a task against an efficient and balanced offense.
No. 10 Thomson (R4/2, 9-2) at No. 3 Peach County (R2/1, 8-1)
Thomson is one of the state’s top programs, having missed the postseason only twice since the mid 1990s and going quarters-final-quarters in 2015-16-17. Thomson won the first meeting, 20-17 in 1974. The teams last played in 2010, a second-round 33-0 Peach County win. The Trojans muddled through being COVID-undermanned and thumped Johnson-Savannah last week with a heavy run offense. They’ll be back to normal, and are likely to need to be.
Central (R2/3, 6-3) at No. 6 Pierce County (R1/1, 9-1)
Jalik Thomas is 180 yards passing and 101 yards rushing from an impressive 1,000/1,000-yard season for the Chargers. The passing game on the road against a ranked team will be huge, and the Chargers have thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns, eight. Pierce County has only nine interceptions, but 39 sacks. The Bears have won 11 of their last 12 at home, the loss to Hart County in last year’s second round.
Upson-Lee (R2/4, 6-5) at No. 8 Appling County (R1/2, 8-1)
The Knights haven’t beaten a ranked team since 12-3 over No. 8/4 Griffin early in the 2007 season, and haven’t gotten past this round – which they’ve only reached four times since debuting in 1992 – since 1993. Milique Smith has been huge in taking over at a banged-up running back spot, with 992 yards and 11 TDs. QB Jake Davis is 173 passing yards from 1,000 for the year, but is completing only 42.6 percent of his passes, so a huge jump in efficiency on the road is vital.
No. 3 Thomasville (R1/2, 7-4) at No. 9 Dodge County (R3/1, 6-3)
A good ol’ fashioned throwdown awaits in Eastman between teams better than their records. The Bulldogs lost to Brooks County by six, 4A Bainbridge by 14, and Fitzgerald by one. The Indians have lost three games by a total of 14 points. Dodge County’s time- and yards-consuming offense gets a lot of help from a defense that has three shutouts in the last five games, including a mighty impressive 35-0 thumping last week of Swainsboro, that included defensive points from Reco Caines’ fumble return for a score. Thomasville QB Ronnie Baker has completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 1,775 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Northeast (R3/2, 7-2) at No. 1 Fitzgerald (R1/1, 10-0)
These two played a first-round game in 2012, homestanding Fitzgerald winning 35-19. Northeast is balanced, with Travion Solomon passing for 2,051 yards – a program record, by a chunk – on a 62.2-percent completion rate. Kalik Evans has 854 yards rushing. Thomasville’s balance kept Fitzgerald in a hole a month ago, the Purple Hurricane pulling out a wild and weird one-point win. Northeast has been in more close games, so if the Raiders can avoid early mistakes and perhaps force some, they can make it interesting.
Bleckley County (R3/4, 6-3) at No. 6 Early County (R1/3, 6-2)
The Royals are one of two fourth seeds still playing, and they no doubt had one of the most attention-getting 4-over-1 wins in awhile, blistering Vidalia 56-15. The 41-point margin tied for the second-biggest blowout in AA last round. No doubt Early County’s eyes were widened, the Bobcats bouncing Putnam County by the same score. But Vidalia was a much stronger opponent. Bleckley County’s defense bowed up after giving up 37 and 42 on consecutive weeks, responding with the effort against Vidalia. Bleckley County eyes its first quarterfinal trip since Sam Barrs’ group did it in 2006 in an 8-5 season that included a Sept. win over Vidalia.
No. 3 Brooks County (R2/2, 10-1) at No. 2 Dublin (R4/1, 10-1)
Brooks County can travel by air – 1,607 passing yards, 21 TDs to five INTs – or by ground – 2,270 yards, 31 TDs – while Dublin keeps its feet down, rushing 89 percent of the time. Second-leading rusher Quay Ashley was out last week, and the Irish coughed it up four times, half of their season total at the time. Dublin has 13 interceptions, and returned three for a touchdown, notable on a night when the secondary will be tested. Will weather affect Brooks County’s plan? The Irish will be focused on QB Nate Burrus, who has completed 57.3 percent for 1,563 yards and rushed for another 422 and eight touchdowns. These teams have played only three times, all in the past three seasons, including last year’s 42-32 AA title win by Dublin. Brooks County won 13-10 at the Shamrock Bowl early in the 2018 season.
Warren County (R7/2, 8-2) at No. 6 Macon County (R5/1, 9-1)
QB Jakalen Williams is completing only 50.3 percent of his passes, but has a 3-1 TD-to-INT ratio. Davion Clark is 119 from 1,000 for the season, and has 12 rushing touchdowns. The balance helps make up for some hiccups, and allows for some gambles. Warren County is a run-heavy team averaging less than 10 pass attempts a game, so avoiding an early comeback scenario is huge.
Lincoln County (R8/3, 6-4) at Hancock Central (R7/1, 7-0)
The visitors have missed the state playoffs once since the Reagan administration, in 2018. The hosts have made the state playoffs six times in that span. The visitors have two state championships, a runner-up, and four semifinal visits this century. The hosts have never gotten past this round, in two other seasons.
Calvary Day (R3/2, 7-4) at FPD (R1/2, 7-4)
FPD will have a more complete complement this time around, compared to the 42-17 Calvary Day win on Oct. 2. The Vikings lost a week later, and have gone 5-1 since then, cracking 40 points three times along the way. The Cavaliers made the quarters in 2016-17-18, and the finals in 2013. Calvary Day is 0-3 against ranked teams, losing by 35 (Prince Avenue), 34 (North Cobb Christian), and seven (Savannah Christian). The Vikings haven’t played a ranked team.
Stratford (R1/3, 8-2) at No. 2 Eagle’s Landing Christian (R2/1, 8-3)
ELCA’s losses are against hefty competition: 5A No. 2 Blessed Trinity 38-14, No. 2 3A Crisp County 34-14, and No. 6 3A Pierce County 20-13, all in a three-week stretch early in the season. The Chargers also got a forfeit win from Pace, and are in a region that had only three teams this year (Our Lady of Mercy opted out). Stratford’s Ben Jamison is 42 yards from 1,000 for the year, the Eagles running 90 percent of the time out of the wing-T. But the 26 completions have gone for 560 yards and 10 touchdowns. Worth noting: Stratford has only two turnovers all year, and hasn’t lost a fumble.
GISA
Semifinals
Seed in parentheses with record; rankings through MaxPreps and committee
Westfield (4, 7-2-1) at John Milledge (1, 9-0)
The staggering number from the meeting a few weeks ago: 27. That’s how many yards of total offense Westfield managed, all on the ground with only one pass attempt. The Trojans are opening up a little bit, and passed for 160 yards on 18 tries in that game. It’s a task for Westfield, facing a team that seems to avoid overconfidence very well.
SW Georgia (8-3) at Gatewood (1, 9-1)
The visiting Warriors average 41.6 points a game to 30 for the hosts. And they give up nine more points a game. Both are playoff veterans.
Briarwood (6-4-1) at Brentwood (2, 7-2)
Brentwood and its clock-eating run game have won five of their last six home playoff games. Briarwood lost 49-7 to Gatewood in last year’s final.