This week's Central Georgia high school football scouting reports
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MaxPreps stats are based only on information input from teams, thus, statewide rankings are very incomplete.
Games of the Week
Warner Robins at Northside
The Demons had never shut out the Eagles. Until last year. They hadn’t won by more than three touchdowns since 1995. And they haven’t won more than three in a row since run of seven straight, from 1989-95. And they’ve never scored 30 or more in three straight games, entering with a pair of 39-point performances.
Coverage
Take a tour of the upgraded Henderson Stadium
The Sports Report’s Predictions
Northside is trying to reverse some history, like pretty much all of 2019, which included that stunning 39-0 loss at the end of September. The Eagles are still very much a work in progress, especially on offense. QB Elijah Robinson is off his best game – 12-25-0, 2 TDs, 169 yards – against Howard, and faces the best defense Northside will see this year.
The Demons are stronger in every phase, and show no dropoff from the teams that have been to three straight state title games. The Eagles are better than a year ago, but the planets are going to have to align in a very special way for the upset.
Howard at Central, Henderson
Four turnovers doomed Howard in its upset bid at Northside a week ago. The Huskies’ D Skinner had a nice night passing, but Howard’s running game struggled during the comeback phase. And they converted one third down in 14 tries. That’s unlikely to be repeated. Central is off the upset over Westside, but recalling last year’s 54-19 loss to Howard should bring the Chargers back down to earth.
Newnan at Mary Persons
It’s The Walker Bowl, of sorts. Rodney Walker coached at Mary Persons for six years and stayed on after that as athletics director, and is still a regular at Bulldog events. Newnan head coach Chip Walker is his son, who established a statewide rep at Sandy Creek with a 127-26-1 record in 12 years, following his dad, who 48-19 from 1999-2004 (after a 51-12 run in five years at Peach County). None of that, of course, is remotely relevant in this game. Chip surprised many by leaving the Creek for Newnan, where he is 18-17 in his fourth year, 2-0 this season. The 7A Cougars are trying to go 3-0 for the first time since 2009.
Mary Persons seems somewhat back on track after last year’s rebuilding year, with the running game ahead of the passing game. The defense is young – three seniors among the top 10 tackles – but balanced. This, though, is by far Mary Persons’ biggest challenge so far, and a quality test before region play at Peach County next week starts.
Deerfield-Windsor at Tattnall
The Knights are 2-1 in their GHSA debut (Tattnall was 3-0 after its first three GHSA games back in 2014), with one GISA win. They last played in 2013, a 12-0 Tattnall win, breaking a five-game D-W winning streak. The Trojans, under new head coach John Garrett Abernathy, seek their first 3-0 start since 2017.
The Games
6A
Houston County at Statesboro
It’s the first meeting. Statesboro is an example of nothing being forever, winning two state titles and reaching three more finals during a run of 15 straight playoff trips. That ended in 2014, and the Blue Devils have been to two postseasons since, and went 0-10 three seasons after going 10-2.
4A
Toombs County at West Laurens
This a scheduled-this-week game, the struggling Raiders getting Class AA’s No. 7 team. Toombs County will having confidence, knowing that then-No. 9 AA Bleckley County scored 27 straight in the opening win over West Laurens. The rebuilding Raiders, even at home against a smaller-class team, will have to be sharp to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2003.
Westside at Appling County
The Seminoles travel to take on one of the state’s coaching legends, Rick Tomberlin, who built a huge rep at Washington County. Tomberlin is third statewide among active coaches with 262 wins, and he has a winning percentage of 67.4 percent. The Pirates are 4-1 in their last five against Central Georgia, including 28-7 over Westside in the first round of the 3A playoffs last year. The Seminoles have never been 0-2.
Worth County at Rutland, Ed DeFore
Worth County is 2-1, the loss to Turner County, with a win over Class A Public No. 8 Mitchell County two weeks ago.
3A
Upson-Lee at McIntosh
The Knights, after losing a very, very winnable game against Harris County, are on the road a few days after the death of former head coach Tommy Parks (who went to U-L from Harris County). The 5A Chiefs are 0-3 and have had losing seasons five of the last six seasons. Still, Upson-Lee has to come out sharp and avoid the mistakes that have doomed them in close losses in recent years.
AA
Bleckley County at Vidalia
Vidalia, 0-1, leads the series 11-4, but the teams haven’t played since 2009. The Royals eye their third 3-1 start in the past four years.
Jasper County/Monticello at Morgan County
A pair of 0-2 teams with opposite numbers meet. Morgan County has been outscored 18-11, JC/M 77-14. History very much favors the home team, up 28-4 in the series.
Oglethorpe County at East Laurens
Odds are very strong that East Laurens will go 2-1 for the first time since 2015. Alas, that year, the Falcons started 4-0 and finished 0-6.
Putnam County at Social Circle
The War Eagles have won two straight in the series, 54-35 and 49-14, and hope to go 3-0 for the first time since 2017, which ended up 5-5. The 3-0 start before that? All the way back to 1996, and that was a 12-3 season finishing with a 16-8 loss to Macon County in the Class A championship.
Randolph Clay at Southwest, Thompson
A Class A Public team that went 0-10 last year is in the way of Southwest’s first season-opening win since stunning Westside 26-12 in 2017. The visiting Red Devils are 2-29 since going 7-4 in 2016, and they scored 135 points total the past two seasons.
Thomas County Central at Lamar County
Class 4A TCC is 0-2, including a 34-7 opening loss to Class AA Thomasville. Lamar County cringes at last week’s one-point loss to Jackson, and has sights set on its first win over a 4A-or-bigger program since thumping 6A Alcovy 20-7 in 2015, a week after popping 5A Ola 27-14.
Washington County at Swainsboro
It was a playoff atmosphere when the two got together for an unscheduled game on Sept. 11, a 20-14 Swainsboro win. The Golden Hawks have scored 14 points in both games, and the Tigers won a defensive 12-6 game over 6A Statesboro last week.
A
Brookstone at Mount de Sales
Both teams are off losses before their first meeting, Brookstone 22-7 to FPD and MdS 24-0 to Wesleyan.
Cherokee Bluff at GMC
The visiting Bears are a 2-0 3A team that’s scored 44 and 49 points against a 5A and 4A team.
FPD at Aquinas
They’ve played but three times, in 2012-13 and in 2016. Two of Aquinas’ wins this year have been over 3A programs, by a whopping 120-33 margin. FPD’s Parker Ingram is in the top 50 statewide with 210 yards passing a game.
Hancock Central at Greene County
The Bulldogs don’t have far to go for the rival game. Sort of. They’ve played 43 times. Greene County has won 38, but Hancock Central did win 54-42 in 2017 on the road.
Hawkinsville at Telfair County
It’s the 4-A Public opener for Hawkinsville, which hasn’t played Telfair County since 2009, but has won nine straight in the series, dating back to 39-0 in 1996, the first of three straight shutouts.
Marion County at Macon County
The visitors are 4-1 against the hosts, who are in the state’s top 5 but face a program that’s 23-4 the last two seasons with trips to the semifinals and final. New Marion County head coach Billy Law moved from Macon County after two decades at Marion County as an assistant.
Pataula Charter at ACE
The Gryphons won the first two meetings, 35-12 and 35-22.
Taylor County at Schley County
Schley County is 2-0 and ranked fourth in A-Public, beating Deerfield-Windsor 29-21 and Wilcox County 20-19. The Vikings lead the series 15-5, but the Wildcats have won the last two, 41-7 and 49-14.
Wilkinson County at Irwin County
The teams played three times in a four-year span in the middle of the last decade, Irwin County winning 43-34, 41-14, and 30-15.
GISA/GAPPS
Briarwood at Trinity Christian
TCS has played three games and Briarwood one, and both are 0-for.
Edmund Burke at Brentwood
The War Eagles have some momentum from a 34-14 win over Briarwood, and EB has lost two straight.
John Milledge at Savannah Christian
A GHSA/GISA crossover game that features one of the state’s top QBs in Spencer Robicheaux of SC, with 737 yards and nine TDs. John Milledge beat GMC 49-13 in 2017 and 44-10 in 2016.
Memorial Day at Piedmont
This is the first GISA game for both, who are a combined 3-0 against GAPPS programs.
Gatewood at Terrell
The combatants in the 2018 title game meet. Gatewood won that one 51-17, and took last year’s meeting 60-21, part of an ongoing 11-game winning streak.
Aucilla, Fla. at Fullington
The teams play again at Aucilla in October.