Scouting Reports: A look at this weekend’s Central Georgia playoff games
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Games at 7:30 p.m. unless noted
Composite rankings are compiled by the Georgia High School Football Daily, from the AJC, GPB, ScoreAtlanta, 680 The Fan, Maxwell, and MaxPreps.
Stats: MaxPreps stats are based only on what is reported and posted by teams. If teams don’t put the information in or update in a timely manner, it makes for an incomplete and misleading list. Stats are used in coverage as often as possible, but only if updated. Incomplete stats used will be noted as not completely updated.
Coaches/teams: please send game information/stats to centralgasports@gmail.com by 2 a.m., or by 10:30 a.m. Saturday to be included in Central Georgia’s only complete roundup.
GHSA
Class 6A
No. 8 Houston County, R1/4, 10-2, at No. 5 Gainesville, R8/1, 12-0
Two schools familiar with playoff meetings on the baseball field have never met in football. Gainesville is hot after a stretch of major mediocrity – six years, 11 games under .500, and the first playoff-free season since 1999 – after seven years at least 10 wins. That included a 14-1 season in 2009, and loss to Peach County in the AAA final, as well as a 12-3 season and 5A title in 2012. It’s also a battle of first-year head coaches, Houston County’s Jeremy Edwards and Gainesville’s Josh Niblett. Edwards was a career assistant before moving from Warner Robins’ offensive coordinator job to the southside, while Niblett was recruited from Alabama power Hoover, where he went 171-26, including three 6A and three 7A state titles from 2008-21. There are, though, similarities on paper. Houston County passes for 50.1 more yards a game, and Gainesville runs for 36.3 more yards. The TD-INT ratios are absurd, and close: 37-3 for Houston County, 32-4 for Gainesville. The Bears have picked off 10 passes, the Red Elephants 11. Houston County, though, has 13 more sacks, led by EJ Nobles’ five. Houston County is going for its second semifinal trip ever. The first? In the Bears’ third varsity season, back in 1993. Gainesville is going for its sixth. Houston County has already ended the season of one undefeated team on its home turf. Gainesville has won 11 of its last 12 home games. Houston County is playing for assistant coach and head ninth-grade coach Scott Lamb, who is in serious condition with an illness in a Macon hospital.
Class 5A
No. 8T Warner Robins, R1/2, 8-4, at No. 2 Creekside, R5/1, 10-2
This is a rematch of last year’s semifinal, moved to Banneker because of capacity issues at Creekside. The home-away-from-home crowd watched the Demons put on something of a clinic in a 40-15 win, Warner Robins’ 11th win – as of that point – by 20 points or more. Creekside, a region champ last year, finished 11-3. This year, both are 2 seeds, the Seminoles at home again courtesy of the coin flip. They’re better, too. A year ago, Creekside’s scoring margin was plus 18.79, and it gave up 18, 34, and 13 in the three games before playing Warner Robins. This year’s margin is 30.6, and the Seminoles have five shutouts in their 10-game winning streak. Two wins were by a total of three points: 10-8 over East St. Louis to start the streak, and 22-21 over Mays, which is still playing. Warner Robins isn’t nearly as explosive or balanced as last year, although they have some similar scores to last year. Some. The scoring margin difference is much less, though, 13 points this year to 29.5 points last year. Warner Robins got going after changing offensive coordinators, from new hire Kevious Johnson – who subsequently left the team – to Caleb Daffron, a former teammate at Houston County of Jake From – after the loss to the Bears. But the run game hasn’t spark, standout Malcolm Brown returned from injury, and the Demons lost starting quarterback Chase Reese to a season-ending ACL in the first half of the playoff win over Jenkins. Stats haven’t been updated in a few weeks on MaxPreps, but Warner Robins is averaging a chunk less than 300 yards a game. Creekside is getting 129 through the air and 259 on the ground, with 48 rushing touchdowns.
Class A/Division I
No. 9T Bleckley County, R2/3, 10-2, at No. 9T St. Francis, R6/1, 9-3
St. Francis is a young program, but has progressed to this point under head coach Frank Barden, who led Cartersville to the 1999 AA state title, and is 216-114-1 in his 29th season. Bleckley County’s Von Lassiter counters with a pretty sport resume, a 115-47 mark in his 11th season. The Royals and Knights are similarly balanced, Bleckley County a stronger run team and St. Francis a little better through the air. The Knights have four receivers teaming for more than 2,500 yards and 22 touchdowns, and that’ll put pressure on the Royals’ defense, which has 15 sacks from Austin Johnson and Christian Newbern. Bleckley County will get a chance to add to its total of 11 interceptions, but QB Jaiden Jenkins has thrown only seven in 279 attempts, to go with 22 touchdowns.
Class A/Division II
Dooly County, R4/3, 7-5, at No. 8 Lincoln County, R8/1, 9-2
The Bobcats have reached this point for the first time since 2014, and after missing the playoffs three straight years. They’re operating under an interim head coach who has them still playing despite a three-game losing streak near the end of the regular season, and they’ve won a pair of one-point games on the road, including last week in overtime. The defense will face a run-game test, against a team 5-1 this year at home.
GIAA
Postseason seedings listed
Class AAAA
No. 3 Tattnall, 7-4, at No. 2 Stratford, 8-3
They’ve played 56 times, 10 times in the playoffs. Tattnall leads the series 31-25 overall, and 7-3 in the postseason. The last playoff matchup was in the GHSA second round in 2016, a 13-7 Tattnall win. The last such GISA gathering was in 2011, the Trojans’ 35-12 win giving them the AAA championship, in Barney Hester’s next-to-last year with Tattnall. This pits Tattnall’s last two head coaches, Stratford’s Chance Jones leading the Trojans from 2016-19. Tattnall QB Donovan Duncan is off a monster game, passing for 296 yards and four TDs last week. He was held to 115 yards on 11 tries in the Trojans’ last-minute win on Oct. 7. The defenses will have plenty to deal with, both offenses presenting a variety of weapons. Stratford’s Keondre Glover went for 355 yards rushing and six touchdowns in the regular-season final win over FPD.
Class AAA
No. 4 Valwood, 7-4, at No. 1 John Milledge, 11-0
Valwood has some postseason success, winning AAA titles in 2017, 2015, and 2012. The Valiants are off a pair of three-win seasons after going 10-3 in 2019. They’re led by RB Triston White, who has 1,309 rushing yards and 15 TDs (9-game MaxPreps stats), and a pair of QBs. John Milledge counters with a multi-headed offensive monster led by QB Briggs Eady, and an underrated defense sparked by Andrew Mullis, Kolt McMichael, and Tanner Humphrey that’s allowed only 95 points.
Class AA
No. 5 Gatewood, 5-6, At No. 1 Central Fellowship, 11-0
The Gators will have hands full all day, battling weapons from all over. Jaylun Goodrum qualifies as “all over,” especially last week: 121 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, plus 79 yards in receptions, an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Defensively, he had 10 tackles and two interceptions, including a pick-6, and a safety. He has 1,003 yards in receptions, he and Knox Walls with 11 TD catches each. QB Jeb Walls has 2,396 passing yards, and 30 TDs to 4 INTs, and leads a ground game that averages 6.6 yards a carry.
No. 3 Briarwood, 8-3, at No. 2 Brentwood, 8-3
Brentwood leads the series 24-13-1, including a 31-26 semifinal win in 2020 as part of a six-game winning streak in the series. Briarwood reached the 2019 final, losing 49-7 to Gatewood. Brentwood got 218 rush yards last week from Wells Muller and Zach Denton, while Harlan Scott hit 111 in the regular-season finale against Gatewood. The War Eagles are run-heavy, but QB Bryce Williford has shown sparks. Brentwood is tryng to defend its title, which it did in 2003, after winning in 2002, in the third and fourth seasons under Bert Brown, who is 167-109-4.