By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

 

Games at 7:30 p.m. unless noted

Mid-week rankings are updated, compiled by the Georgia High School Football Daily, and are composite rankings from from 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.
Games schedule for Saturday will have scouting reports on Saturday.

 Class 6A

Glynn Academy, 6-4, R2/3 at No. 11 Northside, 6-4, R1/2

          The Red Terrors have made the playoffs every year but one since 2005, with a stretch of at least the quarterfinals from 2015-17. They finished 4-6-1 in 2021, losing one game in OT and two others by a total of 13 points, falling to third-ranked Hughes 42-14 in the first round. They started 2-0, lost four straight, and won their final four, with no ranked opponents all year. Northside, meanwhile, has played eight ranked teams this year alone, going 4-4, the losses by a total of 27 points. The Eagles won two playoff games at home last year, and are 10-3 at McConnell-Talbert the last two seasons. RB Michael McClendon and QB Damien Dee team for 10 rushing TDs and more than 1,100 yards, with QB DJ Hudson coming on lately, though the position may give Northside some flexibility.

No. 8 Houston County, 8-2, R1/4, at No. 10 Brunswick, 10-0, R2/1

          Brunswick had had two straight 10-0 seasons after going 8-4. QB Jarrod Elkins has passed for 1,393 yards on 56.6-percent completions. Jamarious Towns has 679 yards rushing. The defense has only six interceptions, but has racked up 51 tackles for loss. The Bears have put up the third-most points in program history, and are averaging a program-best 45.1 points. QB Antwann Hill Jr. has a whopping 31 TDs to two interceptions, and is completing 71.5 percent of his passes. Brunswick gave up 224 yards on 17 of 32 passing to Evans’ Deangelo Walton, the top passer it has played. The Pirates have won three straight first-round games, by 34, 35, and 21. The Bears lost 42-10 as a 4 in 2019 and 19-10 to Evans as a 3 last year.

CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST COVERAGE

This week
* Scouting Reports: Saturday’s GHSA games
* Roundup:
* Scouting Reports: Friday’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Ratings picks, Central Georgia state rankings
* Who’s going to win this week’s Central Georgia football games?
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Only one lock in the College Football Playoff; upsets, surprises, Loughdmouthings (Central Georgia GHSA bracket watching, Falcons, more), Central Georgia polls
* GIAA playoffs
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
*Central Georgia’s GHSA first-round playoff pairings
Last week
* Notebook: John Milledge ignores streak; Hardy finally has a team; Greg Moore celebration; playoff picture update
* Scouting Reports: all GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Ratings picks, Central Georgia state rankings
* Who’s going to win this week’s Central Georgia high school football games
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Harsin’s costume should have had a big smile; Loughdmouthings (Falcons, high schools, Deion Sanders, Northside, Dublin, Warner Robins, Bo Nix, CFP rankings), CGA polls”
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week: Howard, ACE, Northeast

Two weeks ago
* Roundup: Warner Robins pulls away, Putnam County wins late, Dodge County falls in OT, plenty of routs
* Scouting Reports: all GHSA and GIAA games
* So, you’re wondering about Central Georgia’s GHSA standings and playoff picture?
* Maxwell Ratings picks, Central Georgia state rankings
* MMQB: We all thought we’d seen most anything, and then Lee County … Loughdmouthngs, upsets/surprises, Central Georgia polls
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week: CFCA, Howard, Rutland

Class 4A

Shaw, 4-6, R1/4 at No. 3 Perry, 9-1, R2/1

          The Raiders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, second time since 2012. They had a run in the early part of the century, including the 4A state championship in 2000. Blair Harrison is their eighth head coach since that season. In that span, Perry has had seven. The Panthers have been ranked every week since the end of the 2020 season, and are 30-9 in that span. Perry is on target to set the program record for points in a season, 453 last year in 13 games, with 417 in 10. They boast a 2,000-yard passer (Armar Gordon Jr., 136-208-4/26, 2,055 yards), 1,000-yard rusher (Demetrious Carter, 158-1,003/12) and 1,000-yard receiver (Dakarai Anderson, 60-1,028, 11).

Westside, 7-3, R2/3, at 7-3, Cairo, R1/2

          The defensive backs and LBs will get work, against Cairo’s Braylon Robinson (71-150-4/13 TDs, 1,232 yards, 13 TDs, 9 games) and WR Tyree Kelly (22-485/7, 9 games), and Westside QB James Neville (121-238-10/17 TDs, 1,822 yards) and WRs Jiquavious Marshall (34-478/3) and Lavontae Miley (22-451/4), plus RB Kadiphius Iverson (185-908/14), the Seminoles with perhaps a run-game edge. Cairo is 5-5 the last five years in the postseason, and have won five of six first-round games. In that same span, Westside is 2-4, its last road playoff win in 2015 when the Seminoles beat Laney and Sonoraville away from home. They’re 2-8 outside of Bibb County the last three years.

Baldwin, 4-6, R2/4, at 6-4, No. 5T Bainbridge, 6-4, R1/1

Baldwin was fortunate to make its seventh straight playoff trip, doing so with a losing record for the third time in that span. The Braves beat Griffin 47-14, but haven’t won consecutive games all season. Bainbridge doesn’t have a great record, but three losses were to ranked teams, one to a team ranked a week alter and now third in 6A. Bainbridge has won a playoff game in six of its last seven playoff trips.

Class AA

No. 11 Worth County, 8-2, R1/3, at Northeast, 7-3, R2/2

          The Rams are having their best season since going 8-4 in 2015, winning only 18 games from then to last year. They’ve been to the postseason 11 times since 2000, with three wins, compared to 13 times for the Raiders, with five wins. Worth County, which is on its 10th head coach this century, gets 254 yards passing and 142.9 yards rushing a game, with 24 rushing and 20 passing TDs, keyed by QB Chip Cooper (61.9 percent passing, 2,050 yards passing and 19-3 TDs-INTs, and 599 rushing with 12 TDs). The Rams will have to do what nobody else has done: slow down Nick Woodford. The powerful and speedy sophomore averages 226.2 yards a game, and has a staggering 34 rushing touchdowns. The best defensive effort against him was early in the year, 193 yards against top-ranked Fitzgerald.

ACE, 8-2, R2/3, at No. 8 Cook, 7-3, R1/2
          One team has made the playoffs every year since 1999, several years before anybody on the other team was born. The other team has a program record of 21-25. ACE was squelched last week at Spencer, held to only six points, its lowest total of the year by 15 points. RB Aaron Davis has rolled past the 1,000-yard mark to 1,373 with 17 TDs in nine games. QB Kaleb Scarbary has 1,291 passing yards, and a 17-3 INT-TD ratio, while adding 210 yards and 9 TDs on the ground. Brice Whitley is a multi-purpose threat at widoeut and returner. Cook’s scoring margin is only 8.6 points, and the Hornets have but two wins by 21 points or more. Drwe Folsom has emerged at QB and averages 135.8 yards a game (incomplete team stats). Cook has twosomes at RB and WR that gets some yards.

Central, 3-7, R2/4, at No. 1 Fitzgerald, 10-0, R1/1
          The defending state champs haven’t been dominant this season, winning by 22.2 points a game, five wins by two touchdowns or less, including consecutive 20-12 wins, over Madison County, Fla., and Dodge County. They also have only lost three first-round playoff games since 2000, a span in which they’ve played for five state titles and won one, last year. Run-heavy Fitzgerald is led by QB Sultan Cooper, RB Sylan Davis, and LB Daniel James, with eight offensive and four defensive starters back. QB Torey Flowers went past 1,000 yards passing in the win over Southwest that lifted Central into the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

Toombs County, 6-4, R3/3, at No. 13 Putnam County, 8-2, R4/2
          Both teams are on recent playoff runs. Toombs County has made the postseason six of the last seven season, its best stretch since 1994-2003. Putnam County is a program-best 29-5 in the last three seasons, with four straight playoff trips, which hasn’t happened since a big run from 1994-2004, including a trip to the finals. Toombs County has four rushing threats with at least three touchdowns, led by Tank Morris (107-633/12), to go with 1,000-yard QB Gavin Hall, who has 9 TDs and 6 INTs. Putnam County’s Tamarion Peters is 123 yards from 1,000 rushing, with 14 TDs. Freshman QB Branan Griffin has completed 61.9 percent of his passes, but has four more INTs than TDs. Jalon Kilgore, who helps out on offense, leads the defense with 5.6 tackles a game, and shares the INT lead with Darrell Bland. CJ Strickland and Jauquine Hines Jr. get 6.3 tackles a game on defense for the Golden Hawks.
Washington County, 4-6, R4/4, at No. 2 Appling County, 8-1, R3/1

          Washington County rallied to make the playoffs for the 15th straight season, first under new head coach and alum Robert Edwards. Appling County, home to former WACO boss Rick Tomberlin from 2018-20, is in the postseason for the 13th time in the last 15 seasons, including a semifinal trip last year. Washington County QB Morgan Jones has 1,727 passing yards, with one more TD than INT. South Carolina commit DJay Braswell has nearly 700 yards rushing, and 13 TDs. Appling County has become balanced as it worked through some injuries, running for more than 400 yards against Vidalia. The preseason No. 10 Golden Hawks lost their first three games, by 120-49, and made the playoffs with a late three-game winning streak in which they outscored region opponents 113-15. And that’s led them to having scored 250 points and given up 250 points.

Class A/Division I

Pelham, 3-7, R1/3, at Dublin, 6-3, R2/2
          Pelham is part of a four-team region, and is in the playoffs – albeit automatically - for the eighth straight year, a stretch that included semifinal trips in 2018-19. Dublin is its ninth playoffs in 10 years. The Hornets were outscored 330-152, with only two losses by less than 39 points. They did manage a 14-9 win over then-No. 7 Wilcox County, followed two weeks later by a 63-7 loss to Bleckley County, a Dublin region rival. Dublin was thumped 28-7 by region champ and No. 2 Swainsboro last week, and looks for its fifth first-round win in the last six years. Demari Foster leads the Irish with 855 yards, while Jaquarius Evans and Micah O’Neal each have eight rushing touchdowns.

No. 9T Bleckley County, 8-2, R2/3, at No. 5 Brooks County, 7-2, R1/2
          The Royals have some momentum after giving region champ No. 2 Swainsboro a stressful game in losing 28-21, the Tigers’ closest game by a touchdown. Jahvon Butler has cruised past 1,000 yards, and has 1,231, plus 18 TDs. QB Eli Mullis is a big-play passer, with 1,277 yards on only 49.1-percent completions, with 12 TDs and 7 INTs. Tyler Wilcox and Nehemiah Mack get 8.7 tackles each. Brooks County has battled through a QB issue, after losing starter and all-stater Jamal Sanders in October, in a 19-7 loss to Irwin County. They handled Bacon County and Pelham (a combined 4-16) 105-14 to finish the regular season. The Trojans are led by RB Chris Cole (803 yards, 11 TDs). Head coach Maurice Freeman, who spent 1998-2001 at Southwest, is 242-110 in his 29th season, with five region and two state championships.

Claxton, 4-6, R3/4, at No. 11 Lamar County, 9-1, R4/1
          The Tigers have made the playoffs four of the last five years, and are looking for their first playoff win since 2001. Lamar County broke a drought of five playoff-free years this season, winning its first region title since 2013. The Trojans went 20-20 the past four seasons, after 1-9. Claxton comes in on a three-game losing streak in which it’s been outscored 116-25. Lamar County won four straight – by 179-27 – since losing 39-7 to Social Circle. CJ Allen’s 1,320 rushing yards make up 44 percent of Lamar County’s total offense, but the Trojans get work from Antonio Altman, Jordan Glover, Ty Jones, Zyquavius Hughley, and QB Ty Head, all of whom have at last 200 yards rushing and average 4.5 or better a carry.

Crawford County, 3-7, R4/3, at Screven County, 8-1, R3/2
          The Eagles are making consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1994-1998. The Gamecocks have made it 10 of the last 11 years, with quarterfinal trips in 2016-17. Screven County has given up only 76 points, with four shutouts, but is off a 44-0 loss to Metter, its first shutout since falling 3-0 to Pelham in last year’s first round. Crawford County senior QB Judd Puckett has 1,409 yards passing, 13 TDs and 4 INTs on 58.9 percent completions. Terrel Ashley is tough, with 674 rushing yards and 6 TDs, and 604 receiving yards and 7 TDs.

Jasper County, 4-6, R5/3, at Mt. Pisgah, 7-3, R6/2
          Jasper County broke a three-year drought, albeit getting in automatically this year in a four-team region. Mt. Pisgah has made the postseason nine of the last 11 years. Jalen Stewart has 701 rushing yards and four scores in nine games, the Hurricanes getting 120 yards a game on the ground. Cedrion Stone leads the defense with 9.8 tackles a game.

Class AA/Division II

Dooly County, 5-5, R4/3, at Jenkins County, 7-3, R3/2
          The Bobcats of interim head coach Cecil Lester have broken a three-year playoff drought that followed two straight first-round wins. Head coach Charley Waters is in his third stint at Jenkins, and first year this go ‘round, and he is 36-36 in his seventh year. The War Eagles have given up only 119 points, with two teams scoring 27 and another 24, everybody else in single digits, but only one shutout. Dooly County has two shutouts, but has held only two other opponents to less than 20 points.
Hancock Central, 4-6, at No. 10 Manchester, 6-3, R6/2

Macon County, 5-5, R6/3, at Wilkinson County, 6-4, R5/2
          Macon County is opening the playoffs on the road for only the third time under eighth-year head coach Dexter Copeland, and they lost both. Wilkinson County is at home for the first time since the first round of the 2012 postseason, a 27-26 win over Miller County. The Warriors lead the series 4-3-1, and Copeland is 6-4 against Wilkinson County from his two stints at Twiggs County. Marlon Mitchell leads Macon County with 778 yards and 8 TDs on the ground, while Terelle Blount has 680 and four (8-game stats) for the Warriors.

GMC, 4-6, R5/4, at No. 4 Schley County, 8-2, R6/1
          The Bulldogs followed a historic 10-1 season by returning back to where it had been, the 6-5 2020 season breaking a streak of eight straight losing seasons. GMC has scored one more point than it’s given up. Schley County, which started the season No. 1 and had been ranked all year, is 18-4 the past two seasons, its best run since starting up in 2000. And the Wildcats have ven up only 95 points. Not having a healthy Jessie Washington all season has hampered GMC, Washington now averaging 61 yards a game and with six rushing TDs in seven games. QB Tyler Saunders has 1,162 yards, 10 TDs and 7 INTs.

GIAA

The GIAA split up what is Class AAA for the regular season into to playoff divisions, based on enrollment

“Play-in” round

Class AAAA

No. 9 Mount de Sales, 2-8, at No. 8 Bethlehem Christian, 9-1
          The Cavs are on an eight-game losing streak, while the Knights suffered their first loss last week, 28-7 to George Walton.

Class AA

No. 9 Trinity Christian, 3-7, at No. 8 Piedmont, 3-7
          Piedmont has won two straight after losing its first five. The Cougars are on a three-game losing streak, and losing four of the last five, scoring 31 points in the losses.

Class A

(Regular first round)

No. 6 Grace Christian, 1-7, at No. 3 Fullington, 7-3
          The hosts are on a four-game winning streak during which they’ve given up points. Grace Christian has scored in double figures twice.