This week's Central Georgia high school football scouting reports
Games at 7:30 p.m. unless noted
Listing based on home team’s classification unless both are from Central Georgia.
Updated each Monday with AJC rankings.
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.
Coaches/teams: Please send postgame information by 2 a.m. to centralgasports@gmail.com. Pictures of stat sheets are acceptable.
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Friday
Class 6A
Northside, 4-3/1-1, at No. 2 Lee County, 6-1/2-0
The teams played for the 2018 Class 6A title as region rivals, Lee County finishing a season sweep with a 14-0 win. The Trojans have won six straight in the series after Northside won the first four. Northside’s offense will again be challenged, having not passed 14 points in those six losses. The Eagles gave then-No. 1 Lee County a struggle before losing 20-14 in 2020 en route to a 5-6 season. Lee County’s closest win was 26-10 over Warner Robins to open the season, and Northside’s three losses are to ranked teams – in 3A, 5A, and 6A – by 6, 7, and 4 points.
No. 10 Houston County, 6-1/1-1, at No. 6T Thomas County Central, 7-0/2-0
Thomas County Central is hotter than it’s been in more than a decade, since gong 11-2 in 2009. The Yellow Jackets have passed their win total of the last five straight season, winning their first seven after losing their last four in 2021, including a 59-0 first-round hammering by Benedictine. Worth noting: TCC head coach Justin Rogers won his first five game in his debut season at Jones County in 2014, en route to a 10-3 season. Houston County’s Jeremy Edwards is off to the best start for a Bear first-year boss in program history, which albeit covers only five other head coaches. The Bears have scored more points – 294 – so far than the last two seasons, and are likely to threaten the 407 points of 2016.
Veterans, 4-3/0-2, at Tift County, 1-6/0-2
The Warhawks are alive for the fourth spot in Region 1 in their first year in 6A, but have to avoid the upset against the Blue Devils, who are in 6A after seven years in 7A, including a 6-5 2021 season. Veterans has Northside and Houston County next.
Roam around The Sports Report for Central Georgia's most complete high school football coverage
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Roam around The Sports Report for Central Georgia's most complete high school football coverage 〰️
Class 5A
Eagle’s Landing, 2-6/1-3, at No. 9 Warner Robins, 3-4/2-1
The resurgent Demons are among four teams with one Region 2 loss, and still have a shot at the region’s top seed if they win out – which includes a trip to Jones County – and Dutchtown loses. Warner Robins’ better odds are to get second, but taking care of business against a team that’s lost three region games by 27, 29, and 24 comes first, along with not looking ahead to next week and Jones County.
Class 4A
Howard, 5-2/1-2, at Griffin, 2-6/2-2
The teams have some new playoff life, Howard after knocking off Spalding and Griffin after thumping Westside, both on the road. There’s congestion for the third and fourth playoff spots with these two, Baldwin (1-2) and, barely, Westside (1-3). Howard can clinch its first winning regular season since 2018, Paul Carroll’s first season as head coach.
Baldwin, 2-5/1-2, at West Laurens, 1-6/0-3
Baldwin has won the past two seasons, 21-14 and 19-13. West Laurens had a nice game last week, a 33-24 loss to Spalding, but the Braves were thumped 35-0 by Perry.
Central Georgia’s best high school football coverage
This week
* 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: Surprises, upsets, Loughdmouthings (Bama-Tennessee, Fromm, area 1,000-yard rushers, passers, more), Central Georgia polls
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week: Jones County, Northeast
Last week
* Roundup: Jones County pops Dutchtown, Westside dumped, John Milledge threatened, Kirkley & Bentley go off
* Scouting Reports on 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: It’s early, but (topics galore); Surprises, upsets, Loughdmouthings (Falcons, stat clarifications, John Milledge challenge) Central Georgia's polls
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week: Northeast, Tattnall
Two weeks ago
* Roundup: Dublin pops Bleckley County, Jones County surprised, Risper gets 100th, Tattnall wins thriller, FPD rolls
* Scouting reports on all GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Ratings picks, Central Georgia state rankings
* Thursday’s roundup: Houston County-Northside, Rutland, Putnam County
* Who’s going to win this week’s games? (And Thursday scouting reports)
* Monday Morning Quarterback: So, you want to start planning for the HS playoffs? Go ahead/not so fast; Surprises, upsets, Loughdmouthings (Tech, colleges, stat leaders …), Central Georgia's polls
* HS notebook: ACE, Washington win appeal; Hardy still in active; Westside's Risper on cusp of 100th win/milestone watch; GHSA football finals back to the Benz?
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
Class AAA
Upson-Lee, 4-4/2-0, at No. 8 Peach County, 3-3/1-0
The Knights have lost 32 straight against ranked teams, dating back to beating No. 8/4 Griffin 12-3 in 2007. And that came seven years after their last win over Peach County, 23-7 in 2000, the Trojans ranked 6/8. But they’ve only played three times since then, Peach County wins by 7-3 (2001), 36-7 (2020) and 46-16 (2021).
Class AA
Dodge County, 3-5/2-2, at No. 2 Cook, 6-1/3-0
The Indians have won two straight, and are looking for their first win over a ranked team since late last year when they beat No. 10 Washington County 26-19 as part of a 7-4 season. Dodge County is only giving up 3.9 points more a game than scoring. Cook, on a five-game winning streak, is outscoring opponents by 13.4, the lone loss 34-7 to Class 7A Valdosta in August.
Jordan, 0-7/0-4, at Central, 1-6/1-3, Henderson
Central’s task is to avoid being the second team this season to give up any points to Jordan, which managed to score ina 45-6 loss to Shaw. The Red Jackets gave up last year and played in only three games, scoring one in a 44-6 loss to St. Anne Pacelli. They last cracked double figures on Oct. 29, 2020 in a 47-14 loss to LaGrange. The Chargers remain alive for the fourth spot in Region 2 with a win.
ACE, 6-1/3-1, at Rutland, 4-3/2-2, Ed DeFore
Rutland has matched its highest win total since going 6-5 in 2013, and is looking for an upset win and to repeat last year’s 41-14 romp over ACE, which came in the Gryphons’ first game after a coaching change and after a game had been canceled, thus nearly a month after FPD’s 48-0 win over ACE. The Gryphons have been held to less than 30 once – by No. 10 Northeast, while the Hurricanes have cracked 30 twice (35-29 over Hawkinsville, 49-0 over Jordan).
No. 8 Northeast, 6-2/4-0, at Spencer, 5-2/4-0
A win pretty much locks up the region title for Northeast, which follows with winless Jordan and 4-3 Rutland. Spencer is on a four-game win streak, albeit with only one over a team with a winning record (27-21 over Rutland). The Greenwave Owls and Raiders haven’t played since 2001, a 22-0 Northeast win. Spencer went 1-9 that year and has had only four non-losing seasons since then, suffering through nine seasons of one win or none.
No. 10 Putnam County, 6-1/4-0, at No. 6 Thomson, 6-1/4-0
The War Eagles have lost 34 straight to ranked teams, a streak that started after a 17-14 win over No. 7/5 Washington-Wilkes in 2001, when Putnam County was No. 8/9 and lost 14-7 to unranked Manchester in the second round of the playoffs. Thomson, conversely, is 1-2 in the last two years against ranked teams, opening 2021 with a 35-6 win over No. 10 Jefferson County. Thomson is 9-2 at home since the start of last season. Putnam County outscores opponents 32.1-7.6 and Thomson does the same 33.7-8.5.
Washington County, 2-5/2-2, at Butler, 3-4/1-3
The Golden Hawks currently are in fourth, by a game, and solidify that spot with a win. They’ve beaten Butler eight straight times, but the teams haven’t played since 2014-15, Washington County wins by 52-14 and 51-14. Butler went 0-10 last year.
Class A
I
East Laurens, 1-6/0-1, at No. 10 Bleckley County, 7-1/1-1
The Royals have won seven straight in the series, the last three by 52, 35, and 29 points dating back to 2017. Bleckley County rebounding from the Dublin loss with a 27-7 win over Jefferson County. The Falcons’ lone win is 29-28 over Bacon County, but they’re still mathematically/realistically alive for the fourth playoff spot, likely to be decided in three weeks at Jefferson County.
Jefferson County, 1-7/0-2, at No. 8 Dublin, 4-2/1-0
Two of the state’s top all-time coaches meet. Jefferson County’s J.B. Arnold is 22nd among active coaches in Georgia with a 167-87-3 record (65.6 percent). Dublin’s Roger Holmes is No. 17 among active coaches at 181-68-1 (72.6 percent). Arnold is doomed to his first losing season since 2012 and fifth at Jefferson County, where he started in 2001. The teams haven’t played since 2015, Jefferson County winning its fifth straight in the seven game series.
Social Circle, 5-2, at Jasper County, 3-4
It’s the opener in the four-team Region 5. Jasper County rolled East Laurens 41-14 two weeks ago for its biggest win since 50-20 over Social Circle to end the 2019 season. The Redskins are 16-13 since then.
II
Chattahoochee County, 3-4/2-2, at Macon County, 2-5/2-2
Macon County and Chattahoochee County are two of three teams at 2-2, behind a pair of 4-0 teams and ahead of two more 1-3 teams, so every game in Region 6 matters. Both teams broke two-game losing streaks last week, the Panthers 28-0 over Marion County and the Bulldogs 65-0 over Central-Talbotton.
Glascock County, 2-6/1-2, at GMC, 2-6/1-2
GMC has won 13 straight in the series, not having lost since 49-3 in 2008. Both teams are in a region logjam and in need of a win to keep playoff hopes alive. GMC, owning the tiebreaker with Wilkinson County, all but seals a playoff spot with a win.
No. 4 Johnson County, 7-0/2-0, at Wilkinson County, 4-3/1-1
The Warriors are alone in third, but only a half-game up on GMC and Glascock County. Johnson County’s close game was a 27-21 OT win over ECI on Sept. 23, the Trojans winning by 38, 35, and 40 since then.
Taylor County, 2-5/1-3, at Marion County, 1-6/1-3
It’s a must-win for both teams to stay alive in the playoff hunt, among five teams at 2-2 or 1-3. The Vikings rolled 42-0 last year.
Treutlen, 0-7/0-2, at Hawkinsville, 2-5/0-2
A Red Devil win puts Hawkinsville in a tie for fourth, with either Telfair County or Wheeler County. The only solid thumping Hawkinsville has taken is a 54-30 loss to Telfair County. The total margin in the other four losses is only 26 points. Truetlen has given up 56 points in three games, including the last two.
Twiggs County, 2-5/0-2, at Hancock Central, 3-4/2-0
The Bulldogs are tied with No. 4 Johnson County for first, while the Cobras are the lone team without a region win, and need a huge upset to stay in the postseason race. The Bulldogs have momentum from a big 22-21 OT win over GMC last week, getting the two-point conversion.
Wilcox County, 4-3/2-0, at No. 7 Dooly County, 4-3/2-0
It’s almost a region title game, except Telfair County and Wheeler County are right behind at 1-1, and both with winning records. Dooly County’s four-game win streak ended last week, 21-6 to Dublin. The Patriots are on a four-game winning streak, scoring at least 41 points in each game.
GIAA
Class AAA
Brookstone, 4-3/0-1, at Westfield, 5-3/2-0
Brookstone broke a three-game losing streak last week with a 48-21 win over GHSA Class A Crawford County, two of the losses by three to Stratford and eight to St. Anne Pacelli. The Hornets have won five of six, the lone loss to GHSA Class A playoff team – and then ranked fourth – Bleckley County. Westfield has scored 48, 63, 49, 42, and 35 in those five wins. Westfield QB Hunter Kirkley has 1,195 passing yards and 10 TDs to 2 INTs, and 1,212 rushing yards with a whopping 25 touchdowns, giving him 2,407 total-offense yards and 35 TDs.
FPD, 2-5/1-0, at John Milledge, 7-0/1-0
The two haven’t played since 2007, a 49-26 win by FPD, the last game in a seven-game winning streak en route to a 16-2 series lead and three seasons before JMA alum J.T. Wall took over. The Vikings and Trojans split in Wall’s senior season, 1997, FPD 21-7 in the regular season and JMA 16-13 in the GISA 3A quarterfinals.
Mount de Sales, 2-5/0-2, at Stratford, 5-3/0-2
The Cavs’ first three-game winning streak in the series since the late 1990s was broken last year with Stratford’s 14-7 win. The Eagles are on a two-game losing streak, but five in the final seconds at Tattnall and by 14 – it was seven until a late lateral scoop-and-score – to unbeaten John Milledge. The three teams that have beaten Stratford – all GIAA Class AAA teams - are a combined 19-4.
AA/A
Edmund Burke, 4-3, at Gatewood, 3-4
Gatewood had last week off, thanks to a forfeit by St. Mary’s. That, on paper, broke a four-game losing streak, but the Gators haven’t won since Sept. 2. They’ve beaten Edmund Burke the past two years 10-0 and 35-0.
Brentwood, 4-3, at Piedmont, 1-6
The War Eagles are on a three-game winning streak, outscoring the last two opponents 52-8. They rolled over the Cougars 55-29 last year, their eighth straight win in the series.
3A Terrell, 5-2, at Central Fellowship, 7-0
Terrell has scored at least 27 points in four of the five wins, but only 14 total in the two losses. Central Fellowship is on a 13-game winning streak, covering its final year in GAPPS and this year in GIAA.
Flint River, 2-5/1-0, at Fullington, 4-3/1-0
A win gives the Trojans their highest win total since going 8-4 in 2014.