Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Friday's Central Georgia HS football scouting reports

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Friday's Central Georgia HS football scouting reports

Class 6A
No. 6 Houston County, 5-1/0-1, at Northside, 3-3/1-0
          The Eagles are off an inspiring overtime road win, while the Bears lost a major battle with Lee County at Freedom Field. Northside is still a little unsettled personnel wise, and Houston County isn’t an opponent for a position starting debut – especially at QB - or to feel things out. The Bears’ scoring margin of 161 points is three points less than what the Eagles have scored all season, led by QB Antwann Hill’s 271.3 yards a game passing and a variety of targets to go with RB Ryan Taleb (88.8 YPG). Last year’s 21-17 win pulled Houston County up to 4-21 against Northside.

Veterans, 3-3/0-1, at No. 4 Lee County, 5-1/1-0
          After scoring 42, 35, 41, and 38 in its first four games, Veterans has managed only 14 in the last two, and was shut out 52-0 last week by second-ranked Thomas County Central. The Trojans won 43-7 last year in the first meeting. Veterans started off 4-1 last year and finished 1-4 and missed the playoffs. The Warhawks get to face elite RB Ousmane Kromah, who raced and powered for 327 yards and four touchdowns last week against Houston County. Veterans’ Jake Maxwell and Preston Bird are a dynamic pass-catch combo, Bird with 560 of Maxwell’s 1,296 yards.

Class 5A
Jones County, 4-2/2-0, at No. 10 Ola, 4-1/0-1
          The Greyhounds are off a game in which they converted 75 percent of their third downs and racked up 467 yards on offense, 261 coming on a 13-for-19 passing night by Devin Edmonds. The defense held Eagle’s Landing to 255 yards. Ola broke an eight-game losing streak in the series last year with a 22-15 win. The Mustangs are giving up 13 fewer points a game. Edmonds is completing 58.2 percent of his passes, for 1,035 yards.

No. 9 Warner Robins, 3-3/2-0, at Union Grove, 0-6/0-2
          The expectation is that the Demons will go to bed with their first two-game winning streak of the season, and creep closer to scoring as many points as they’ve given up, currently a 134-196 deficit. Last year’s 38-0 win started a nine-game winning streak for Warner Robins. Union Grove is struggling mightly after going 29-23 the last five seasons. Neither team is posting stats to MaxPreps.

Class 4A
Griffin, 1-5/1-1, at No. 4 Perry, 5-1/2-0
          Griffin has been something of a mess since a streak of 17 straight winning seasons –including 15-0 and a 4A state title in 2013 – and is 8-18 since the start of 2021. Perry in that span is 26-5, including a 50-7 romp over the Bears last year.

No. 6 Spalding, 6-0/2-0, at Howard, 3-3/0-2, Ed DeFore
          A week after a heartbreaking loss at Baldwin, Howard goes for its first win in program history over a ranked team, one in which it does have a 4-3 series lead, including 14-13 last season. Spalding was No. 8 in a 27-6 win in 2021 and is somewhat on target to its best season since 10-2 in 2015. The Huskies will have to slow down a passing game good for 143 yards a game with 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Westside, 4-1/0-1, at West Laurens, 2-3/0-1
          Neither team has much momentum. Westside lost 55-14 at home to Perry last week, and West Laurens had a week off after becoming Griffin’s first victim, 44-27. The Seminoles won 22-8 last year for a 7-2 series lead. Westside is good for 251.2 rushing yards a game, led by Jessie Bell’s 130 yards and seven touchdowns. The Raiders’ Ty Cummings runs the option offense and has 719 yards on 93 carries, but has yet to throw a touchdown pass.

Class 3A
Jackson, 1-5, at No. 4 Mary Persons, 5-1
          One of Central Georgia’s more heated rivalries is, like many rivalries, kind of one-sided, Mary Persons with a 59-21 lead, although Jackson has won two of the last three. But Mary Persons is 24-7 when ranked including a five-game run from 2015-2019. Jackson, under first-year head coach Chris Henderson, is on target for its worst season since 2-8 in 2013. Duke Watson is only 47 yards from 1,000 rushing yards, and has 15 touchdowns. Ty Dumas has 11 catches for 292 yards and 4 TDs. Jacobi Jones and RJ Holder team for 17.5 tackles. The Bulldogs are off their biggest win since the 1990s, 45-28 over A/I No. 1 Prince Avenue.

Pike County, 0-6, at Upson-Lee, 5-1
          The Knights are a solid favorite over a team that managed only 141 yards in a 46-0 loss to Class A Lamar County, which lost 38-7 to Upson-Lee in Week 2. The Knights, who have outscored their last two opponents 77-3, are bucking for their best start after seven games since 7-1 in 2005 en route to a 9-3 record. Pike County gets only 99.8 yards total offense each week. Upson-Lee’s Quan Bentley has 11 touchdowns and 698 yards on 88 carries, and QB Niko Wells is completing 58.1 percent of his passes for 437 yards, 6 TDs and 2 INTs. Malachi Character leads the defense with 7.8 tackles a game.

Class AA
ACE, 5-1/2-1, at Central, 0-6/0-3, Thompson
          The Gryphons are a might safe bet to clinch their second winning season in program history, with perhaps their fifth shutout in seven games. They’ll clearly break the program record of points allowed, which was 222 in 2019. A year ago against the same schedule, they allowed 217 points in the regular season, then 77 against Cook in the playoffs. ACE’s Aaron Davis averages more than nine yards a carry. Central has been shut out five times this season and is giving up 45.2 points a game.

Jeff Davis, 3-3/1-1, at Dodge County, 1-5/0-2
          Dodge County has an argument as one of the top one-win teams around, losing by three, four, four, and six in overtime, countered by a 29-point loss to then-No. 7 Fitzgerald. The Indians – who haven’t posted stats to MaxPreps – are led by standout athlete Duke Johnson, a junior getting plenty of SEC looks.

Glenn Hills, 1-6/1-3, at Putnam County, 4-2/3-0
          The War Eagles of first-year head coach Joel Harvin are primed for their fourth five-game winning streak in four years. They won last year’s meeting 48-6. Kaleb Crawford and Rashod Daniel team for 102.7 yards a game on the ground, and eight rushing touchdowns. Defensive stats have not been updated.

Washington County, 2-4/1-2, at Westside-Augusta, 3-3/2-1
          It’s the run game of Westside and Jeanarion Kamga (173.3 ypg) against the pass game of Washington County and Cameron Beasley (207.4 ypg), who has passed the 1,000-yard mark on 69.1-percent completions. The Golden Hawks won 35-3 last year en route to a 4-7 season, Westside finishing 2-8 a year after going 9-3.

Northeast 42, Kendrick 6, final, Thursday
Rutland wins by forfeit over Jordan, Thursday
Spencer 50, Southwest 16, final, Thursday

Class A/Division I
No. 6 Bleckley County, 4-2, at No 9 Dublin, 4-1
          After losing the first 10 games of the series, Bleckley County piced up a 28-21 upset win over the No. 10/7 Irish in 2014. But that didn’t turn the tide, and Dublin is on a six-game run over the Royals, by an average of 39-20 the last three meetings (2018-19, 2022). This is the first time, though, both teams have been ranked. The unranked Irish beat the No. 4 Royals 31-13 last year. Bleckley County is substantially more balanced, with QB Kam’ryn Everett and RB Joshua Stanley teaming for 217 rushing and passing yards a game, Xavier Bostic topping Dublin with 80.8 yards. Dublin has incomplete defensive stats on MaxPreps, Bleckley County none.

Crawford County, 1-5, at Heard County, 1-5
          The teams face a similar situation as a year ago, when both teams are 2-4, the winner pretty much clinching third in the four-team region. Heard County is minus-13.5 points in scoring to minus-20.8 for Crawford County.

East Laurens, 2-3, at Jasper County, 4-2
          Jasper County enters its final non-region game hoping to end the night with its first three-game winning streak since 2016. East Laurens looks to break its two-game losing streak. Chevy Sands and Jalen Stewart team for 895 yards, Sands with 7 TDs, while throwing for 211 yards and 2 scores. Zay Boston is completing 57.5 percent of his passes for 627 yards, adding 164 rushing yards to the 404 of Norrion King (East Laurens hasn’t update stats for all games).

Class A/Division II
GMC, 1-6/0-1, at Wilkinson County, 2-3/1-0
          The Bulldogs have won the last three against the Warriors, who have scored six points in each other those games. But Wilkinson County leads the series 18-7, and puts itself in a good postseason position with a win.

Macon County, 4-2/1-2, at Central-Talbotton, 1-5/0-3, 6:30 p.m.
          The teams apparently made a quiet schedule change at some point, and moved up their game from next week to this week.

Twiggs County, 0-5/0-1, at Glascock County, 2-4/0-1
          Glascock County’s wins have come against GIAA opposition, a 1-5 Class A and Class AA team. The Cobras have scored just 20 points.

Wheeler County, 3-3/0-1, at Hawkinsville, 4-2/0-1
          A slobberknocker awaits, with two teams who combine for less than 120 passing yards a game and combine for 544.4 rushing yards a game. Hawkinsville has three backs with at least 47 carries and 13 rushing TDs, led by Zenard Smith’s 443 yards and 4 scores. QB Malek Brown has 346 passing yards (but 2 more INTs than TDs) and 381 rushing yards, and 4 scores. The Red Devils’ four-game winning streak came to a solid end with a 35-13 loss to undefeated Telfair County. Wheeler County fell 21-17 to Dooly County. The winner gets a leg up for a playoff spot, with Dooly County the other team on paper competing for third and fourth behind Telfair County and Wilcox County.

GIAA
Class AAA
Mount de Sales, 0-5, at FPD, 3-2-1
          The Cavs are a solid underdog, looking for a big upset to avoid their first winless season in program history. FPD leads the series 24-14, and has won the last three by 26, 19, and 35.

Strong Rock, 5-1, at Westfield, 3-3
          Westfield has scored at last 27 points in the three wins, but hasn’t gotten past 13 in the losses. Strong Rock has two GHSA opponents and is 1-1 against them, the Patriots on a roll of three straight shutouts while scoring 148 points. Strong Rock went 2-9 last year, losing 42-21 to Westfield.

Tattnall, 2-4, at Stratford, 4-2
          The Eagles rebounded well from a two-game losing streak by controlling Deerfield-Windsor 29-0. The same goes for the Trojans, a 41-13 winner over Frederica two weeks after the Knights took John Milledge into the fourth quarter.  Tattnall won 33-28 last year, and Stratford got timely revenge 55-28 in a state semifinal. The Trojans’ Antone Johnson is among the GIAA’s top playmakers, with 146.5 rushing yards a game, and he’s just 121 yards from 1,000 for the season. Rhett Dobson and Thomas Union lead the defense with a combined 18.8 tackles a game. Stratford’s stats haven’t been updated on MaxPreps in three games.

Class AA
Edmund Burke, 5-0, at Brentwood, 3-3
          The War Eagles will have a battle to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2018. The Spartans are winning by 32 points a game, and have given up only 10 points in their last four games.

3A St. Andrews, 4-2, at Trinity Christian 2-5
          The Saints rolled 48-8 last year as part of a four-game win streak. The Crusaders have won two of three after an 0-4 start.

Piedmont, 2-3, at Southwest Georgia, 3-3

8-man

David Emanuel at Covenant
Springwood at Windsor