Class 6A
No. 6 Lee County, 4-1, at No. 3 Houston County, 5-0, 8 p.m.
          The Bears have faced only one upper-level defense, Perry. Lee County averages 4.8 sacks a a game, so the Houston County offensive line will be under the gun to keep A.J. Hill upright to throw to the variety of targets. The Trojans have improved since holding off Warner Robins in the season opener, losing only to 7A No. 2 Colquitt County by 17. The Bears lost 55-21 last year to fall to 0-9 against Lee County.

Northside, 2-3, at Tift County, 1-4
          The Eagles have some issues, led by the dismissal this week of standout DB and new QB Ricardo Jones. Attempts to reach head coach Ben Bailey this week were unsuccessful. Other discipline may follow after postgame scuffles last week following the 20-16 loss at Crisp County. Tift County has dealt with major rumblings against head coach Noel Dean, who announced this week he would not return in 2024.

No. 2 Thomas County Central, 5-0, at Veterans, 3-2, 5-0, Perry
          So much has to happen for Veterans, off a surprising 35-14 home loss to 5A Northgate, to rack up its first win over a ranked team since edging No. 8/5A Bainbridge in the middle of the 2019 season and break a 17-game losing streak against top-10 teams since then. The Warhawks get less than 90 rushing yards a game, and average 91 fewer yards a game than the Yellow Jackets of former Jones County head coach Justin Rogers. Veterans leads the series 3-2.

Class 5A
Eagle’s Landing, 2-3/1-0, at Jones County, 3-2/1-0
          The Greyhounds have found a groove with a balanced offense, getting 168 rushing yards and 211.2 passing yards a game, with some depth in the backfield and at receiver. Tyler Stewart has emerged as a go-to target with 16 catches for 310 yards, while Jaivon Solomon catching 20 for  285, Zion Ragins (15-307) in the middle, Stewart and Ragins with five TDs each. Daniel Hawk and Andrew Mullis team for 15.4 tackles a game on defense. Eagle’s Landing has input no stats on MaxPreps.

No. 9 Ola, 4-0, at No. 11 Warner Robins, 2-3/1-0
          The Mustangs ended last year fairly strong, with a four-game winning streak down the stretch before falling hard to Dutchtown and then Coffee in the playoffs. The Mustangs started 4-0 in 2020 en route to a 9-2 season. The Demons were 1-4 last year before winning 38-0, but that improvement was after a staff/philosophical change. Neither team is inputting or updating stats in MaxPreps.

Class 4A

Howard, 3-2/0-1, at Baldwin, 3-2/0-1
          Both teams have playmakers, Howard’s Cam Taylor with 157.8 rushing and passing yards a game, and Baldwin’s Micah Welch with 105.5 rushing yards. Howard is more balanced in run-pass yardage (159.6/125.4 to 176.8/57.8, 285-234.6 total, four-game stats, and none on defense, for Baldwin). Junior Zelin Pollard of Howard is one of the area’s better defenders, with 8.4 tackles and 3 TFLs a game. Ta’shawn Poole has three interceptions. The Braves have won all eight meetings since 2010, with five margins of 30 points or more, including 45-0 last year.

No. 4 Perry, 4-1/0-1, at Westside, 4-0/0-0, Ed DeFore
          Perry leads the series 5-4, but has won the last three by 39-7, 45-0, and 36-19. The Panthers have scored at least 41 points in their last four games, and won by 33, 8, 21 and 41. Perry is on an 11-game region winning streak, dating back to a 31-26 loss to Spalding on Oct. 1, 2021, which broke a seven-game region streak. Westside is looking to break a 13-game losing streak against ranked teams, going back to the 27-24 win over No. 4/5 West Laurens in 2015. Defenses will be challenged by offenses getting 446.6 yards (Perry) and 391 yards (Westside) a game. Perry’s Colger Ginn has cruised past 1,000 yards passing (1,178) at a 60.7-percent rate, four receivers with at least two touchdown catches. Jessie Bell is a Westside workhorse, with 264 yards passing and 562 yards rushing, accounting for nine touchdowns.

Class 3A
Peach County, 1-4, Carver-Atlanta, 1-3
          Two teams used to winning and unused to one-win seasons heading into October – which one will have – battle in Atlanta. The Panthers have had one losing season since 2005, and reached the semifinals last year, an 8-6 win in Fort Valley along the way. The Trojans haven’t lost five games in a season since going 6-5 (4-3 in Region 2-AAAA) in 2000, and are looking for some momentum heading into region play.

A/1 No. 10 Lamar County, 4-2, at Pike County, 0-5

          Lamar County gets only about a dozen passing yards a game, but that won’t matter much, considering Pike County only gets double that. The Trojans outrush the Pirates by 231.6 yards a game, led by Jordan Glover with 90.5. Lamar County will try to extend Pike County’s scoreless streak of at least eight quarters (neither Pike County nor Southwest listed score by quarters in their Sept. 1 game, a 54-7 Southwest win). The Trojans rolled 49-7 last year.

A/1 No. 1 Prince Avenue Christian, 6-0, at No. 5 Mary Persons, 4-1
          The last time Mary Persons beat a No. 1 team? Back in 1993, when the No. 4 Bulldogs beat the No. 1 (AJC, Georgia Sports Writers Association) Golden Hawks of Washington County in a state semifinal. Few of the matchups since then have been all that close, including last year’s 47-14 win by PAC. The Bulldogs offense has progressed from 20 points each of the first two games to 55 last week as they’ve gotten healthier. The Wolverines have scored 58 and 56 in their last two games and average 49.2 points, winning by 34.3. Mary Persons’ pass defense will need a career game against Aaron Philo (321 yards passing, 25-3 TDs/INTs, 67.7 percent) and 400-yard receivers Hudson Hill and Christian Dockery. Mary Persons’ Duke Watson is good for 159.5 rushing yards and has 10 touchdowns.

CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE
* 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: Blaming coaches is usually way off base; HS playoffs peek; Loughdmouthings, Central Georgia polls
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Last week
* Roundup: County rolls, Northside upset, dueling 55-0 wins in same region, CFCA stunned, Macon County stumbles in showdown, blowouts galore
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions, Central Georgia state rankings
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Get on board with the Falcons;  Notes, review, Central Georgia polls, Loughdmouthings
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Class AA
Dodge County, 1-4/0-1, at Worth County, 3-2/1-0
          The Indians’ offense has slowed the past few weeks with just seven points in the last two games, against a pair of top-10 teams. They’re only outscored by six points a game, while the Rams outscore opponents by 14.8. Worth County has outscored its last two opponents (Central and Berrien (110-34). Worth County leads the series 4-0, but last year’s 47-38 win was the first meeting since 1987.

Kendrick, 2-3/1-1, at ACE, 4-1/1-1
          After winning five games the last seven seasons, suddenly Kendrick is a threat to break its playoff slump of a decade (2013), thanks to an improved defense that’s on target to give up the fewest points in seven seasons, although it still has Northeast left. The Gryphons (who’s stats aren’t completely updated) had the week off after falling 52-26 to Northeast. RB Aaron Davis and QB Kaleb Scarbary lead the offense, with David Ruddell, Chase Gazafy, and James Patterson the defense.

No. 4 Northeast, 4-1/2-0, at Central, 0-5/0-2, Thompson, 5:30 p.m.
          Northeast’s Nick Woodford has 904 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, and is getting 9.8 yards a carry. QB Reginald Glover is emerging as a dual threat, as well as an occasional special teams spark. Central, which hasn’t updated MaxPreps stats, leads the series 28-20, but are 5-12 this century, and have lost the last two 90-0.

Washington County, 2-3/1-1, at Laney, 2-2-1/1-1
          The winner is likely to repeat what happened last year, and get third. Laney won 28-18, but Washington County then won three straight to get fourth after a 1-5 start. Laney was 4-1 when the teams met last year, en route to an 8-3 season.

Westside-Augusta, 3-2/2-0, at Putnam County, 3-2/2-0
          The War Eagles and first-year head coach Joel Harvin are off to a winning start after five games for the fourth straight season, a 28-0 win last year part of a 6-1 start. It’s a big game in the race, it would seem, for second, behind top-ranked Thomson. The Patriots have won three straight, by 12, 42 and 41, and have passed last year’s win total in a 2-8 season, a year after going 9-3. Kaleb Crawford and Rashod Daniel get 8.4 and 6.2 yards a carry, and have seven rushing touchdowns for the War Eagles. Jeanarion Kamga has 835 yards and 11 TDs for Westside.

Southwest 39, Rutland 35, Thursday, Final

Class A/Division I
Bacon County, 2-2, at East Laurens, 2-2
          Bacon County is led by former Taylor County and Lamar County head coach Mark Wilson, and the Red Raiders have passed their win total of the past two seasons. East Laurens won 29-28 last year, their only win, and scoring more points than they had in the first four games. The Falcons are already 35 points from matching last year’s point total. Norrion King gets 101 rushing yards a game, and QB Zay Boston has passed for 510 yards, completing 56.2 percent of his passes.

A/II Charlton County, 0-5, at No. 7 Dublin, 3-1
          From1995-2007, Charlton County won at least 10 games a year. And the Indians are an uncharacteristic 0-5, coming off an 8-3 season under fifth-year head coach Russ Murray. The teams last played in 2009, a 30-8 Charlton County win, which came three years after a long-debated 13-13 tie in the Class AA championship game. The Irish are deep in the running game and on defense.

A/II Lake Oconee, 3-3, at Crawford County, 1-4
          The Titans bring an offense that averages 273.8 yards of offense a game, and are off a win over GIAA Loganville Christian. The Eagles (no stats posted this season) got their first win last week, 27-14 over Twiggs County. This is the first meeting.

Class A/Division II
Glascock County, 2-3, at Hancock Central, 2-3
          Hancock Central enters the region opener of a surprising 45-0 stomping by Washington-Wilkes, while Glascock County has won two straight. The Bulldogs won 44-14 last year to break a four-game skid and start a three-game win streak.

Johnson County, 2-2, at GMC, 1-5
          The Trojans were No. 6 to start the season, and are the only team in the region without a losing record, but remain the favorite. The Bulldogs ended an 0-5 start by popping Riverside Military 42-12 last week.

No. 3 Manchester,4-1/2-0, at No. 4 Macon County, 4-1/1-1
          The Bulldogs get a whopping  165.6 fewer yards on the ground than Manchester, and have a 108.4-yard advantage through the air. But Macon County is off a solid slapping by Schley County, and no doubt remembers last year’s 53-0 thrashing by Manchester. Dublin had a week off after its best game of the year, a 28-0 thumping of Metter, the Irish’s second shutout of the season.

Telfair County, 4-0, at Hawkinsville, 4-1
          It’s the region opener, but it’s big for the Red Devils and new head coach Tim Suttles, on their first four-game winning streak since the state title year of 2014, eyeing their first region-opening win since 2020, 25-22 over Telfair County. The Trojans (who have not posted any stats to MaxPreps) have won 50-16 and 54-30 since then, improving to 5-15 against the Red Devils. Hawkinsville’s Malek Brown runs and passes for 126.8 yards a game, and Landon Johnson leads the defense with 7.6 tackles a game, Hawkinsville on target for its best points-allowed season since 2015.

Taylor County, 4-1/2-0, at Greenville, 1-4/1-1
          The Vikings are on their first four-game winning streak since a 4-0 start in 2020 that ended up 6-3, and included a 48-19 win over Greenville. Granted, Taylor County doesn’t have any quality wins, and the loss was to GIAA Southland (2-3), but three of the Ws were good games.

Wilkinson County, 1-3, at Twiggs County 0-4
          The Warriors have been outscored by 98 points and the Cobras by 113. Wilkinson County leads the series 17-10, with six straight wins, with three one-possession Ws, and the other three by 31, 30, and 50.

GIAA
Class AAA
FPD, 3-1-1, at GHSA A/I No. 8 Commerce, 4-1
          Last year’s game was a battle, Commerce surviving 31-26 for FPD’s fifth straight loss, the Tigers going on to a 6-5 season. Commerce is headed toward its 11th straight winning season and keeping alive a playoff streak that started in 1997. The Vikings get 358.8 yards a game, 270.5 accounted for by QB Jakhari Williams, though there’s depth on the ground. Commerce hasn’t posted its stats in MaxPreps, but averages 30.6 points a game, just behind FPD’s 33.4.

Stratford, 3-2, at Deerfield-Windsor, 1-4
          The Eagles will try to slow down a passing game led by Lane Sceals, who has 778 yards and eight touchdowns. Stratford hasn’t updated stats. The Knights had a second-half lead over Westfield before losing by four, D-W being outscored by only 7.8 points on a 1-4 record. The Eagles outscore opponents by 11.8, but they’re on a two-game losing streak.

Frederica, 2-3, at Tattnall, 1-4
          Frederica gave John Milledge a good game before falling by only 10,but the Knights come in on a three-game losing streak, GHSA Class A/II No. 3 Clinch County delivering a 45-7 romp last week. Tattnall’s Antone Johnson and Frederica’s Jordan Triplett will give the defenses a headache, each on rout to 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Pinewood Christian, 2-3 at John Milledge, 5-0
          The Patriots broke a three-game losing streak with a 42-20 win over Mount de Sales, and the Trojans came back from a rugged win over Frederica with a 62-28 rout of Brookwood. Javian Butts gets 133.4 rushing and 62 receiving yards a game.

GHSA A/I No. 9 Bleckley County, 3-2 at Westfield, 3-2
          The Royals took a 45-14 win last year in the first meeting. They’re not quite as explosive, but the losses have been by six to A/II No. 1 Schley County and by six to 4A West Laurens. QB Kam’ryn Everett is a weapon, with 132.5 passing yards and 55.5 rushing yards (Bleckley County hasn’t full updated stats past four games, and has no defensive stats) a game. QB Brayden Gay has cruised past 1,000 yards passing, completing 52.6 percent with a 13-4 TD-INT ratio, three receivers with more than 200 yards and three with at least 12 catches.

Class AA
Brentwood, 3-2, at Briarwood, 2-2
          Brentwood comes in off a 28-12 to George Walton and while Briarwood took down Trinity Christian 35-7. Zach Denton and Baylor Cobb leads the War Eagles (stats haven’t been updated), who have a 25-13 series lead and seven straight wins.

Gatewood, 4-1, at Central Fellowship, 3-1-1
          The 2022 semifinalists meet after disappointing weeks, Gatewood getting thumped 35-0 by defending AAAA champ St. Anne-Pacelli and CFCA being stunned by Piedmont. The Lancers won 31-21 in the regular-season meeting and 43-14 in the semis.
Trinity Christian, 1-5, at Fullington, 0-4
          The Crusaders took last year’s meeting 56-42 for an 11-4-1 lead in the series.

8-man
Covenant at John Hancock
Windsor at Twiggs