HSFB 2018: Monday Morning Quarterback, and Central Georgia polls
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Top 5
Division I (6A-5A-4A, 11 schools)
1. Northside
Centennial made some mistakes, but Northside was clearly the better team, and rolled on the road. Defense had a slightly off night, giving up a big chunk of yards in the air but stuffing the run.
2. Warner Robins
The Demons were good all night on offense, but bowed up on the second half on defense when they need to against a 7A team trying to come back. A 453-yard passing night from Dylan Fromm to open the season.
3. Jones County
The second half was much better than the first against Howard, and the offense found a groove. QB Hunter Costlow was money on third-and-long, with two touchdown passes to save the Greyhounds’ night.
4. Mary Persons
Another whipping of a big school for the Bulldogs doesn’t change the target on Mary Persons’ back. Gainesville’s not too good right now, but 42 first-half points are 42 first-half points.
5. Veterans
Nobody expected – realistically – the Warhawks to go to Upson-Lee and dominate the second half en route to Veterans’ most respectable win – the Knights weren’t a playoff team in 2017, but they were close – since knocking off ranked 5A Thomas County Central in 2016.
Top 5
(Expands next week to 10 after all have played a game)
Division II (3A-2A-A-Other)
1. Peach County
The opener is Saturday against Northside, so there’s no body of work yet. But it is Peach County, and the 3A state runners-up.
2. Dodge County
The anti-pass Indians survived a road trip and weather delays to beat a Class 6A team, a 6-4 team in 2017, on the road. That’s a four-class difference, and a big win for a program that tends not to play up very much, and not that far up (for a decade or two).
3. Dublin
The wing-T was rocking in the Shamrock Bowl against a quality Class A opponent that had three straight 11 win seasons and has been held to single digits now only three times since 2014.
4. Westside
There might’ve been some cleaning up of Ed DeFore on Saturday, so sloppy was the win over Southwest. Tyshaun Freeman, a big back with some speed, is somebody to deal with. The Seminoles – and Patriots – have to drastically cut back on the pre-snap penalties.
5. Washington County
The Golden Hawks’ defense threw a shutout on the road against a 4A playoff team, Baldwin’s score coming on an interception return for a touchdown.
Monday Morning Quarterback
As expected, almost
All but three of the Central Georgia teams in one or both polls – Georgia Sports Writers Association and Atlanta Journal-Constitution – played Friday, and all but one – Macon County – won.
Unexpected
As per the Maxwell Ratings projections, Macon County was a 23- point favorite over Pelham. Final score: 35-0. Regardless of the location, the Bulldogs getting blanked by anybody is an eyebrow-raiser.
Houston County was a 23-point favorite over Perry, which managed its way to a 6-point win.
Other upsets (7-point margin or larger): Warner Robins over Tift County (9 point favorite), Dublin over ECI (8), Veterans over Upson-Lee (7), Perry over Houston County (23).
A figurative upset: ACE was a 41-point underdog to Treutlen, and lost by 14. And Howard was a 29-point underdog to Jones County.
Rolling along
Warner Robins lost some quality skill people from last year, like Jaeven West, Julius Cobbs, Jarius Burnette, and Jaydon Norman.
Yet there was the Demons’ passing game Friday night, steered by QB Dylan Fromm, racking up 453 yards through the air
Rough debuts
Central Georgia has a slew of new head coaches this season, and they as a group didn’t have a good first game.
The only one able to get high fives Monday morning at school was Veterans’ Milan Turner.
Trying to improve that winning percentage this week: Central’s Joaquin Sample, Crawford County’s Jhon Smith, Dooly County’s Corey Jarvis, and Wilkinson County’s Keldrick Burke.
Numbers
There were seven shutouts in Central Georgia games last week. Excluding the inter-area games with Veterans over Upson-Lee and West Laurens over East Laurens, Central Georgia went 1-4.
On the other hand, seven area teams scored 40 or more points: Bleckley County, Brentwood, Dublin, Mary Persons, Tattnall, Warner Robins, and West Laurens.