This weekend's Central Georgia GHSA and GISA football playoff scouting reports
Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by midnight Friday or by 10:30 a.m. Saturday for inclusion in Central Georgia’s only comprehensive roundup.
Northside (R1/3, 4-6) at No. 9 Hughes (R4/2, 9-1)
Both teams are hungry, but Hughes – after a two-year absence from the playoffs – is a win away from tying the program record – which only started in 2009 – for wins. The Panthers are balanced, and are likely to end the game having passed 2,000 yards rushing and passing. They have thrown only three interceptions.
Houston County (R1/4, 5-5) at No. 3 Westlake (R4/1, 8-1)
Westlake has given up five more points in nine games than Houston County has scored in 10. QB R.J. Johnson has passed for 2,334 yards, which is 601 more yards than the Bears have in total offense and 10 fewer yards than opponents have gotten.
Wayne County (R1/4, 3-7) at No. 10 Jones County (R4/1, 7-3)
Warner Robins beat Wayne County 40-6, and the Yellow Jackets nipped Veterans 10-7. They’ve played eight teams ranked at the time of kickoff. Jones County has played four ranked teams, but two were in 7A at the start of the season, and the Greyhounds have had two close games since en route to a second straight region title.
Union Grove (R4/4, 6-4) at No. 2 Warner Robins (R1/1, 8-1)
The Wolverines opened with two wins, lost four straight – including 62-22 to Jones County – and have won four straight. The defense has improved, and given up a max of 14 in that four-game winning streak. But this is their first playoff trip since 2012, four head coaches ago, and they’re facing one of the state’s most versatile – on O and D – teams. Warner Robins QB Jalen Addie and LBs Ahmad Walker and Demarcious Robins are among state player of the year candidates in 5A.
Westover (R1/4, 1-4) at Perry (R4/1, 6-4), Saturday, 6 p.m.
The Albany area was hit by scheduling issues, and Westover has half a season in, and not a good one, record wise. The Patriots may not be the predictable one-win walkover, with two one-point and a nine-point loss. On the other hand, Region 1 isn’t very strong. Perry has momentum and confidence with the first region title since 1959, but the Panthers can’t be too giddy. Makeil Kendrick is 169 yards from 1,000 rushing for the season, and Curtis Head and Daequan Wright are a few passes away from 500 receiving yards.
Thomas County Central (R1/3, 4-5) at No. 9 Baldwin (R4/2, 4-1), Saturday, 3 p.m.
TCC is outscored by only 3.6 points a game, and gets at least 26 in wins and can’t get past 14 points in losses. The quality loss is 16-14 to then No. 1/AA Callaway. The region is top heavy, weak after the top three. Baldwin is off a heartbreaking – and controversial – region championship loss, in which Javon Bullard was banged up a number of times.
West Laurens (R4/3, 5-4) at Cairo (R1/2, 4-4), Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
In the run of six playoff trips in the last seven years, the Raiders have won the opener every time. Cairo started with four straight losses, three to smaller-class teams, and have won four straight, three by 12 or less. The Raiders have weapons in QB Bradley Wilson, RB Cordarrian Hickman, and receiver Tyler Franks, among others, and have 39 sacks.
Westside (R4/4, 5-4) at No. 6 Bainbridge (R1/1, 7-3), Saturday, 6 p.m.
The 2018 5A champs aren’t in a brutal region – 3-12 in non-region games – and the Bearcats don’t really have a marquee win, and falling 31-16 to 5A Coffee and 35-30 to 5A Ware County are marketable losses. But they’re 8-2 at home the past two seasons (last year was in 1-5A). The Seminoles are 4-6 in their last 10 first-round games.
Johnson-Savannah (R3/4, 3-4) at No. 3 Peach County (R2/1, 7-1)
The Savannah area isn’t particularly strong, and Region 3 is 9-18 in non-region games, second-worst in 3A. Johnson has scored 33, 43, and 33 in the wins, but has been shut out once and held to single digits three times. The Trojans, meanwhile, have lost only three first-round games under Chad Campbell, and not since 2014, which was against seven-win Appling County.
Central (R2/3, 5-3) at Liberty County (R3/2, 2-3)
Liberty County had one region game, and lost to top seed SE Bulloch 21-7. The Panthers have lost three straight, by 10, 14, and 21, and the two wins are against 6A Bradwell Institute – an 0-10 team – in their first two games of the year. The Chargers – led by dual threat QB Jalik Thomas and defenders Walt Hawthorne and Adam Lamar – have won five of their last six, and were competitive against Crisp County. Central is looking for its first full GHSA playoff win since 1975’s state title team.
Upson-Lee (R2/4, 5-5) at Southeast Bulloch (R3/1, 6-3)
SE Bulloch has made the playoffs six straight years and seven of the last eight, after a drought. The last real playoff win? 1974, in Class A. Upson-Lee has lost its last six first-round games, last winning in 2005, 10-7 over No. 5/6 Creekside. Malique Smith, who went from No. 3 to starter at RB, is 186 yards from 1,000, and DBs DeGavion Colbert and Maddox Jackson each have three interceptions.
Swainsboro (R2/4, 4-6) at Dodge County (R3/1, 5-3), Saturday, 6 p.m.
A tough fourth-seed get for the Indians. Swainsboro had played Washington County twice – and split, and Dublin. The Tigers, though, have lost their last three games, all to the teams above them in Region 2 (Vidalia, Jeff Davis, nad Toombs County), by eight, 21, and 14 points. Dodge County dug itself out of a midseason slump to take the top seed, and is a confident team, boosted by double-digit wins over Northeast and Washington County. Daylon Gordon gets a powerful 136.6 yards a game rushing for Dodge County, and Mikhail Carr is an underrated two-way player. The Indians are in the playoffs for the ninth straight year, and have won the first-round game five of the last six years.
Toombs County (R2/3, 7-3) at Northeast (R3/2, 7-2), Saturday, 2 p.m.
The Bulldogs have quality losses – West Laurens, Jeff Davis, and Vidalia – and bring a pretty solid defense to Macon. The four teams to score more than 20 points on Toombs County are in the playoffs. Northeast has a balanced offense, with 19 passing and 18 rushing touchdowns, but PATs have been a big issue. And could easily be the difference in Northeast winning its first playoff game since 2002 (20-13 over Thomasville).
Washington County (R3/3, 6-4) at Jeff Davis (R2/2, 8-1), Saturday, 6 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets have a lot of Dublin and Washington County – power running games – to them, under former Dublin assistant and WACO lineman Lance Helton. Jeff Davis averages 325.3 rushing yards and has 19 rushing TDs. Washington County knows how to defend the power game, and may have a scheduling edge.
Bleckley County (R3/4, 6-3) at Vidalia (R2/1, 7-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.
The Royals are more balanced, with 1,408 rushing yards and 1,241 passing yards, to 1,995 and 829 for the host Indians. Region 2 is pretty tough, 18-9 in non-region games to a respectable 12-12 for Region 3. Bleckley County won the regular-season game 21-14 on Sept. 25, getting the game-winner with just less than four minutes left. The Royals have weapons by ground and air, but the regular-season finale was canceled, and Bleckley County is on a two-game losing streak, having not played since Nov. 6.
Early County (R1/3, 6-2) at Putnam County (R4/2, 9-1), Saturday, 4 p.m.
The War Eagles should have a tussle, facing a team from a good region that has two wins over ranked teams (in Class A Public and in region). Early County’s last playoff win was 2015, and it made a quarterfinal run in 2012. Putnam County has lost three first-round games since a win in 2010.
Terrell County (R1/4, 4-4) at No. 2 Dublin (R4/1, 9-1)
Dublin is 8-2 in its last 10 home playoff games, and 12-1 the last two seasons in the Shamrock Bowl. Three of Terrell County’s losses have been competitive, and the defense has had some good games. But …
The Irish average 296.1 yards rushing a game, and give up only 130.9. QB Markelle Mitchell is only 25 of 37, but for 511 yards with 11 TDs and no picks. And this is the Greenwaves seventh playoff trip this century.
Social Circle (R8/4, 4-6) at No. 6 Macon County (R5/1, 8-1)
The Redskins give up 33.6 points a game, and four opponents have cracked 40 points. The Bulldogs average 37 points a game, and have cracked 40 points four times.
Taylor County (R5/3, 6-2) at No. 9 Washington-Wilkes (R8/2, 7-1)
Washington-Wilkes has four shutouts, but not too many major tests. The Tigers gave region champ Commerce some trouble, and they’ve allowed only 68 points in eight games, maxed by Commerce in a 28-14 win. The Vikings have played a tougher schedule, with three opponents ranked at the time.
GMC (R7/3 6-4) at Gordon Lee (R6/2, 9-1)
The Bulldogs are in the postseason for the first time since 2002, and the reward is a team that’s three points from being undefeated and having its best season since 2002. The Trojans are outscoring teams by 24.7 points a game, and have five wins over bigger-class programs.
Wilkinson County (R7/4, 2-6) at Bowdon (R6/1, 6-4)
Bowdon is led by Richard Fendley Jr., son of the late Richard Fendley, who spent decades at Warner Robins. Fendley took over in 2018 after leaving Westside, and has turned around the program, bringing its first region title since 2014. The Red Devils are 14-7 since 1-9 his first season.
BEST (R6/4, 3-5) at Hancock Central (R7/1, 6-0)
Standout running back Keveon Robbins is 173 yars from 1,000, and teams with Qeontavious Ivey to give the Bulldogs a serious running game, to the tune of 352.7 yards a game. They each have nine rushing TDs, and Ivey is second on the team with 7.5 tackles a game. BEST has lost three straight, and has been in the playoffs with a losing record three times since 2016.
Heritage/Newnan (R4/4, 0-10) at FPD (R1/2, 6-4)
Heritage plays in a four-team region, and lost its 10 games by an average of 17.7 points, but the Hawks were competitive against Bowdon, Landmark Christian, and Brookstone. The Vikings have sights set on following up their first top seed with their first GHSA playoff win since 2017. FPD’s scoring margin is plus 13.4, the team’s best in the GHSA.
Pacelli (R4/3, 6-3) at Mount de Sales (R1/2, 6-4)
Former Jones County head coach Dwight Jones is now at Pacelli, and is 11-8 in two seasons after two seasons at Harris County after six with the Greyhounds. The Vikings are pretty one-dimensional, throwing 82 passes all season compared to 318 rushing attempts, good for 255.7 yards a game. The Cavs may have fewer weapons than Pacelli which has three backs at 299 yards or better.
Stratford (R1/3, 7-2) at Brookstone (R4/2, 5-5)
The common opponents: Mount Paran, FPD and Mount de Sales. Brookstone lost 22-7 and 27-26 on consecutive weeks in September to FPD and MdS, opening with a 17-14 win over Mount Parah. Stratford beat Mount Paran 20-0 and FPD 21-8, losing 17-14 to Mount de Sales.
Tattnall (R1/4, 4-6) at No. 8 Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg (R4/1, 8-2)
TCS has lost to A/Private’s No. 2 and No. 3 teams at the time, in the opener and in mid-October. The Lions, though, play close games, the margin an average of 10.3 points. Tattnall has one win since Sept. 25, but the Trojans clearly improved the final few games of the season.
GISA
Class AAA
Seed in parentheses with record; rankings through MaxPreps and committee
Creekside Christian (8, 5-3) at John Milledge (1, 8-0)
Creekside broke John Milledge streak of four straight shutouts in the Trojans’ 50-7 win on Nov. 13. The Trojans started another streak a week later against Westfield.
Brookwood (5, 9-3) at Westfield (4, 6-2-1)
Brookwood topped Region 3, and its losses are to GHSA Class A Lanier County and GISA AA Terrell. The Warriors have won six straight since then, pulling out close games. The Hornets have to regroup during this surprise season from last week’s thumping by John Milledge.
Robert Toombs (8, 0-8) at Gatewood (1, 9-1)
The Gators had a tight one last week against Brentwood, and Robert Toombs is winless, giving up 55.5 points a game.
Augusta Prep (7, 3-8) at Brentwood (2, 7-2), 6 p.m.
Brentwood’s streak of three straight opening wins is likely to continue, Augusta Prep recalling its 46-0 loss to the War Eagles in mid-October.
Class A
(There is no Class A in GISA. Class AA teams with low school enrollment can opt before the season to participate in Class A playoffs. COVID has led to a three-team field.)
Thomas Jefferson (2, 8-3) vs. Memorial Day (3, 2-8)
Piedmont (1, 6-3), bye