Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Central Georgia high school football scouting reports

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Central Georgia high school football scouting reports

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

           The rankings are from the Georgia High School Football Daily composite.
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Class 5A

Coffee, 3-4/1-1, at No. 4 Houston County, 7-0/2-0
          Houston County can go a long way toward a second-place finish and a home playoff game with a win over a team that leads the series 10-3, the Bears last winning 17-10 in 2020. Houston County gets 132 more yards a game than Coffee, led by RB Colin Anderson (121.1 rushing YPG) and QB Ryan Maxwell (220 ypg,  68.7 pct., 18-4 TDs-INTs). Jase Jordan, Jordan Smith, and Westen Ard team for 26.2 tackles a game for one of the Bears’ best defenses in a long time. But Coffee is tough. The Trojans have given up only one more point than they’ve scored.

No. 1 Thomas County Central, 7-0/2-0, at Northside, 0-7/0-2
          A half-dozen years ago, not a soul would predict a Northside-Thomas County Central game in October meaning absolutely nothing, for nobody would have predicted a collapse of the Eagles’ program. The Yellow Jackets of former Jones County head coach Justin Rogers average 445.3 yards a game. Northside isn’t posting stats on MaxPreps.

Veterans, 2-5/0-2, at No. 7 Lee County, 5-2/1-1
          Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio is back with the team after a leave of absence following a DUI arrest, among other charges. The Trojans’ boss is 150-52 at Lee County. Lee County beat Coffee 35-14 with John Flath in charge. Veterans is scoring two more points a game this season and giving up eight fewer points.

Class 4A

Perry, 4-3/2-0, at No. 5T Ware County, 6-1/1-1
          Ware County has a stronger run game, and Perry has a passing edge. Reid Ginn is passing for 181 yards a game while Decorrion Daniels adds 73.9 on the ground. Tayshaun Franklin gets 100.3 rushing for Ware County. Janaris Reeves leads Perry’s defense with 7 tackles for loss and 8.6 stops a game.

New Hampstead, 1-6/0-2, at Warner Robins, 3-4/0-2
          The Demons won 34-22 last year, when New Hampstead averaged 32 points a game and gave up 42. The Phoenix are getting half as many points this season and giving up 33 a game. The Demons outscored teams by 8 points a game last year, but are giving up 12 more points a game this year.

Class 3A

Aquinas, 5-2/3-2, at Baldwin, 3-4/2-3

          Baldwin came up with a huge 27-25 win last week over Hephzibah to increase its playoff chances. A win over Aquinas almost locks up a postseason game for the Braves, but Aquinas’ two losses are good ones, by 6 to Westside-Augusta and by 7 to Harlem.

Bainbridge, 0-7/0-2, at No. 2 Peach County, 7-0/2-0

          The Trojans get 390 yards a game on offense to 192.7 for the Bearcats, winless and now under new management. They​'re amid their worst two-year run since going 1-19 in 1996-97. Peach County, meanwhile, has sights set on its first perfect regular season since 2014, a season that stunningly ended in the first round with a 14-7 loss to Appling County.

Fayette County, 0-7/0-5, at Upson-Lee, 4-3/2-3
          Upson-Lee is in a 1-3 slump, outscored 77-14 in two of the games. Fayette County is having an epically bad season, having scored its only points of the season more than a month ago in its 49-7 loss to Mary Persons. Every team has scored at least 41 points on the Tigers, who have had three straight one-win seasons after going 13-8 in 2020-21.

Hephzibah, 3-5/2-4, at No. 8 West Laurens, 7-0/5-0
          Look for Ty Cummings to get ​close to his average of 213 rushing yards a game and add to his total of 19 rushing touchdowns. Hephzibah has been competitive in four of its losses, suffering only a rout in a 41-7 loss to Harlem, who West Laurens beat 26-21. The Raiders got a nice test last week in beating Richmond Academy 21-7. West Laurens rolled 56-28 last year.

Howard, 1-6, 0-5, at Cross Creek, 1-7/0-6
          The Huskies are on a five-game losing streak, and the Razorbacks have lost seven straight. They scored 22 points in a season-opening win and only 20 points since, while Howard averages 21.3 points a game, down from 28 last year.

Spalding, 2-6/2-4, at Mary Persons, 4-3/3-2
          The Bulldogs are on a 1-3 skid, but off a quality night in last week’s 28-21 loss to LaGrange. Spalding has won the last two meetings with Mary Persons, but the Jaguars are quite down this year, only two seasons removed from going 12-1. QB Mac Nelson is on target for a 2,000-yard season passing, with 1,619 yards. Mason Stephens has 786 receiving yards. CJ Banks is a two-way standout who leads the defense with 59 tackles.

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Class AA
Rutland, 0-7, at A/I No. 13 Jeff Davis, 6-1
          This game was moved from early in the season because of weather. The Yellow Jackets’ lone loss is 56-21 to then-No. 4 Thomasville. Rutland had shown progress early in the season, but hit a wall in a 44-0 loss to Jackson, a surprising margin. The Hurricanes have lost by 23 and 32 to a pair of ranked teams since then.

Class A/Division I
No. 7 Bleckley County, 6-1/5-1, at No. 11 Dublin, 5-2/5-1
          How big a crowd will be at the Shamrock Bowl? There haven’t been many large ones in awhile, and although both teams are playoff locks, Dublin can fall near the line of a first-round road game with a loss, and considering Dodge County awaits in two weeks, the Irish need the win more than Bleckley County. There are different levels of pride on the line, including Dublin’s domination of the series, 17-2. Bleckley County is more diverse on offense and has some speed, while Dublin counters with its ball-control wing-T.​ There should be a playoff atmosphere.

No. 9T Dodge County, 6-1/5-1, at Jefferson County, 1-6/1-5

          Jefferson County has made some improvement, but Dodge County is similar to last year, when it won 43-6. The Indians are outscoring opponents by 18.1 points a game, double last year’s figure.

ACE Charter, 4-3/3-3, at Southwest, 2-5/1-5

          It was likely a sharp week of practice for ACE, with perhaps a reminder or two of Southwest’s 52-51 double-overtime win in 2023, derailing the Gryphons’ chances at sharing a region title or getting a home playoff game. ACE still has an outside shot at a home playoff game if  it finishes at least 2-1. The Patriots are in a must-win mode to get one of the final playoff spots.

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East Laurens, 3-4/3-3 at Washington County, 2-5/2-4

          Both teams need wins, but Washington County more than East Laurens. The Golden Hawks are on a 1-4 slide, including an impressive 14-7 loss to Dublin. The other three losses were by 32, 18, and 19 points. East Laurens has a good win over ACE followed by a 14-0 struggle against Southwest.

Social Circle, 5-2/3-0, at Jasper County, 7-0/3-0
          Jasper County sweated out a 21-18 win over McNair two weeks ago to keep alive the dream season, and a shot at the first perfect regular season since 1988 when the Hurricanes went 11-1, losing in the region playoffs. There’s a good chance this year’s game will be similar to last year’s, a 31-29 triple-overtime Jasper County road win. The Redskins are improved, evidenced in part by their 56-17 win over McNair a week after the Hurricanes’ win.

No. 8 Lamar County, 6-0/2-0, at Putnam County, 5-3/3-1
          The Trojans are likely to get their first test in almost a month with the War Eagles, who have won four of their last five and the last two by 88-3. Lamar County won last year 24-3, their closest region win. Putnam County is going for its first win over a ranked team since 2001.

Class A/Division II

Chattahoochee County, 3-4/2-2, at Taylor County, 5-2/3-0
          The Panthers are playing for more than just the playoffs. First-year head coach Michael Nash died on Oct. 3 after emergency surgery to address organ failure. The Panthers had beaten Central-Talbotton 55-6 that night. They are working toward their first winning season since 2021 and first playoff trip since 2022. The Vikings won 27-14 last year. They’re focused on trying to win their first region title since 1998.

Marion County, 0-7/0-3, at Macon County, 2-5/2-1
          The Bulldogs are off a rare shutout loss, first since 2022, but they’re still alive for a shot at the region’s top seed. QB K​hamadj Mitchell is 118 yards from 1,000 passing yards for the season, while RB Noah Parker is 141 from that magic number. Marion County won 27-18 last year, but is being outscored by 27 points a game​ this year.

Montgomery County, 1-7/0-4, at Hawkinsville, 5-2/1-2
          The Red Devils are tied for fourth, while the Eagles are on a 7-game losing streak, unable to build on the season-opening 20-0 win over Baconton Charter. Hawkinsville’s lone losses are to two of the top three teams in the region. The Red Devils won 39-20 last year.

GIAA

Class 4A/3A
Bethlehem Christian, 6-2/5-0, at Piedmont, 5-3/2-3
          Bethlehem Christian won 35-0 last year, in the teams’ first meeting since 2017. The Knights went on to finish 11-1, losing in the second round of the 4A playoffs to FPD 34-0.

Brookstone, 7-1/2-0, at Westfield, 6-2/2-0
          The winner takes the district/region title, and solidifies their ranking. The Hornets are No. 4 in 3A and the Cougars are No. 2 in 4A. Westfield won 17-10 last year, and have won nine of their last 11 games at home.

Stratford, 6-2/1-2, at Mount de Sales, 2-6/1-1
          The Eagles have won four straight in the series after the Cavs reeled off three straight wins. Stratford rolled 56-13 last year. Mount de Sales is giving up six less points a game than in 2024. Stratford can tie last year’s win total with a W.

Tattnall, 0-8/0-2, at John Milledge, 6-1/2-0
          The Trojans are destined to set a program record for fewest points in a season, currently sitting with 32 after being shut out for the fourth time. The fourth shutout of Barney Hester’s first stint at Tattnall didn’t come until the end of his fourth season. The Trojans had won four straight in the series until last year’s 28-17 Tattnall win.

Class AA

Augusta Prep, 1-8/0-3 at Brentwood, 7-1/3-0
          The defending champs are on target for a top-2 program mark in points allowed, their 89 13 points less than the 102 allowed in 1980, a 6-4-1 season. They’ll clearly improve on last year’s 208 points en route to the title, but they’ll only come somewhat close to the 500 points scored. A chunk came in the 49-0 win over Augusta Prep.​

Gatewood, 3-5/2-1, at Edmund Burke, 5-3/2-1
          The Gators are eyeing an upset in hopes of avoiding a second straight sub-.500 season, and they’ll try to avenge last year’s 35-13 loss.

Central Fellowship, 4-4/1-1, at Windsor, 2-7/0-2
          Now that Windsor is back playing 11-man, the South Bibb neighbors can go at it again after more than a decade off, CFCA winning the resumption game 14-8 last year. Windsor has two chances to match last year’s win total. The Lancers have won three of their last four games.

Southwest Georgia, 5-3/1-0, at Trinity Christian, 5-3/0-1
          A great start has slowed drastically for the Crusaders, a 5-game winning streak followed by a two-game skid, in part because of an injury to do-it-all Wade Register. Southwest Georgia struggled to get past Robert Toombs last week.

8-man
Westminster at Covenant
Monsignor Donovan at John Hancock