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
6/3 Creekview, 5-5, at 2/2 (No. 5) Houston County, 9-1
          Creekview may give the Bears a tussle for a little while, owner of a solid running game led by QB Alex Penrod, who gets 172.6 yards total offense a game. Austin Penrod leads the defense with 10.2 tackles a game. The Grizzlies started off 0-3 and finished 5-2, including an overtime loss to second-place and ranked Sprayberry. All of their losses are respectable, and to playoff teams. But they have to face a 2,000-yard passer in his first year  as a starter and a defense with playmakers on all three levels. Plus, this is Houston County’s first home playoff game in a long time.

Class 4A
8/3 Eastside, 6-4, at 2/2 Warner Robins, 6-4
          The Eagles’ losses have been by 15 and 24 to 6A playoff teams, by 24 and by 1 to the top two teams in the region. That’s a total of 64 points, three more than just one of Warner Robins’ losses, 61-0 to Benedictine. Eastside has won four of its last five first-round games, and reached the quarterfinals last year. The Eagles are balanced, with 192 rushing and 148 passing yards a game. Warner Robins is not posting stats this season.

1/4 Perry, 4-6, at 8/1 (No. 2) North Oconee, 10-0
          It’ll take the biggest upset in decades for the Panthers to avoid their worst record and first losing season under Kevin Smith. It’ll take Perry’s first win over a top-3 Atlanta Journal-Constitution team ever to avoid that. The Panthers are on their first three-game losing streak since the start of the 2020 season. North Oconee has given up only 59 points this season.

Class AAA
29. Beach, 5-4, at 4. (No. 8) West Laurens, 10-0
          The Raiders’ historic season opens the playoffs with West Laurens the top seed for the first time since 2016 when it opened the playoffs with a 37-6 win over Luella and lost 31-0 to Blessed Trinity in the quarterfinals to finish 11-2. West Laurens was amid a run of upper-level defenders, an area that’s been a little overshadowed this year by Ty Cumming’s eye-catching season of 2,111 yards. Beach’s early game with Savannah was cancelled after a fight broke out and led to ejections in late August. The Bulldogs are off a 48-8 loss to Southeast Bulloch.

21. Cherokee Bluff, 6-4, at 12. (No. 6T) Peach County, 9-1
          The Trojans haven’t had a lot of luck with health down the stretch, losing wideout Zion Hudson for the year and quarterback Caiden Ivory to some time. Ashton Barton has been steady en route to 1,090 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Ace Blunt leads the defense with 10.3 tackles a game and 10 tackles for loss. Cherokee Bluff gets 350.5 yards a game, but gives up 25.2 points. The Bears’ losses have been by between 4 and 21 points, and they’re off a 52-49 win over East Hall, which finished 3-7. Peach County’s defense will get a test from QB Cooper Dean, who averages 172.2 passing yards a game.

Class AA
29. Westside, 3-7, at 4. (No. 2) Morgan County, 10-0
          Familiarity is unlikely to improve the odds for Westside against region foe Morgan County. After pushing the Bulldogs in a 35-32 loss in 2024, the Seminoles were thumped 56-14 in late September. Morgan County is 31-4 the last three seasons, and reached the quarterfinals last year, for the first time since 1990. Christian Montfort runs for 152.8 yards a game and Davis Strickland passes for 197.6 for Morgan County. It’ll take the biggest win in Westside history to prolong the Seminoles career of head coach Spoon Risper, who announced before the season this would be his last at Westside.

Class A/Division I
31. Berrien, 3-7, at 2. (No. 8) Lamar County, 10-0
          The Trojans had a perfect regular season for the fifth time this century, and are unlikely to be challenged much in the playoff opener. They’ve won their last three first-round games by 41, 25, and 21, and last loss at home to a same-class team was to fourth-ranked Bleckley County midway through the 2021 season. Berrien ended the regular season with a 66-20 loss to Thomasville.

28. Fannin County, 5-5, at 5. (No. 4) Northeast, 8-2
          Fannin County sees a crack in the door to an upset against a Northeast team having to adjust the past few weeks after the loss of quarterback Jordan Wiggins to a shoulder injury. He underwent clavicle surgery last week and may be back in four weeks, but a familiar quarterback return to behind center with Bam Glover, who steered the Raiders to the championship game last year. Along the way was an eye-catching 48-39 quarterfinal win over favored top seed Fannin County. This Northeast team is different than last year, and different than last month. Glover has thrown only 19 passes this year as a do-it-all offensive threat, but he was 92 of 172 for 1,245 yards and 18 touchdowns last year. The Rebels have lost three of their last four games.

26. Gordon Central, 7-3, at 7. Jasper County, 9-1
          The Hurricanes are in rare air, but need to get over lost 20-7 to Lamar County two weeks ago in the 4-A/Division I championship game. Jasper County is now a target, and playing for its first double-digit win season since 1992. The Hurricanes beat ACE 41-31 in last year’s first round, and haven’t won consecutive first-round games since 1991-92. Chance Ross gets 124.8 yards a game, double that of Gordon Central’s Brandon Thomas. The Warriors followed a 5-0 start with three straight losses – by 21, 21, and 35 points – before winning two straight. This is their sixth playoff trip this century, and their last playoff win came in 1995.
25. Washington County, 5-5, at 8. (No. 9) Dublin, 8-2

          The Golden Hawks haven’t won a playoff game since 2018, when they reached the quarterfinals. The Irish haven’t lost a first-round game since 2021 and have won 14 playoff openers in head coach Roger Holmes’ 23 season entering 2025. He is 8-2 against Washington County, the lone loss a 27-23 upset in 2019. Dublin leads the series 32-17, and this is their first meeting in the playoffs. Dublin rushes for 307 yards, a yard less than Washington County gets in total offense. Dublin survived 14-7 in early September.

19. Jeff Davis, 7-3, at 14. (No. 10) Bleckley County, 8-2
          It’s the teams’ first meeting, but Jeff Davis head coach Lance Helton has some familiarity with the Royals from his days as a Dublin assistant. He’s running the same offense, and is 60-38 in his ninth season. Bleckley County’s Von Lassiter is 68-35 in his ninth season. The Royals are avenging last year’s frustrating 5-7 mark, and doing so with one of Lassiter’s best defenses with Bleckley County. Junior QB Brody Fleming has cruised past the 2,000-yard mark – and has 29 passing TDs – while the Royals ride the legs of three different rushers.

20. Putnam County, 5-5. at 13. (No. 5) Thomasville, 7-3
          The War Eagles face an offense that gets 100 more yards a game, and has two losses by a total of four points. The other loss was 55-7 to Class 5A powerhouse Thomas County Central. The Bulldogs are on a eight-game winning streak in first-round games, while Putnam County comes in on a two-game losing streak.

24. ACE Charter, 5-5, at 9. (No. 7) Fitzgerald, 7-3
          The Gryphons don’t enter their fifth straight playoff season with any momentum, ending 1-5 after a 4-0 start. Fitzgerald and first-year head coach Wesley Tankersley have won five straight, four by double figures and three by at least 35 points. Tankersley is 121-78 in 18 seasons at four schools with four region titles. Fitzgerald, beaten 46-14 by Northeast in last year’s semifinal, hasn’t lost a first-round game since 2017

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18. Dodge County, 7-3, at 15. Rabun County, 8-2
          Former Peach County head coach Rance Gillespie – who was also the boss at Valdosta, Hart County, and B Brookstone – has his alma mater in the playoffs for the 14th straight year in his first season back. The Wildcats lost two straight after winning their first seven games, a run that included 117 points in a two-game stretch. The pass defenses will get tested by Dodge County’s Kain Mincey (204 ypg) and Rabun County’s Ty Truelove (150 ypg). The Indians lost their last two games, 33-14 to Northeast and 22-16 to Dublin. Dodge County is going for its first road playoff win since knocking off Westside 14-3 in the first round of the 2014 postseason.

32. East Laurens, 3-7, at 1. (No. 3) Heard County, 10-0
          Heard County enters after the first perfect regular season since 2012 when the Braves lost in the second round to Greater Atlanta Christian. They won the AA title six seasons later. East Laurens is making its seventh playoff trip this century, and first under second-year head coach Jesse Hicks.

Class A/Division II
7/3 Trion at 4/2 Hawkinsville, 8-2
          The Red Devils are in the postseason for the third straight season, which hasn’t happened since Hawkinsville was amid two straight state titles in 2003-04 under Lee Campbell and made the playoffs eight straight times. This is the highest win total since the 2014 13-1 state title season. Martin McDonald leads Hawkinsville with 82.4 yards a game rushing, while Nakivius Releford tops the defense with 8.5 tackles a game. Trion has missed the playoffs only five times since 2000, and has won four straight first-round games, reaching the quarterfinals a year ago.

3/3 Jenkins County, 6-4, at 5/2 Wilkinson County, 4-6
          The Warriors are led by QB Quenterrion Stanford, who gets 267.4 yards through the air, Myles Cobb his favorite target with 128 yards receiving per game. Wilkinson County has won four of its last five games to make the playoffs for the fifth straight year, and under its third different head coach. The Eagles have won two straight first-round games, and topped Macon County 35-21 in last year’s second round.

2/3 Charlton County, 5-5, at 6/2 Macon County, 5-5
Charlton County has the long drive from just north of Jacksonville to face standout running back Noah Parker, in the top 40 statewide in all classes with 1,211 yards, scoring 19 times on the ground. Charlton County’s Omari Wilson isn’t too far behind with 1,058 yards. Macon County has won three straight playoff games over Charlton County, albeit from 1995-97, the Bulldogs led by C.B. Cornett and the Indians by Rich McWhorter.

5/3 GMC Prep, 4-6, at 3/2 (No. 9T) ECI, 7-3
          The Bulldogs had a surprising season, and were in the region title hunt into late October before a two-game losing streak. Still, they finished with a winning region record for the fourth time since 2020, after failing to do that since 2000. GMC didn’t play a region schedule for several years in that span. ECI, which won the 2012 Class A title, has made the playoffs every year since 2003 except in 2020.

6/3 Taylor County, 7-3, at 2/2 (No. 6) Brooks County, 5-5
          The Vikings went from region leader to third place all from losing to Macon County 21-19 in the 10th game and dropping on the point tiebreaker. Taylor County’s three losses are by 10, 8, and 2 points. They’re 14-7 the past two years, the best two-year run since 18-5 in 2016-17. They’re 0-6 in the postseason since beating Trion in the 2016 first round. Leland Holder leads the class with 2,102 yards passing, which puts him 29th among all classification quarterbacks. Brooks County counters with a 1,000-yard rusher. The Trojans went 6-4 last year and reached the championship game a year after losing in the semifinals.

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Class AAAA
5. George Walton, 11-0, at 1. Stratford, 9-2

          Since losing 51-13 to John Milledge and 21-10 to FPD on consecutive Fridays, Stratford has won by 49, 49, 27, and 16, albeit to only one playoff team, which is beat twice in consecutive games. The Eagles have had to adjust to some injuries, including a season-ending one to standout running back Tyler Stephens. George Walton is having its best season since going 14-0 in 2003 and winning the Class AAA title. The Bulldogs topped Stratford 25-0 in Game 2 and 34-0 in the second round of the playoffs. GW was handled by Stratford 42-7 in the 2022 playoffs and trail 16-7-1 in the series.
3. FPD, 8-3 at 2. Brookstone, 9-2

          Both teams have gone 5-2 since Brookstone’s 31-22 home win over FPD on Sept. 5. Brookstone QB Broughton Branch is good for 172 yards a game through the air, while the Vikings have adjusted to freshman Cash Walker taking over for injured Major Simmons, who remains doubtful. Otherwise, the Vikings are fairly healthy, so to speak, and off a surprisingly convincing 42-7 win over Strong Rock.  The Vikings lead the series 7-6, including a 44-24 win in the 2023 championship game.

Class AAA
5. Frederica, 8-3, at 1. John Milledge, 10-1
          The Trojans are on quite the roll on both sides of the ball, surrendering only seven points in their last three games while scoring 150 yards. They’re averaging 39.8 poitns and giving up only 12.4, sparking by QB Lewis Cheney’s 177.3 passing yards a game. There’s a little history here, mainly in the fact that Frederica’s 48-0 win in the 2018 state title game ended JMA’s perfect season. The Trojans went on to four undefeated seasons in a row before losing to Valwood in the 2023 championship.

3. Westfield, 8-3, at 2. Deerfield-Windsor, 11-0
          This is the 43rd meeting, and seventh in the  playoffs. Deerfield-Windsor leads 25-17 overall and 5-2 in the postseason, including 27-24 in last year’s semifinal. The Knights rolled 33-7 in Perry in the third game. Lane Sceals passes for 242.6 yards a game for D-W, while Brock Johnson goes for 162.2 a game for Westfield.

Class AA
4. Briarwood, 8-3, at 1. Brentwood, 10-1
          A year ago, the Gators averaged 41.7 points scored and 17.2 points allowed en route to an 11-1 season and the AA state title. This year, they’re getting 40.1 and giving up 12.6. The lone loss is 31-28 to AAA power John Milledge. Their closest game after that wasa  21-0 win over Trinity Christian to open the season.