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.

GHSA

Class 5A
4A Perry, 1-1 at No. 7 Houston County, 2-0
          The pressure will be on Perry’s defense, facing a balanced offense averaging 196.5 yards rushing and 261 yards passing. Colin Anderson gets 148 yards a game rushing for the Bears, whose balanced defense is led by LB Western Ard. Perry hasn’t been under .500 after three games since an 0-3 start in 2020, and the Bears are going for their fourth straight 3-0 start.

Class 4A
Jones County, 1-1, at Hampton, 2-0
          The Greyhounds were big favorites and lost last week, and are 0-1 in region play for the first time since 2010, and facing the first 1-2 start since 2021. Hampton finished 8-3 last year, one loss coming 28-9 to Jones County, falling to 0-3 in the series, failing to crack double digits scoring in all three.

5A Northside, 0-2, at No. 11T Warner Robins, 1-1
          The 68th meeting is a rare one in that neither team is in a top 10, though the Demons are on the fringe. Warner Robins has won eight straight in the series, and has score 35 or more five times in that stretch. The Eagles, conversely, have passed the 17-point mark only twice. Who is off to a good start is difficult to state, since neither team is positing stats on MaxPreps. Northside is trying to avoid its first 0-3 start since, well, unofficially, the first time in program history. The Eagles went 0-9-1 in 1965, but tied Lanier-Macon 0-0 in the opener.

Click on it, and start - or continue - reading. It has been updated with Dodge County and Hawkinsville info.

Class AAA
6A Berkmar, 0-2, at No. 2 Peach County, 2-0
          Peach County is getting an efficient 294 yards a game, mostly through the air but with a deep backfield. QB Caiden Ivory is good for 167 yards total offense a game. The Patriots, a 42-7 loser last year, have had five 0-10 marks since their last winnign season, 6-4 in 2007.

AA Butler, 0-1 at Mary Persons, 1-0
          This is the first meeting between the teams. Butler’s Myron Newton is in his 15h seson with the Bulldogs, and is 40-89. The Bulldogs took care of business last week in a 23-10 win over rival Jackson. Neither Bulldogs are posting stats on MaxPreps.

North Clayton, 2-0, at West Laurens, 1-0
          The Raiders got 351 yards last week, led by Branden Brooks’ 85 yards. North Clayton hasn’t had a winning season since 2010, and has only nine wins in the past five seasons, losing 42-8 to the Raiders last year.

Class AA

Westside, 1-1 at 3A No.11 Westover, 1-0
          Westover has a 66-yard edge in total offense epr game, the Seminoles answering with a balanced defense. Tyleik Flint is average 115.5 yards on the ground for Westside, hoping to avenge last year’s 56-31 loss in the first meeting of the teams. Westover went 9-2 in 2024, its best season since 9-3 in 2013.

Class A/Division I

Dodge County, 1-0, at Central, 0-1, Ed DeFore
          Central played three quarters on Monday in finishing its game with ACE Charter, losing 35-0. Dodge County won a thriller over rival Bleckley County, keyed by Jerimiah Burns’ 3 catches for 102 yards and game-clinching interception. The Indians won 42-12 last year

East Laurens, 0-1, at Bleckley County, 1-1
          The Royals will honor standout alum Amarius Mims after the first quarter, so there may be some juice. Brody Fleming is getting 186.5 yards a game passing for the Royals, countered by 132 yards, after one game, by Sky Snead. Bleckley County won 42-6 last year for a 20-10 series lead.

Jasper County, 2-0, at Wilkinson County, 0-2
          Chance Ross is off to a good start for Jasper County with 128.5 yards a game rushing. Cope Durand and Cam Farley team for 17.5 tackles a game, and Epps had 7 tackles, 3 for loss, a pair of fumble recoveries and a blocked punt last week. The Hurricanes won 17-7 last year for a 9-5-1 series lead.

Jefferson County, 0-2, at ACE Charter, 1-1
          The Gryphons were sharp and energetic on Monday when they finished the final three quarters with Central and won 35-0, with 28 points in those three quarters. Brady Balkcom is back at quarterback as Ace Hatcher recovers from surgery for a few more weeks, but Bryson and Brayden Vincent are a solid duo in the backfield. Jefferson County is amid a 1-20 stretch.

No. 10T Lamar County, 1-0, at AA Jackson, 1-1
          It’s been awhile since a Lamar County quarterback had notable passing numbers, but Ross Hamrick was 7 of 9 for 128 yards in last week’s opener, adding 51 yards on the ground. Jermaine Doctor was good for 11 stops last week. He’ll focus on Danarri Brown, averaging 140 yards a game rushing.

AA Laney, 1-1, at Putnam County, 1-1
          Omarian Butts is good for 135.5 yards rushing for Putnam County, up to 328.5 yards a game in total offense. Laney won 32-25 last year.

Southwest, 1-1 at No. 9 Dublin, 0-1
          The Patriots may be shorthanded, if the GHSA has completed its investigation into last week’s altercation with Northeast and levied any punishments, or if the team has. Regardless, Dublin is at full health, and well-rested after last week’s postponement with East Laurens. Dublin, a 56-34 winner last year, leads the series 6-1.

Washington County, 1-1, at No. 5 Northeast, 1-1
          The Raiders may be shorthanded, if the GHSA has completed its investigation into last week’s altercation with Southwest and levied any punishments, or if the team has. They won the shortened game 30-8 last week, and may have been en route to a bigger win than the 36-14 victory in 2024. Washington County, which leads the series 10-6, sweated out Jefferson County for a while and a deficit last week before pulling away 29-7.

Class A/Division II

GMC Prep, 0-2, at GIAA Brentwood, 2-0
          The Bulldogs will have their hands full with quarterback Baylor Cobb and athlete Tristan Robinson.

Hawkinsville, 2-0, at Lanier County, 0-2
          The Red Devils haven’t started off 3-0 since 2014, when they went 13-1 and won the Class A state championship. They rolled last year 41-16, Lanier and former Valdosta State head coach David Dean finishing 1-9. Martin McDonald is headed for a 1,000-yard rushing season, with 306 yards and 5 TDs in two games. Nakivius Releford and Landon Johnson combine for 21 tackles a game.

Jasper County, 2-0, at Wilkinson County, 0-2

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AA Kendrick, 2-0, at Crawford County, 1-1
          Neither team is quite lighting it up on offense, with between 214 and 236 yards of offense a game. Lawson Cooley is averaging 134 yards a game passing for Crawford County, which won 24-7 last year.

Lake Oconee, 0-2, at Hancock Central, 1-1
          Hancock Central is 1-1 for the fourth straight year. The Bulldogs lost 48-44 last year.

5A Lakeside-Atlanta, 1-1, at Macon County, 0-2
          Macon County’s offense is off to an uncharacteristic start, and the Bulldogs haven’t been 0-3 since 2022. Lakeside, a 26-20 winner last year in the first meeting, is getting 340 yards a game.

Twiggs County, 0-1, at Portal, 0-1

          Portal won 34-20 last year and leads the series 4-1.

GIAA

Class 4A/3A

Deerfield-Windsor, 2-0, at Westfield, 2-0
          It should be something of a knock-down drag-out at Marvin Arrington Stadium when the defending AAA champ comes to town. The Hornets haven’t given up a point yet, and the Knights have surrendered only 23. It could easily match last year’s 33-29 thriller, a D-W win, which followed Westfield’s 27-23 victory to open the 2023 season.

George Walton, 2-0, at Tattnall, 0-2
          The Trojans will dedicate the stadium’s name change for new/old head coach Barney Hester, and then they’ll try to avoid their first 0-3 start since 1981. A year before Hester took over the first time. George Walton lost 20-14 last year, but finished 6-5 for its third straight non-losing season.

Mount de Sales, 0-2, at Calvary Christian, 1-0
          The Cavs hurt themselves with fixable mistakes in losing to Deerfield-Windsor. Mount de Sales won 7-6 last year on the road.

Piedmont, 1-1, at A/I Baconton Charter, 0-1
          The Cougars had a rough defensive night a week ago in a 34-7 loss to Lakeview Academy, which won 28-20 a year earlier. Piedmont beat Baconton 33-0 last year.

St. Anne-Pacelli, 1-1, at FPD, 2-0
          The Vikings from Macon are off to a huge start, outscoring two GHSA opponents 73-14. That’s allowing for plenty of dirty uniforms as FPD builds depth. Major Simmons has passed for 127 yards and rushed for 152, 17 more than Brady McHugh. Pacelli has split with Macon teams, taking a 49-17 thumping by Stratford but rebounding by popping Tattnall 28-6. Pacelli pulled off a bit of a surprise last year with an 18-6 win in the teams’ first meeting.

Stratford, 1-0, at Pinewood Christian, 1-1
          The Eagles had a week off after their biggest season-opening win since 47-7 over George Walton in 2021. Tucker Johnston threw for 236 yards, 119 to Jett Johnston, and Tyler Stephens cruised for 172 yards. And Tate Johnston led the defense with 11 tackles. Pinewood Christian, down 16-3 in the series, lost to AA Brentwood 36-10 last week.

Tiftarea, 1-1, at John Milledge, 2-0
          John Milledge had the week off after a scheduling issue with Augusta Prep, which would’ve been a substantial underdog. And it’ll continue the Payback Tour from last year’s 2-9 season against a team that won 46-21. Asa Wall ran for 135 yards and Lewis Cheney passed for 176 in the 49-6 win over Bethlehem Christian.

Class AA/A
Augusta Prep, 0-2, at Windsor, 1-1
          The Knights spent the week thinking about turnovers, and the 7 they had against Thomas Jefferson, wasting a 294-yard rushing effort, led by Heath Woodard..

GMC Prep, 0-2, at Brentwood, 2-0
          The defending AA champs won 41-0 last year, and have won four straight in the series.

Gatewood, 0-2, at 4A/3A Loganville Christian, 1-1
          The Gators are off to their slowest start since 2002, when Gatewood had 10 points after two games, two less than this year.

CFCA, 0-2, at 4A/3A St. Andrew's, 1-1
          CFCA hopes for a rerun of last year, when the 0-2 Lancers welcomes St. Andrew’s and won 24-20.

Trinity Christian, 1-1, at Edmund Burke, 2-0
          The Crusaders have a task, the Spartans on a 14-game home winning streak> Edmund Burke is 24-2 over the last two-plus seasons, taking two state championships along the way.

8-man
Holy Spirit Prep at Covenant
Covenant cruised past Crisp 46-6 last week for its first win of the season.