Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Saturday’s Central Georgia HS football scouting reports

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Saturday’s Central Georgia HS football scouting reports

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Listed are the GHSA’s postseason rankings first, and any Georgia HS Football Daily composite rankings.Stats are mostly based on what teams report to MaxPreps.

🏈🏈🏈GHSA🏈🏈🏈

Class 4A

No. 32 East Jackson, 4-6, at No. 1 Peach County, 10-0, 2 p.m.
          The top seeds won on Friday by 56, 50, 27, 31, 35, and 21,and it’s a safe bet that the Trojans’ margin will be closer to the first numbers than the last. East Jackson is led by former Jasper County head coach Ashley Henderson, and are even in scoring with points scored and allowed, with four losses by 15 points or less. But … Peach County averages 467.1 yards a game to 282.7 for the Eagles, who are in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years after a 12-year drought.

No. 25 Harlem, 6-4, at No. 8 Baldwin, 7-3, 4 p.m.
          The fate awaiting Harlem is slowing down the Braves magnificent passing game, led by Kamden Patterson, who has completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,006 yards, with 28 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also gets 8.5 yards on the ground and has scored 5 times, while ranking second with 4.6 tackles a game. Jazz Lamer leads the defense, and Tavares Hooks is a 1,000-yard rusher for the Braves.

No. 19 North Clayton, 7-3, at No. 11 Mary Persons, 6-4, 7:30 p.m.

          North Clayton rebounded from a 3-game losing streak early and comes to Forsyth on a 6-game winning streak and off the high of a 49-47 win over Woodland-Stockbridge. North Clayton, which isn’t updating stats on MaxPreps, is coached by former UGA standout Cap Burnett, who started in 2016 and survived a 3-year run of 2-27 to make the playoffs for the fourth time with his second straight winning season. The Bulldogs outscore opponents by 11.2, to 5.6 for the Eagles. Mary Persons has playmakers at quarterback, running back, wideout, and throughout the defense. QB Jordan Singleton is 251 yards from 2,000 for the year.

No. 17 Westover, 7-3, at No. 20 West Laurens, 6-4, 7:30 p.m.
          The visitors are more balanced, almost doubling up the Raiders in passing yardage. West Laurens is on a 3-game winning streak while Westover has lost 2 in a row, albeit to the top teams in Region 1.The only other loss was in September to top-5 Cairo. The Patriots are in the postseason for the sixth time in 7 years, while the Raiders reached the semifinals last year but lost a chunk of weapons. The teams split back in 2001-02.

No. 23 Howard, 5-5, at No. 10 Calhoun, 6-4, 6 p.m.

          The teams are mighty even on paper, with a yard difference in rushing and 4 in passing. Calhoun outscores opponents by 3.6 points, quite low for the Yellow Jackets, while Howard is minus 7.1 points, thanks to taking on top-12 4A teams Peach County, Troup, Mary Persons, plus 7A Valdosta. The Huskies have played the tougher schedule and survives, but the Yellow Jackets are used to the stage Howard hasn’t been on since 2018. If the Huskies aren’t wide-eyed, this should be a four-quarter game.

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