Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Central Georgia HS football scouting reports

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Central Georgia HS football scouting reports

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

           Rankings are from the Georgia High School Football Daily Composite poll. Stats are mostly based on what teams report to MaxPreps.

🏈🏈🏈GHSA🏈🏈🏈     

Northside, 2-2 at Veterans, 3-1
          The Eagles were off after falling 42-14 to Westlake, which then beat Houston County 61-51. Veterans gutted out a 21-15 win at Sumter County. A win doesn’t offer too much progress in the playoff rankings, but a loss digs a hole. Veterans has outscored opponents by 15, Northside by 16. Eagles QB Keirion Tate is throwing for 166.5 yards a game.

Class 5A

Jones County, 2-3/1-0, at No. 8 Ola, 4-1/1-0
          Ola has tripled the opposition in scoring, 178-59. Jones County more than triples Locust Grove 49-14 last week, and has outscored its last two opponents 84-14. Ola has won the last two meetings, 28-27 and 7-3, to pull within 9-3 against the Hounds. Jones County is 1-3 against ranked teams this year, the win an impressive 35-0 romp over Burke County and head coach Franklin Stephens. Both team get some yards, so Jones County’s defense is the key.

Perry, 1-4/0-1, at Locust Grove, 1-4/0-1
          Locust Gove has given up 71, 51, and 49 in its last three games, with only one ranked opponent. Perry has given up 63, 41, 58, and 35 in its losses, a total of 197 points, more than it allowed in all of 2021 and 2022. Perry quarterback Jhamard Cobb averages 223.5 yards a game.

Warner Robins, 3-2/1-0, at Eagle’s Landing, 0-4
          The Demons have controlled the series, leading 6- with only one close game, a 26-23 win in the 2017 playoffs. The Golden Eagles are 11-10 the past two full seasons, the best two-year mark since 14-7 in 2014-15.

Class 4A

Baldwin, 3-1/0-1, at Westside, 2-2/0-1
          The Braves are 56-53 against the six current Bibb County public schools. What team has beaten the Braves in two straight meetings? Westside, 26-22 in 223 and 41-20 in 2022. Baldwin, though, is off an upset loss to Howard after beating the Huskies 11 straight times. Westside will have a task against QB Kamden Patterson, 10th in the state (MaxPreps) with 1,159 yards, on 72.4 percent completions.

Editor’s note: Thanks to FPD, John Milledge, and Dublin for sending game information Friday night to The Central Georgia Sports Report., and Perry on Saturday.

Howard, 2-2/1-0, at Upson-Lee, 0-4/1-0
          Can the Huskies avoid a letdown of overconfidence after a win followed by a winless opponent? That lost by 60 points last week. That’s the challenge for head coach Kevin Porter. Upson-Lee’s other three losses have all come by 21 points (Lamar County, Shaw, and Winder-Barrow). The passing game is off a monster night last week against Baldwin, QB Zavion Deshazier passing for 325 yards, with 245 yards and 6 TDs to Ta’Shawn Poole.

No. 3 Peach County, 4-0/1-0, at Spalding, 3-1/0-1
          The Trojans are averaging 49.5 points, giving up 17.3 The Jaguars have scored 11 fewer points than they’ve allowed, thanks to last week’s 60-14 hazing by Troup. The Jaguars are 11-16 since 2023’s 12-1 season that was marred by murder charges against head coach Carl Kearney. Going against Troup and Peach County – the latter getting 161 rushing yards a game from Ashton Barton - both consensus top-5 teams, on consecutive weeks is brutal.

No. 2 Troup, 4-0/1-0, at No. 8 Mary Persons, 3-1/1-0
          The Tigers haven’t had a losing season since 2015, Tanner Glisson’s first as head coach. Three times, they’ve passed the 10-win mark, but this is probably the best group in Troup in awhile. Defense is the difference, the Tigers having allowed 34 points in four games. Take away the wounded-warrior game against Putnam County, and Mary Persons has averaged 44 points in three wins. The teams combine for 829.5 yards a game, with 199.8 from Troup RB Javarris Warner and 180.8 from Mary Persons QB Jordan Singleton.

Southeast Bulloch, 2-2, at West Laurens, 1-3
          The Raiders are likely pretty antsy as they try to figure out who they are, and how to get the offense – which has just 46 points in four games, a total they passed in the third quarter of last year’s opener. West Laurens doubles up SE Bulloch in the run game, led by Justin Blash’s 68.7 yards – but both teams are looking for the passing game to pick up. Leroy Mack leads the Raiders’ defense with 13.3 stops a game.

Class 3A

No. 12 Lamar County, 3-1/1-0, at No. 5 Northeast, 3-1/1-0
          A playoff-level showdown at Thompson pits teams that have met 11 times, including two years ago in the playoffs, a 21-10 Northeast win that cut Lamar County’s series lead to 8-3. The Trojans get 79.6 percent of their yards on the ground – Jayden Doctor can be a handful – while the Raiders are one of the truly balanced teams around, with 60.7 percent of the yards coming by air. Jordan Wiggins, an impressive threat with his arm and legs, is on the way to rewriting assorted Northeast records, but the Raiders have a lot to deal with up front on both sides of the ball.

Rutland, 2-2/0-1, at Jackson, 1-3/0-1
          Rutland’s defense will have to focus on RB Danarri Brown, who set a record earlier this year with 9 TD runs in a game, and gets 203.5 yards a game. Both teams are struggling through the air. Linebacker Deryan Harris leads the Hurricanes with 7.5 tackles a game. Jackson lost 49-10 last week to Northeast, and has given up 76 more points than Rutland.

Washington County, 1-3, at Westside-Augusta, 2-2
          The Patriots are 20-5 the last two seasons, to 11-11 for the Golden Hawks. Still, Washington County has won 21-13 and 35-3 in 2023 and 2022. But the Golden Hawks are 22-25 since dismissing Joel Ingram after the 2021 season. Westside’s Kingston Hughes gets 110 yards a game on the ground.

Class AA

No. 16 ACE, 4-0, at Vidalia, 2-2
          The Gryphons visit one of “those” places in Buck Cravey Field, where the Indians are 342-168-8. Under first-year but veteran coach Zach Grage, Vidalia is 1-1 at home but has one two straight. The Indians have struggled for a bit, with only one winning season in the last five, 6-4 in 2022. ACE is a game from matching last year’s win total, but is still too young to look ahead, especially as a favorite. The Gryphons were 4-0 last year before Northeast began a derailing with a 29-0 win. Vidalia isn’t Northeast.

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Aquinas, 3-1/1-0 at Putnam County, 3-1/0-1
          The War Eagles are likely a bit amped after losing 42-26 last week to Laney, at home, to start the region season. Putnam County leads the series 8-1, but the teams haven’t played since the War Eagles’ 49-3 win in 1995. Aquinas is headed toward its fifth straight winning season, while Putnam County is 19-18 under Joel Harvin.

 No. 6 Dublin, 3-1, at No. 3 Bleckley County, 4-0
          The Royals are balanced, the Irish are not. Favored Bleckley County was popped 42-19 last year and 31-13 in 2022. This is a big hump for the Royals, who last started 5-0 (6-0) in 2022 only for Dublin to break that streak. They’re both playing their regular brand of football, so avoiding panic and changing the plan with the lead are things to watch. Dublin leads the series 18-2.

Jasper County, 2-2/1-0, at Laney, 2-2/1-0
          The Hurricanes are trying to get RB Chance Ross going, and he’s getting 89.3 yards a game on the ground as one of the area’s better playmakers. Cope Durand leads Jasper County’s defense. Laney, which won the two lone meetings (47-3 in 2004 and 36-26 in 2005), is off a nice win over Putnam County.

Swainsboro, 1-3 at East Laurens, 1-3
          It’s the rare rough start for the Tigers, who went 9-3 last year but 4-7 in 224, their second losing season since 2016. East Laurens is trying to get going in head coach Jesse Hicks’ third season after a pair of 3-win years. The Falcons are struggling on offense, managing less than 150 yards a game, but are off a 28-21 win at Metter.

Class A

Chattahoochee County, 3-1, at No. 5 Taylor County, 4-0
          A pair of first-year head coaches at their schools have things going pretty well, and will find out who can handle some big-game region-opener pressure. Chattahoochee County is eyeing its first winning season since 2021, and avenging last year’s 3-2 loss would be a nice step. The Vikings were last ranked for three weeks in 22, reaching No. 7 and 8 in the AJC poll. They got up to No. 3 in the 8-3 2017 season.

Crawford County, 0-4, at Marion County, 0-4
          After making some progress under Dusty Jump, Crawford County is back to struggling for wins. The Eagles went 1-0 in 2023, three seasons after an 0-10. Marion County has dropped after a 23-4 run in 2018-19, with no winning seasons since then. The crowd may not be big, but the intensity should be.

Dooly County, 1-3, at Hawkinsville, 1-3
          The Red Devils are a decent 1-3 team, having been outscored by only 14 points. The Bobcats? Outscored 155-38, and bruised 55-12 last week by Dodge County. But a win in the region opener can cure a few ills. Dooly County leads the series 22-18, but the Red Devils have won the last two, 33-14 and 36-13.

GMC Prep, 3-1, at Jenkins County, 0-4

          The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 97-58, while the War Eagles have been outscored 127-61. A win puts GMC at 4-1, matching last year’s win total, and gets them closer to the Bulldogs’ fourth winning season this century.

Twiggs County, 1-3, at Wilkinson County, 1-3
          Both teams are in familiar positions, unfortunately. The Cobras haven’t won more than 3 games since the 8-4 year in 2016 in Ashley Harden’s first stint in Jeffersonville. Wilkinson County has eked into the playoffs fairly regularly, but are 32 games under .500 the last 10 seasons. The Warriors lead the series 20-10, and have won 9 straight. 

GIAA

Tattnall, 3-3, at Mount de Sales, 5-1
          The teams caught eyes with good starts, and the Cavs kept those eyes while the Trojans hit some walls against quality competition. Mount de Sales couldn’t get going last week against Edmund Burke while Tattnall handled GHSA Class A Crawford County. It’s a battle of two coaching workhorses – Barney Hester and Robert Slocum – who have nearly three-quarters of a century of head coaching between them – working on rebuilds. Mount de Sales won 10-0 last year.

Stratford, 4-1, at FPD, 4-2
          The tasks for FPD are many: block Aaron Jefferson, and tackle Aaron Jefferson, and pressure Tucker Johnston, and cover Jett Johnston and George Dunn, and block a few others. The Vikings also have to find consistency on offense. FPD won this game 21-10 last year, and lost starting quarterback Major Simmons for the year. Stratford made some staff and strategy changes, and marched to a state championship. Most of those key players – see above – are back. The Eagles lead the series 25-24-1, with the Vikings on a 3-game winning streak.

Trinity Christian, 2-3, at Gatewood, 2-3
          Trinity Christian has won 2 of the last 3 meetings, including twice in 2024. That ended a 7-game winning streak by Gatewood, which is looking to avoid its third straight losing season, which hasn’t happened under Jeff Ratliff, nor since 2002-05.

Flint River, 3-1, at Piedmont, 0-4
          Piedmont is off to its worst start since 0-5 in 2022, the Cougars finishing 4-8. Flint River leads the series 17-13, but the teams haven’t played since 2019, a 21-0 Piedmont win. The Wildcats are amid their best multi-season run since 2003-2009.

Pinewood, 0-5, at Brentwood, 4-2/1-0
          Brentwood has won 36-10 and 67-48 the past two years after a 9-year gap I nthe series, Pinewood winning consecutive 35-0 games in 2014-15 after a tie. The War Eagles are rolling and the Patriots have lost 8 of their last 8 games.

Westminster, 0-5, at Central Fellowship, 0-4
          The intensity should be high, success notwithstanding. The teams have played twice, Westminster winning 48-22 a year after CFCA took it 35-14 at home. That’s a 62-57 scoring edge for Westminster, and it should be that close.

 

Idle: Houston County, Dodge County, Hancock Central, Macon County, Westfield, John Milledge, Windsor