Georgia News

[GardenStateBaller]

Valdosta at Westlake

 

When, where: 6 p.m. Saturday, Westlake Stadium, College Park

Records, rankings: Valdosta is 8-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 1-7A and No. 8; Westlake is 7-3, the No. 2 seed from 2-7A and No. 10.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: This is the only Class 7A first-round game between ranked teams. Westlake’s losses are against No. 4 Carrollton, No. 5 North Cobb and Class 3A No. 1 Cedar Grove, all by 10 points or less. Valdosta started 8-0 but lost consecutive games to Camden County 17-14 and No. 2 Colquitt County 24-6. Valdosta’s average score is 27-8 against the 15th-toughest schedule. Westlake’s average is 35-18 against the 17th-toughest. Valdosta leads 7A in fewest points allowed per game. Defensive linemen Omar White and Eric Bentley Jr., both juniors, are major Division I prospects having all-state-quality seasons. The offense, led by sophomore Todd Robinson (878 yards passing, 482 rushing), remains a question mark. Westlake QB R.J. Johnson has thrown for more than 8,000 yards in his career, but he doesn’t have as many experienced receivers this season. Look for Clemson-committed CB Aveion Terrell to step up on offense in the playoffs. These teams have other things in common. Westlake coach Rico Zackery was on staffs at Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State before returning to Georgia high school sidelines this year. Valdosta coach Shelton Felton was on staffs at Tennessee, Akron and Chattanooga before returning to Georgia last year. Both teams were in Class 6A last season.

Winner plays: Parkview/North Paulding winne

[GardenStateBaller]

Here is where Georgia teams stand in several national polls. The numbers on the left are this week's rankings; the numbers in parentheses are last week's rankings.

CalPreps (Top 100) 11. (10) Buford 19. (17) Mill Creek 23. (22) Colquitt County 27. (25) Hughes 43. (45) Thomas County Central 47. (50) Carrollton 49. (40) Cedar Grove 51. (38) North Cobb 65. (42) Grayson 94. (78) Walton 96. (94) Cedartown 97. (NR) Roswell   USA Today (Top 25) 6. (6) Buford 19. (18) Hughes 23. (23) Colquitt County   MaxPreps (Top 100) 6. (6) Buford 20. (20) Hughes 21. (21) Mill Creek 23. (23) Colquitt County 45. (47) Cedar Grove 61. (64) Carrollton 68. (72) North Cobb 72. (76) Creekside 95. (99) Thomas County Central 98. (NR) Walton   Massey Ratings (Top 100) 6. (6) Buford 17 (16) Mill Creek 19. (18) Colquitt County 21. (23) Hughes 34. (35) Carrollton 43. (51) Thomas County Central 46. (39) North Cobb 47. (45) Cedar Grove 49. (75) Ware County 64. (43) Grayson 70. (80) Roswell 75. (72) Walton 89. (98) Cedartown 96. (93) Westlake 97. (NR) Milton 98. (NR) Gainesville   High School Football America (Top 100) 2. (2) Buford 18. (19) Colquitt County 21. (22) Hughes 25. (26) Mill Creek 33. (34) Cedar Grove 59. (60) North Cobb 71. (74) Walton 76. (79) Creekside 95. (98) Milton   SBLive/Sports Illustrated (Top 25) 9. (9) Buford 18. (18) Colquitt County 20. (20) Mill Creek 25. (25) Hughes   NationalHSFB.com (Top 25) 12. (12) Buford 13. (13) Hughes 21. (22) Mill Creek 22. (23) Colquitt County 23. (24) Cedar Grove   Blue Star Media (Top 25) 6. (6) Buford 24. (NR) Colquitt County

[GardenStateBaller]

Per the Peachtree Ridge HC:

“This Buford team from players 1-50 was better than any STA team I ever coached. Their strength and discipline may be the best I’ve ever seen.”

[Columbiafan]

15 hours ago, GardenStateBaller said:

Per the Peachtree Ridge HC:

“This Buford team from players 1-50 was better than any STA team I ever coached. Their strength and discipline may be the best I’ve ever seen.”

Who's the Peachtree coach?

[GardenStateBaller]

*Walton (9-2) at Buford (11-0): Sixth-ranked Walton is in the second round for the sixth consecutive season after a 35-21 victory over South Forsyth. Jeremy Hecklinski threw two touchdown passes to Wyatt Sonderman and finished with 321 yards, leaving him just 13 short of 3,000 for the season. Makari Bodiford ran for 130 yards and has 1,379 for the year. Top-ranked Buford beat Peachtree Ridge 63-6 for its 16th consecutive playoff victory. The Wolves outgained Peachtree Ridge 489-81 and had 368 yards rushing. Justice Haynes (committed to Alabama) rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns and returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. Devin Williams returned an interception for a touchdown. Buford, in its first season in Class 7A, is seeking its fourth consecutive state title. Walton is 1-2 all-time against No. 1 teams. The victory came against Roswell in 2007.

[GardenStateBaller]

*Mill Creek (10-1) at North Cobb (9-2): Mill Creek is ranked No. 3 and North Cobb is No. 5, making this perhaps the most intriguing second-round game in the class. Mill Creek beat Meadowcreek 59-22 last week after scoring five touchdowns on its first 12 offensive plays. Cam Robinson rushed for 129 yards, pushing him to 1,109 for the season. Hayden Clark has thrown for 1,808 yards. North Cobb beat Denmark 42-10 last week with long scoring strikes. Nick Grimstead threw a 75-yard TD pass to T.J. Smith, and David Eziomume scored on runs of 90 and 73 yards on consecutive offensive snaps in the fourth quarter. Mill Creek is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the third time in four seasons. North Cobb has lost in the second round as a region champion the past two seasons. A quarterfinal would be North Cobb’s first since 2016. These teams have played each other once, in 2012, with North Cobb winning 42-35 in the quarters. A common opponent this season is No. 1 Buford, which beat North Cobb 21-14 and Mill Creek 39-27.

[Nolebull813]

On 11/12/2022 at 5:57 PM, GardenStateBaller said:

Per the Peachtree Ridge HC:

“This Buford team from players 1-50 was better than any STA team I ever coached. Their strength and discipline may be the best I’ve ever seen.”

Has has to say that. He just lost by 60 to them. Lmao!

[Nolebull813]

Also if Buford wins out please try and have them play Bishop Gorman or SFA if possible. 
 

I would love to see Chaminade vs BG and Buford vs SFA 

[GardenStateBaller]

24 minutes ago, Nolebull813 said:

Also if Buford wins out please try and have them play Bishop Gorman or SFA if possible. 
 

I would love to see Chaminade vs BG and Buford vs SFA 

We’re aligned on this thought process. 

[GardenStateBaller]

*Hebron Christian (9-2) at Cedar Grove (8-2): Hebron Christian and the classification’s most prolific offensive player, Gavin Hall, take on the defending champions. Hall rushed for 235 yards and five touchdowns and passed for 177 yards and two touchdowns in a 63-14 victory over Pickens in the first round. Hall has 2,333 yards and 30 touchdowns rushing and 1,680 yards and 17 touchdowns passing. Hebron, playing outside Class A for the first time, can make the quarterfinals for the first time since 2017, which its coach was current Indianapolis Colts interim coach Jeff Saturday. Hebron’s coach now, Jonathan Gess, won six state titles at Eagle’s Landing Christian before taking the Hebron job this year. Cedar Grove, aiming for its fifth state title in seven seasons, beat Bremen 48-7 last week. Quinterio Lawson had two sacks, returned a fumble for a touchdown and rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on two carries. Elliott Colson has thrown for 2,104 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.

[GardenStateBaller]

[GardenStateBaller]

 

[GardenStateBaller]

As of tonight Hughes is officially the best team in GA. 

[GardenStateBaller]

Class 7A 

*North Gwinnett (10-2) at Colquitt County (12-0): With No. 1 Buford out, No. 2 Colquitt County is the highest-ranked Class 7A team remaining. North Gwinnett is the only surviving 7A team that GHSF Daily has not ranked at any point. North Gwinnett beat Lambert 38-35 in the second round after letting a 16-0 lead get away. North Gwinnett went ahead for good 38-28 on 310-pound Kayden McDonald’s 9-yard run, his second touchdown, in the final minute of the third quarter. North Gwinnett ran out the final 5:13 after Lambert’s final score. McDonald, a defensive tackle committed to Ohio State, had a 46-yard run during the clinching drive. Colquitt County had an easier time with Harrison, winning 49-27 after allowing two late touchdowns. Neko Fann was 8-of-10 passing for 191 yards, putting him over 2,000 on the season (2,121). Charlie Pace rushed for 142 yards, putting him over 1,000 (1,089). These teams met in the 2017 Class 7A championship game, with North Gwinnett winning 19-17 on a final-play field goal. Colquitt won a rematch 45-0 in the 2018 quarterfinals.

 

*Walton (10-2) at Carrollton (12-0): Walton, ranked No. 6, beat No. 1 Buford 42-35 in the most-talked-about game of the second round. Jeremy Hecklinski was 21-of-39 passing for 347 yards and three touchdowns. His 43-yard TD pass to Ayden Jackson on a fourth-and-6 with 6:17 left was critical. Jackson and Hunter Teal each had more than 100 yards receiving. Hecklinski, a junior, leads Class 7A in passing yards with 3,355 unofficially. Second is Carrollton’s Julian Lewis with 3,162. (Lewis leads Hecklinski in TD passes 37 to 35.) Lewis, a freshman, was 18-of-26 for 186 yards and two touchdowns last week in a 47-14 victory over Marietta. Bryce Hicks rushed for 81 yards and three touchdowns. Jacob Levy had three tackles for 29 yards in losses. Carrollton, ranked No. 4, intercepted five passes. Both schools made the semifinals last season. Carrollton was in Class 6A, Walton in 7A. This is the first meeting between the two schools.

 

*Westlake (9-3) at Mill Creek (11-1): Tenth-ranked Westlake beat Parkview 30-28 last week on Omar Camara’s 42-yard field goal with 25 seconds left. R.J. Johnson was 14-of-25 passing for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson has 9,539 passing yards in his career. Jai’Den Thomas rushed for 189 yards. Avieon Terrell, committed to Clemson as a cornerback, had seven receptions for 148 yards. Mill Creek, ranked No. 3, beat No. 5 North Cobb 43-7. Cam Robinson rushed for 135 yards, giving him 1,244 on the season, and Mill Creek held North Cobb to 122 total yards, most of it late on an 83-yard touchdown run. Defensive back Caleb Downs, the state’s No. 1 senior prospect, scored two touchdowns playing offense. Mill Creek set a school record for points in a season (556). Westlake is in the quarterfinals for the third straight season. This is Mill Creek’s third quarterfinal in four seasons. Both have made two previous semifinals but never reached the finals. This is the first meeting between the two.

 

*Grayson (10-2) at Milton (9-3): These schools lead Class 7A in victories the past five seasons, Grayson with 55, Milton with 54, each with a state title, but they’ve never played each other. Grayson, ranked No. 2 in preseason but unranked now, beat Camden County 28-10 in the second round. Joseph Taylor rushed for 93 yards, giving him 893 on the season. Jeff Davis was 13-of-20 passing for 129 yards, giving him 1,976 on the season. Myles Dawson returned a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown. Grayson led 14-10 at halftime and allowed no points from there. Milton, ranked No. 7, beat Norcross 30-23 in the second round. Scott Moskowitz rushed for 83 yards, giving him 980 on the season, and scored on an 18-yard run with 4:19 left for a 30-16 lead. Norcross never got the ball back with a chance to tie. Luke Nickel was 8-of-12 passing for 151 yards. A sophomore, Nickel has thrown for 2,252 yards this season.

[GardenStateBaller]

Class 6A

*Roswell (11-0) at Thomas County Central (12-0): This game matches two of the top three ranked teams in Class 6A. Third-ranked Roswell, a quarterfinalist in 7A in 2021, advanced with a 49-30 victory over Allatoona last week. Roswell led 21-17 at halftime but scored two touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters. Nykahi Davenport rushed for a season-high 225 yards and scored three touchdowns. He has rushed for 1,731 yards for the year. K.J. Smith passed for 254 yards, putting him at 2,247 for the season. No. 2 Thomas County Central, a 5-6 team in Class 4A last season, reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009 with a 49-14 victory over St. Pius. Sam Brown threw a touchdown pass to Malachi Thomas early in the second quarter to break a 7-7 tie and ignite a 42-0 run. Trey Brenton and Ricky Fulton each rushed for more than 100 yards in the game and passed 1,000 for the season - Brenton at 1,057 and Fulton at 1,023. Brown has thrown for 2,478 yards. Thomas County Central, under first-year coach Justin Rogers, has its most wins since the 2007 team finished 13-1.

 

*Houston County (10-2) at Gainesville (12-0): Tenth-ranked Houston County is the only No. 4 seed still alive in any classification and the only 6A team remaining that was not a region champion. The Bears reached their first quarterfinal since 2019 with a 41-31 victory over North Atlanta. Houston County trailed 31-21 in the fourth quarter but scored three touchdowns to put the game away. Antwann Hill was held to a season-low 73 yards passing but has 3,246 for the year. Ryan Taleb ran for a season-high 273 yards (1,585 for the year) and three TDs. No. 4 Gainesville is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014 after a 42-21 victory over South Paulding. The Red Elephants led 14-7 at halftime and added two touchdowns early in the second half to seize control. Baxter Wright passed for 257 yards and four touchdowns, and Naim Cheeks ran for 206 yards and two scores. Cheeks has rushed for 436 yards in two playoff games and 1,511 for the season. Gainesville held South Paulding’s Jamarion Wilcox, the leading rusher in 6A during the regular season, to less than 100 yards for the first time this season.

 

*Woodward Academy (11-1) at Hughes (12-0): Fifth-ranked Woodward Academy, a Class 5A team last season, beat No. 9 Lee County 23-7 last week to reach the quarterfinals for the sixth time in nine seasons but first since 2019. Jalen Woods threw for 221 yards and had touchdown passes to Ben Grice and Cameron Thompson as the War Eagles built a 20-0 lead through three quarters. Hudson Hanges kicked three field goals (47, 47 and 25 yards). Top-ranked Hughes, the 2021 runner-up, set a school record for points in a 77-16 second-round victory over North Forsyth. Prentiss “Air” Noland passed for 302 yards and six touchdowns, three to Jaden Barnes, who had four catches for 151 yards. Noland has 3,288 yards and 46 touchdowns passing this season. Jekail Middlebrook (112) and Justus Savage (103) both ran for more than 100 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers have scored 659 points this season, just 100 away from breaking the state record set by Rome in 2017.

 

*Marist (10-2) at Rome (11-1): This is the only 6A game matching teams that have played each other. Marist won three of the four previous meetings, all in the playoffs between 1997 and 2008. Seventh-ranked Marist beat Northside of Warner Robins 32-13 last week to reach the quarterfinals for the 10th time in 11 seasons. Jack Euart rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and passed for 68 yards as Marist outgained Northside 293-203. No. 6 Rome is in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in seven seasons but first since 2018. The Wolves beat Alpharetta 35-14 last week, allowing the most points in a game since a 42-19 victory over Allatoona on Sept. 23. Javarius McDearmont and Chance Arthur each scored two touchdowns, and Reece Fountain threw for 136 yards, giving him 2,634 on the season. Joe Wilkerson and Stephiylan Green intercepted passes against Alpharetta’s Ben Guthrie, Class 6A's leading passer in the regular season. Guthrie threw for 302 yards and a touchdown in his final game and finished with 3,365 yards and 38 touchdowns.

[Horsefly]

On 11/19/2022 at 12:14 AM, GardenStateBaller said:

As of tonight Hughes is officially the best team in GA. 

Nah, you can’t say officially they’re the best. The logic doesn’t follow that line of thinking what just happened to Buford in 7A

[GardenStateBaller]

1 hour ago, Horsefly said:

Nah, you can’t say officially they’re the best. The logic doesn’t follow that line of thinking what just happened to Buford in 7A

Hughes is in 6A, though. This season's team may be the most dominant ever in GA. 

[Horsefly]

41 minutes ago, GardenStateBaller said:

Hughes is in 6A, though. This season's team may be the most dominanr ever in GA. 

Yes I know they’re in 6A. Buford dominated 6A, beat hughes last year, moved up in class, with a ton of talent,  and were bounced in the early rounds.  Dominating 6A comp is obviously diff from dominating 7A. 

[GardenStateBaller]

15 minutes ago, Horsefly said:

Yes I know they’re in 6A. Buford dominated 6A, beat hughes last year, moved up in class, with a ton of talent,  and were bounced in the early rounds.  Dominating 6A comp is obviously diff from dominating 7A. 

Hughes was better than Buford last season. Totally outplayed them in the final. 

[Horsefly]

4 minutes ago, GardenStateBaller said:

Hughes was better than Buford last season. Totally outplayed them in the final. 

They lost.  Lol

[GardenStateBaller]

Under The Radar GOTW: 

Warner Robins at Creekside on Friday night!! 

[GardenStateBaller]

[Nolebull813]

Time to get Hughes to the Geico. They should play SFA or BG. Maybe the AZ champ if they don’t want SFA in it. 

[GardenStateBaller]

14 minutes ago, Nolebull813 said:

Time to get Hughes to the Geico. They should play SFA or BG. Maybe the AZ champ if they don’t want SFA in it. 

In the Main Event the goal is BG vs C-M.

[GardenStateBaller]

@gaptoothmodjeff