Wesleyan replaces Buford as state’s most likely to go 15-0
Now that Buford is beaten, which Georgia team has the best shot of going undefeated?
My first thought is Lowndes, but it’s pretty tough going unbeaten in Class AAAAA. Much depends on home-field advantage and coin tosses. There’s so much depth. Plus, the No. 2 team, Grayson, beat Lowndes the last time they played.
In AAAA, there’s no clear-cut favorite yet, so I wouldn’t pick any of those teams to go 15-0.
Gainesville is No. 1 in AAA, but the Elephants have never gone undefeated. Plus, many would say once-beaten Carver of Columbus remains the team to beat.
In AA, nobody would be surprised if Buford went 14-1, so it’s tough picking any of those, although Calhoun and Fitzgerald look awfully good. And don’t forget Lovett, the team that ended Buford’s 32-game winning streak last week.
My choice would probably be Wesleyan. A friend asked me last week if Wesleyan is unbeatable in Class A, and the answer is no. Wesleyan was not a dominant state champion last year, although the 2009 team is better than last year’s team that peaked at the right time.
Here are the 11 teams that I think are most likely to go undefeated, and their chances. Note that I don’t think any team has a better than 50-50 chance of going undefeated looking at it this early in the season. Let me post this before I change my vote to Lowndes.
Wesleyan (40 percent)
Lowndes (35 percent)
Calhoun (30 percent)
Fitzgerald (30 percent)
Gainesville (25 percent)
Grayson (25 percent)
Westside, Macon (20 percent)
Griffin (20 percent)
Peach County (20 percent)
North Gwinnett (12 percent)
Lovett (10 percent)
Todd Holcomb is co-publisher of Georgia High School Football Daily, a free email newsletter. To join his mailing list, go here.
This week’s rankings:
CLASS AAAAA
1. Lowndes (3-0)
2. Grayson (3-0)
3. North Gwinnett (3-0)
4. Northside, Warner Robins (2-0)
5. Stephenson (2-0)
6. M.L. King (3-0)
7. Newnan (3-0)
8. Peachtree Ridge (2-1)
9. McEachern (3-0)
10. Camden County (1-2)
CLASS AAAA
1. Tucker (3-0)
2. Griffin (3-0)
3. Southwest DeKalb (2-1)
4. Westside, Macon (3-0)
5. Hillgrove (3-0)
6. North Clayton (3-0)
7. Sandy Creek (2-1)
8. Clarke Central (3-0)
9. Bainbridge (3-0)
10. Mount Zion, Jonesboro (3-0)
CLASS AAA
1. Gainesville (3-0)
2. Peach County (3-0)
3. St. Pius (3-0)
4. Carver, Columbus (2-1)
5. Carrollton (3-0)
6. LaGrange (2-1)
7. Washington County (3-0)
8. Burke County (3-0)
9. Creekview (2-0)
10. Flowery Branch (2-1)
CLASS AA
1. Calhoun (3-0)
2. Fitzgerald (3-0)
3. Lovett (3-0)
4. Buford (2-1)
5. Jefferson County (3-0)
6. Pepperell (3-0)
7. Brooks County (2-0)
8. Dublin (2-0)
9. Jefferson (3-0)
10. Charlton County (2-0-1)
CLASS A
1. Wesleyan (3-0)
2. Lincoln County (3-0)
3. Wilkinson County (3-0)
4. Savannah Christian (3-0)
5. Wilcox County (2-1)
6. Johnson County (3-0)
7. Bowdon (3-0)
8. Chattahoochee County (3-0)
9. Treutlen (3-0)
10. Twiggs County (2-1)
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195 comments Add your comment
MHS
September 13th, 2009
6:51 pm
The Mays Raiders snubbed yet again. When will this paper and its writers finally recognize what they have tried to ignore all along and that is the fact that the Raiders are LEGIT contenders in AAAA. The win from Friday night displayed a team that started slow but refused to lose. Lack of Disipline??? Try raw emotion of a team coming together for what will continue to be a run towards a championship. Watch out 5AAAA there is only one undefeated left and they plan on staying that way.
Bear_Backer
September 13th, 2009
6:56 pm
Be it known…Griffin High has a very talented team this year, like most years. They are fast, and the new spread offense is fitting for a team with the speed of Griffin High. That being said, they are also small. The first real test will be against Mt. Zion of Jonesboro this friday, and they are fast AND big. They beat us last year, and are also off to a great start to their season. (congrats) I hate to say it, but after seeing GHS early on, and knowing what they have, I’m afraid they will struggle this friday and lose to Mt. Zion. Just being objective. The game is in the bears den, so maybe the fans will be extra loud and help out the Bears. the game is also on TV,and will probably (my guess) be picked as one of the games of the week, so it should be a good one. Go Griffin. The team nobody knows about, We’re # 2 !!!
Todd Holcomb
September 13th, 2009
6:58 pm
I was on the borderline with Mays. I hope the Raiders are LEGIT, but remember that they were undefeated this time last season and didn’t make the playoffs. That’s why I went with Mount Zion, a team that made the quarterfinals last season.
Todd Holcomb
September 13th, 2009
6:59 pm
Good comments on Griffin. I’m eager to see how Air Bear will do against a pretty good team.
benadawg
September 13th, 2009
7:08 pm
Has any of you ever heard of the Chattooga Indians? apparently not…Calhoun has been a thorn in our side for some time, if we can get by them then we will be in the dome…Go indians!!!
NCHS KING
September 13th, 2009
7:08 pm
Reguarding to the new standings…hillgrove is no match or even close to North Clayton…The match up of the year is Griffin vs. North Clayton…The winner of that game will win state and the loser will be runner-up…LETS GO EA-GLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Truth Be Told
September 13th, 2009
7:35 pm
Todd
I know that you must play the schedule put before you so with that said… Mays has not faced a quality opponent yet. Carver, and Douglas are not what they used to be and Whitewater has never been strong. When play and defeat a quality opponent early in the season then maybe you will get the recognition you deserve. I think the same thing is going to happen this year that happened last year…you are going to speed by every one you play because they can not match your speed and then you will run into Banneker who matches you in that department and then you will struggle. Not saying you will lose but you will find it hard when you meet a team that matches up well with you. You lost at home last year. You travel to Banneker this year. Same scenario. you come in undefeated because you were able to outrun everyone.
Let' get real
September 13th, 2009
7:49 pm
How in the world can you be 1-2 and ranked in the top 10. I don’t care who you have played. Stop ranking teams on last year.
Lovett Fan
September 13th, 2009
7:53 pm
Lovett is better than you think they are. Remember that they broke Buford’s streak and that is not that easy.
Bulldog Bravo
September 13th, 2009
8:09 pm
Why can’t Newnan be in the discussion for undefeated teams?
decatur where it is greater
September 13th, 2009
8:09 pm
Todd
I agree with you about home field advantage in the playoffs. Stephenson is the only AAAAA school that has not been scored on this year through three games. Tucker fell 16-0, Mcnair 42-0, and Columbia 68-0. The last two foes were not that great but tucker is the same team that is #1 in AAAA.
CJ Dawg
September 13th, 2009
8:16 pm
I grew up in Camden, when it was much smaller and played football there for 3 years on the Varsity. This year, I have to say , we have no shot. Our play at QB is too bad. Our best option is below 5′5. Our ‘throwing’ QB is more or less a slinger with no idea where he is throwing it. He also cannot manage a game. If we had a good QB, we would be legit as ever. It is tough to swallow, but my Cats are not going far this year. But look out next year. A kid is coming up that can do it allllllll
Jonathan Megrue
September 13th, 2009
8:24 pm
Union Grove…Union Grove…
Grayson Student
September 13th, 2009
8:26 pm
to say it but yall gotta start showin south some love… they deserve it
John Wells
September 13th, 2009
8:50 pm
First, thank you AJC for “finally” giving Newnan a little space in your newspaper. It’s about time! However, I find it mildly amusing that you did not include the Cougars in your list of teams that “might” go undefeated this year. Still no respect!!!!!!
decatur where it is greater
September 13th, 2009
9:00 pm
union grove is playing for third place in 2AAAAA. They cant beat stephenson or MLK
MAD-DONNA
September 13th, 2009
9:04 pm
Let’s k.i.r! Mays is a inner-city, predominantly black school, and will never get the ink it deserves. Plus, it makes no sense to rate a team on what they did last year, when a team is doing better than they are now! Real lame excuse man!
Joe
September 13th, 2009
9:16 pm
Mays or any other Atlanta City School will never get any praise on here that’s just the truth it sucks but it is what it is. Mays was undefeated in the regular season a couple of years ago and they still wasn’t ranked as one of the best the state had that let’s you know right there that it is a bias towards predominantly black schools on here.
MAD-DONNA
September 13th, 2009
9:17 pm
Let’s k.i.r.!
Let's get real
September 13th, 2009
9:27 pm
Don’t over look Union Grove. Them boys are for real!!!
SouthGARules
September 13th, 2009
9:27 pm
In AAAAA, several teams will be eliminated due to multiple teams from regions ranked in top 10. Todd, like you said, a lot depends on coin flips & who has the home field advantage. However, the teams in AAAAA that probably have the best chance going undefeated in the regular season would be Grayson & Newnan. Newnan’s biggest test will be in the regular season finale versus East Coweta & Grayson’s will be Parkview or South, but the South game is at Grayson. I know its says the whole season, but you have to get through the regular season first. Also, the Lowndes/NSWR winner & Stephenson/MLK winner stand a good chance, but Regions 1 & 2 are tougher than Regions 4 & 8.
Tell The Truth
September 13th, 2009
9:34 pm
Joe and all you other Mays supporters – GET REAL. Mays has played a weak schedule. You all keep hollering about respect. You earn respect. Mays is a good team with some good players, but a state contender, get real. They have never advanced past the second round, and I don’t see that string being broken yet. They always flame out in the second round.
Until these city teams get in the playoffs and win, nobody is going to get on this board pushing them as a state contender. Consider this, for all the talent that Douglass has had, the Astros haven’t won a playoff game away from Lakewood Stadium since Dec. 5, 1975.
However, teams like Southwest DeKalb and Stephenson get recognition because at least they make it to the playoffs and some years do something. During the 1980s and 1990s, SWD was a serious playoff contender. Stephenson and MLK have been playoff teams that have won some big games. Mays HAS NOT beaten anybody of note in the playoffs.
I am sure no one would have been surprised last Friday if Whitewater would have won. Enjoy your mild success, because when the playoff begins, it will most likely be one and done, but no more than a second round appearance.
#1scout
September 13th, 2009
9:44 pm
TODD, I just wanna know how is it that AAA Washington County begined the season ranked? AAA Burke County beat WACO last season, and wasn’t even ranked this season. WACO was ranked #4 when the two played each other last season. If you compare their schedules you will see the toughness of the opponents. Burke first 4 opponents is AAAA teams: Effingham, ranked Ware County, ranked Statesboro, and ranked Brunswick. WACO first 4 opponents is: Cross Creek, Greene County, Morgan County, and Troup County. Have you or anybody heard of these teams? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Burke Couty is getting robbed. NOTE, Burke Co. beat AAAA ranked Statesboro and AAAA ranked Ware Co. without several key Bears due to injuries from the Effingham County game. That along should tell you that Burke County is loaded with talent. So, go ahead and give it up cause the kids DESERVE it. DO IT BEARSSSSS……..
HSBallfan
September 13th, 2009
9:49 pm
.. for the sake of accuracy, mr decatur, the tucker-stephenson “game” you mentioned was a pre-season scrimmage and doesn’t really mean squat. But, also for the sake of accuracy, this is not nearly the same Tucker team as last year, and does not merit that #1 ranking. Also for the sake of accuracy, we said the same thing same time last year about Tucker LOL. Only thing that counts is the standings after 11 weeks, and then we’ll see what happens. Right now Tucker looks like an 8-2 team to me.
Michael
September 13th, 2009
10:20 pm
It is about time that Mceachern broke the top ten. Woodstock has a good team this year and they should go far into the playoffs. Stephenson has not really played a good team during this football *season* in an official game yet. Let’s see how they do up against good competition like MLK.
john
September 13th, 2009
10:25 pm
congrats to fitzgerald this week, I read alot of talk about these AA teams up north, they got 3-4 even 5 maybe good athletes on their team, well…. I have seen fitz blank coffee in the preseason until this past fri. they dont have any 4 or 5 star athletes, they play with such precision and intensity, speed, never mind have one heck of a coach they play as one. the huricane is coming for buford, let me know if FEMA needs to be called….
TRUE BLUE
September 13th, 2009
10:27 pm
NCHS KING, TUCKER , MARIST,OR SWD WILL WIN STATE THIS YEAR.REGION 6-AAAA WILL DOMINATE AGAIN THIS YEAR.THEY PLAY PHYSICAL FOOTBALL FOR 4 QUARTER AND I DON’T THINK AS A TEAM GRIFFIN OR NORTH CLAYTON CAN.
Gerry
September 13th, 2009
10:30 pm
#1 scout are you serious who the hell has ever heard of burke county you backwoods retard.
BAD GLAD
September 13th, 2009
10:36 pm
Clarke Central is back! Coach Ryals has a big-time QB in JR Martay Mattox. Also- HSFB upset of the week: TROUP over WACO! I’m gone!!!
TRUE BLUE
September 13th, 2009
10:39 pm
MICHEAL, DOES THE WORD STEPHENSON SCARES YOU. YOU KNOW WE ARE OVERRATED AND SHOULDN’T BE RANK AT ALL ACCORDING TO AJC COMPUTER RANKING.SO, WHY ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT STEPHENSON.
Michael
September 13th, 2009
10:54 pm
True Blue, I happen to like Stephenson and have been following them since the days of Kregg Lumpkin, Isreal Route and Reggie Ball. I was just saying that Stephenson hasn’t scheduled good teams in the their early season games. I hope this doesn’t hurt them by not making them playoff ready unlike North Gwinnett (played powerhouse Prattville), Camden County (played very good out state teams like Hoover of Alabama & First Costal of Floride plus in state powerhouse like Grayson). My only kncok on Stephenson is their coach doesn’t think big enough by playing good non-region games (NcNair and Columbia were scrimmages for them) early in the season to get his team play off ready.
Todd Holcomb
September 13th, 2009
11:01 pm
Joe: I would love to see Mays make a run this year. I like seeing teams in the semifinals or finals that haven’t been there. But let’s face the facts: Mays has never had one season in its history that was deserving of a final Top 10 ranking. Not one. Mays has never made it to the final 16 of the state playoffs. So every time that Mays was ranked, including No. 8 in 2003 with the 10-0 record, it turned out to be a mistake. Mays was 10-0 in 2003 and lost in the second round. Most teams that are good, but not good enough to make the Top 10, lose in the second round. I’ve got no problem with Mays, but it’s simply false for anyone to say that Mays historically has been underrated because in fact, the opposite is more often true.
re Newnan: I wasn’t listing every team that could go undefeated, just the 11 that I thought had the best chance. The chance of Newnan going undefeated is certainly less than 10 percent, IMO. If Newnan couldn’t go 15-0 with the team it had last season, I don’t see it happening now. That’s not to say this isn’t a very good team. But 15-0? That’s a longshot, to say the least.
SouthGARules: Good points. One thing that makes it tough for Lowndes is the fact that the Vikings must win in McConnell-Talbert Stadium vs. Northside, which has won about 40 straight there.
#1 Scout: I like WaCo and Burke. WaCo returned just a little more of the nucleus of 2008 than Burke, but Burke returned The Man in Brigham. It’s hard to argue you on that point. I could see anyone ranking Burke higher. But just know that I’m not ranking 2008. And Burke has to go to WaCo this time.
Lovett
September 13th, 2009
11:17 pm
I put money on Lovett going undefeated. Who is harder to beat than Buford, it doesn’t seem like anyone could beat the team that ended Buford’s reign.
Joe
September 13th, 2009
11:25 pm
Tell The Truth the only reason why Mays or any other Atlanta city school never make it far is cause the teams usually don’t be as big as county schools. Atlanta city schools are not as big as county schools and the kids usually don’t big as big but the city schools usually produce NFL caliber players.
TruFan
September 13th, 2009
11:27 pm
As far as potential undefeated teams, Wesleyan and Calhoun (both play in weak regions and are classic “neighborhood bullies”) make some sense, as does Fitzgerald, who looks impressive. Griffin (if they survive Mt. Zion) and North Gwinnett are long shots, but have the talent to pull it off. However, why no mention of Lincoln County? Larry Campbell always finds a way to wring the last drop of talent and gutsy performances from his players. History bears this out…what other active coach in GHSA can boast 8 undefeated seasons and 11 state chanpionships? Oh, and before I’m accused of being a “backwoods retard”…check your stats and history. There IS quality football played outside Metro Atlanta and Valdosta…in LC’s case, consistently for the last 35+ years…and no, I’m not an alumnus, just a knowledgeable fan who is not a homer.
Joe
September 13th, 2009
11:30 pm
Todd Holcomb it’s not that Mays isn’t talented enough it’s cause the kids are not as big and the city schools are not as big as the county schools. Mays, Douglass & Washington has all produced NFL players it’’s just unfortunate that our city schools never win in high school but it is what it is we still good quality teams.
Yo
September 13th, 2009
11:44 pm
The problem with Fizgerald’s chances are that they have Brooks Co. (has looked very good also) and Thomasville to go through to be undefeated. Not easy!
WHOA
September 13th, 2009
11:58 pm
MICHAEL, DO U RECALL A YEAR OR TWO AGO WHEN THERE WAS THIS ARTICLE IN THE SUMMER ABOUT STEPHENSON LOOKING FOR A TEAM TO PLAY FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS?? NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY STEPHENSON.. NOT THIS EARLY ANYWAY
Michael 18
September 14th, 2009
12:06 am
Thanks Grayson student for showing south some love looking forward to the game this week
daylon baker
September 14th, 2009
12:57 am
todd hillgrove is #5 and that is a respectable ranking spot but trust me when i say there are only two teams that can play with hillgrove this season. that is tucker and sw dekalb. top recruit synjyn days and hillgroves triple option offense is hard to stop and not to mention the excellent defense hillgroves defense is playing. hillgrove beat rome and seqouya who were both preseason top 10 teams in AAAA. this week is hillgrove’s homecoming against decatur, i encourage you to go and see hillgrove play and i think you will definetly agree.
AstroFan
September 14th, 2009
1:48 am
Mays is getting snubbed the same way Douglass used to get snubbed in our heyday. It’s always going to be that. Win the state championship, probably will still get voted #2. Yall can easily run the table and still barely get ranked. City teams just don’t get the respect. Look at Grady, they’re 3-0 and beating snot out of everybody and still not being ranked. TAKE IT PERSONAL and leave the anger on the field.
JD
September 14th, 2009
3:05 am
hey astro…..inner city schools (atl) suck! sorry but its a fact!
Suwanee 0wnz
September 14th, 2009
3:06 am
SouthGARules,
You always have insightful comments. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I would like to point out that North Gwinnett has a good chance of going undefeated during the regular season. They are not going to be tested by a tough opponent again until their final game of the season at Peachtree Ridge. While that is an away game, “away” is only 5 minutes away and there will be as many North fans as Lions fans in attendance. It is not the same as driving 5 hours to Valdosta to play in front of a packed stadium of hostile fans.
North starters have only given up 2 touchdowns in 3 games against at least one very tough opponent. The D Line is a wrecking crew and size will NOT keep them out of the backfield. In the meantime, North’s 6’ 5” QB is for real. The 2 Alabama committed OT’s are providing plenty of protection to give him a good look at 4 or more receivers in the pattern. As you know, a team that can execute Mumme’s system is capable of scoring at any time. Even the best teams do not have 5 strong DB’s to keep tight coverage on all the receivers.
At worst, P Ridge will be a toss up for North. So I would give North a 50% shot of going into the playoffs undefeated.
BTW, Buford’s years of recruiting top talent from North, Collins Hill, and Flowery Branch appear to be over. We’ll see how they do over the next few years relying only on talent from Buford and Mill Creek. Buford still has an awesome coaching staff, but they are not going to have the same level of talent.
BEARMAN
September 14th, 2009
5:27 am
BEAR BACKER,
THAT’S WHY THE GAME IS ON T.V. TWO GOOD TEAMS AND I THINK GRIFFIN WILL BE READY.
GRIFFIN 35
MT ZION 21
SPX fan
September 14th, 2009
5:35 am
Hey Astro Fan Saint Pius X is ranked and will CRUSH Grady. SPX is for real and could go undefeated
dawgma
September 14th, 2009
6:17 am
Yawn! Single A private school ball team located in Atlanta going undefeated is about as exciting as the MTV music awards show.
The real story is Wesleyan surpasses Buford as the Best team money can buy in the baby divisions of football in Georgia.
The Cannon Rules!
September 14th, 2009
7:03 am
Todd…
They don’t deserve it “YET” but after the RAIDERS from EAST PAULDING march thru the Indians AT McEachern this week let’s see IF you will drop a 1-2 Camben team and list our RAIDERS who will then be 3-0 and on the top of 5A-AAAAA!!!
daylon baker…
I would reserve the talk about Hillgrove going undefeated until they play Hiram who is sitting at 3-0 also!!!! They have a much improved team this year and have been “lighting-up” the scoreboard.
and finally all these MAYS supporters need to remember when they came to “THE BONEYARD” year before last and got a lesson about who the REAL RAIDERS are, they brought their “LOWNDES imitation THUG game” and EAST PAULDING sent em’ packing back to the ATL!!!!
GET READY McEachern the clock is ticking and you know what’s coming to Powder Town Friday night…It’s RAIDER TIME…
TICK…TICK…TICK…BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!! GO RAIDERS!!!!!
TJ
September 14th, 2009
7:10 am
South Gwinnett does deserve some love. To me, this is for the Region 8 AAAAA championship. Could be Parkview as well but that is hype for another time. But not looking past this week, Grayson has to stop the Comets this week. This will test the Grayson defensive backs, one of which has commited to BYU. My prediction is the defensive line will be in the backfield disrupting the passing game all night long.
wolverine fan
September 14th, 2009
7:12 am
Cannon Rules…….I hope EP has one heck of a good pass defense, because they will need it against McEarchen…….
rwdekalbfan
September 14th, 2009
7:13 am
Metro Atlanta teams need to earn respect by beating quality teams and advancing deep into the playoffs. Inflated winning records against mediocre teams and early playoff exits will not do it. Rankings are good for school morale but its what you do in the playoffs against quality teams that earn you that respect.
TRUE BLUE
September 14th, 2009
8:11 am
RWDEKALBFAN, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE LAST I HEARD WAS THAT TUCKER, WESLEYAN,AND BUFORD WAS IN METRO ATLANTA.ALSO,GRAYSON, MARIST,LOVETT,AND PEACHTREE RIDGE ARE IN THE METRO ATLANTA. THESE SCHOOLS WERE IN THE FINALS OR SEMI-FINALS LAST YEARS WITH METRO ATLANTA TAKIG 3 OUT 5 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.
SouthGARules
September 14th, 2009
8:19 am
rwdekalbfan: Very good point.
TJ: Agreed.
TruFan: Very good point about Lincoln Co. Being a A team & not a ton of D-1 talent (with the exception of Garrison Hearst), they tend to get overlooked.
Suwanee Ownz: Thanks. You are right about North Gwinnett, even though its more than 5 min away. Suwanee Dam Rd can get congested, but I understand your point. Also, not having to travel hours to games in more spread out regions helps, too. However, don’t sleep on Norcross. I know you beat them last year in a tremendous comeback at home but they are not as bad as they have shown. I know they are 1-2, but a 1 pt OT loss to Walton was one of the losses. We will find out about South Friday night @Grayson.
roswellfan
September 14th, 2009
8:39 am
Wheres the love for Roswell football? I know its early in the season, but why would a 1 or 2 loss team still be ranked in the top 10 ? Roswell deserves to be ranked somewhere in the 6-10 category. They beat pope on the road last week after beating Centenial handily and should get to 5-0 at the by week.
chad
September 14th, 2009
8:46 am
Calhoun is going to be a monster no one is going to want to play by the end of the season. They have just gotten started. They waxed Rome in a preseason game, beat a very good Dalton team and Ridgleland team. Those are 3A and 4A teams. Look out for the yellow jackets this year.
shankit
September 14th, 2009
9:00 am
Tickets available for the AAAAA State Championship game.
played early this year in November
Lowndes vs. Valdostta
TJ
September 14th, 2009
9:08 am
Some food for thought, Warner Robins only allowed their opponent 1 yard of rushing this week. They beat Beach 49 to 6. Beach is no power house team but it was tell tale of their stout defense and ability to score on teams. Where does Warner Robins rank now in their region, playoff caliber? Think Grayson beat a good team when they played Warner Robins and won 10 to 0. Grayson put up 44 points and shut out on Dacula, which says they have ability on their offense. South Gwinnett and Grayson should be game of the week? Will see.
fan
September 14th, 2009
9:12 am
mays do not worry about ranking we the city want championships that is better than ranking as for stephenson & swd & mlk i do not see them winning any thing because it is all about having your team prepare when it it time for the playoff you will see the same teams winning because there coach take time to perpare.
Waltonfan
September 14th, 2009
9:21 am
Todd –
from what I’ve read in the past, you don’t have much love for Region 6-AAAAA teams…especially Walton.
but considering their schedule, I think they have a decent shot at 10-0. Undefeated all the way? Hell no, but regular season is possible.
Yes, Roswell & Lassiter are tough, but both those games are at home.
They already beat a pretty good Norcross team in the Dome.
9-1 is more likely, but you can’t rule out 10-0 based on what they’ve done do far & who/where they have coming up.
APS Football Fan
September 14th, 2009
9:26 am
To all the APS Football Teams: Congratulations. I know you want to be recognized in the Top 10. You have to remember that this newspaper will never recognize any of you. It has nothing to do with making the plays.
Pops
September 14th, 2009
9:27 am
The way it has been going East Paulding will beat Mc Ceachern and we will have our 4th region 5AAAAA team ranked in the top ten. We have talked before about how balanced this region is at the top. What happens then if Etowah beats East after East beats McCeachern? We will have gone full circle?
Don’t worry Wolverine Fan – I haven’t forgotten about you.
The Cannon Rules!
September 14th, 2009
9:47 am
Pops…
GOOD QUESTION…East plays Etowah, and Woodstock both as away games this year…while EAST plays GREAT on the road and takes (as you know) a HUGE crowd that fills the visitors section, both of these games are going to be TOUGH wins!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…the Battle continues this friday as EAST goes to McEachern, to answer your question…AFTER EAST beats McEachern it would be up to Etowah to TAKE its spot atop the division but they also have to take care of business between now and the EAST match-up!
But Friday night should be FUN to say the least…I saw em’ building some kinda barricade looking contraption around the big Injun’ on their stadium, that want help though…”THE CANNON” will still find him!!! (or her???…maybe that Injun’s a “SQUAW”)…
CLOCK’S TICKING MCEACHERN…105 HOURS AND COUNTING TICK…TICK…TICK…BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
GO RAIDERS!!!!!
drock09
September 14th, 2009
9:56 am
Will be looking forward to see creekside defense vs tay willis this friday. The amey kid from creekside and willis from east coweta are the real deal. Union grove will give stephenson and mlk all they can handle. I predict they will win the region. Mt zion will upset griffin
Wolverine2Blazer
September 14th, 2009
10:03 am
Hmmm, I’m going to predict that the week after the Woodstock-Etowah game there will be 3 region 5 teams in the top 10. And to Waltonfan, I wouldn’t be showing much love to region 6 either after ya’ll almost got swept in the first round by region 5. The first seed getting man handled by our fourth.
STOP WORRYING
September 14th, 2009
10:13 am
drock09, Why are you worrying about Stephenson and MLK. You forgot that we are overrated by the AJC COMPUTER RANKING.They say we want make it past the quarterfinals. Plus ,they say Stephenson Coaches want prepare the players for play-off.Thats the STATE of GEORGIA prediction,but who cares what they think cause the BLACK AND BLUE JAAAAAAAAAAAGUARS ARE BACK TO MAKE A STATEMENT STARTING FRIDAY AT WARE COUNTY.
Panola's Finest
September 14th, 2009
10:21 am
TRUE BLUE I AM PRETTY SURE SWD WOULD HAVE PLAYED STEPHENSON AS WELL AS TUCKER AND OTHER OF THOSE TEAMS IN GWINNETT LOOKING FOR THE COME UP.
Excuses, Excuses. There are plenty of good teams other than Columbia and Mcnair that will play you guys. Say what you want but those were scrimmages with JV teams at best.
Hawkflying high
September 14th, 2009
10:25 am
Hillgrove has one of the strongest defenses out there. The true litmus test will be Hiram on their schedule! I thought it would of been Rome or Squoyah, but I guess not! LOL. The only reason Harlison scored 14 is because Hillgrove doesn’t believe in kicking someone when there down. Can you say JV in the 4th quarter?
R.W. Gweed
September 14th, 2009
10:38 am
Jackson was ranked #10 in your preseason AAA poll. They have won all of their games convivcingly, yet have dropped out of the top ten. It’s obvious that you have an ax to grind with the Jackson people, stemming back from last year. Thus, you only teased us with that #10 ranking and never intended to keep us there, no matter what. Vengeance is mine, says Todd.
Cane-66
September 14th, 2009
10:51 am
Not only is Fitzgerald undefeated, but also UNSCORED upon in three regular season games, plus the scrimmage game against AAAAA Coffee Co….
titletown
September 14th, 2009
10:58 am
NSWR has to get past Valdosta friday i think everyone is overlooking valdosta. Has anyone took a look at this team this year, they have a qb that is almost like vick take notice. NSRW has to come to death valley friday can they escape Valdosta 24 NSWR 10
HeadEast
September 14th, 2009
11:00 am
After Friday EP, Etowah, and Woodstock will be battling it out for 2nd place and at least one home game in the playoffs. Based on the East D that showed up last Friday MAC will continue to light up the scoreboard. Even a weak team like S Cobb moved well enough to have a field goal try. We’re just too small and too slow this year.
KIR
September 14th, 2009
11:14 am
I saw SWD against MLK and you guys shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence with Stephenson.
wolverine fan
September 14th, 2009
11:30 am
HeadEast……..McEarchern is fast…We held them until the 3rd quarter then their speed took over. Our passs defense could not contain them.
CKDawg65
September 14th, 2009
11:31 am
Glad to see Creekview finally getting some love outside of Cherokee Co. Beating a then top 10 AAAA Sequoyah and going to Flowery Branch and beating a then top 3 AAA team will do it for you. Not having to play Gainesville in the regular season will help, but W Forsyth and N Hall will be challenges.
Tell The Truth
September 14th, 2009
11:34 am
I don’t think Grady is getting a snubbed, they haven’t beaten anybody. They are 3-0 against teams with a combined 2-6 record and the two wins for their opponents have came against North Atlanta and Cross Keys. Unfortunately, the only test that Grady will face in the regular season is against St. Pius in late October. The Grey Knights should come into that contest with a 7-0 record. This Friday against might give some indication of where Grady and Washington stand when they play each other. Anything short of a two touchdown victory for Grady will certainly prove they are not as strong as their record indicates. Nothing against the city teams, because there have certainly been some good ones, but on the state level they fail to prove themselves on the field.
Reeze
September 14th, 2009
11:42 am
Titletown………..We heard the same in 2008 ,at half time you could hear a pin drop on the Cat side .You guys might win if this years team found speed on offense ,or maybe Tomberlin trashed his offensive play book with the lame and predictable plays that we were chuckling at in the stands or coach and play the game with intensity like your’re in it to win it. In other words a complete turn around
Wolverine2Blazer
September 14th, 2009
12:00 pm
Creekview’s been a good team sense they opened. Last year they took Saquoyah to 3OT at the Cheif’s place. I think they’re this year’s Woodstock.
Head Bear
September 14th, 2009
12:02 pm
The Bears will be ready Go Bears
Golden Lion
September 14th, 2009
12:04 pm
Need to pay more respect to St. Pius in AAA, They lost to gainesville last year only because of a QB named Donovan Tate. This years team is senior led and have the determination and strength
Jefferson
September 14th, 2009
12:32 pm
5-0 in the playoffs trumps an undefeated regular season. It ain’t over till its over. Buford and their chop blocking center needs a rematch.
Go Jackets.
fitzgerald
September 14th, 2009
12:34 pm
I am no fan of Buford. However, it is a long road until the playoffs and Buford will improve by then. So, who knows what will happen. Those very long (5-6 hours) road games do take a toll of the visiting teams. Particularly if they have to do it more than one time. It is too bad that neutral sites are not used in the playoffs. Supporting fans do and will travel during the playoffs. Check playoff game attendance in other states.
Grayson Student
September 14th, 2009
12:59 pm
For all the south supporters… Theres only so much stats can tell you about a player. Is there any film on the internet of this season, I would like to see kent rollins and his offensive line.
Matt
September 14th, 2009
1:00 pm
Bowdon #7 in class A what a joke! look at who they have played! more cupcakes than at a bakery!
The Cannon Rules!!
September 14th, 2009
1:06 pm
Hawkflying high…
Good comment, I agree the true test for BOTH Hiram and Hillgrove appears to be the game they have against EACH other. I would predict you both will be in a fight that night and NEITHER team will be playing their J.V. team by the 4th.
Don’t overlook Rome showing up later in the year, they were tough against EAST in our first game 3 weeks ago. They are just not LOADED 2 and 3 deep like in years past, but they are still fielding a VERY GOOD team.
va 7
September 14th, 2009
1:25 pm
Thanks whoa, SWD did not want to play Stephenson anymore, great gwinnett/cobb county schools were scared and could not find anyone out of state. People for get that despite playoff success this program is known throughout the whole United States. Over the last few years that Comcast broadcast games Stephenson is the biggest draw for them.
Etowah Fan
September 14th, 2009
1:30 pm
Head East – I agree with your assessment. MAC at home will be too much for EP as much as Cannon will hope! MAC is red hot and deserving of their ranking… Leaving EP, Etowah, and Woodstock to fight it out for 2nd. Thank goodness that Etowah has EP and Woodstock at home.
Wolverine2Blazer – you are definitely drinking some spike’ed Kool-Aid if you think there is any scenario that gets three teams from Region 5-AAAAA in the top 10 before the end of September. While MAC will have played the “meat” of their region schedule after Friday (Etowah, Woodstock, EP), I expect them to still be undefeated and staying ranked near the bottom of the Top 10.
The only very remote chance for a second team from Region 5-AAAAA to creep in by early October is if Etowah easily handles both Woodstock and EP (and I don’t see that happening). I am fairly confident that Woodstock won’t creep back into the Top 10 with a sound victory at Etowah (I don’t see that happening either!) without some very strange things happening to the rest of the current Top 10.
Everybody else in the Top 10 will not have played each other within their respective regions to knock each other out of the Top 10. Besides Todd (per your Region 6 comment) does not generally give any close calls to the North/Northwest side of Atlanta. At least Todd has kept a Region 5-AAAAA team in the Top 10 so I don’t think we can complain too much.
I like your Region 5-AAAAA spirit though… just trying to be realistic.
down south fan
September 14th, 2009
1:44 pm
valdosta28-nswr10
objective observer
September 14th, 2009
1:57 pm
Don’t worry about Lincoln County going undefeated after this week. Abbeville will beat them by at least two touchdowns. LC is extremely small up front and they only give the ball to #25. That’s why Wesleyan beat them last year is because they only had to key in on one player.
Dekalb til I die
September 14th, 2009
2:16 pm
Man if I hear some
RedandBlack
September 14th, 2009
2:35 pm
Check out Roswell next time they play. Coach Barker has the Hornets buzzn. Great plays for high school ball. Look out North Fulton county.
VIKING DAD
September 14th, 2009
2:35 pm
HEY Titletown, the only way the cats will beat Northside is if they don’t show. I have seen the cats play. Your cats are 3-0 only because they’ve not played anyone. Remember last year,3-0 start, 2-5 finish. And don’t even think about beating the Vikings this year, because it’s not going to happen.
VIKING DAD
September 14th, 2009
2:38 pm
Congrats to Lovett for beating Buford.
HeadEast
September 14th, 2009
2:40 pm
wolverine – I’ve seen MAC, Etowah, Harrison, and EP play in person and MAC looks like the best team and Harrison the worst. They just have so many offensive weapons and special teams scored on a fake punt and a punt return when I saw them. East will need to be able to run some clock on offense and go about +2 in turnovers to keep it close. Heart and good coaching have a hard time overcoming pure speed and talent.
Dekalb CO.
September 14th, 2009
3:01 pm
When I read this blog, its clear the road to respectability goes through Dekalb, even though we, as I always hear, we don’t win anything. Tucker don’t deserve to be ranked NO.1. SWD didn’t. Stephenson and MLK don’t deserve to be ranked at all. Stephenson don’t play nobody. Playoff history. Blah, blah blah. Region 5 seems like the ones in search for the most respect, but yall aint going to get it by mentioning Stephenson and MLK. Id like to focus on those two teams for a minute. I went to Stone Mtn HS and we haven’t been really good for years. Lithonia and Redan neither. SWD has been decent, not as bad as the other 3. When Stephenson(1996) and MLK(2001) opened, they took attendance from those four aforementioned schools. Lokk at what they have done since they opened. Im willing to bet that the no team from Region 5 can match winning %, playoff wins or players that have gone on to have major college success that Stephenson/MLK have had since Stephenson opened. And I had to make sure I knew who was in Region 5 before I typed this so I wouldn’t look stupid. Only teams I saw with any tradition or success was Mareitta and McEachern, please Cherokee Co. and EP get your lifetime winning % at 500. before you call out the giants of 2-AAAAA and more importantly, encourage your AD to schedule us in the future because we aint scared. Oh and to those who think Union Grove will win region 2-AAAAA be for real. What basis do you have for such a prediction when you know you haven’t beaten BOTH Dekalb CO schools in the same season, EVER? Hope, yeah thats a good one lol
Coach
September 14th, 2009
3:04 pm
REGION 6AAAA is by far the roughest, toughest region of them all. Don’t expect any of their teams to go undefeated, but expect one, or two, to play for the State Championship. Check the football history of that region over the last few years. And FYI that region won 15 total State Championships for the 2008-2009 school year. No other region came close.
The Cannon Rules!!
September 14th, 2009
3:10 pm
Let’s just hope we have a CONSISTENT game called by the referee crew as I would HATE for a game this big to be cost by a bad call (in either direction)…the game needs to be played and WON on the field. The other night against South Cobb we again experienced several missed calls and one call on the EAST sideline after the EAST “D” had stopped South Cobb with a legal hit that “LAID OUT” the South Cobb player a penalty was called against EAST because the “D” player was giving and receiving high fives off the field on the sideline!!! These are high school kids, let em’ play…sure they get excited…he had just made a terrific stop / play and was celebrating with his teammates!!!
The calls I am referring to here had nothing to do with the overall outcome OF THIS GAME but they could have, and that would be a shame to hang a loss on a team from bad calls.
vikingsrule
September 14th, 2009
3:20 pm
Titletown, you are right on the money. I’ve tried telling Todd Holcomb that Valdosta is for real this year. Dont listen to Viking Dad either. I know a good football team when I see one. Valdosta will beat NSWR and they will give my Vikings a good game too. The Wildcats will be the only team this year to give LHS a scare. Lowndes goes 15-0 Mr. Holcomb and you can increase these odds up to about 70%. Also, Valdosta ends up in your top ten at the end of the year with two losses. Mark it down!!
slalom1
September 14th, 2009
3:53 pm
TODD, Do not under rate the Newnan Cougars. My prediction after game 1 was that NO ONE will put up double digits against the Cougars during regular season. I stand behind that prediction,(but I should have said “against the starters”) The Cougars are going to have one blow-out after another during the regular season, therefore someone may put up 12 or so against the JV. The defense is better than in 2008. The offense may be even more talented but still needs game time. By season’s end, I believe the Cougars have a better shot than in 2008. The Ogletree brothers along with the Ransby kid are simply amazing.
The Cannon Rules!!
September 14th, 2009
3:58 pm
Dekalb CO. …
It’s true several of the schools in 5A AAAAA don’t have “winning traditions” that go back 20 or 30 years like many Dekalb schools. Most of these schools are fairly new, 10 to 15 years old in some cases and what they are showing is RECENT winning trends. You are talking like many of the South Ga. posters who like to brag about the Championships they won back in the 60’s, the 70’s & 80’s.
Well welcome to the FUTURE!!!…Many of our 5A – AAAAA teams can play with ANY of your Dekalb schools ANY friday night!…The reality / logistics is that this can’t happen until playoff time but I’ll give you a recent history lesson you can go look up…Mays (I know before you tell me they are not a Dekalb School) came out to “THE BONEYARD” year before last for a playoff game and was sent back to the ATL with a new outlook on outside 285 football!
Sure you got good teams at MLK, Stephenson but go the other direction and you got Grayson & the Gwinnett powerhouses that are fairly new schools.
But I’ll give you this stat to “CHEW ON”…since 2005 East Paulding has gone 33-6 finishing 2008 (1st year in AAAAA play) going to the 2nd round of State Playoffs before losing to Grayson 17/7 (who beat “mighty Lowndes”). EAST had an UNDEFEATED (10-0) regular season in 2007, winning the Region and going to the State Quarter finals. They reached the State Semifinals in 2006 before losing to Marist in the DOME. Traditions START somewhere and this type play is what gets you there.
Washington high fan
September 14th, 2009
4:15 pm
Tell The Truth u think Grady beating Washington this friday u crazy.
SanityRules
September 14th, 2009
4:16 pm
Slalom1, I couldn’t agree with you more. This Newnan team has the potential of being the best ever. The defense has everything you could ask for. We don’t need any publicity right now ,so let them talk about Grayson, Lowdnes and all the rest, we will be there in the end.
Yo
September 14th, 2009
4:45 pm
I see little tick tick boom boom person is need of a huggy.
Regular Joe
September 14th, 2009
4:48 pm
First off Dekalb County has more players playing at the next level than any other county in Ga. Now as far as Stephenson’s schedule goes, when this schedule was put together who knew Mcnair would be this sorry this year; they have always played Stephenson and MLK Tough. Ware County wasn’t predicted to be a push over either. Columbia is rather a weak. But in defense of MLK other than SWD who thought North Cobb would be this bad this year; they looked horrible.
slalom1
September 14th, 2009
4:49 pm
TODD, Just one other thing: Do not overlook Troup. I believe they will handle WACO this week as well as everyone else on the regular season schedule with the possible exception of Carver and LaGrange. Make no mistake about it, Troup has the guns both on offense and defense. Given the long tradition of Troup “losing the big ones”, this could turn out to be the year when Troup FINALLY clears the hurdle of being the step child in Region 2AAA. In evaluating the pure talent on the field between Carver-Col and Troup, they stack up pretty close. Carver has the size advantage. Troup has the athletic advantage. But not by much. LaGrange has the coaching advantage as well as a handful of under rated players along with the greatest kicker in the state. But depth is thin. I like the chances for the 2009 Grangers. The Granger defense is somewhat similar to the Newnan offense in that both units lack experience but appear to be even more talented than in 2008. By play-off time, who knows?
Yo
September 14th, 2009
4:58 pm
Regular Joe…don’t go into Ware thinking you are about to play a push over. You may get a little bit surprised.
PAUL
September 14th, 2009
5:17 pm
Shout out to my Bainbridge Bearcats #9 in AAAA
williambrado
September 14th, 2009
5:21 pm
Cats i hate to tell you but there hasn’t been very many deaths in death valley the past few years. I will be shocked if you get past northside this week.And far as beating Lowndes county this year that won’t happen either.As far as giving Lowndes a scare well Lowndes ran the ghost out of hyder stadium years ago.Lowndes County is a football Machine this year and nobody comes even close especially Grayson.Good luck Grayson against Gwinnet this week.
williambrado
September 14th, 2009
5:26 pm
Duh regular Joe. Look how big Dekalb county is.How many schools are in dekalb county? NEXT
84viking
September 14th, 2009
5:39 pm
Everybody worries about stats,going undefeated,etc…. Anybody can loose on any given night if they dont always bring their A game to every game.Lets see who wins it all in the end.They will be the one with the bragging rights when its all over;even if they are not undefeated !!!!!!!!!!!!
Jake
September 14th, 2009
6:03 pm
I am not worried about Buford losing, they have more sophmores starting than juniors and seniors combined which means they will improve alot this year and more than likely when state again next year and the year after. Dont count us out just yet. We are Buford and we will be back if not this year, then the years to come. Congrats to Lovett.
slalom1
September 14th, 2009
6:22 pm
YO,”in need of a little tick tick boom boom huggy”. What in the name of Lowndes have you been smoking? Locally grown? lol.
slalom1
September 14th, 2009
6:25 pm
REEZE, It is time to come clean. “Rebuilding year”? Come on. Tell the truth about Northside. If you were not “boondogging” in preseason, what do you think now? Come on REEZE. Northside must be pretty good.
K-MAN
September 14th, 2009
6:40 pm
Teams like Buford,Charlton County,Dublin & Lovett will always be powerhouse teams because they all have the kind of coaches that know how to run A real program!They run the type of offense yhat fit their kids…they teach defense…their kids are disciplined…not to mention fundamentally sound! Everybody else are just pretenders!
RealisticEP_Fan
September 14th, 2009
7:09 pm
HeadEast: My friend, I agree with about 99 pct of your posts, and EP may not win at Machearn this Friday,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,however let’s not quite throw in the towel quite yet. This team has a knack for getting up for certain games (ala, on the road at Sequoyah that magical night, a couple years ago…..or maybe the trip to Rome for the playoff,,,,,both statement games that EP was supposed to lose and probably should have…..if you play them on paper). Coach Reid and the boys will be there as well as you and I. Bring that positive attitude and just maybe some of that magic will in the air Friday night.
Wolverine2Blazer
September 14th, 2009
7:44 pm
Etowah…haha. Lets try to look at this from the unbiased TLP angle. If Woodstock handles the devils this friday and then have a solid win against Etowah it would be logical to place us back into the top ten. If you just look at the spread, McE had ya’ll beat easily and we took them to OT. Not hating, just saying. If the EP-McE game comes down to the wire, logic tells us that EP-McE-Wood are all very simular teams at the top of the region. So why not rank them 8-9-10? Thats just my thinking though.
Wolverine Fan
September 14th, 2009
7:45 pm
How does Marietta look this year?
drock09
September 14th, 2009
7:46 pm
Slalom I agree with you 100% about the cougars. There offense will be scary when the playoffs start. The defense is bigger and a whole lot faster than last year. Mr john wells todd will never give the cougars any respect if newnan was in gwinett county Todd will be all over their jock.
drock09
September 14th, 2009
7:56 pm
What’s the deal with the coaching staff at spalding high school in Griffin. You talking about a disaster too many talented kids no coaching at all. Also Todd what are your thoughts on East coweta Tay Willis?
The Cannon Rules!
September 14th, 2009
8:12 pm
Sorry “YO”!!!…
No Hugs here we play OUTSIDE 285 not in Midtown ATL…LOL!
DEKALB COUNTY RULES
September 14th, 2009
8:55 pm
WHO IN DA HELL SAID UNION GROVE WILL WIN 2-AAAAA???
THEY MAY BE IN A BATTLE FOR 3RD OR 4TH PLACE THOUGH!!!
JUST STATING FACTS!!!
AND HONESTLY.. DO U SERIOUSLY THINK THAT 5-AAAAA TEAMS CAN STICK WITH DEKALB COUNTY TEAMS??
Reeze
September 14th, 2009
9:25 pm
Slalom 1………Northside folks have had the pleasure of seeing really good teams here at Northside and have played really good teams………I said earlier that we a rebuilding ,but we would still have a respectable team…..If you are asking about the win against Carver ,Carver is not the same team as last year ,they are not the # 1 in AAA…….I guess the term rebuilding to most is , rebuilding to be a good team ,…….Northside it means rebuilding to be a contender. We are to young and inexperienced to be considered a contender ,too many turnovers is one indicator……Lots of underclassmen starting in key spots……… I n 2010 the Eagles will be hell to deal with…….I just hope we choose to play up and stay in AAAAA.
joeinformed
September 14th, 2009
9:39 pm
Williambrado- you must not no so let me inform you Gwinnet co. has the most high schools in the state and Dekalb co. has alot of schools but there is only 5 schools that produces talent like that and the main 2 is stephenson and MLK….Then you got SWD,TUCKER, and other schools depending on what type of team or players they have that year… but STEPHENSON and MLK are the powerhouses of football talent in dekalb and in georgia period! and Stephenson dont play nobody because nobody wants to play them when there looking for teams to play everybody already got some thing to do!!! in state and out of state Stephenson is known…THATS WHY ON OCT.16 YOU CAN WATCH THE TWO TEAMS YOU LOVE TO HATE ON PLAY ON ESPN….STEPHENSON AND MLK
LOVE APS FOOTBALL
September 14th, 2009
9:40 pm
Atlanta City Schools produce a great amount of talent. However, our kids are not born and breed for football! We don’t have the park systems like Dekalb County nor do we have the big time donations pouring from the pockets of our rich parents who put up their homes for new weight rooms. This is not down south football where the world comes to an end on friday night. Our kids have more of a variety of a social life. They have Atlantic Station and numerous places to hang out and have fun which can be distractions. Also, no big time coach will ever coach in APS’s system because they don’t care about winning state. We may not have teams that win state! But you can bet your ass that we have a lot of beggin big time college coaches at our kids than any other part of the state!
Yo
September 14th, 2009
9:50 pm
joeinformed…dont’ get me started on underacheiving overtalented teams other than it isn’t something to be bragging about.
Congratulations on the ESPN game. The week before you can watch Valdosta/Lowndes for the 2nd year in a row.
We don’t have nearly the players in Div 1 you probably have, kind of makes me wonder how less talented ball players keep beating up on more talented ball players.
chuck
September 14th, 2009
11:01 pm
Union Grove will finish the season 10-0 if they can get their QB situation corrected. They have a very good defense.
BAD SIGNS
September 14th, 2009
11:19 pm
CHUCK QUIT DREAMING,BECAUSE IT WANT HAPPEN 3rd place baby
Uncle Rico
September 14th, 2009
11:35 pm
No team will go 15-0….too much parity.
when St. Pius waxes Marist, that’s a sign.
but – it doesn’t matter. an undefeated season is never the goal for any team/coach – even Valdosta.
the goal is to win your Region & go into the playoffs playing your best ball.
that said, I think a few teams have a great shot at 10-0.
* Roswell OR Walton. The winner of that game has a strong chance at 10-0.
* Grayson
* Lowndes OR Valdosta (see above)
Todd Holcomb
September 14th, 2009
11:59 pm
Re: Lincoln County. Remember that Larry’s boys must play Abbeville this week. They are not expected to win that game. They also must play Wilkinson County. It’s going to be very tough for Lincoln County to go undefeated.
Yo: Good points about Fitz. Very tough schedule. I probably ranked Fitz’s chances too high in that case. Calhoun is a better pick for 15-0.
Joe: I agree that Mays is a talented team. So is Grady this season. I don’t think most people realize how good the Top 10 is. Lots of pretty good teams aren’t ranked.
TJ: That’s an interesting game – Grayson vs. South GW. Grayson’s defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown this season. I think SG has scored about 20 touchdowns. I think Grayson wins comfortably, though.
“Why would a 1 or 2 loss team still be ranked in the top 10 ?”
Camden County has lost to two teams that have Top 25 national rankings and had both of them beat until the closing minutes.
APS Football Fan: What school should be dropped from the rankings to accommodate Mays or Grady or any APS school? If you can name names, then we can compare what each school has accomplished and make an objective decision.
R.W. Gweed: I like your explanation better than my own for Jackson falling out of the rankings. So I’ll agree with you!
Re: Tay Willis. Haven’t seen him. But I hear and read big things.
Re: Marietta: Weak.
Uncle Rico: You say no team will go 15-0. I tried to find the last season in which no team went undefeated and untied and I got back to 1960 and got tired of looking.
THEHILLISREAL
September 15th, 2009
12:57 am
LOVE APS FOOTBALL/ I disagree, APS can get a top coach if they want.I bet the farm that COACH JARVIS would’ve left (MLK) to come coach MAYS. He grew up right around the corner on Fairburn rd. Remember coach think they change a team. Remember, Mays on there 9th coach this decade.after the alumna tuck tail and, turn up at North Clayton.As far as talent it being water down Doulas County is putting a high on the border of Fulton county btween 2min from Hughes,4min Westlake,7min Creekside Or Banneker,4min Chappell Hill,10 min from Mays.I’m saying this to say there is options in south fulton, kids decide where they want to play.Here a Tangent,there 2 6′9 bball player on cascade rd and 2 6′2/’5 guards on campbellton rd guess what they go to? WHEELER/ there options, it all good.
HeadEast
September 15th, 2009
9:25 am
RealisticEP_Fan – Just taking your approach my friend. Very funny last year when it turned out the three of us had been watching most games together and then found out we’d all been posting! Woodstock had them on the ropes so EP definitely has a chance, but MAC has to be the favorite (see AJC pick later this week) with all that speed. But it’s nice to have all the rest of the region pulling for us for a change.
NTH Trojans
September 15th, 2009
9:27 am
Hawkflying high,
I went to the Hiram/Hillgrove game last year, and was impressed at how good the team looked. Hillgrove has great balance on both sides of the ball. They also have an abundance of talent. That being said, the refs determined the outcome of last years game, not the teams. Let’s hope thats not the case for either team this year. The biggest difference that I see between the two teams this year is the size disparity on the OL and DL. Hillgrove is MUCH bigger in the trenches, and that worries me greatly ( I’m a Hiram fan, my son plays there). I actually think that both teams matchup fairly even at the skill positions. If Hillgrove wins, I think that it will be the size differerence in the trenches.
Slalom,
I said last week that Buford wasn’t as deep or as strong as they were in the past. That being said, I think Buford WILL win the AA State Title. This is not a slight to the other teams in AA, I just think that loss will wake Buford up. The same can be said for Carver, Columbus. Would you want to be the team that has to play either of them, or Flowery Branch for that matter? How much tougher does North Halls’ schedule look now after the FB/Creekview game? If there is a team in AAA that has a tougher schedule, I’d like to see it. That is not meant to be a slight on LG, CC, or Troup, as those teams have scheduled tough non-region opponents (Newnan, NSWR,and WACO) as well as having a tough region schedule.
As far as a team going undefeated, I think the best possibilities are Wesleyan, Gainesville, and Lowndes, with Grayson having an outside shot.
Where Hiram is concerned, I’ve seen a vast improvement in this team every week. I don’t know how far they will advance this year in the playoffs, but no matter what, it will help them tremendously next year. That’s when I see Hiram making its run.
AVikingFan
September 15th, 2009
10:23 am
H-mmmm. Not much being written about Lowndes this week so I guess I’ll have to be the one. (I bet even our stat geru and trivia expert Todd Holcumb doesn’t know this stuff!) Does anyone know the connection between the new Freshman QB sensation at Clemson (Kyle Parker) and Lowndes? His father Carl Parker played receiver at Lowndes, then Vanderbilt and the Cincinatti Bengals. Kyle’s distant cousin, Cole Parker, is now the starting QB at Lowndes. (Hopefully his passing ability will continue to keep linebackers and DB’s on their heels instead of on their toes. This has helped create huge running lanes for the Vikings windbacks and fullbacks this year.)
Another note of interest. Remember the story ESPN did a couple of years ago about the high schoool team in Alaska not having a football field, and had to play all their games “on the road?” A lady in St. Johns County Florida – between Jacksonville and St Augustine – heard about it, and started raising money to build a stadium for that Northern Alaska high school. When the new field, complete with artificial turf was opened and the team won their first game, the whole team ran out and jumped into the adjacent artic ocean. ESPN did a great job with that story, and now a movie is in the works. Rumors are that Julia Roberts may play the starring role as, yes!, Kathy Parker, the lady who raised that money and was featured on ESPN. She is the mother of Clemson’s new QB and the wife of Carl Parker. SHE ALSO WENT TO LOWNDES
Now ya’ll can go back to talking about whether of not East Pauldin can beat McEachern or S. Gwinnett can stay on the field with Greyson, and last but not least, will Valdosta beat NSWR Friday.
AVikingFan
September 15th, 2009
10:26 am
Sorry about the typo’s in my last post. But I correctly called Lowndes’ wingbacks WINDBACKS, because they run like the WIND. Over, thru, and past people.
SportsFan31313
September 15th, 2009
11:38 am
I believe that Wesleyan is the team to try to beat this year.
SportsFan31313
September 15th, 2009
11:55 am
Greetings Todd Holcomb,
I watched that Camden County/Hoover game. That game was a very exciting game to watch. Camden County dominated the 1st half. Hoover didn’t’ know how adjust to that WING”T” offense that Camden County had. Because of that, Camden County Dominated, and that Defense was brutal as well. Camden dominated on both sides of the ball.
However; the second half was another story. Hoover came out there as new team. They held Camden County in the second half. But those teams that Camden County played this, all are Nationally Ranked. I watched running back # 32 Ean Day, he is so fast, strong, and that kid is a beast. He played on special teams and rushed. Not only him, but Andre Johnson # 15 (running back) did a great job too. In addition, boy can’t that Defensive back hit. #27 Steven Murphy was laying the wood to Hoover. He hit like a Ronnie Lott.
With all of that being said, I said to their remaining opponents, do not underestimate this team. Yes they are very young, and in a rebuilding state, but Jeff Herron is still coaching there and he still knows how to win. I see them being in the post season again this year.
fat-lue
September 15th, 2009
12:23 pm
best believe that pius aint got nothin including a region championship in the last 40 years. best believe when yall see dunwoody in the region championship yall fixin get yalls heads busted.
p.s. try and not cheap shot our key players to try and win, as u can see it didnt help yall last year.
butters
September 15th, 2009
12:24 pm
yall better watch out dunwoody ready to get on that plane and take off…pius get ready them wildcats coming
Yo
September 15th, 2009
12:36 pm
AVikingFan so what you are tring to say is Lowndes football community support even reaches to Alaska. While community support in some areas is the reason the very talented football teams never win championships.
Did I read between the lines correctly?
Etowah Fan
September 15th, 2009
12:46 pm
Wolverine2Blazer – Your assessment is almost dead-on assuming it plays out like you predict: (you beat Etowah, and EP/McE is close)… meaning all three teams you suggest are reasonably equal on paper. At least two things will keep Woodstock unranked:
1) There won’t be enough room at 8-9-10. Not enough teams above McE today will have lost yet due to other region rivals meeting later in October.
2) R5-AAAAA will not get the *nod* from Todd in the rankings. I see him reserving one, at most two, slot(s) in the Top 10 for R5-AAAAA at any given time.
The Region 6-AAAAA boys will have some right to claim a spot or two if Roswell, Walton, or Lassiter remain undefeated… and I think one of those will remain undefeated for a while.
Woodstock with one loss won’t creep back in the Top 10 regardless until … you win out with a victory over EP at the end and only then you *might* be ranked going into the playoffs. No hate here – just calling it like I see it.
Grayson Student
September 15th, 2009
12:53 pm
Todd, when you say comfortably on the Grayson-South game what do u mean. What is your prediction of that game?
joeinformed
September 15th, 2009
1:20 pm
YO- first thank you but we don’t need it…this aint our first time being on t.v. …..second the only reason why teams like a lowndes can beat a way more talented stephenson is of coaching thats about what it comes down to…. i think they are better coached to handle different things that may happen on the field as for boys who think they just think that everybody going to laid down because they got Stephenson on there jersey… that’s it if we had better coaching and a little more support from parents we would be the number 1 team in the U.S.A at least in the top 5 every year! we done had 3 or 4 state championship teams in the past 10 years and they could get it done because of coaching but talent wise there was no one around who could match up with them… 2006 was the year that they should have won it with no problem but coaching didn’t prepare them for lowndes and they lost 14-0 that year in the dome…then lowndes went on to beat the hell out of brookwood if you remember that!!!
AVikingFan
September 15th, 2009
1:34 pm
YO: It goes without saying that community support is very important to any team’s success. It’s also good to talk about the success of players as they go on in life. So many of today’s so called athletes are not successful after high school. It was really good to see former Lowndes player Jay Ratliff Sunday playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Remember he’s the guy who caught Southwest Dekalb’s last second field goal attempt in the 1/4 finals in 1999 to preserve our win, the week before NSWR’s famous choke in the Dome Semis.
As you know we, at Lowndes, have almost 50 people and businesses who contribute over $250 a year to our Touchdown Club, some give $500 and $750, and almost 200 people give $100 per year. We also have several hundred others who contribute $50 to the touchdown Club, and the school annually sells right at 5000 season reserved seat tickets. It takes community involvement and monetary support to have a successful program year after year. But the main ingrediants will always be good players who are good people, and good coaching. We aren’t alone, there a lots of other good successful programs in this great state of ours. I’m just glad it’s that time of the year again.
And by the way, it’s good to see HSballfan back with us this year!
AVikingFan
September 15th, 2009
2:00 pm
Sportsfan31313 – I can’t believe you went to Camden last week instead of to the Houston County vs Bradwell Inst. game! Going is one thing but admitting it here so ENR, Yo and I can poke fun at’cha is too much!
randy p
September 15th, 2009
2:24 pm
Lowndes is the BEST team in 5A. And region 1 in 5A is by far the best region. I’m a Camden County fan, true blue but lets get it right Lowndes is the team to beat.
canefan
September 15th, 2009
3:02 pm
Fitzgerald is the best AA team,, Fitz is balanced in the run-pass attack, as well as def. 0 points scored against so far this year..this is the best team Fitz has had in over 20 years…15-0 sure I like there chances.
AVikingFan
September 15th, 2009
3:37 pm
All of Lowndes County thanks you, randy p, for that compliment. But we are also smart enough to know that the road to state goes thru Camden as well as Greyson, and maybe E. Pauldin or N. Gwinnett too.
Your comments about our region are also appreciated. Last week our region scored 249 points and gave up 38. I challenge any region to say they did better. If they did, my hat’s off to’em!
Todd Holcomb
September 15th, 2009
3:48 pm
”Todd, when you say comfortably on the Grayson-South game what do u mean. What is your prediction of that game?”
14-point margin, at least.
slalom1
September 15th, 2009
4:56 pm
TODD, YO, VikingFan and others: How many times have I preached that “community support” is the #1 factor in a GHS team’s success or failure? NOT enrollment. That is probably #3 or #4 on the list. Ask the head coach at Creekview. His words according to the GHSFD, “it starts with community support”.
slalom1
September 15th, 2009
5:03 pm
REEZE and NTH Trojans, Regarding Carver-Col, as talented, BIG and deep as their roster is, I agree with REEZE that Carver is beatable. When they lose, they ususally beat themselves with turnovers, penalties and poor special teams play. But with this 2009 roster, should they put everything together I still believe their talent is as good as anyone in any classification. In AAA the team to be watched is Troup. 2009 AAA is wide open. Compared to 2008 when Cairo was hands down the best in the state, I can see the possibility of as many as 10-12 teams having a legitimate shot.
HeadEast
September 15th, 2009
5:08 pm
Lowndes has about a 95% chance of going 15-0. Wesleyan and Lincoln have a chance and maybe Tucker or Hillgrove. Everyone else will taste d-feet sooner or later. Some, like Harrison, 4 or 5 times.
slalom1
September 15th, 2009
5:09 pm
TODD, You must have thrown that quote in just for me. lol.
AVikingFan
September 15th, 2009
5:16 pm
Headeast – ya’ll hang in there. Maybe we’ll get to meet this year. That’d be great wouldn’t it. We’ve got a really hard row ahead of us, NSWR is good, Valdosta is surprisingly good, and this week we face Air Propst and Colquitt High, who will pass it almost every play. Warner Robins and Houston County are both really good this year. Tifton and Coffee may have some surprises for folks before the season is over. Our region is really good this year, as are several others.
Do you know if North Gwinnett plays Grayson this year?
rwdekalbfan
September 15th, 2009
5:54 pm
I think Hillgrove definitely has a good team, but the road to the state title in AAAA will have to go through region 6AAAA. I have serious doubts about how Hillgrove would do against the big 3 over there, Tucker,Marist,SWD in the playoffs. Hillgrove got totally overwhelmed by Tucker last year in playoffs, the game was over at halftime. But I must admit the sleepers in AAAA are Hillgrove and North Clayton if they can gel as a unit as the season goes on.
rwdekalbfan
September 15th, 2009
6:04 pm
To Atlanta Public Schools. RESPECT IS EARNED! At least get a team to the quarterfinals and you will begin the process of getting that respect. The fans at these schools deserve to see more than just one and done, and thats if you make the playoffs at all. Mays did have a decent team a few years ago, but got hammered when they left the confines of the Atlanta area. Lets Keep It Real.
Grayson Student
September 15th, 2009
7:04 pm
Grayson does not play North Gwinnett in the regular season
Raider from the Start
September 15th, 2009
8:39 pm
CANNON- That was a good call by the official. East player made one of those “intimidating” moves immediately after the hit. He was definitely on the field of play. Wait til you see McEachern, those guys did that multiple times against Etowah with not a glimpse from the officials.
I’m surprised WOLVERINE- McEachern is not that fast. East is much faster, they are not as big but they swarm on defense. I have a lot of respect for the McEachern backfield but those guys are going to get hit hard and often. We will see how they hold up against the onslaught. East will control the ball and score with our very potent offense. Those guys are far better today than when they played Rome. Mceacher better be able to stop the pass and the run and then the pass and then the run and then…
SouthGARules
September 15th, 2009
9:20 pm
joeinformed: I hate to correct you but Dekalb County has the most HS in the state with 21. 20 in the Dekalb Co School System & 1 HS in Decatur City School System. This does not include any private schools (Marist & maybe others). Gwinnett County has 17 HS in county school system, 1 in Buford city & 2 private schools for a total of 20. I will say that the Gwinnett public schools are much larger than on average the Dekalb schools. Gwinnett has 15 AAAAA schools, 7 with enrollment of over 3000 students.
Dekalb has 3 AAAAA schools, of which only 1 (MLK) has over 2000 students. slalom1’s point is valid that enrollment is down the list on predicting success in football. There are 7 schools with enrollment of over 3000 students. All in Gwinnett (Mill Creek, Collins Hill, P’Tree Ridge, North Gwinnett, Brookwood, Grayson & Berkmar) Only 3 are ranked in top ten. There are 29 with enrollment UNDER 2000 students. Among these schools are: East Paulding, Lassiter, Stephenson, Valdosta & NSWR. Size helps but is not the determining factor. (enrollment figures from GHSF Daily Newsletters)
Yo
September 15th, 2009
9:55 pm
Slalom asks “how many times”? Slalom I lost count last year.
Good to see you finally recognize that enrollment is a part of the equation. I never said it was #1, but that it is an advantage.
Yo
September 15th, 2009
10:02 pm
AVikingFan now you know I don’t have a sarcastic bone in my body. Why would I ever make fun of Sportsfanthirtyonethousandthreehundredandthirteen?
Etowah Fan
September 15th, 2009
10:34 pm
AVikingFan – hold on a minute… you claim your region goes 249-38 last week. Not a fair challenge! Your region played only two 5A teams. Unfortunately your challenge won’t work for us up in the North where we don’t have that luxury. We play one out of region game to start the season and then we get to start beating up on each other in week two with region play for the rest of the season. Just sayin…
Etowah Fan
September 15th, 2009
10:42 pm
SouthGARules – good post. Your figures are tell tale and when combined with the earlier comments about Community support… it won’t take long to figure out why there are perennial contenders from certain parts of the state and why the powerhouses in Metro Atlanta tend to move around or move down in classification.
The community feeder and support system combined with the sheer size (total numbers) of the talent pool to draw from should create a powerhouse by default (see P’Ridge, Grayson, NG). Mix in some good coaching –> Top 10 program.
BLAME IT ON COACHING
September 15th, 2009
11:23 pm
The problem at Stephenson in the past has been DISCIPLINE. Stephenson have a lot of talent yes, but no discpline. In the past you had players jealous of each others. You had selfish players and parents that didn’t think about unity, but self. Last year team didn’t have any SENIORS leadership. The Coffee game didn’t any SENIOR step up when the game got tough. You know coaches can’t teach HEART.I don’t think they were tough and determine like this Team this year. I think this might be they year ,because you have Leadership and Team Unity. Everybody on the team wants to be DOME BOUND.
AVikingFan
September 15th, 2009
11:58 pm
Good points, Etowah Fan, but Carver Columbus and Ware are not patsies. But still, good points!
Mceachern fan
September 16th, 2009
12:00 am
EP who is that? This Friday I think the Indians will take it to the raiders. The Indians have an explosive offense that can make big plays at any point in the game. And their defense will just hammer the raider offense. The Indians have come a long way since last year and they refuse to loose as we saw in last weeks come back effort against the wolverines.
TRUE BLUE
September 16th, 2009
12:17 am
Buford will bounce back and make a play-off run. I watch the McEachern game and they look interesting
#1scout
September 16th, 2009
2:22 am
Who the hell has heard of GERRY???? For you that don’t know nothing, Burke County is the biggest county in GA. Burke County is the only AAA team that has erased AAAA ranked teams from the rankings. Burke County is the only team that put the most points on the board against Cairo last season in Cairo. DO I need to go on????? I tell you what, you seem like you pay attention to what you want. Be at the dome this year cause the Bears will. Then you will see and hear who have heard of Burke County.
#1scout
September 16th, 2009
3:22 am
TODD, Yeah Burke County do have to go to WACO this season. But ummm, AAAA Statesboro was ranked #5 when Burke went to Statesboro. WACO is ranked #7 in AAA and you have doubt in the Bears. Come on mannnn, the game was over by half time, Statesboro just didn’t have enough. On top of that several of Burke key players didn’t even play cause of injuries. That should let you know that Terrell Brigham isn’t the only weapon, Burke is loaded. You say “WACO returns more nucleus” but Burke beat them when they was ranked #4 last season. And has started from where they stopped in full gear. REMEMBER, it doesn’t matter about the location of the game, its CAN YOU PLAY THIS GAME?
The Cannon Rules!
September 16th, 2009
7:01 am
Mceachern fan…
Who is EP?…Just ask your Seniors who came to “THE BONEYARD” last year for LESSON # 1 in the future of 5A-AAAAA. They remember well the beating they took and that ride back to Powder Town. Ask them how long it took to get the sound of “THE CANNON” out of their head (they really didn’t…they STILL hear it!!)
THE FUTURE of 5A-AAAAA continues this friday as the RAIDERS from EAST continue their march thru COBB…the countdown is on with only 60 hours left. Lesson #2 coming up!!!
TICK…TICK…TICK…BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!…GO RAIDERS!!!
The Cannon Rules!
September 16th, 2009
7:26 am
Raider from the Start…
We just disagree a bit on the call then…I want em’ “INTIMIDATED”, cautious and looking over their shoulder watching for the next hit from our SWARMING RAIDER “D”!!!
It’s FOOTBALL…It’s a CONTACT sport…Man-up and let em’ play!!! I just don’t want they game called bad and cost either team the game!!!
GO RAIDERS!!!!
Pops
September 16th, 2009
8:01 am
Cannon – You better bring the cannon early! You will need something to drown out that god awful, nerve racking “Hail to the Redskin’s their band plays. The less you hear it the better off you will be. I know from experienc, as an Etowah fan, and will be rooting for your Raiders on your March through Cobb. Good luck.
wolverine fan
September 16th, 2009
8:18 am
Good Luck EP……….
The Cannon Rules!!
September 16th, 2009
8:45 am
Pops…
Thanks for the warning, but I don’t think ANYTHING can be more obnoxious than that WOLF HOWL Rome has…if you never heard it you JUST DON’T understand, but I been to most AAAA & AAAAA stadiums in our area and that WOLF HOWL is unbearable!!!
Let em’ trot out their “Redskins tune” we got something called “THE RAIDER BRIGADE” that will crank out a few tunes for EAST all night also…I am looking forward to an exciting game over in Powder Town friday night and Thanks for the VOTE of support for our RAIDERS!!! (at least for this night…LOL!)
RealisticEP_Fan
September 16th, 2009
9:17 am
EP at MAC Assessment: I haven’t seen MAC play yet but just from comments and stats it would appear or sound as if that they are offensively talented (42 pts a game), and that there speed in the backfield allows for a big stike from anywhere. I read a comment earlier about EP better be able to defend the pass.. Last week against Wookstock they completed 9 of 20 passes, so that isn’t a great efficieny. EP on the other hand has a multiple offense and is averaging 30pts itself,,,given that MAC is also allowing 24 points agame it would appear it might come down to EP ability to stop or slow down the MAC offense. EP is allowing 11 pts a game over two games (all of them to Rome).
My hunch is that EP’s offense will put up a few points and it might take longer then MAC’s offense to score, which in the end might be a good thing because the MAC defense will end up more wore out at the end. I could be wrong but I see it being a bit of a track meet unfortuantely(I’d rather see defense),,,,,Something like 38-35 either way. I could be all washed up and find out that MAC has a defense, but at least on paper it doesn’t sound overly strong. (Oh and limiting Etowah to 10 was good but that isn’t a well balanced Offense either)..
Also,,,last note: Last week against Woodstock, MAC played a straight up defense early and got burned because they could not get to the ball carrier. Then they realized Woodstock wasnt’ going to throw the ball(0 attempts in the first half, and 0-4 in the game). Later in the game they gambled and but up to 9 in the box and were able to shut the running game down and get the ball back. EP’s balanced offense won’t provide that same luxury and the MAC will quite possibly guessing and gambling all night to try and stop the Raiders. Not a great recipe for sucess.
RealisticEP_Fan
September 16th, 2009
9:35 am
Ok, don’t everyone dog me for my typing/grammar ineptnes (this iphone predictive typing/spelling thing really needs some tweeks).
MAC Fans,,,,,,,,,,,,,can you hear it yet,,,,,,,,,,,,can you,,,,,,Tick Tick Tick Tick……….all of Raider Nation is headed your way.,,,see you soon.
BOOOOMMMM
September 16th, 2009
9:38 am
EP Fans: Can’t make the game,,,,,,,get realtime twitter updates at:
http://twitter.com/epfootballfan
AstroFan
September 16th, 2009
9:49 am
You jumped Northside over Stephenson because of what Northside did last season? We’re into week three and you’re still basing your rankings on what teams did last season. I’m usually a nice guy and I’m usually nice on this message board. But that makes no D%#* sense!!!! I’m a Douglass fan and I don’t appreciate that.
In The Trenches
September 16th, 2009
10:14 am
Realisitic EP Fan – Nice assesment and I agree with most of your points. I also believe you will be able to score, and hopefully for your sake early. Two of McCeachern scores against Etowah were a result of special teams play, a punt return td and fake punt. Beware! Also Etowah was able to move the ball a little more effective then the score would indicate, just could not score. Twice down around the ten, and came up empty when the game was still within reach. The one time Etowah went into hurry up at the end of the second quarter McCeachern was on their heels. Factor in that Woodstock, a defensive minded club was able to score as much as they did, and Brookwood’s late rally,granted against second team, would indicate that they can be scored upon fairly easy. Thus, I believe you will be in the shootout you speak of. Getting some key stops could be the difference. Score early and often and you have a chance, just don’t get behind. Boom!
Decatur 4 Life
September 16th, 2009
10:31 am
Panola’s Finest
“Excuses, Excuses. There are plenty of good teams other than Columbia and Mcnair that will play you guys. Say what you want but those were scrimmages with JV teams at best.”
I know we at Columbia are having a down year with a first year coach and no practice facilities at our school but a “JV team” get real. To add insult to injury because since we’re not on the north end of the county, we have find places to practice in the area due to construction at the school that was supposed to be finished by summer’s end. I say not on the north end of the county because this never would happen at Lakeside, Tucker, Dunwoody or even Chamblee. All through the 90’s we had a good program, run by the current Director of Dekalb County Athletics Ron Sebree. Just ask former Tucker standout Patrick Pass about the Columbia teams of the past, one in particular that put them out of the playoffs . Give us a year or so , we’ll be back.
JimJacket
September 16th, 2009
10:32 am
Given Wesleyan is only A ball, but has anyone noticed they haven’t been scored on in their first 3 games. The 2 points scored last week was on a bad snap for a punt. Their first 3 opponents were Clarkston, Darlington, and Holy Innocents’. That’s a AAA team and the 2 teams that beat them last year. Forget likelyhood of going undefeated; what is the chance someone will score a touchdown against them.
Looks like the private school rule needs to be put back in place and move them back to AA.
Coach
September 16th, 2009
10:43 am
REGION 6AAAA IS THE MOST TALENTED AND MOST COMPETITIVE REGION IN CLASS AAAA. THE AAAA CHAMP WILL MORE THAN LIKELY COME OUT OF THAT REGION THIS YEAR.
AVikingFan
September 16th, 2009
10:45 am
Northside fans are quiet this week. Come on eaglenationrising and reese, what are you predicting your team will do to Valdosta friday? This is the least amount of posts I’ve ever seen prior to a NSWR game.
OK I guess it’s only fair if I make a prediction is also. I predict it will be one of the best games in the entire state this week. (Valdosta has a good chance to win) Come on headeast and realistic ep fan, don’t get riled up. Ya’ll will take care of business.
I just hope the Lowndes Vikings can handle Colquitt and Air Propst’s passing attack. Colquitt is better than most people give them credit for. They demolished a good Thomasville team.
RealisticEPFan
September 16th, 2009
11:30 am
I’m only a little riled up……..I missed my third game in 5 years and I’m just a bit testy…….
EP 38, Machearn-30
truth
September 16th, 2009
3:12 pm
Grady will prove themselves this friday at lakewood.they have many division one prospects.some of them are Marcus Caffey,Omari Foreman,Chris Walton,Darius Hawkins,Damian Swann,Rashad Renolds, and Daron Wright.Look out for them at the game
Tony
September 16th, 2009
3:33 pm
Class AAAAA is loaded with good teams. McEachern is big, fast and aggressive. If there is a team better than them, I would like to see them play. This team has already defeated 2 top 10 teams. It’s good to see them in the top ten. East Paulding had better bring their A game if they plan to match up against McEachern this Friday.
slalom1
September 16th, 2009
4:10 pm
REEZE, Appreciate the response, but still believe that you are understating how good Northside may be this year. Sounds like a talented group of “young” players. Nobody is better than Coach Nix at player developement. I get this spooky feeling that Northside may finish off the season with some major upsets (at least according to your analysis.)
AVikingFan
September 16th, 2009
4:39 pm
slalom 1 – Northside will be the favorite – or should be – in every reg season game they play this year. Don’t let Reese fool you. (Remember, they play Lowndes in WR this year and have a field house full of “we want to beat Lowndes” attitude and commitment.) But they better be ready to play this coming Friday against an improved Valdosta. After what they did to a GOOD CC team last week shows they are “for real.” just saying…….
git-er-done
September 16th, 2009
4:57 pm
Any one heard of Union Grove, the soon to be crowned 2009 2AAAAA champs! The same team that beat #1 Vigor Alabama in a pre-season game.
Raider from the Start
September 16th, 2009
6:26 pm
Sorry CANNON I didn’t explain myself well enough. I’m with you on the hit. The problem was the “posing” afterwards that caused the penalty. REALISTIC McEachern doesn’t have a strong defense with the exception of #71. That young man can control the defensive left side on the line. He moves well, hits well and doesn’t get tired. I can’t wait to see the battle between him and 55 or big number 75(?) for EAST.
SouthGARules
September 16th, 2009
7:42 pm
git-er-done: A lot of people will hear about Union Grove if & when they get by Stephenson & MLK. Lets see what they do before you crown them Region 2-AAAAA champs. Preseason games are to be taken with a grain of salt. Brookwood dusted Walton in a preseason scrimmage & is 1-2. Walton is 3-0. If they win the region, they will be deserving of respect, but I would bet on the Stephenson-MLK winner winning the region.
JimJacket: Wesleyan used to be in AA & were just a middle of the pack team. They were usually a #3/#4 seed in their region.
Sideline
September 16th, 2009
10:42 pm
When does Todd’s weekly predictions come out. It will be interesting to see who he picks in the NSWR vs Valdosta game, and the Ea Pauld vs MAC games. I think he’s pretty much already said he thinks Grayson (or is it Greyson?) will beat So Gwinnett by 14. Who is BUFORD UNIVERSITY playing this week. Hmmmm, I forgot. We haven’t heard that this week!!!! (lol Lovett)
Watch out for Houston County in Region 1AAAAA. They will surprise someone this year. You read it here first!
HomeFieldAdvantage
September 16th, 2009
10:57 pm
YO, you going to Moultrie Friday night? Lowndes fans have already bought most of the available visitors seats, and the center section on the visitors side has been sold out since Tuesday. Making matters worse, a lot of Colquitt’s general admission fans sit on the visitors side, left of the center section. It will be a mad house. I imagine Cleveland Field in Valdosta will be full also. The losers likely will have a long ride home. Where is Sportsfan thirty one thousand three hundred and thirteen? EagleNationRising’s silence is almost deafening this week. He must really be worried about Friday night.
SportsFan31313
September 17th, 2009
11:11 am
AVikingFan Says:
September 15th, 2009
2:00 pm
Sportsfan31313 – I can’t believe you went to Camden last week instead of to the Houston County vs Bradwell Inst. game! Going is one thing but admitting it here so ENR, Yo and I can poke fun at’cha is too much!
Greetings A VIKINGFAN,
Well I really wanted to see both and of course that was impossible. I had my allies there and they kept me in close contact with the Houston County / Bradwell Institute game. This Camden County / Hoover was to good to miss, and yes I watched that game and don’t regret it.
But don’t get me wrong…. I am still a Bradwell Institute Fan…… They have a great season this year even with the lost to Houston County. By the way, I watched some clips of the Bradwell Institute Houston County game. They are a lot better than they were last year. That full back they have is pretty strong. He can run the ball. I’m sure he will keyed on when they NSWR. It will be interesting how they will matchup against Region 1-AAAAA opponents this year.
Cane Daddy
September 17th, 2009
11:42 am
Get your tickets for the big Griffin vs. Mt.Zion-Jonesboro game… if we have good weather their will be a huge crowd. Come on out and support your local high school team – it’s a great investment! Go Bears.
AVikingFan
September 17th, 2009
2:17 pm
SportsFan31313 – I kinda know the feeling. I’d sure like to see the Valdosta/NSWR game Friday, but I know my Vikings might NEED me in Moultrie. I agree with your assessment of Houston County. HC AND Valdosta might surprise some people this year. I hope it “ain’t” us. I think HC is playing Coffee tonight and I’m interested in knowing how that comes out.
Where’s EagleNationRising? It’s time for a history lesson about something, ha ha! Just wish he wasn’t so negative about Todd, who I think does a great job!
AVikingFan
September 18th, 2009
11:05 am
SportsFan31313 – What’s your take on Coffee defeating Houston County last night? I guess our region is more balanced than we thought. I really thought Houston would be really tough this year and even challenge Northside and WR.
SportsFan31313
September 20th, 2009
1:40 pm
AVIKINGFAN,
I know and agree with you. ENR can sure talk can’t he.It’s one thing to disagree with the Sports Writers, and it’s another thing to really badger them. I get his (ENR) point without the constant talk…. Well Coffee Couty did beat Houston County….. I didn’t think that NSWR would have beaten Valdosta in Winnersville. That just shows how tough that NSWR Defense is…. In addition, it that Region (1-AAAAA) you can’t under estimate anyone there. You can be beaten if you are on top of your game. Congrats goes out to ENR…..