Will Grayson hold onto No. 1 ranking after another close call?
Michael Carvell
Will Grayson, the newly-crowned No. 1 team in the state’s largest division (Class AAAAA), be able to hold onto the top spot after surviving yet another upset bid on Friday?
Grayson clung to a three-point lead against Brookwood before a touchdown with six minutes left made the final score 22-12, nowhere near indicating how close the Rams were to losing their first game of 2009.
Do “style points” or winning by a large margin count for anything in the high school rankings like they do at the collegiate level? If so, Grayson might be in trouble. In five of the team’s seven wins, they either trailed or held a slim lead in the fourth quarter.
However, here is the bottom line on Grayson: All they do is win.
In other words, the Rams may not win any beauty contests along the way with how they do it. But they still do it.
This week, there will likely be a large contention of high school fans to the South calling for No. 2 Northside of Warner Robins to overtake Grayson for the top spot.
Who do you think deserves the No. 1 ranking? Grayson or Northside? Or other high-profile undefeated teams, such as North Gwinnett, Newnan, M.L. King and Stephenson? One notable high school football expert said last week that he feels like Lowndes is still Georgia’s best team, despite the loss to Northside. What’s YOUR vote?
A few more notes on Grayson: With the win against Brookwood, the Rams have virtually clinched an undefeated regular season and the Region 8-AAAAA championship. Grayson’s remaining three games are against teams which have a combined record of 1-18. Therefore, barring any politicking with the rankings, Grayson will carry the treasured No. 1 into the state playoffs.
What’s the most important thing for Grayson to accomplish over the next three game? Without a question, work on its passing game. In the playoffs, Grayson will see the same effective scheming it witnessed against the defenses of Brookwood and South Gwinnett. Other teams will stack the line of scrimmage with all defenders in an effort to have anyone but Grayson All-State tailback Ean Pemberton beat them.
In the long run, Grayson will only go as far as quarterback Patrick Santry’s arm will take it. Santry completed only 6 of 15 passes against Brookwood, but two were homerun balls, either accounting for or setting up crucial scores. Santry appeared much more comfortable in the pocket and threw it as well as he has all season. However, he still needs to improve on avoiding eyeing his primary target as soon as he gets the snap, and also on exhibiting more patience in looking for his secondary and third WR options. Brookwood’s defense was superb on Friday, but Grayson will see a parade of elite defenses in the playoffs.
Considering Grayson’s brutal schedule over the season’s first seven games, it gets my endorsement for No. 1. However, I wonder one thing: Grayson has won all the close games like a champion. I wonder what will happen if the Rams ever fall behind by a couple of touchdowns early. In your opinion, do you think they have the type of high-octane offense and breakaway stars (other than Pemberton) to rally back from a huge deficit?
And, of course, back to the BIG QUESTION: Which team do you think deserves the No. 1 ranking in Class AAAAA?
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146 comments Add your comment
Collins Hill EAGLES
October 11th, 2009
4:02 pm
The 6 & 0 Collins Hill Eagles should be ranked in Class AAAAA. Maybe after defeating Peachtree Ridge someone will take notice of the Eagles. GO EAGLES!
slalom1
October 11th, 2009
4:25 pm
Sanity Rules and The Punisher, Both of you make good points regarding Newnan. Bottom line is that the Cougars MUST get the monkey off their back and win the BIG one. I can think of 3 times in recent history when there was no doubt in my mind that Newnan was the state’s best team. In each occasion the Cougars found a way to lose to an inferior opponent. Once the Cougars FINALLY win the BIG one, I believe that more state titles will follow.(Take a look at Northside WR and how close they came so many times.) 2009 belongs to the Newnan Cougars. I look forward to seeing the Cougars FINALLY closing the deal and in the process getting some well deserved respect from fans throughout the state.
By the way, I sent some stuff on the previous blog for both of you.
pity poor monroe area
October 11th, 2009
4:57 pm
Tim:
No argument whatsoever, and thanks for calling out the coaching staff, something the local newsrag lacks the balls to do. Monroe Area has always had good athletes, but the mantra the past two years has been , “gee, we’re the smallest school in the region, we should be in 8-AAA, so we can’t compete”. What horsesqueeze. I am sick and tired of all the excuses and weekly Loser’s Limps trotted out by MA coaches, HC Fligg in particular. He is a pathetic excuse for a coach, and has squandered talent since he stepped into the position. And by the way, Monroe Area got hammered week in and week out in 8-AAA as well under Fligg’s “Leadership”. The two biggest problems are that the community doesn’t support the school or its programs, and the school board doesn’t give a damn whatsoever. The kids who step out week after week and are led to the slaughter by an incompetent coach deserve better.
slalom1
October 11th, 2009
4:59 pm
NORTHSIDE FANS, Come on Guys. You must know by now that your enrollment is MUCH too small to be competitive in AAAAA. LOL!! Nevermind the fact that you are UNDEFEATED in the nation’s toughest region, YOU ARE TOO SMALL. LMAO. Your coaching staff and fan support are excellent. But your school is just TOO small! Besides, in GHS football ENROLLMENT is everything. Being one of Georgia’s smallest AAAAA schools, it must be simply luck that you have done so well. Like Newnan who maybe has 150 more students than Northside, you guys are small potatoes to Grayson,Mill Creek, P’Ridge, Lowndes, etc. LOL.
pity poor monroe area
October 11th, 2009
5:00 pm
Grayson is No. ! until the Rams lose, with NS neck-and-neck Maybe a tie, even. North Gwinnett is solid, but not overwhelming anyone. Collins Hill? Good, but not really tested yet. PRidge flunked its big test at Lowndes. The Lions are good, but underperforming. Lowndes folks, you lost at the big moment. Deal with it. Vikings are still a powerful team, but sure as hell aren’t the no. 1 in the state. As other have said,m it matters little what polls say now. When it will matter is the Monday after the finals in the Dome.
pity poor monroe area
October 11th, 2009
5:03 pm
And no slights to Stephenson in my post above. The Jags cruise through the season, but have an ugly habit of making an early exit from the playoffs. Prove us wrong! The talent is definitely there. MLK has also done very well, but hasn’t stepped up to the next level just yet.
And Camden folks, ease up. We all know you’ll be there in late November and early December, as should Newnan.
Newton
October 11th, 2009
6:08 pm
Stephenson 13, Newton 7: Funny, even if you say what SHOULD have happened, it still won’t happen. Long way from getting blown out by thirty. Luella, come on man. If I list the teams they have lost to, you woudn’t be so proud of that win. I like Stephenson: I hope they win state. Sanders is good and Stephenson has some talented athletes, but don’t get ahead of yourself buddy. Its a reason why they aren’t in the discussion for No !
Coweta County
October 11th, 2009
6:20 pm
Newnan is the real deal. We will be there in the end. This team is so strong on defense. Hope everyone continues to ignore us.
yo
October 11th, 2009
6:26 pm
In reading these posts it would seem to me there is a difference in perspective as to what constitutes a successful season or a great season. Lowndes did not (in our minds) have a great or successful season last year because we felt like we underachieved against a very good Grayson team. When you feel like you have the best team in the state and don’t win a state championship, then you feel like your season was much less than it should have been.
The same will hold true of this year. Despite our loss at Northside we are very confidant we have the best team in the state this year. Unless we accomplish that mission of a state championship we will feel we have underachieved. That doesn’t make it any easy accomplishment for us or any one else, just what we expect to see happen.
There are other teams mentioned on this blog (Camden and maybe even Parkview for instance) whose thinking might be some what similar to ours. State Championship equals successful season.
Then there are numerous teams mentioned on this blog (I want call any team names) who consider a undefeated record during the regular season as a successful season and that now makes them a power house. At Lowndes we measure powerhouse by trophies.
Its all perspective. Once you’ve been to the very top you aren’t very satisfied with less. For Lowndes any thing besides a state championship is less.
Yes we lost to Northside a few weeks ago, but we are still playing for a state championship and at the end of the year we don’t just hope to be holding the trophy, but we expect to be holding the trophy.
Will it be easy? Of course not. AAAAA football as demonstrated by last year seems to have come up to a new level in the state of Georgia.
A lot of very good teams out there and the playoffs are a grind no matter how good of a team that you have.
yo
October 11th, 2009
6:30 pm
Coweta County Newnan is not being ignored and I do think you will most likely win your first game against the 4th place team of 1AAAAA in the first round of the state playoffs. Maybe. It will be either Valdosta, Colquit Co. or Warner Robins who will be coming your way. After that game then you can say you have played someone and proclaim how great your defense is. You will also then begin to find out how good your offense is.
Northside Observer
October 11th, 2009
6:36 pm
Slalom 1 and Yo,
AJC (Todd Holcomb) and every true sports blogger agreed to leave politics off the blog. There is a penalty if it keeps going. Please adhere to this requirement. It doesn’t matter who starts it.
Northside -WR should be rated in the 5-7 range for AAAAA. Let the target be on someone else’s back. They are getting better. What really counts is who wins the AAAAA championship. .
ramfan24
October 11th, 2009
6:52 pm
i think grayson should stay number 1 we have played some of the best teams in georgia(:
THE PUNISHER
October 11th, 2009
8:16 pm
To yo I like you yo even though you dont know the game of football and you probably never played the game. You only have two teams that are good and northside is the better team in your region, all of the teams in your region play three downs and a cloud of dust. Everyone including you thinks Newnan going out in the first or second round of the playoffs. Don’t just look at Newnan’s defense look at the offense and one of the best special teams in the state. Don’t be surprised if your great Lowndes does’nt go out in the first round. All you guys talk that junk last year and we should’ve won state this team is two times the team from last year you need to watch them play (THE PUNISHER)
northside
October 11th, 2009
8:18 pm
grayson hasnt played northside or lowndes the two BEST teams in the state.the AAAAA champions will be either lowndes or northside.hopefully northside
Grayson Student
October 11th, 2009
9:15 pm
Glad to see some people from northside showin grayson some love… at this point i would say grayson and northside are 1a and 1b but rankings are just speculation! we’ll all start narrowin down the teams in a few weeks
Yo
October 11th, 2009
9:22 pm
Punisher I understand I am not nearly as understanding of the great game of football as you think you are. But I have watched more state championship games in my home town.
I didn’t say Newnan would not win in the first round or the second, I just said don’t talk about great defense until you have beaten a very good cloud of dust team like Camden in 2008 and hold them down and then actually win a state championship game instead of talking about this being the year.
The point is that the 4th seed of Region 1AAAAA will be better than any team you have beaten this year save possibly (for my good buddy Slalom) LaGrange who you gave up 15 points to.
Our cloud of dust offenses have won how many championships to your offenses how many?
Then on the other hand it does seem to be the new climate in the world that we now give people
the top prize based on their potential. So maybe we should go ahead and give Newnan the state championship based on their potential.
Yo
October 11th, 2009
9:23 pm
I think Lowndes should be ranked 8th right ahead of Peachtree and Camden.
THE PUNISHER
October 11th, 2009
10:50 pm
Yo how many high schools do you Lowndes county have,two and you need three, but that’s not going to happen.You guys can’t win like that.If they had 500.000.people in Lowndes county they would still have two high schools.you are killing me
BulldawgBite
October 11th, 2009
11:59 pm
the rankings are where they need to be. I think all top 5 teams are neck and neck. no teams are really that much better than another in the top 5. Grayson solid defense and run. Northside solid defense and run. NG solid defense and great passing. Newnan and Lowndes both great defense and running. there is really no team in there that could overwhelm the others or beat them consistantly
yo
October 12th, 2009
12:09 pm
A second high school is being built in the Lowndes county school system to open very soon. Will not hurt the football team though. Unlike other school systems we think out of the box (education in action) and plan ahead.
George Gipp
October 12th, 2009
12:25 pm
Hey Dawgma, This year’s Lowndes team isn’t as good as the team Grayson beat last year. They wouldn’t have beaten the Ridge if the game was played on a neutral site. Everybody knows what goes on in Lowndes when you play there. Northside has played nobody other than Lowndes. Grayson has had one of the toughest schedules in the state, so yes, they are no.1 until someone proves otherwise on the field of play.
Quinn of the Ridge
October 12th, 2009
4:32 pm
Let’s see some South GA teams grow some stones and come play some Good North GA teams in North GA. I think some teams are afraid they will get “Coffee County’d” Collins Hill hasn’t defeated one respectable team this year, so I don’t see why we are overhyping them so much. Last year they we undefeated when they played the Lions at home (I believe a top 10 team) and the Lions rolled them 21-0. same story this year, except the Lions are the top ten team, and the Eagles are the undefeated team who is fighting for credibility. Last week, Mr. ENR predicted 21-17 Valdosta over Lowndes. The score was 57-15 Lowndes. This week he predicts Collins Hill to defeat the Ridge. I’m putting ENR on “Bad Prediction Alert”
BulldawgBite
October 12th, 2009
5:18 pm
agreed quinn. im a fellow 7AAAAA blogger and it seems every south ga poster thinks that collins hill is gonna win our region haha. they have 1 player thats really good and nobody else. pridge kills em again and collins hill lucks out they dont play battle of suwanee 2 against NG. its gonna come down to the last game this year between NG and PR. should be fun
Quinn of the Ridge
October 12th, 2009
6:45 pm
Agreed. It will come down to NG vs. PR. I believe you stated you think NG will edge over PRHS, but not by a lot (I think it was you, but could’ve been someone else) I think Ridge is the better team (Not by alot either) and the 7-AAAAA region will be whoever plays harder in that game. (Barring an upset by someone over Ridge or NG before that game).
wildcat alumni
October 12th, 2009
8:12 pm
To homefield advantage,
apparently you do not know what your name implies, I see you have bought into the hype as well. I hate to be the one to burst your bubble but, their are gangs in both schools. To even broaden your horizons, there are gang affilations in the majority of these schools. If there are bad elements in one and its the same community, guess what. Learn some history for yourself and realize that Lowndes is not this holy untouched school you want to make it out to be. It is a part of society. Talk football and not rumors or sterotyping about these young men.
Juice Man
October 12th, 2009
10:02 pm
well let me start off by saying this i think newnan is a better team than last year if you know that they lost there whole offense team and one of the best runningback of last year. so take newnan for a joke and see what the outcome is
BulldawgBite
October 12th, 2009
10:23 pm
thats exactly what i got. all the little things. im not looking for a blowout like what happened to yall at lowndes. p.s. yall wouldve won if it was in suwanee. just sayin to all those lowndes fans, nobody is gonna beat prhs or nghs in suwanee. heck the only reason im givin pridge a good chance is because their another suwanee team lol
highschool football fan
October 12th, 2009
10:24 pm
Punisher: I did not say Newnan was a weak team, just the remainder of the region just like Camden. The difference is they have proven they can win it all, more than once. I actually think you are probably one of the better teams in Metro Atlanta. You sound like a player. If so, good luck for the remainder of the season.
highschool football fan
October 12th, 2009
10:35 pm
Quinn on the Ridge. I thought when S Ga teams won 5 of the last 6 state championships in AAAAA, they had to play in N Ga (Atlanta) in the semi’s.I guess those games don’t count.
yo
October 12th, 2009
10:44 pm
Hey Queen of the Ridge show S. Ga. the money to travel like we show you to come our way and you might get us.
It is called fan and community support….you don’t have it like we do and so you can’t put people in the stands like we do.
yo
October 12th, 2009
10:49 pm
George Gipp I think you got that backwards from what I’m seeing this years Grayson team isn’t as good as the one that upset Lowndes last year. We will give you #1 for now though. It is a useless number unless you win the 15th game of the year.
eagleforlife
October 13th, 2009
10:01 am
I say.. let Grayson keep #1… it is all fictitional anyways.. and less pressure on NSWR and Lowndes and those other truely good teams… Let Grayson keep their heads blown up and thinking they can’t be beat… I would take #2 any ole day… Goooo EAGLES!!
BulldawgBite
October 13th, 2009
1:53 pm
look for another early round exit for region 1AAAAA this year. just like last year the #1 team will think they are destined to win and then get punched in the mouth by an atlanta team. afterwards they may provoke a fight, and after this they will claim this atlanta team just got lucky. the next year the fans feed us the same garbage that south ga football is on a different playing field than anywhere else
yo
October 13th, 2009
3:47 pm
I’m sorry BulldawgBite would you be one of those North Gwinneters?
Seems your memory only goes back 1 year. You must have been one of those 2007 fooball players that received a concussion from Lowndes and conveniently forgot the whole nightmarish experience.
Quinn of the Ridge
October 13th, 2009
6:22 pm
HS Football Fan, I’m talking about willingly coming up in the regular season. Not being forced to come up due to playoff rules.
Yo: It’s Quinn of the Ridge, not Queen.
Collins Hill EAGLES: You can’t be serious can you?
Pridge Senior
October 13th, 2009
6:43 pm
Quinn of the ridge: eagleforlife is a NSWR eagles fan, not a collins hill eagles fan.
Isn’t it remarkable that the combined record of suwanee schools is 17-1?
BulldawgBite
October 13th, 2009
7:24 pm
yo, you may still have a grayson gave lowndes last year. this year it will happen again im not saying grayson will beat them but they wont win state. there are too many teams for lowndes to go on the road against and NSWR has to play one road game and they will lose.
BulldawgBite
October 13th, 2009
10:14 pm
high school fan, its in the dome. no home field advantage. just because its near our school doesnt give us homefield advantage. ga and fla play their game in jacksonville. ya its closer for fla but does it give them homefield? no it doesnt because there are an equal amount of seating for both teams fans.
yo
October 13th, 2009
10:17 pm
No it is Queen because you will bowing to your King from the North very soon.
yo
October 13th, 2009
10:22 pm
BullDawgBite not worried about the travel. We learned that the Muhammed Ali rope a dope that we tried to pull off against Northside in the first half only works in boxing. So we will be back doing our thing and you will see the same intensity the Cats just saw and it doesn’t matter what planet we have to visit to demonstrate it.
The last team you want visiting your stadium will be the Vikings.
Mark it down.
keith harris
October 14th, 2009
1:23 pm
How many Football State Champions have came from that AAAAA region,in Middle to South Georgia (Valdosta,Lowndes,Tift,Warner Robins,Northside WR….)Well get ready for another….. THE NORTHSIDE (WR) EAGLES won’t lose again this year!! It really don’t matter who they play!!!!
tide Fan
October 14th, 2009
1:24 pm
Enter your comments here
Just a Fly in the Ointment
October 17th, 2009
1:33 pm
Who gives a rats fat behind how big the band is? Until the band puts points on the scoreboard they are just window dressing. Grayson vs. Lowndes for the AAAAA championship and may be the BEST FOOTBALL TEAM win!
ZUMA 5164
November 6th, 2009
7:21 am
We the people of Dekalb Co. Stand behind all of our teams. This year those Stephenson Jaguars are the best team in the state. Give those Jaguars their respect. They are one of the best total packages that Coach Gartrell and his staff has put together. GO JAGUARS. (DOME BOUND)!!!!!!!!!
ZUMA 5164
November 6th, 2009
7:24 am
face it Northside WR has already proven that they can be beat. An undefeated team will win the state championship this year.
ZUMA 5164
November 6th, 2009
7:25 am
Enter your comments here And Gwinnett Co. will not see the Georgia Dome this year unless they are watching.