Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAAAA Playoff Preview
Peachtree Ridge at Northside, W. Robins
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, McConnell-Talbert Stadium, Warner Robins
Records, rankings: Peachtree Ridge is 10-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 7-AAAAA and unranked; Northside is 11-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 1-AAAAA and ranked No. 7.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. Both teams were state champions in 2006, Peachtree Ridge in Class AAAAA, Northside in AAAA. Northside repeated as AAAA champion in 2007.
2. The teams have a common opponent in Lowndes, which defeated Peachtree Ridge 51-17 and lost to Northside 10-7.
3. Northside has won 44 consecutive games at McConnell-Talbert Stadium except when playing Warner Robins, a school with which it shares the stadium.
Winner plays: Newnan-Grayson winner
Newnan at Grayson
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Grayson Community Stadium, Grayson
Records, rankings: Newnan is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-AAAAA and ranked No. 3; Grayson is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 8-AAAAA and ranked No. 1.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. These teams ranked 1-2 in scoring defense in Class AAAAA. Newnan allows 6.3 points per game. Grayson allows 8.0.
2. These two teams have the best records in AAAAA over the past two seasons. Newnan is 24-1. Grayson is 25-1.
3. Newnan is led by safety Alec Ogletree, a two-way player best known as a safety. He has committed to Georgia. Grayson’s top defensive player is probably Shawn Green, a defensive tackle who is committed to Georgia Tech.
Winner plays: Peachtree Ridge-Northside winner
Camden County at North Gwinnett
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tom Robinson Memorial Stadium, Suwanee
Records, rankings: Camden County is 10-2, the No. 1 seed from Region 3-AAAAA and ranked No. 8; North Gwinnett is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 7-AAAAA and ranked No. 2.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. Camden County has the biggest scoring differential of the eight teams remaining. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents by 31.7 points per game.
2. Camden County’s run-based offense is led by Ean Days, who rushed for 945 yards and 13 touchdowns out of the Wing-T during the regular season.
3. North Gwinnett quarterback C.J. Uzomah has more than 2,000 yards of total offense this season.
Winner plays: Colquitt County-Lassiter winner
Colquitt County at Lassiter
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Frank Fillman Stadium, Marietta
Records, rankings: Colquitt County is 10-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 1-AAAAA and unranked; Lassiter is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 6-AAAAA and ranked No. 9.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. In 2007, Lassiter coach Chip Lindsey was the offensive coordinator at Alabama’s Hoover High and was the assistant to head coach Rush Propst, the current Colquitt County coach.
2. In the 70-49 victory against South Gwinnett in the second round, Lassiter quarterback Hutson Mason threw for a state-record 552 yards and eight touchdowns and became the first QB in Georgia history to surpass 4,000 yards in a season. He has 4,266 yards and 54 touchdowns, also a state record.
3. Colquitt County and Peachtree Ridge are the only teams remaining in AAAAA that are not No. 1 seeds, and Colquitt is the only No. 3 seed left in the field.
Winner plays: Camden County-North Gwinnett winner
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421 comments Add your comment
6-AAAAA Observor
November 24th, 2009
6:13 pm
To the Colquitt County folks who think the fact they play in 1-AAAAA means they have an inherent advantage over everybody else.
I got to to see 2 of your non-Valdosta, non-Warner Robins teams a few years back in the playoffs and Roswell beat the snot out of both of them.
Just because you play in the same region as Lowndes and NWR doesn’t mean you share in their success. And beating Stephenson is not that big a deal.
Lassiter is going to score a lot of points and come up with a turnover or 2 that will produre more points. The Packers will likely score a lot of points as well, just not enough.
Citing a pre-season scrimmage game that was weather-shortened is pretty lame.
To the Grayson folks, I’d be a little worried if I’m facing a defense that has more size than a typical JV team. Roswell’s undersized defense allowed exactly one scoring drive the entire game. The other 17 points were courtesy of Grayson’s special teams, which did an outstanding job.
Grayson’s defense is top notch. But when the Rams face a team with the size to match their offense, they’re going to have problems.
I can understand why the Grayson stands were not full last week. You have to really be a fan to pay money and watch that offense for 4 quarters. It’s effective, but I don’t think I could watch it week after week.
A Lassiter-Grayson matchup would be the ultimate in contrasting styles. Might even pay to watch that one.
inthatrenches
November 24th, 2009
6:16 pm
Fred
I agree the least amount of mistakes will make the difference; turnovers usually decide games like this… it should be a great game….
EAGLE1
November 24th, 2009
6:16 pm
Overrated1AAAAA,
You show your ignorance of football everytime you post! You must be from a 3AAAAA Savannah school! The Eagles will be ready for Peachtree Ridge with a complete game!
SanityRules
November 24th, 2009
6:17 pm
Fred,you appear to be a man of reason. I know it will be a tough game and I hope Newnan will win. To be honest with you ,I’m enjoying this season so much that I hate for it to end. Most Grayson supporters are not like these south Georgia folks. They are so full of themselves. I like ENR,but not too many more.Look forward to the game and I pray everyone come out injury free.
hsfootball fan
November 24th, 2009
6:53 pm
get a clue hhmmmmm……. sometimes history has a habit of repeating its self.
GO PACK GO
November 24th, 2009
7:03 pm
6AAAAA maybe you should check the history on Colquitt County. We are bouncing back from 9 years of horrible coaching. I am sure you don’t remember the 17 years in a row that Colquitt County made the playoffs, possibly because your team was never there. NO one has said we would win. We know it’s gonna be a great game. Just stating the Lassiter hasn’t played a defense like Colquitt County yet. The only team who really scored on us was Lowndes. 4 turnovers in the Red Zone will allow a team to do that though. Friday night will show who is the better team. Win or lose the Packers have had a great season for a team who wasn’t supposed to win more than 5 games.
grayram
November 24th, 2009
7:05 pm
6-AAAAA Observor
I agree with most of your comments. Grayson faced a tough defense in Warner Robins and only scored 10. Roswell’s defense really came to play. I dont think they had a 1 loss season by accident, they were good.
Against Newnan whichever team can avoid losing any fumbles will win by a field goal or maybe 7.
Suwanee 0wnz
November 24th, 2009
7:18 pm
The certainty with which some posters predict a win for their team is amazing to me. Every one of these teams is a strong team that could go all the way. Posters who predict the outcomes with such certainty have not lived long enough to develop a disdain for the taste of shoe leather.
Now, I think NSWR, Grayson, and Camden have the edge in their respective games. I have no idea how to predict a preference with Lassiter in the game. But, at the same time I think the above teams have an edge in their games, I can also easily see how the other team could win in each game.
Let’s take P Ridge vs NSWR as an example. I would give the edge to NSWR largely because they have proven themselves and it is a home game. But P Ridge could easily win that game. PTR has a very strong defense regardless of one game early in the season. They have seen the Wing T many times and they know how to stop it. Realistically, I think NSWR scores 7, 10, 14, or 17 points. I doubt they will score more than that unless PTR collapses and I do not think that will happen at this point in the playoffs. So how much will PTR score? There is no question they are capable of putting up 3 scores against any team in the playoffs. If they give up 10 and score 14, game over and PTR is the winner. It will be an exciting football game. NSWR has to be very careful not to get “Northsided” late in the game after ENR leaves by allowing 3 quick touchdowns for their opponents.
Both Newnan and Grayson have awesome defenses. Neither should take the other likely, the result could come out either way.
Exactly the same can be said for North and Camden. The most critical play in the North v Camden game already came when North won the coin toss. And the result is that this game is toss up. These are going to be 3 exciting football games. I suspect out of these 6 teams only one of them will score more than 21 points in this round. And I do not know which one that might be. These are 6 tough defenses folks.
Now, let’s consider Lassiter. They can put up a ton of points very quickly. With 70 points in 48 minutes of playing time, that means that Lassiter scores a touchdown every 5 minutes. And that includes time for the other team to have the ball. They score almost every trip down the field. It will take both pressure on the QB and GREAT downfield coverage to stop a Lassiter drive. The opponents can slow the game with a grinding run offense, but they still need to score pretty much every trip down the field. I do not know if any team at the High School level can do that. It will take 5 or 6 outstanding DB’s and a solid D-Line to put the wood to Lassiter. It will probably take a team that practices against themselves as a throwing team, to have the coverage experience to make it a tough game for Lassiter. Maybe it is Colquitt. I just do not know. At this point I would have to pick Lassiter as the favorite to win it all. It promises to be very exciting football.
I think Georgia football fans are in for a real treat in the next couple of weeks. This year’s 5A champion could be any of these 8 teams. This is very different from other divisions where a team like the Red Elephants is clearly dominant.
#88 RAM pops
November 24th, 2009
7:40 pm
“Roswell lost the game for themselves last week, the only reason Grayson won”. Grayson — I COULDN’T DISAGREE MORE…And it’s comical that a statement is made about fans who don’t want to pay to see the Ram’s offense. I have been paying over $780.00 a weekend all season long LOL. How many Yards does the Ram’s terrible OFFENSE have????
Fred
November 24th, 2009
7:41 pm
SanityRules,
I am not so sure that the South GA folks are so full of themselves as they are just confident. When you have programs that produce consistently year in and year out, your confidence level grows. Grayson, like some others, is a new program and just doesn’t have the history that others do. Other programs have been through a lot of down years and are coming back. I hate to speak for others but I think we all know we don’t have the history and the respect that comes with it. It doesn’t mean that our programs aren’t good and we don’t support them, it just means we have to prove ourselves each week.
There are some posters whose confidence can make them seem full of themselves, especially to those of us that know we too have a good program. The lack of respect to our as yet unproven programs grates on us. Then there are those that I think purposely post things that they know will generate comments.
Anyway, is it Friday night yet?
Bleed Red
November 24th, 2009
8:04 pm
If you cant run the ball you cant win a state championship name a pass happy team thats done it. There fun to watch but a good bal team keeps the ball eats the clock.
LIBBY KIRK
November 24th, 2009
8:10 pm
NOW DONT UNDERASTIMATE LASSITIER HS BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS FIND A WAY TOO COME THE VICTORY OF THE GAME BUT LASSITER WILL MIGHT GO TO THE GEORGIA DOME . SOO LASSITER BETTER GET READY OR COICLYT IS GOING TO RUN ALL OVER US BIGTIME. GOOOOOOOOO TROJANS. =)
grayram
November 24th, 2009
8:34 pm
Suwanee 0wnz
Right on.
These teams are all good and every game could go either way..
Ram pops: The Grayson offense is fun to watch. They amaze me with their determination to do it their way, and in the end they always make me eat my words for doubting them. Evert time i start screaming for a pass play, Pemberton or one of the others takes off for 15 -20 yards.
SouthGARules
November 24th, 2009
8:43 pm
Quinn: No offense taken. I guess I see things one way & when they go another may explain why my comments are all over the map. The comments made previous about PTR not even bothering to go to the MAC were tongue-in-cheek, because of all the talk about NSWR not losing at the MAC.
Here’s an idea. Have Coach Ballard talk to Coach Way & see if PTR can come out in the Demons uniforms. They seem to be the only team to have success in the MAC against NSWR. It couldn’t hurt.
SanityRules: What is the probability of you making the trip to Loganville? I know inthatrenches has family coming in & is not certain if he can get away.
inthatrenches
November 24th, 2009
8:45 pm
sanity, hsfootballfan came to the blog asking questions like who runs the spread? Has anyone won a championship with the spread? he played around but never came out as a Camden fan…Now when Camden takes down lowndes the bandwagon blogger found a team….
cchswildcat86 did not show until after Camden took down Lowndes he or she did not put on the Camden skirt until after the fact!!! funny thing is I picked the Camden win and I am a Newnan supporter I believed before they did!! funny someone can anylyze with little to no research then call others idiots???? atleast the Lowndes fans are intelligent and articulate..
Grayson Student
November 24th, 2009
9:11 pm
yes newnan has a great d and a lot of shutouts but they showed last year that they could not stop the wing t against camden. they are a 2 man show for the most part with the ogltree bros… ogltree can change a game but i just dont see a safety changing the outcome of the game against a run oriented offense.
Bill
November 24th, 2009
9:25 pm
Here is the bottom line on the Lassiter/Colquitt County game. Both of these teams are fully prepare and able to win. Lassiter, no doubt their best advantage is their QB. Colquitt has a powerful defense as well as an explosive running game. Also don’t under estimate Colquitt’s QB. He has an impressive arm too having thrown around 2,000 yards leads Region 1 in passing and Colquitt runs the ball a good deal or else his numbers would be higher as well.
I have no idea who will win this game but I have learned over the years no matter how good your team may be or how good the opposing team may be, never assume anything, because in Georgia High School Football, ANYTHING can happen.
Both teams will be more than ready to play Friday night, it will be a good game regardless of which team wins.
Good Luck to Lassiter and to Colquitt County, both of these team are outstanding.
SanityRules
November 24th, 2009
9:25 pm
SouthGARules, I have been hinting to inthatrenches about a road trip. I have to work Friday til 5:00 and it will be almost impossible to get to the game before halftime. It’s still up in the air.
You are correct my good friend inthatrenches . Those closet Camden fans are coming out just in time to jump on the bandwagon. I’m not talking about the regulars as they have been here all year. To be fair, they did say Camden was young this year and maybe they waited until they grew up a little.
SanityRules
November 24th, 2009
9:30 pm
Grayson Student , please do me a big favor and tell all the Grayson football players you know the same thing you posted at 9:11 p.m. about Newnan being a two man team and I will forever be your friend. Thanks.
CamdenFan
November 24th, 2009
9:33 pm
Colquitt County is the most improved team I have ever seen. It is amazing how much that team has turned around from one season to the next. I don’t know if Lassiter will win or Colquitt but you can bet it should be a nail bitter. Colquitt has already knocked off a highly favored and undefeated team last week against Stephenson……will they be able to do it again this week??? Can they do it??? You better believe they can, but weather or not they win or lose I have no idea, but I look forward to hearing the outcome.
Good Luck to both teams!
reality
November 24th, 2009
9:44 pm
I hope that that the TDC at brookwood finally sees what I’ve been saying for the last 26 games…Mark Crews sucks as a coach and Ben McClane in not a quarterback…PTR put the ball on the ground 6 times and we only picked up one.. scored a touchdown mind you, but our offense.. was the worst. based on the play calling. We could move the ball by running in but when you have a coach with no imagination, no real strategy or football sense what do u have? I feel sorry for the boys..Please fire Mark Crews… if he was at Valdosta.. he would have been gone. last two years.. 6-5 and now 6-6…Fire Mark Crews and he whole sorry staff. PTR had ;put that ball on the turf too much this season.. a good team with a good coach will kill them… so when you go down to Warner robbins.. I don’t see it as a good sign.. they might score 50 on you as Lyondes did….Brookwood Coach and the Coach at Stevenson…. fire them both.. new blood.. they both suck with all the talent these two teams have had in the last few years.. fire them both……
reality
November 24th, 2009
9:48 pm
Only team that’s going to beat Grayson is a pass happy team like Lassiter… because they can’t defend the pass… keep scoring like they did against South and Grayson is spent… their corner is too little.. Cory Gaines is a d2 player at best with a lot of heart.. as with Pemberton… so if Lassiter survives the next cut… I’m picking them to win the STATE…..
Vikings22
November 24th, 2009
9:49 pm
6-AAAAA Observor: First off you saying that Colquitt County beating Stephenson is “not that big of a deal” shows that you don’t know what your talking about.
Second, Lassiter gives up a heck of a lot of points to be praised so much. You have to have a well balanced team. Lassiter has a heck of a good QB no doubt about it and they have a great shot at winning, but so does Colquitt County.
Colquitt County has speed, powerful and strong defense, great special teams, great kick returner as well as a good QB who has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards, and considering how much Colquitt runs the ball, that is impressive. On average Colquitt has been giving up 11 points a game and has had 2 shutouts and has won most of their games in the second half.
My point is fans from Lassiter or Colquitt should not be doing to much trash talking because either one of these teams could walk away with the win.
Packers have played very, very well on the road this season and they are a second half team. They came back in a game against Thomasville early in the season 19-6 with 10:04 left in the game, Colquitt County scored four straight unanswered touchdowns to beat the Bulldogs 34-19. That was in the second came of their season. Colquitt plays hard right until the final seconds of a ball game.
Neither of these teams should be under estimated. After all neither team got to the 3rd round of the playoffs because they are week or not that good. To get this far you are good and both Lassiter and Colquitt are good football teams.
My the best team win, good luck to both!
inthatrenches
November 24th, 2009
9:50 pm
Grayson student you will be very disturbed by looking at the game you are referring to obviously you were at the Grayson – P Ridge game and did not see it……………….. if it had not been for Milstead throwing and Newnan turnovers the game may have had a different outcome….. Newnan’s offense choked and panicked the Defense of Camden was the bellcow for Camden they kept pressure on our QB Russell Powell all night… the Camden offense on the other hand could not sustain a drive all night over 35 yds Grayson student your team is fantastic if they win they will earn it….these two teams are defense first….. that makes for a classic battle of field position, assignments,special teams, and turnovers I look forward to the Game and pray for an injury free game I believe this could be the most physical game of the year!!
Callitlikeitis
November 24th, 2009
10:03 pm
6AAAAA observor, I take issue with beating Stephenson was not that big of a deal. O yes it was, Stephenson had the most talented team (16 D1 players) in Class 5A. Obviously, you are not familar with Stephenson football. I travel all over the state watching High School Football games and Stephenson had one of the best teams in the state this year. In the colquitt game, Stephenson got out coached at the end of the game. Colquitt has a really good coach. In August of 2009 on a hot steamy night, I saw the Lasso offense (Hudson can throw it on a rope when given time to do so) get man handled up front by Colquitt and put alot of pressure on Mason. Lassiter can not block Colquitt Defensive front and that fact still remains. Lassiter line is not phyical enough to handle their defensive front especially 6′ 6″ Cameron Erving who harassed Mason. This will be the difference in the ball game this friday. Youu should read the newspaper in Moultrie because they infer that since they beat Stephenson, Lassiter will not be a greater challenge for them.
TRUE BLUE
November 24th, 2009
10:07 pm
ITS AMAZING TO HEAR THAT COLQUITT COUNTY TALK ABOUT THEIR DEFENSE. YOUR DEFENSE GAVE UP 20 FIRST DOWN AND OVER 405 YDS IN TOTAL OFFENSE TO STEPHENSON. THE ONLY WAY STEPHENSON DRIVES WAS STOP WAS BECAUSE OF PHANTOM PENALTIES.ITS SEEM LIKE EVERYTIME WE GOT TO THE 50 YARD LINE. YELLOW FLAGS WOULD BE FLYING EVERYWHERE. DO YOU REMEMBER THE NSWR GAME AND YOU ARE TRAVELING TO LASSITER. COLQUITT COUNTY YOU BETTER GET READY BECAUSE LASSITER WILL GET SOME HOME COOKING LIKE YALL RECEIVE SOME AWAY COOKING LAST WEEK AT HALFORD STADIUM. STEPHENSON LOST YES BUT THEY DOMINATED COLQUITT COUNTY AND COLQUITT COUNTY FAN WITNESS THE BEAT DOWN. STEPHENSON HAD THREE LONG DRIVES AND THE OTHER DRIVES WERE STOP BECAUSE OF MENTAL MISTAKES OR PHANTOM PENALTIES.
grayram
November 24th, 2009
10:12 pm
SouthGARules
Thats a good idea having Them run onto the field with Demons jerseys on! But i think Pridge is good enough to not need gimmicks. I would love to see it though, that would be a sight.
GraysonStudent:
I don’t think a defense could post the numbers and results Newnan does if they were a two man show. Grayson will have to play every bit as good to beat them as they did against Lowndes last year. I’m hoping they will be fired up for a team like Newnan because they were a little flat in the 1st two rounds.
The Truth
November 24th, 2009
10:22 pm
True Blue, Why are you shouting?
grayson ?
November 24th, 2009
10:26 pm
if grayson has undersized corners how will they handle a 6′3′ beast named ogletree as a wide receiver??
SouthGARules
November 24th, 2009
10:42 pm
grayson ?: Last week Chris Boyd, a 6′ 5″ receiver committed to Vanderbilt, had 4 catches for 34 yards. I would say Grayson handled him.
grayram: I agree, thought I would inject a little humor.
Grayson Student: Alec Ogletree is not the only good player Newnan has. His twin, Zander, is no slouch. Also, their LB, #51, was all over the field against Valdosta.
TRUE BLUE
November 24th, 2009
10:46 pm
TRUE BLUE JUST STATING FACTS. YES COLQUITT COUNTY BEAT STEPHENSON 22-21. ALL I AM SAYING GET READY FOR SOME HOME COOKING FRIDAY IN COBB COUNTY. YES COLQUITT COUNTY HAS A NICE DEFENSE. I JUST DON’T THINK LASSITER WILL MAKE THE SAME ROOKIE MISTAKES STEPHENSON DID FRIDAY. THEY WANT KICK THE BALL TO NO.4 AND HUTSON MASON WANT THROW 3 INTERCEPTION AND IF COLQUITT COUNTY GIVE HIM THE 5 YARDS AND OUT. THEN HUTSON WILL TAKE WHAT THEY GIVE HIM AND HE WANT GET GREEDY AN THROW INTO TRIPLE COVERAGE. STEPHENSON HAD THE 5 YARDS OUT ALL NITE BUT THEY WANTED MORE AND GOT BURNED AT THE END.PLUS COLQUITT COULDN’T DO NOTHING WITH #25 ALL NIGHT. HE RAN AND CAUGHT THE BALL ALL OVER THEM EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE KEYING ON HIM. HE STILL MANAGED TO GET OVER 130 YARDS RUSHING 2 TDS. AND 68 RECEIVING YARDS. HE HAD MORE YARDS THAN THE WHOLE COLQUITT COUNTY OFFENSE HIMSELF.
spwhite
November 24th, 2009
11:02 pm
SanityRules – Those closet Camden fans are coming out just in time to jump on the bandwagon. I’m not talking about the regulars as they have been here all year. To be fair, they did say Camden was young this year and maybe they waited until they grew up a little.
Actually, if you think about it, during our region games there is really no reason to come on here and blog about how great Camden is. Truth of the matter is we all know what a weak region we are in so its really hard to get excited about winning by 40 or more points. Its really hard for us to judge how good our team actually is. The real excitment comes during our nonregion games or during the playoffs when the competition is there. I know thats when I start posting. Heck I am actually jealous that y’all get to see good competive football during your region games. I know that I would love to see Camden playing Lowndes and the others from region 1 every year. We need a good in state rival during the regular season.
LHS
November 24th, 2009
11:03 pm
Home Cooking? Lassiter has never received home cooking…always seems to me that Lassiter gets the shaft in every sport I watch. I’m not too worried about that though. I may be wrong, but I think the officiating crew is not locals. The calls seemed to be fair in the first two rounds at home.
LHS
November 24th, 2009
11:08 pm
I just reread the post…it now appears you may be advocating for Lassiter. Sorry if I misunderstood as “Home cooking” usually refers to the officiating.
cougarfan
November 24th, 2009
11:10 pm
grayson student dont worry # 51 will be in the middle along with 33 15 and several others. they are waiting on the run . please run it up the middle. oh i almost forgot the are fast and contain the corner as well. if you pass you will meet 39 and 10. it will be a great game we look foward to it.
Colquitt County Underdog
November 24th, 2009
11:33 pm
TrueBlue- the Stephenson RB got a good chunk of those yards on the first drive of the game, including an 18 yard TD run on a 3rd and long when CC was looking for the pass. Yes, Stephenson got a bunch of yardage. Yes, they got a bunch of yards…BUT CC did force 3 INTs and took one back for six. they also forced 2 intentional grounding calls. Colquitt’s defensive line is the strength of the defense. our LBs are not the biggest in the world and thats why they had such a hard time against the Stephenson RB…that guy is a hoss and really tough to bring down because of his size. he got majority of his yards after contact…luckily Lassiter throws it 40 times a game and will play directly into our strengths, pressure from the d-line and tight coverage by the DBs.
i just like the matchup against Lassiter than Stephenson because Stephenson had athletes at every position. if we got in a track meet or weighlifting competition against Stephenson, we would lose every time…however, Lassiter does not have the athletes that Stephenson does. they do have better coaching and more efficient offense but i think our intangibles can handle that better than playing against a bunch of D1 studs.
Fred
November 24th, 2009
11:44 pm
reality,
I think most people here are good with praising players by name but think it is poor form to criticize them by name. After all, they are KIDS playing game. I understand your frustration with your program and don’t really care if you post your feelings about the coaching staff. After all, they are ADULTS and are paid for their efforts (not that much considering but paid none the less).
As far as the Grayson secondary, everyone has acknowledged that this is not one of our strongest areas. However, they did pretty good against South Gwinnett and Roswell, both teams with a strong passing attack. They weren’t perfect and we all know that but they held when they needed to and limited the passing attack of both teams. And for what it is worth, BYU is where our safety has already signed and if you care to look under “B” in the following NCAA link, you will find that BYU is indeed a D1 school. http://web1.ncaa.org/memberLinks/links.jsp
There is no doubt that Lassiter is a very strong team and the key is shutting down the passing attack. Any team that can do that has a great chance of beating them. All of the teams still playing have got the potential to take the championship. It will all come down to who is the best prepared and makes the fewest mistakes. I can’t wait for Friday night!
blu eagle
November 25th, 2009
1:12 am
Hey Suwanee Ownz, NSWR does not run the wing t you are thinking about
Lowndes or warner robins.NSWR does not take any team lightly in the playoffs, they have seen what happens in the past when you thought you had a good team only to lose a close game, we will see and ENR as much as he would think so has no effect on an outcome of a game but he can tell everything else you didn’t want to know!
A Newnan Athletic Supporter
November 25th, 2009
5:46 am
Fred,
Thanks for the directions and your comments on Grayson and GA high school football in general.
I expect a large crowd to show from Newnan. We love our Cougars.
This year has been quit the eye opener. We all expected a fine performance from the defense, but after loosing all 11 starters on an offense …what a surprise. I think most of the Cougar fans were mildly shocked with the LaGrange win (on the road) to open the season. After that game, a soft schedule allowed the “O” to mature and gain confidence.
The boys showed a lot of grit by not quiting against LaGrange,and it was an indication of things to come. Winning close games at the end of the season.
I expect to see a game that is physical and low scoring. My biggest concern comes from some of the comments I have read about the condition of Grayson’s field. If it is as sloppy as stated, it should certainly work in Grayson’s favor. Newnan has great speed, and I believe we will need all of it to prevail on Friday night.
We’ll see you on Friday night.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
A Newnan Athletic Supporter
BlackAngel
November 25th, 2009
6:44 am
Yes I am up early getting to for my morning jog so I decided what the “GOD’S OF FOOTBALL” had to say this morning. As I read alot of you all comments on this player that player what offense is good what defense wis underated, which coach can’t coach, what coach is better, I have come to some conclusions about football in Georgia. Yes I am a Stephenson Fan as I am a fan of alot of schools, but for you all to say that Coaches need to fired is just stupid immature talk! If you feel that way about whatever team you support my suggestion to you my friend apply for any kind of coaching job whether it be little league or the community rec and see if you can deal with parents, boosters, community leaders and the classroom along with getting players, coaches believing in your system and what the overall goal is.. For some coaches it’s a State title Good.. Other coaches it’s getting these kids into school to futher there education and become productive citizens in this world. Now I have a question for and of you how many of you keep up with players and coaches when the season is over? Are you a fair whether fan who only care about your football tradition or are you involved with your program you so passionatly cheer for? Do you coaching make make sure ther seniors get into school or do they throw them by the way side when the season is over?
What sickens me even more is we have GROWN ASS ADULTS on this site calling out young men for the wins and looses. Hey let me take a page from Coach Cartrell book.. ” If anybody ask you about who lost the game, Tell them I (Coach Gartrell) lost the game and if any person want to come and see me my door is open”. Now you want to talk about a class act, I believe that statement says it all my friends.
Listen regardless the outcome of these football games remember they are just that “GAMES”. Ameture athletes at 15, 16, 17, and 18 year old young men who play this game for the love of it.
Wish these young men who are fortunate enough to recieve a scholarship in any manner and tell them good luck on the next level and in life. As a coach and the end of the day sure it’s good to have numerous state titles and your program is on top evey year in the State of georgia, but on the other hand it’s just as rewarding getting these young men into school to futher there education to. Do you care about State Titles or do you care about furthering a young mans education?
Now what program are you?
BlackAngel
November 25th, 2009
6:53 am
Stephenson High School has put some 30 plus players in college. I say thats DAM IMPRESSIVE for a School in a county as Big as Dekalb and these young men ALWAYS come back to the community and to the program and talk to the younger generation Athletes.
Now I ask you again, what program are you?
hsfootball fan
November 25th, 2009
7:54 am
Inthatrenches- I am not a CAMDEN FAN its great that people are great followers of there programs, but I go by what have you done lately Grayson should win the title, Northside has one of the greatest coachs in high school football NG gets better every year Camden has had its titles and is trying again to win it. The thing with the teams I have mentioned they have great defenses enough consistance offenses and great coaching and have moved past the third round in recent history. has Newnan made it past the third, and some have said there offense isnt consistance enough to win it. but good try on the band wagon crap you are wrong. if you want a cinderella this year it would be Lassiter. good luck to all teams this friday may the best team on that night win period. History does sometimes have a effect….
TRUE BLUE
November 25th, 2009
8:19 am
Enter your comments here
Big Dogg
November 25th, 2009
8:38 am
Newnan is a underdog on the road but Grayson will not beat them with a running attack I can pretty much be sure of that so if they have any chance it will have to be throwing and running the ball evenly cause newnan defense is to fast and physical to be beat by only the run!
TRUE BLUE
November 25th, 2009
8:39 am
THANKS COLQUITT COUNY UNDERDOG, YES THAT WAS THE BEST AND BIGGEST DEFENSE FRONT STEPHNENSON FACE ALL YEAR. I WOULD LOVE TO FACE YALL NEXT YEAR IN A REGULAR SEASON GAME.NOW GETTING BACK TO THE GAME THIS FRIDAY AGAINST LASSITER. YES LASSITER HAS A NICE QUARTERBACK. ITS JUST I DON’T THINK HIS OFFENSIVE LINE WILL GIVE HIM TIME TO PASS THE BALL DOWN FIELD TO #5 AND #1. PLUS COBB COUNTY SCHOOLS AND GWINNETTI COUNTY SCHOOLS DON’T PLAY DEFENSE LIKE THE TOP TEAMS IN REGION 1-4AAAAA. THE ONLY SCHOOL IN GWINNETTI THAT PLAYS DEFENSE IS GRAYSON. PEACHTREE RIDGE USE TO BUT THIS YEAR THEY GAVE UP 51 TO LOWNDES. NORTH GWINNETTI PLAYS ALITTLE DEFENSE BUT HAS YET TO FACE A TOP TEAM. PEOPLE WANT TO GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR PRATTVILLE. FOOTBALL IN GEORGIA IS WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT THAN IN ALABAMA.
WRHS(DEMONS)
November 25th, 2009
8:58 am
Go Eagles!
nomo
November 25th, 2009
9:02 am
Grayson Student: from one Grayson fan to another, you are truly ignorant. You obviously know nothing of Newnan if you are calling them a two man show, and you are just running your mouth because you can.
Just pull up the Valdosta/Newnan game on Comcast to prove yourself wrong. I’ve watched film of Newnan now for three nights straight, and I’m telling you the defense is all that and then some. It very well may take a defensive and special teams score for the Rams to prevail – I believe we will be hard pressed to sustain many of our 8,9, or 10 minute drives against the Cougars. I believe the same will hold true fo them as well – I’m much less concerned with their offense, as they are not really any different than South, Roswell, etc… I will say this to the Newnan fans who want to open up the passing game on our “slow” defense…Please do!
Newnan fans, just know the players, coaches and knowledgeable fans have the utmost respect for your program, and we are looking forward to a great game Friday evening. We will be praying for your traveling safety.
CugaDad
November 25th, 2009
9:04 am
I enjoy reading the blogs and respect the fans comments cause they love their teams as I do. Fred and most of the folks whom follow Grayson have been generious with directions and such and we are most thankful. It will be a great game to experience friday night. But when you get these trash-talkers from Camden, and if you notice, its almost as if they aren’t worried about their game friday – like they have put themselves in the Championship game already. As for Newnan, they will have their hands full BUT Grayson will face the most physical,hardiest hitting defensive teams they could imagine…good luck…Go GUGAS
nomo
November 25th, 2009
9:22 am
CugaDad, absolutely no doubt Newnan will be one of the best – if not THE best – defense we’ve faced this year. BUT, do you really, honestly think Grayson hasn’t faced physical, hard hitting teams before? I believe your boys will bring it – at this stage everyone will – but I do know Camden, Warner Robins, Brookwood, Roswell, Lowndes, East Paulding, Peachtree Ridge, etc. were all fast and physical. Ironically, so is Grayson. I know you have some special athletes – many more than we do – but just like you, we’ve been down this road before. Should be a fun game to watch.
plowboy
November 25th, 2009
9:27 am
it is amazing that the same REFS from last years Grayson / Lowndes game called the Lowndes / Camden game this year , no wonder we got 3 holding penalties on 3rd down around the 35 yard line