The Georgia High School Football Daily’s Weekend Predictions: Who’s winning and losing in Playoffs Semifinals
By CHIP SAYE
For the AJC
Football fans of a certain age might remember “Leonard’s Losers.” The long-running syndicated radio show, which featured the late Leonard Postero of Athens predicting which teams would lose college and pro football games, aired on more than 1,400 stations during its heyday. The show was popular because of Postero’s humor and down-home style, but he also was quite accurate with his predictions.
Last week, I was successful in picking the loser in 12 of the 20 quarterfinal games. Unlike what Postero did on his show, however, I was trying to pick the winners. Not good. Considering my inability to spot the winners last week, I figured I’d stick with what worked and pick the losers for the semifinals.
Class AAAAA
I didn’t see Colquitt County being able to stop Lassiter last week. I might be just as wrong this week, but I don’t see the Packers beating Camden County tonight, either. … Northside-Warner Robins avoided a quarterfinal loss to Peachtree Ridge last week by the narrowest of margins, winning 20-17 in three overtimes. The Eagles won’t be so fortunate this week, losing at Newnan. … Speaking of Newnan, Alec Ogletree made perhaps the catch of the year last week when his leaping, one-handed grab for a touchdown provided the winning points against Grayson. … Semifinal losers: Colquitt County, Northside.
Class AAAA
Clarke Central and Griffin used to be the North Georgia powers in the highest classification, two of the few teams that could stand in the way of Valdosta and another state championship. Neither has been as successful since dropping to Class AAAA, although Griffin has had some very good teams, and Clarke Central has almost always been competitive. They haven’t faced each other since 1993, and they haven’t met in the postseason since 1982, so the prospect of them battling for the state championship next weekend is an intriguing one. It will happen after Rockdale County, which beat Clarke Central in the regular season, loses the rematch tonight and Sandy Creek loses to Griffin. … Semifinal losers: Rockdale County, Sandy Creek.
Class AAA
Gainesville is the closest thing to a clear-cut favorite as there is in any classification. The No. 1-ranked Red Elephants already have proved that they can win big against tonight’s opponent, beating Flowery Branch 49-17 in the regular-season finale. And while Flowery Branch was impressive in its come-from-behind victory against No. 2 Carver-Columbus last week, I don’t see the Falcons being able to make up the 32-point gap against Gainesville. … I didn’t pick Eastside to win either of its previous two games, and the Eagles proved me wrong. I’m identifying the losers this week, so I’ll take Eastside to lose again, this time to Peach County. … Semifinal losers: Flowery Branch, Eastside.
Class AA
T his classification has had the fewest surprises of any, as the No. 1 (Calhoun), No. 2 (Fitzgerald), No. 3 (Buford) and No. 6 (Lovett) teams reached the semifinals, and all four have legitimate shots at winning the championship. But I have to pick two of them to lose tonight. I’ll say it’s going to be a disappointing night for Region 6-AA. … Semifinal losers: Lovett, Buford.
Class A
My worst performance last week came in Class A, where I picked Wesleyan, Twiggs County, Holy Innocents’ and Lincoln County, only to see all four eliminated. That means the Wesleyan-Twiggs County matchup I was anticipating in the final is out the window, too. Darlington has more losses than any team remaining in any classification, and I look for it to add one more to that total at the hands of undefeated Savannah Christian. … Can the only No. 2 seed remaining in Class A make it to the final? When Clinch County loses to Wilcox County, the answer will be yes. … Semifinal losers: Darlington, Clinch County.
Playoff predictions
Last week: 8-12 (.400); Overall: 1,603-411 (.796)
Winner—Loser
Class AAAAA
Camden Co.–Colquitt Co.
Newnan–Northside-W.R.
Class AAAA
Clarke Central–Rockdale Co.
Griffin–Sandy Creek
Class AAA
Gainesville–Flowery Branch
Peach Co.—Eastside
Class AA
Fitzgerald–Buford
Calhoun—Lovett
Class A
Wilcox Co.–Clinch Co.
Sav. Christian–Darlington
Georgia High School Football Daily is a free email newsletter. CLICK to join the mailing list
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
267 comments Add your comment
ibleedblueandorange
December 4th, 2009
10:05 pm
OH YEAH GA. Dome bound baby, way to go Eagles, 29-24, good dame Newnan!!!!!!!!!!
CopnBlue
December 4th, 2009
10:05 pm
How about them NORTHSIDE EAGLES….all you Metro ATL unbelievers…THIS BUD IS FOR YOU!
S. GA football RULES this STATE! YEAHHHHHHHHHHH….
ibleedblueandorange
December 4th, 2009
10:14 pm
CopnBlue, I know Northside won but its not in south Ga., its in Middle Ga. Get it right!!!!!!
And i meant game not dame….
CopnBlue
December 4th, 2009
10:17 pm
I got it right…what YOU don’t realize is that the H.S. footbal world REVOLVES around ATL (ask them) and everything is SOUTH TO THEM. I live in north of Watson and well aware we are middle GA.
CopnBlue
December 4th, 2009
10:18 pm
I got it right…what YOU don’t realize is that the H.S. footbal world REVOLVES around ATL (ask them) and everything is SOUTH TO THEM. I live north of Watson and well aware we are middle GA. You should learn to spell!
CopnBlue
December 4th, 2009
10:20 pm
…lol…saying what I said and I spell football missing an l…oh well, comes around goes around.
GO EAGLESSSSSSSSSS
Athens 4ever
December 4th, 2009
10:20 pm
Clarke Central wins!!! Go Glads! All the Way to State!!!
Aaron
December 4th, 2009
10:44 pm
Camden!!!
Good game Packers…
Tru GA Peach from Peach Co
December 4th, 2009
10:47 pm
Yeahhhh PEACH CO. TROJANS!!!!! Way 2 go tonight – Good game Eastside – BUT what a greater job TROJANS!!!!!! woooohoooooo see yall in the DOME!!! – GAINESVILLE – that black in gold is coming for ya – You got to want it to win it and them Trojans want it BAD!!!!!! And oh yeah and in case yall forgot…….. “ITS STILL PEACH SEASON!!!!!!!
Tru GA Peach from Peach Co
December 4th, 2009
10:49 pm
Shout out to WAR-Town -Gooooooooo Northside Eagles!!!!!! MIddle Georgia gonna shut that DOME DOWN!!!!!!!!
HaHaHa Griffin
December 4th, 2009
10:58 pm
Enter your comments here
camdencat79
December 4th, 2009
11:01 pm
Ok all you doubters I said three weeks ago WOULDN’T IT BE FUNNY IF CAMDEN AND NSWR ENDS UP IN THE DOME, well look what happened tonight CAMDEN SHUTDOWN the spread of COLQUITT and now we’re off to our second home THE GA DOME, CAMDEN WILL WIN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP 2 YEARS IN A ROW.
CopnBlue
December 4th, 2009
11:09 pm
NO, Camden will NOT win thier 2nd in a row.
You aren’t playing at home this year for the final. You will be playing on an even field.
Your reign is OVER. GO EAGLES!
#1 Eagle Fan NSWR
December 4th, 2009
11:28 pm
Congrats to my beloved EAGLES and Camden Co. for their victories on tonight!!! Packers keep your head up you were outstanding and I know you guys will be back in the hunt next year.
Tony Perkins--Clarke Central Class of 79 Red and Gold 4 Life
December 4th, 2009
11:47 pm
Congrats! To Clarke Central and Sandy Creek for your victories tonight. Looking forward to a great
game in the Dome Friday night.
BLACKGOLD
December 4th, 2009
11:52 pm
CONGRATS TO BUFORD, THE STRIP RECOVERY BROKE OUR BACK, CAUSE YALL WERE UP BY 3 AND WE WERE DRIVING THE BALL..THAT WAS A DESPERATION MOVE ..BUT SMART YOU KNEW WE WRE GONNA SCORE… SHOULDA DONT COUNT BUT ..THE SCORE WAS REALLY GONNA BE 35 -31,LOOK AT THE TAPE, THE RECOVERY SAVED YA
Southern Fan
December 5th, 2009
12:25 am
CopnBlue, I guess you don’t remember that Camden won the Championship on that “even field” (DOME) last year. Do some research before you go running your mouth. Your team must not be in the Championship. Don’t cry….everything will turn out fine. Much love to the boys from Colquitt. They had a heck of season. I just can’t believe their fans were leaving with 6 minutes left in the game. They should have stayed there and supported their team.
GetaLife
December 5th, 2009
12:40 am
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SANDY CREEK PATRIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fought a hard battle and kicked some *ss!! Congrats and the predicting the loser dude is so wrong! LOL!!!
ibleedblueandorange
December 5th, 2009
12:44 am
To all the Camden people congrats on winning your way to the Dome, I said at the beginning of the season you guys are tough. The two losses where to 1 good team, and one out of this world team. I did the research on that Alabama team and all I can say is WOW. I wish you guys good luck and hope my Eagles are ready for the game. Norhtside has played their selves out of a tough season, anyone who doubts it is crazy. Norsthside gets no respect from any of these “Atlanta team fans”, so no matter what happens in the Dome, they have had a great season. I love the fact that the 2007 AAAA champs meet the 2008 AAAAA champs. Although out of the three times Northside and Camden have met, Northside has won 2 Camden has won 1. Without a doubt, this is the biggest game of the season, with or without a championship at stake.
CopnBlue
December 5th, 2009
1:40 am
Southernpunk, know what you are talking about before you engage your mouth via post: Northside grad, Northside fan here….my school won, hero. Guess you weren’t smart enough to figure that out, but, don’t cry about it. I did mean to reference the game at Camden County last year. It’s payback time.
patriot
December 5th, 2009
4:53 am
Way to go Wilcox on your second ever title game! There has to be both good players as well as sound coaching involved in your journey to the dome. It has not been an easy trip for you having played many very good teams on the road, including a very worthy and undefeated Greenville team, an excellent undefeated Wesleyan team, and lastly a tough Clinch team. Good luck against Savannah Christian in the dome.
The recent experience against ECI in your only other championship game will not hurt but this one will be on a neutral field.
GRIFFINCHOKESAGAIN
December 5th, 2009
8:17 am
Enter your comments here
GRIFFINCHOKESAGAIN
December 5th, 2009
8:19 am
FROM A GRIFFIN BEAR FAN CONGRATS TO SANDY CREEK. YOUR DEFENSE MADE THE DIFFERENCE. IF #95 HAS THE TYPE OF GAME HE HAD LASTNITE YOU GUYS WILL WIN NEXT WEEK. GOOD LUCK FROM ALL THE GRIFFIN NATION
GridironBedlam
December 5th, 2009
8:22 am
to the fitzgerald faithful: last night’s game was one for the ages. what a great high school football game played by two exceptional football teams. the ‘canes football team plays SO HARD and is VERY GOOD. coach pruitt and his staff are VERY GOOD. the fitzgerald faithful were VERY LOUD and created a VERY COOL environment for football. your young men showed so much character and class on the field after the game. while i am a very proud parent of a buford football player, am more than excited about the outcome of the game, and believe the same about our team, coaches and fans, i simply wanted to extend my congratulations to you. you guys have every reason to be proud of fitzgerald football. very well done.
Geo
December 5th, 2009
9:39 am
According to BlackGold, Fitzgerald was driving before they fumbled the ball at their own 30. Pruitt runs for two yards on first down and the next play a fumble. Obviously, Buford didn’t “know” Fitz was going to score. They lined up to play defense and made a play at a critical point in the game. The game wasn’t over because of the fumble. The Fitz defense had a chance to get the ball back with plenty of time, but they couldn’t stop the Buford offense. Buford made the plays they had to in the last five minutes. They were not given anything and it sure wasn’t luck. Check the tape.
GridironBedlam
December 5th, 2009
10:05 am
i completely agree, geo. big time teams and players make big time plays in big time situations.
SCHS_FAN!
December 5th, 2009
10:14 am
Well you got one AAAA right….SANDY CREEK’S GOING TO THE DOME!!!
plowboy
December 5th, 2009
10:18 am
i an so glad the only two teams that beat Lowndes are in the State Championship Go Eagles!!!!!!bring it back to Region 1 AAAAA
B-well13
December 5th, 2009
10:24 am
In review of the comments posted for the last two weeks I find it odd that Northside has not been reconized for their past acomplishments. This program has been dominant the last 12yrs. They very seldom lose to anyone during the regular season and if they do, it is to their little brother Warner Robins and in the playoffs. It is the tradition that has been created that makes this program so special. This years team was not slated to be the region champs nor this deep in the playoffs. It was suppose to be a rebuilding year. I spoke with Kal Daniels a former eagle who went on to play baseball with the Dodgers and he stated that the Eagles were good this year and the only team that he felt that they would have a problem with was Lowdnes. Unbeknowst to him that Colquitt had a great team as he sat among their fans enjoying 1AAAAA fellowship at the MAC.
The thing that grabs my attention the most is the fact that AJC nor PBS give Northside any recognition when it comes to fielding atheletes. It seems that every time we reach it to this level it is something strange to them of who is this Northside team and where did they come from. WE THE FORMER GRADUATES OF NHS DO NOT SEE OURSELVES AS FANS WE ARE AND ALWAYS BE EAGLES TIL WE DIE.
By the way reporters and commentators check the records and see how many times we have been there and who beat us at that time. GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
B-well13
December 5th, 2009
10:28 am
Can anyone from Colquitt tell me where #4 Roberson/ Robertson is playing at next year. This kid has talent!
XL212
December 5th, 2009
10:30 am
NIKE SPARQ COMBINE – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12
XL212 is proud to announce a strategic partnership with NIKE to bring a SPARQ Football Combine to High School athletes in the Atlanta, GA area. All 9th-12th graders are invited to participate. This will be a great recruiting event for graduating seniors and benchmark event for underclassmen.
Registration for the SPARQ combine begins at 10:00am on Saturday, December 12th. The location for this SPARQ Combine is Blessed Trinity Catholic High School which is located at 11320 Woodstock Road, Roswell, GA.
The first 200 registered applicants will receive a free NIKE SPARQ T-Shirt compliments of XL212. XL212 is a sports marketing and management service that specializes in All-Star / Showcase events and NIKE sports camps for High Schools throughout the United States.
Requirements at registration desk will include signed and completed Registration Form, Waiver Release Form and payment for $50.00 made payable to XL212. Registration forms can be faxed to (678) 868-1832 by Thursday, December 10th. If forms are faxed, bring payment to Pre-Registration desk on Saturday morning.
This event is part of the Rotary Bowl Senior All-Star Football Game which contains 80+ senior all-stars from schools in North Fulton and Forsyth County. The All-Star game will be held on December 19th at Alpharetta High School with a 1:30pm kickoff. Tickets can be purchased at the game for $10.00
http://sparqcombine.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/atlanta-nike-sparq-combine/
BullDawg Rick
December 5th, 2009
10:31 am
Can you say “3-Peat” for the Buford Wolves!!!
Well Maybe… But we have to go thru a powerful Calhoun team in the Dome (our second home)…
I have stated previously that the loss to Lovett was the best thing that could happen to the Wolves… Made Buford “hungry” again!! & the D stepped up big once again…
Will be a great game!!
Best to ALL teams trekking to the UGA Dome!
B-well13
December 5th, 2009
10:33 am
Of the beaten path. There is a coach at Twiggs County High by the name of Dexter Copeland who is one on the best up and coming talents I see in the state. I know there are storied legends who still dawn the sideline but this kid is special. Keep your eyes on him.
B-well13
December 5th, 2009
10:36 am
Way to go PC (Peach County Trojans). Year after year you represent the middle Ga area with a good showing. Good Luck in the Dome.
Cane Daddy
December 5th, 2009
10:45 am
Congrats to Sandy Creek. You guys played a great game last night capitalizing on mis-ques by my Griffin Bears. Good luck next week. I will have to take my hat off to the Griffin Band of Gold – they continue to improve and were very entertaining. We should all hope that more parents get their children involved in extra-curricular activities
Southern Fan
December 5th, 2009
11:00 am
copnblue you have no couth. but then again, your name says it all. the way you blog sounds as if you have anger issues. I wish anyone who makes it this far the best of luck. it’s fans like you who get all pissy on the net that makes everyone want to ignore you. the game is about the players on the field not your immature remarks! good luck to your TEAM not you!
Fire DeVoursney
December 5th, 2009
11:20 am
Stevey D chokes again. He always tries to outcoach his opponents. His decision to onside at the beginning was idiotic. The Griffin players did not seem like they knew that was the call. Sandy Creek knew that Griffin likes gimmicks and they put some players with better hands in front on the kickoff. It certainly paid off. For all the talent that has come through Griffin High and to have only one state championship is inexcusable. It is time they find someone who can get them over the hump. DeVoursney WILL NEVER take a team to a state championship because he tries to outcoach everyone. You just have to play the game and play to your strengths. No gimmicks.
scoops576
December 5th, 2009
12:01 pm
To all of the supposed “NORTHERN GA” HS Football Powerhouses…..The Northside Eagles say
“SUCK IT”
ben talie
December 5th, 2009
12:14 pm
To everyone out there let’s congratulate all the teams that made the playoffs. Wish them luck at the dome next weekend. Who ever plays good defense and takes care of the ball will win. No more trash talking and let the boys play football. I am cheering for Camden they have a chance just like Northside Warner Robins for the state championship.
LHS Fan 86
December 5th, 2009
12:46 pm
I would like to wish both NSWR and Camden the best of luck and may the best team win. They both won against a very good Lowndes team and deserve to play for the state championship.
AA Region 6 Fan
December 5th, 2009
1:36 pm
Anyone who calls himself a football fan and doesn’t spend next weekend at the Dome is recently deceased. There are going to be five fabulous games. Fitzgerald must have a tremendous team since they put up so many points on Buford and took it to the wire, but, as I said, Buford’s coach is a great one and always has a great game plan. He is awesome at adjusting during games and always has a great passing game, but doesn’t pull it out til it’s needed – as against the Canes who thought Buford would just have a boring running game. 2-3 years ago in the state championship, they used that boring straight-up-the-middle running game, with only 2-3 sweeps and 2-3 passes, to beat us Lions 50 – 0. I would have loved to see the Buford-Fitz game last night even though I thought the Wolves would win. Instead I watched the other Fabulous AA game as Calhoun eliminated my Lions. Calhoun has another GREAT coach and I could tell that even before the game started just watching the offense warm up. Their linebackers and safeties make great reads and come up quickly to stop runs. They have several very good receivers and a QB who gets rid of the ball quicker than any I’ve seen – sacking him will be almost impossible even for Buford. They use the pass to set up the run and #5 got most of his numerous yards late in the game as a result. They also have the best high school kicker I’ve ever seen – with no wind in the Dome Buford will get NO opportunities to return kickoffs. If I were his coach, I would not hesitate to have him attempt a 55 yarder late in the game, or anytime I was confident in the defense enough to give the Wolves a short field, just in case he missed. AND DA’RICK ROGERS IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE BEST HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR CARRYING HIS TEAM TO VICTORY THAT I HAVE SEEN IN 50 YEARS OF WATCHING HS FOOTBALL. In the last two games alone, he has 16 catches for almost 450 yards and seven touchdowns. Doubleteaming him still doesn’t stop him, and it leaves four other good receivers available with a QB who can find the open one. Buford’s twin deep safeties defense is probably the best. If Buford blitzes and doesn’t get there in time, it’s a long gainer. It almost seems wise to rush two, double team #21 and #3 have two deep safeties and the other three playing zone, The QB can’t be read because he rarely looks at his intended receiver until just before he releases the pass. Only because Buford is their next opponent do I not predict, with no reservation at all, that the Jackets will win their first state championship since the 1950’s. During that period of time, Buford probably has more than any team other than Valdosta. Buford has size, tradition and confidence on their side with a great coaching staff and very well-coached/disciplined players but, in spite of several true D-1 prospects, no superstars(and apparently none needed). Calhoun has the edge in explosive scoring capability. If it gets down to clock control late in the game, I would go with Buford. If it gets down to a team needing 1-2 big plays late in the game, I would go with Calhoun. Calhoun will have to score often to offset Buford’s size wearing down the Jackets’ defense. If it comes down to kicking one or more field goals, it’s a toss up with both teams having great kickers with season long success – Calhoun’s seems to have more range. From Calhoun’s viewpoint, it would be demoralizing to have Buford eat up the clok with long scoring drives. From Buford’s viewpoint, it would be equally demoralizing to do that, just to have Calhoun get the ball and score in 3-4 plays. I’m so sorry that Lovett’s season has ended two victories short, and am so PROUD of this Lions team, but MAN, I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO SEE THE MOST EXCITNG(for unbiased fans) GAME TO BE PLAYED IN THE DOME THIS COMING WEEKEND!!! AA all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Griffin Guy
December 5th, 2009
1:56 pm
No excuses, Sandy Creek out coached and outplayed Griffin friday night. SC has alot of really good players and they capatalized on Griffin mistakes and won the game. The Griffin defense can be proud ( no TD’s against them and only 2 fg’s ) and the offense had some good plays, but for some reason the coach decided to throw deep 20 times. Made no sense. Good luck in the Dome Sandy Creek, you guys will give Clark Central all they can handle. Also, glad to see all the SC fans that showed up ro support their kids.
Panther Pride
December 5th, 2009
2:10 pm
Sooo where is the griffin fans at,i just want to hear yall opinions on the game.And can yall GRIFFIN fans explain to me how yall get to the semifinals 2 yrs in row and not make it to the big game.Playcalling?? or getting out coached??or both
MhsRaider09
December 5th, 2009
3:41 pm
congrats to Sandy Creek!!! finally the Region 5 gets somebody in the BIG GAME…also congrats to Clarke Central! this might sound dumb, but after losing to you guys in the 1st round, i rlly RLLY dnt feel that bad anymore becuz we lost to the eventual state champion or the state champion runner up. Lets go AAAA!!!! also… congrats to Camden County for their 2nd straight finals appearance. give those eagles a run 4 it.
MhsRaider09
December 5th, 2009
3:43 pm
and also(unless i overlooked something), the good sportsmanship award should be given to the Griffin Bears! the bloggers that got on here after their lost have been very kind and havnt made any rude comments or made any excuses as for their lost. Good job Bears!!!
MhsRaider09
December 5th, 2009
3:52 pm
BLACKGOLD
where ya at man? tha past couple of pages are filled wit your GO CANES and YOUR R.I.P. WOLVES… apparently Wolves can survive Hurricanes…
Cane Daddy
December 5th, 2009
4:01 pm
MhsRadier09,
Thanks for the kind remarks. The folks in G-town take a lot of pride in their football team. We have won, and we have lost but we understand that these are “high school” kids. We made mistakes last night that ultimately cost us the game but our defense only gave up 6 points! Our coaches, players, and fans can all hold their heads high. The 2010 season is just around the corner.
I must correct *Panther Pride*. Please refrain from ending a sentence with a preposition.
blue blooded
December 5th, 2009
4:15 pm
I graduated with Dexter Copeland and you’re right he is talented….CLASS OF 1988 NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL…THATS RIGHT///EAGLES BABY..TIL WE DIE
Griffin Guy
December 5th, 2009
4:38 pm
Truth be known, I’d like to see Griffin and Sandy Creek play about 3 more times. There were so many good players on the field on both sides, it was like watching a good college game. Both Defenses were tough and there were alot of exciting plays for both teams. Good luck next Friday / Saturday to all the teams playing in the Dome. I might have to go Saturday and watch a few games.
Jammer
December 5th, 2009
4:52 pm
Just wanted to chime in here and say Great season to the Colquitt County Packers. Those guys have nothing to hang there heads about. With only 3 losses on the year and 2 of those losses playing for the State Chapionship next week at the dome. The 3rd loss came from a very good Lowndes team that capitalized on the mistakes we gave them early in the season. If anything we serverd notice this year that we are contenders again. With our returning players and great coaching we will be HOG WILD and ready to make another run at it next year.
To Camden and Northside, play your best next week and may the best team win, I’ll be the neatral fan at the Dome rooting fo a good game
Good Luck