Validating the bias: Gwinnett teams go 10-1 in first round
It was a fun first round. I still think the score was reversed on the Northside game. I might be ready to believe that Whitewater won, but at no point was the score 28-0. Just don’t believe it. …
No need to kick the Eagles when their down. It had been 13 straight first-round wins until Whitewater beat the No. 1-ranked team in Class AAAA 28-21.
Meanwhile, three of my favorite biases – Gwinnett County, Region 1-AA and Region 6-AA – were impressive in the first round. About 90 percent of the time when there’s a team ranked despite a questionable W-L record, it’s a team from one of these places.
Is there a Gwinnett bias in the AJC rankings? Generally, yes. It’s because Gwinnett teams so often deliver in the playoffs.
Mill Creek 32, Etowah 6.
Parkview was the only Gwinnett team to lose, and it took a 52-yard FG by a region champion playing at home to do it. The rest went 10-0. Four of them won on the road vs. higher-seeded teams.
There was a complaint in an early season Poll Talk blog that it was a Gwinnett conspiracy to have all its AAAAA teams put in two regions, thereby ensuring eight Gwinnett teams would make the playoffs.
Instead, Gwinnett got a bad deal because ONLY eight Gwinnett teams could’ve made the playoffs. Is there any doubt that Peachtree Ridge (which has beaten No. 4 McEachern) and Dacula (which has beaten No. 3 Brookwood) would’ve made the playoffs in just about every region except the ones they played in? Would those teams have won regions 5 and 6?
Meanwhile, Region 1-AA (Thomasville, Fitzgerald, Cook) and Region 6-AA (Buford, Westminster, Lovett) also stood up in the first round. They fare perennial winners in the playoffs: Westminster (7-3) beat North Oconee (9-1), and Lovett (7-3) beat Elbert County (9-1), and Fitz clobbered Dublin. This is why teams like Westminster and Thomasville stay in the rankings with three losses.
Now, for things I wasn’t so smart about. …
-Northside & TCC. Nobody saw Northside coming, but I gave Thomas Central too much benefit of the doubt with its two losses. TCC, which lost 15-0 to Dutchtown, was not a top 10 team.
-Region 3-AAAA: When Griffin couldn’t beat teams badly enough, the Bears began dropping in the polls for winning ugly. Maybe the region was better than we thought. Dutchtown, Whitewater, Starr’s Mill and Griffin all advanced in the first round.
-Grady & Region 5-AAA. I wrote off Grady after the Blessed Trinity loss and wrote off St. Pius after the Grady loss. No teams from this region are rankings, but I’ve got to think at least one ought to be now after a 4-0 sweep in the first round.
-Coastal Georgia: Not saying I should’ve ranked Statesboro or Ware or Glynn Academy or Brunswick, but those teams apparently are pretty goood. That region swept Region 4, which I can’t say that we overrated since Lovejoy didn’t get ranked until it became 9-0.
-Burke/WaCo: Overrated, and I was guilty. In fact, Washington County has been the team that I have most consistently overrated the past three seasons, each time getting as high as No. 5 in AAA only to drop out of the playoffs early.
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417 comments Add your comment
Stephenson Football Alum
November 15th, 2010
7:39 pm
@REALLY”TRUE JAGUAR FAN”"… I know these kids personally and I have been in their shoes… To say that they are all Individuals and are not a Team, is not fair to them! To Blame their Parents is not fair as well! Football is the Ultimate Team Sport… You do not go 9-1 because you are not a Team… That all Opinions and everyone is entitled to them.
Sir, The Fact is this… Stephenson has more players on active College Rosters than any other Highschool in GA. Probably more playing on the professional level than any other as well. We have been sending players to College and to the Pros… But are coaches for the last 10 years have not been able to put together a team to Win a State Championship…
I admit this is not the most talented Team we have had, but there are alot of Teams with far less Talent that will be playing next weekend!
Let’s Be Real… To say that their Off Season Hard Work gives them an excuse to lose in the season is not True at all! As a matter of FACT not Opinion, Last Season one of our Major Recruits that commited to UGA did not commit until late after the season so that he can help his fellow TEAMMATES get looks from Colleges… These are the type of Gentleman we are!
Your Opinions may seem logical, but they are just not true. You should see the number of Former Players (Both Collegiate and Pro) that come back to help out the Current Players…
As far as Blown assignments, these things happen and are normally caused when you try to do too much… In Football Execution is Coached. There were not many Blown Assignments as there players not in position to make the plays. As far as the agruing on the sideline… That comes from frustation.. not selfishness! This happens when you know you can do better but are not! To say that our players are not Cream of the Crop is your Opinion as well… There must be something right for so many colleges to come here and Recruit!
Sure we are MAD and next year Stephenson will once again have a Team Full of Talent and we will see what happens… Hopefully the Coaches will figure this thing out!!!
NG 17
November 15th, 2010
7:46 pm
There will be four 5A Gwinnett Teams left after this Friday.
Brookwood over Norcross in a close game
Collins Hill by 2TDS over Roswell
South Gwinnett over Mill Creek
North Gwinnett over Grayson.
I Think there would be 6 teams left if we didn’t have to play each other.
piodol
November 15th, 2010
7:53 pm
Gwinnett produces in the playoffs? What happened last year when North Gwinnett was crushed on both lines by Camden?
ron
November 15th, 2010
7:57 pm
Hillgrove come on down and get your beating,,,next
BulldawgBite
November 15th, 2010
8:07 pm
As a NG fan im fairly confident about our game against grayson. the only thing that would worry me is if it is really hard to move the ball on them early. they arent the type of team to put tons of points on the board though. Im still not sure who i want to win between Valdosta and McEachern. If valdosta wins we are at home for sure. But i feel they are probably tougher than McEachern. Good luck to all teams and im sure there will be some great games this friday!
Terry
November 15th, 2010
8:07 pm
OK, Here are arguabely the best regions statewide in 2010, based on team rankings of 1-4 in the playoffs having won all their games this week.
7-AAAAA
3-AAAA
5-AAA
1-AA and 6-AA
No region A teams won all four games.
glw
November 15th, 2010
8:15 pm
Stephenson High’s playoff woes sound very similar to trends that I have noticed with Dekalb as well as Atlanta Public School for years. I agree with some of the posters that the problems boil down to coaching and game preparation. I am a product of Atlanta public schools and a fan for over 20 years and I cant count the number of times when I have seen teams come out and be totally flat. Kids play out of position and just the overall preparedness to play big games doesnt seem to be there. I saw MLK play against Newnan and East Coweta, MLK totally outplayed both of them for the most part and ending up losing to Newnan. And the talent level wasnt even near as close agains East coweta, yet the game went down to the final minute. While talent is a big part of the equation, as well as hard work, so much of a teams success depends on the coaching.
The Cannon Rules!!!
November 15th, 2010
8:31 pm
@ Tiger4Life…
Sorry but I have to disagree about the averages…you mention schemes & designs and how team A matches up against team B…a team with a “D” that is VERY stingy and gives up low points per game averages MATCHES up VERY well “on paper” against a team that is going “lights out” and winning games by huge margins. If Team “A” with the stingy “D” holds TEAM “B” to a very low scoring level (something they ARE not used to having happen) Team “A” has just turned the game in their favor! Add into this equation the Team with the stingy “D” having an offense that scores on a regular basis and you have a WINNING FORMULA!!!!
TICK…TICK…TICK…BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
GO RAIDERS!!!
Trojan94
November 15th, 2010
8:39 pm
chili cheese Now thsts one thing that some carrollton fans and peach co fans have in common. I for one love to sit on the vistors side during home games. i love to chat with other fans to me it’s like going into hostile territory but i am not overly arrogant i just talk a little smack when carrollton scores. but it’s all in fun. i never take it to far but just enough to get everybody going. LOL!
WarEagle
November 15th, 2010
8:49 pm
Montanto — can you save some of that crow for poor.ole.lambert, just in case?
longhorn
November 15th, 2010
9:29 pm
Those odds came from Massey Ratings. They rate eveyrthing from Highschool thru NFL all over the counrty. they use strengh of schedule, offensive and defensive stats and state rankings. It’s an intresting site it let you compare teams head to head from region all over the US. You can compare teams from here with teams from California. It give you something to think about.
Tiger4Life
November 15th, 2010
9:30 pm
@montanto ; good to see you’re ok, and state championship weekend I buy the first round.
@The Cannon Rules!!! ; By your on logic TUCKER will win the title this year. We avg. the most points in all of GHSA football at 45 points per game and only give 10. thats a 35 avg. margin of vitory which is highest in all of GHSA. Do me a favor and trun on the Moday Night game PHI has scored 28 points in the first quater due to great play calling and preparation. They are all professional athletes, so explain that with “A’s” and ” “B’s”
IndianFan46
November 15th, 2010
9:49 pm
Stephenson fans and supporters. I can feel the hurt that all of you are expressing in the blogs. I feel sorry for you guys. The shock and humility you express stems from the fact that you expected to easily win the game against Hillgrove. Perhaps you were over confident, unpreprepared, etc,…I am a McEachern Indians fan and will ride that bus until it falls off the cliff. However, I did see Hillgrove vs McEachern game and witnessed the talent that this team possesses. I saw a couple of Stephenson games on Comcast GHSA Football and was not impressesed with your team. You possess lots of talent but I figured you would gel together and eventually play to the level of your talent. Region 4-AAAAA is a solid region and now everyone can take notice of not only McEachern, but Hillgrove and Harrison as well. MAYBE, you were beaten by a better team.
Also, get ready Valdosta fans!!! The McEachern Indians will do to you what Michael Vick is doing to the Washington Redskins. All kidding aside. We look forward to the challenge. Can’t wait til Friday!!!!
poor.ole.lambert
November 15th, 2010
9:52 pm
@ Tiger4Life … Based on the logic … Tucker should win
Guess who they would be playing using the same logic? The only 2 teams to have these kind of numbers
THOROUGHBRED
November 15th, 2010
10:10 pm
@valleyboy32
The RB #21 for Whitewater is Josh Clemons. He has offers from lower tier D1 schools. If he hasn’t got any offers from any better D1 teams I’m sure he will soon. I know a bunch of bigger D1 schools have been looking at him but have not offered yet. One of those teams is UGA. If UGA offers I heard he would commit. Clemons dad played at UGA so he grew up a bulldog. Funny thing is my boys Sandy Creek beet these cross county chumps week 1 of the season and we dropped to 2nd in the polls behind your boys Peach Co. I assume your a Peach Co fan with valley in your name. If so our teams are on a collision course.
LSJU82
November 15th, 2010
10:16 pm
poor.ole.lambert, I’ll take Marist and the five touchdowns. Your line is trending way up since the weekend when it was only four Hooch by four touchdowns. Sounds like Hooch could win 5A also. Like Boise State and TCU, they clearly aren’t getting enough love. To steal a line from Pat Forde at ESPN.com, you are driving the Hooch Bus.
GwinnettDad
November 15th, 2010
10:30 pm
@Ed, no need to respond to ATL. It was obvious that this person had a monumental chip on his shoulder when he complained about referees. Conspiracy wackos aren’t reasoned with. They actually should be pitied.
@Lowndes 96 – Haven’t seen Mill Creek play either, have seen South Gwinnett, and I’m taking SG because of their passing game. If the Norcross team shows up, they could clobber Brookwood. But they may not show up, since I can’t explain their two shut out losses otherwise. Brookwood beat Collins Hill early in the season 45-38 in 2 OT, Collins Hill beat Norcross 42-0 later. Brookwood will NOT win by 49, and may not win at all. Who can figure? Somehow NG will beat Grayson, and I have Collins Hill over Roswell.
(If Brookwood wins and if Camden wins, where is their round 3 game? Is it a flip of the coin for 2 #1 seeds? Regardless of the game site, I’m taking Camden)
Somehow I sense Colquitt over MLK, mainly because of Region-2-itis. And somehow I figure Valdosta will out quick McEachern despite the long bus ride. Lowndes over Newnan.
TheTruthHurts
November 15th, 2010
10:31 pm
@REALLY”TRUE JAGUAR FAN – It is obvious that you are on the coaching staff. I played college football in the SEC, and understand the responsibilities of the coaching staff. I am convinced that these kids want to win but need guidance. It’s the coach’s responsibility to motivate and prepare his players for games. I have follow Stephenson for years, and I am NOT by far impress with the current coaching staff.
Coaching makes all the different in High School football. Examples (Valdosta, Tucker) – Valdosta has made three coaching changes in eight years because those coaching were fired for not winning BIG games, Not because they did not have winning seasons. Their current coach won 2 state titles at Peach County prior to leaving for an opportunity to coach at the colleague level at Georgia Southern. Valdosta is 10 -1 and my pick to win it in 5 -A. Tucker hired an assistant from Camden County. This is his fourth year and he has won one state title, lost in the finals to Northside and made it to the third round the other year. We all know Northside moved up in classification the following year and lost to Camden County in the finals. Tucker is 11 – 0 and it would not surprise me if the y won it in 4 – A.
Folks it time for a change at Stephenson, he will eventually win one just as Buck Goffrey did with a loaded team in 1995 with Quincy Carter at QB prior to Stephenson and MLK existing when he got the best talent in Dekalb County. One title in 40 years, GO FIGURE! These are the two most underachieving head coaches in Georgia High School football. I was told Gatrell was on Buck’s coaching staff prior to becoming the head coach over at Shamrock. It not like he won at Shamrock, the school closed and Stephenson was opening and needed a coach. I feel for the kids, parents and communities. This is so sad.
bksmith14
November 15th, 2010
11:00 pm
i say lowndes or camden will be facing valdosta or north gwinnett before it is all said and done. defense win titles and camden may have a slight edge in that area over lowndes at the moment . gwinnett has the edge over valdosta on d. its going to be interesting to say the least. i am sticking with lowndes. they are healthy and have made some changes that i feel will be key. i am not saying we cant beat camden at camden but i certainly feel we can at home. newnan first then collins hill. 2 tough teams but we shd take care of business as long as we stay focused
GwinnettDad
November 15th, 2010
11:02 pm
@anijahsdad – you described not only Stephenson but Brookwood. Whatever back is lined up behind the QB will get the ball, except for a rare counter play. Misdirection against a good team seems mandatory. Coach Crews just doesn’t seem to have that in his playbook, year after year. When Lowndes clobbered a previously undefeated Brookwood team in 2005 in the State Championship, the Broncos had no idea who had the ball or where the runner was going to get the ball. However, Lowndes had somebody that literally seemed to lineup IN Brookwood’s backfield, since he’d get there just about the time the Bronco runner would get the ball.
@REALLY “TRUE JAGUAR” FAN – parents DO make a tremendous difference in helping a team be a team. As @Dacula mentioned above, Brookwood beat a Stephenson team 42-21 in 2005 at Korky Kell in 2005 that was loaded with talent. However, Stephenson has always seemed to be crowing about the last play, rather than quickly preparing for the NEXT play. Have seen it ad nauseum whenever Stephenson makes Comcast over the years. Dave Hunter at Brookwood used to run seminars in how parents can keep a good football program year after year.
IndigoJag
November 15th, 2010
11:14 pm
Coach Moore was the first Head Coach at Stephenson. I like Gatrell,- I just think Stephenson need a change and some diversity on the coaching staff. My daughter play Basketball at Stephenson when they only won 2 games. We demanded a change and the head coach promised the boosters a state title… well 2 state titles later the program is well respected. We continue to buy into ” wait until next year” 10 years later….. we are still waiting. Maybe next year… right?
Toole
November 15th, 2010
11:43 pm
Dutchtown will be a spoiler. They play REAL fundamental football.
Bulldawg 15
November 15th, 2010
11:47 pm
Can some1 please stop the Stephenson talk. It’s already getting old and it hasn’t even been a week since the loss. We need more talk about teams that are still in the playoffs.
true blue
November 15th, 2010
11:48 pm
STEPHENSON, what coach in their right mind would want to coach at STEPHENSON for what the county pay. I know like hell the BOOSTER CLUB want pay for a coach, because hell they can;t get the parents to participate in anything. At Stephenson it’s always the same people doing everything in all sports, but they want to complain. What need to happen is more parents support instead of the same people doing everything.
war eagle
November 16th, 2010
12:21 am
i love the people who take marist’s regular season record and say they’re “mediocre” heading into the playoffs. have you not learned ANYTHING in the last decade?
Jammer
November 16th, 2010
12:35 am
OK I have heard enough about the woes at Stephenson, if ya’ll feel so strongly about it being the coach, here is a sugestion. Attend a county school board meeting and make your opinions known to the people you elected to represent you, and stop all the whining on this blog. Like 16 other teams last weekend your season ended, move on and get ready for next year and enjoy watching the rest of the play offs
dagrapevine
November 16th, 2010
12:59 am
mlk didn’t score 40 plus pnts against valdosta.the final was 42-28 valdosta.valdosta is loaded and well coached.they are peaking at the right time.
warhawk
November 16th, 2010
1:31 am
@snoopy……I agree the Gwinnett Co. being the best in USA (in small geographic area)….IMO it is because of the Youth Program – The GFL. The GFL is one of the largest and best organized in the whole Country (look it up). Each of the High School’s have a youth program associated with it (thus the same kids are playing together from the age of 6). The Gwinnett County Park System (GCPS) builds a new park for every high school built (with football, baseball/softball & soccer fields). It is a very well-oiled machine, the produces talents in all sports. The GCPS has even archived awards/commendations from Sports Illustrated, and from National & State Parks associations.
The Cannon Rules!!!
November 16th, 2010
7:06 am
@ Tiger4Life …
You are reading “too much” into my comments…I was only pointing our that
1) CLARKE CENTRAL had 6 of it’s 10 wins against teams with .500 or LESS records,
2) that MAYBE CLARKE CENTRAL had not really been tested yet,
3) that the RAIDER “D” is averaging allowing a VERY slim 10+ points per game,
4) that the RAIDER Offense has proved it can score against VERY good teams all year long
Will this mean anything come friday night…?????…maybe yes, maybe no
Additionally I NEVER said TUCKER would not win this friday…I DID say that EAST PAULDING had beat HIRAM earlier in the year and said it depended on which HIRAM team showed up. THEY can play very aggressive and error free ball when they want to BUT a weak link is their QB! HIRAM can win, from a Paulding County standpoint I hope they pull off the upset…Realistically, again TUCKER should win and may win BIG!!!
EAST PAULDING wants this game to prove they can win the big game…they have played good all year with only a few lapses in judgement…the SPRAYBERRY loss taught a good lesson on being prepared and playing a complete game…this RAIDER team has improved with every game!!!
TICK…TICK…TICK…BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!
Rufus S. DeMann
November 16th, 2010
7:39 am
Just for the MLK Lion supporters: Colquitt ain’t nothin but a bunch of poor, tiny, little, undersized Hawgs. You fellers shouldn’t have no problem. No sir, you shouldn’t. I mean ya really shouldn’t. But I don’t thnk we gonna forfeit….(Smile). See ya Friday night in Hallford.
MHC Tiger
November 16th, 2010
8:33 am
Peach co fans, allow me to apologize and preface my earlier statement. Again you have a wonderful team and program, unfortunately my experience with about 30 of your fans tainted and supported my pre-conceived impression of Central and S Ga.. By no means do a few fans make an indictment on the student body, their families, friends and fans. My apology. Good Luck the rest of the way.
dagrapevine
November 16th, 2010
8:36 am
rufus will lse be available in the parking lot before tensions begin?
go colquitt,lowndes and of course valdosta.
Wildcat12
November 16th, 2010
8:49 am
Snoopy, how can you say that Gwinnett County has the best High School Football in the country, yet have they played for a national championship? There is no doubt that Gwinnett County has some of the best football in the state, but the entire U.S.A thats pushing it dont you think?
amaysing
November 16th, 2010
9:16 am
Ed, Tiger4life,Gwinnettdad, It’s such a sad situation when the winners themselves(Clarke Central) are not blogging my comments, becuase they know the truth!!!! They are not and will not ever truly be champs because they CHEATTTT what part of cheat do you guys not understand boo they do not have raw , real ,talent or a solid team . They have been playing teams in there comfort zone at home . The only reason they beat Flowery Branch was because Flowery Branch wanted to beat SWD and stay at home so they didnt even play their starters against these cheaters and again they won home field please dont get it twisted Mays played a great game I can’t say a bad thing about my team (Mays High all day)however they cant beat the team and their refs let be clear !!!!! and they will not move forward becuase they will never be real baby, Champs for real!!! And Gwinnettdad your county was one of the counties that helped push the GHSA to play the game big in the Ga Dome due you guys complaining about a neutral site being needed to not have this issue two years ago when North Gwinnett went up to Lowndes County in 07-08 football season and lost 34-6 and they treated them like crap so Gwinnettdad get off your high horse dude!!
Hey THE CANNON RULES you are correctr in your stats and that does matter who you challenge during the season Mays played in one the tuffest regions this year so I am proud of my guys all day .Do your thing man go handle those cheaters they aint real man, they can’t beat East Paulding or anybody else outside their refs baby. Clark Central where yall at tell the real!!! Shsss I though not….Oh one more thing Mr.Ed you’re correct I am not a man I am a woman how real is that for you:)And we will see you all in Basketball so true!!!!The hill been real baby..Holla Back
cougar
November 16th, 2010
9:33 am
NEWNAN IS THE SLEEPER EVERYONE dont look ahead like grayson did with northside warner robins and newnan pulled it out!!! chris robinson an unknown talent with lendall arnold unknown talent!!! and THE REGULAR SEASON IS OVER NOW ITS THE 2ND SEASON THE REGULAR SEASON DOESNT MATTER IF YOU GET HOT IN THE PLAYOFFS ITS HARD TO BEAT YOU!!! GO COUGARS!!!!
Ed
November 16th, 2010
9:52 am
@amaysing — well that explains why you are crying over the loss like a girl.
HeadEast
November 16th, 2010
10:10 am
Cannon – Next stop for the Raiders will be Starr’;s Mill, if we beat CC. Home games look iffy because 7 of 8 #1’s won last week but we might get lucky. Going to be a very tough game with Clarke Central because: 1) they can throw the ball, 2) we have trouble on the road (Kell, Sprayberry, and Pope), and 3) most importantly, they own the refs!!!!!!!
Raiders 42 – Glads + Refs 35.
valleyboy32
November 16th, 2010
10:41 am
chilliecheese you right i’ll compare our fans to philadelphia eagels fans if it snowed in the valley i’m pretty sure snow balls would be flying towards the enemy. but thanks for the info on that running back from whitewater i hope he get more d-1 looks and as sandycreek if we stop their passing game we’ll be okay just cant have to overly aggresive corner play
IndianFan46
November 16th, 2010
11:06 am
Go McEachern Indians. It’s time to show the state of GA who is the BIG DAWG. Valdosta comes to town for what is sure to be an epic battle. We look forward to the challenge!!!!
Also, I am pulling for Hilgrove to take out Camden. Not an easy job but it can be done.
Nunzio Fusco...
November 16th, 2010
11:34 am
..GRADY… GRADY… GRADY HIGH SCHOOL… has the AJC forgotten that we are in Atlanta/Southside.. yet each week never do we have an update in the paper in that section.. Woodward & Westminster are not the only teams that are playing in the playoffs.. **Yes, we lost to Blessed Trinity which was unfortunate considering we had “FOUR SEPERATE TOUCHDOWNS” CALLED BACK BY REFEREES that were not seeing things both ways that evening!! But we are here now.. in the playoffs – please AJC – we are less than 2 miles from your headquarters.. Remember we are that great diversified school that sits next to da beautiful Piedmont Park off 10th street.. remember… we hope to see u this week.. or maybe show up in the paper win or lose.. As we say @ Grady High School… “GK… GK… WE ALL WE GOT!!” C’mon mannn -Fughedaboutit
Roswellhortnets
November 16th, 2010
11:35 am
Ed, I agree with your comments reagrding “amaysing”. Also “amaysing” should take 2 steps back from the bridge on I-285 and relax. Please stop crying about cheating and the refs….you really can’t be serious ? When adults start blaming the refs, then you really should try to be objective and look at the talent on the field. While I have seen questionable calls over the years in football, I would never go so far as to “blame the refs” and complain about “cheating”. Generally after 7-10 games, your team is what it is. Any team in the top 4 seeds in any region can go on a run this time of year and win the chanptionship with good play on the field and good coaching ; just like a power-house team can have a bad night or an untimely turnover and lose a close game and get eliminated from the playoffs. But blaming the refs and crying about “cheating”………..come on man.
amaysing
November 16th, 2010
11:38 am
Ed, has it ever entered into your head that clarke central can speak for themselves and it apparent they know they are not champs, and I’m proud to know as a WOMAN I know when to shut up and talk real football baby !!!
Head East , You are so correct Clarke Central do own the refs!!! and going into their house for any team they need to understand that that who they will be mainly opossing are the refs because they need them to win. It doesnt matter how well they throw the ball it will difintely be a catch even if its out,or a good ruffin the passer call will certainly do the trick you better beleive they have a outfit for the ref.
amaysing
November 16th, 2010
11:47 am
Roswellhornet it obvious you havent been reading these blogs and have jump on Eds band wagon because you have nothing to say concerning football. If you start reading the blogs from friday until today I am not the only one to make this same comment, and it does matter if someone cheats because they arent really not playing solid football. Becuase there are far more better teams team that play hard without help and deserve not to have the zebra on the field make decision based on a bias rather than talent. It obvious that okay with you and your click but guess what, it takes true heart to play this game and if Clarke Central will be representing that will be a sad representation what champions are made of dude.
ricohman
November 16th, 2010
11:59 am
@IndianFan46… Of course you’re pulling for Hillgrove, you tremble at the thought of having to face Camden yourselves. We take it one game at a time. Hillgrove… Welcome to Thunder Alley, looking forward to a great game. We look past no one and respect every opponent. Hillgrove fans and players have a safe trip. Until McEachern wins it all like Parkview, Lowdnes, and Camden, your dawg can’t even get off the porch least of all run with the big dawgs!!
Middle Ga Guy
November 16th, 2010
12:01 pm
@MHC Tiger don’t apologize to peach county lol EVERYBODY in Middle Ga knows their fans are rude and ignorant it comes with tha territory when u go to Peach County…..SMH
hurricane gurl
November 16th, 2010
12:05 pm
Peach county has the easiest road to the dome…WOW no challenge at all im dissapointed!!! the only real good team on that bracket is Grady and i dnt see them giving Peach a big challenge
1993Trojan
November 16th, 2010
12:32 pm
Middle Ga Guy,
We invite you to travel to Fort Valley this Friday night for our game. I live in Atlanta and will be driving down myself…so feel free to join us and by all means, be my guest!
Newnan#1
November 16th, 2010
12:36 pm
everyone here is a shocker where back,,. every year Newnan is counted out every year we come through. last year we beat grayson at grayson. this year its lowndes and we will beat them at lowndes.
Transplant from South Florida
November 16th, 2010
12:40 pm
Just transferred from Fort Lauderdale to the metro area. There are some good football teams in Ga as there are in Fl. I have been in Ga for 2 months now, and have had the opportunity to checkout some high school football games. The teams here don’t have the speed of a Fl school, but the teams in Ga have size and some players possess both. For the better part of the games that I have seen, defense has the majority of the athletes. Had achance to see Camden play my home team St Thomas and I have to say after reading a lot of the blogs about how Camden made the St Thomas receovers look good, because Camden team was not good. That is far from the truth as you can get. Could Camden have beat The us? I don’t think so. Did Camden have the athletes to compete? Yes. It is really hard to beat a competetive program on their home field. You cannot turn the ball over or make mistakes. Why? A good team will make you regret it. This is what happened to Camden. They turned the ball over and it cost them. The second half showed what Camden was capable of doing, but as they were about to take the lead, a turnover and we scored a touchdown on our next possession. I would not look past a team like Camden or think because they gave up over 40 points to us and Central that you can pass on them easy. They may be a running team, but they can score a lot of points and in a hurry. I am sure they have improved since that game. I saw North Gwinnett play because because like most I had heard all of the hype about their program. Heard a lot about Camden in the stands and could not figure that one out. They have a good team, but it was hard to tell becuase Lassitter was not that good a team. North Gwinnett did what ever they wanted to, as I was talking to some fans they said that North Gwinnett had beaten Lassitter earlier in the year and that Lassitter looked the same or worse. So I could not tell the magnitude of who they were. Plan on catching the the Grayson game on friday, hopefully that will prove to be more competitive. That #10 for North Gwinnett will make a nice addition to Auburn, don’t see him as a QB though, more of a receiver or tight end. I have to get use to defense and running. Few teams in Florida run the ball the way they do in Ga. You can tell the teams that particpate in passing clinics versus the ones who don’t. Creates a bond between QB an receivers, that is a clear advantage for a passing team. Still have to run to keep the defense honest. Also you have to have an offensive line to keep pressure off of the QB. Hopfefully the Ga playoffs get competitive as the better teams surface. As good as Gwinnett may or may not be, don’t think they could beat St Thomas, not even at home. I must though that it was impressive the number of fans from Camden showed up in Fort Luderdale. Had chance to speak with a lot of them before the game and they were very nice, never bragged about their team, but looked forward to a good game. Even when they were down, they still remained positive until the end. The stands stayed full until the game was over. That speaks volumes. I personnaly think that if they had confidence in their passing game it may have been a different outcome. They have some tall fast receivers, but their style of offense is not condusive to passing. Don’t know if that was a home and home series with St Thomas, but if St Thomas does come to Ga, I will be there. Does anyone know if the Central and Camden game was a home and home? There’s not much blogging in high school football in Fl. You pretty much just talk about your team and how they are doing and what changes they should make to get better, and stats and stuff. We don’t get into what some other team that we have never seen play is doing or is not doing. Has bearing on your team. The conversation beomes dull and boring when you talk about a school that uou have never played and may never play.
bksmith14
November 16th, 2010
12:48 pm
cougar i am sorry to tell you but newnan is not running into lowndes at a good time. i expect a much better game than the 42-6 thumping groves took with lowndes playing jv most of the 2nd half. more like a 27-13 game. you guys want score more than 2 tds against us i can assure you.