On to the semifinals: Pick the winners, and the players of the year
On to the semifinals in the state playoffs …
Two questions per classification today – Who is you pick (team) to win it, and who is your player of the year in each class?
Mine:
AAAAA –
Team: Grayson. Just liking the defense. Grayson has led 31-0, 23-0 and 20-0 entering the fourth quarters of their three playoff victories, and the Nkemdiche brothers are wreaking havoc. But can they score enough points?
Player: Collins Hill QB Taylor Heinicke is 284-of-431 for 3,906 yards and 43 touchdowns. Hard to beat that.
AAAA –
Team: Tucker. The most talent and a coaching staff that’s won before.
Player: Chattahoochee QB Timmy Byerly has accounted for 3,595 yards and 48 touchdowns rushing and passing. Note that you can pick a player whose team is done, such as Brian Randolph of Kell.
AAA—
Team: Sandy Creek. The Sandy Creek-Peach County game this week is as good a matchup as this season has given us.
Player: Peach County RB Travis Richmond went for over 250 last week vs. Grady and has right at 1,800 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns.
AA—
Team: Carver, although I think Buford is playing pretty dang good right now.
Player: Carver RB Isaiah Crowell has been injured much of the season, but he ran for 300 yards and five TDs last week vs. Thomasville.
A—
Team: Wesleyan. Or Clinch. But I’ll say Wesleyan.
Player: Wilcox County QB Nick Marshall threw for over 2,700 yards and 41 TDs and rushed for right at 650 yards.
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192 comments Add your comment
yoo
November 30th, 2010
2:37 pm
ya’ll cant beat tucker cause they be so kushed up before the game they on fire.
SportsFan31313
November 30th, 2010
2:44 pm
BURKE CO. NO.1 FAN
I am hoping that you all do win. but the team you are playing is definitely no slouch. Remember, I predicted that Burke County make it this far anyway in the previous weeks. I even said that they will beat Baldwin County. I was right all along with Burke County. but now comes the most toughest game Burke will ever play against. I wish you all well. no disrespect to Burke County.
wolfbait 67
November 30th, 2010
2:49 pm
come on girls, on this site we encourage our teams not finger point at each other…..we have enough Wolf bashers out there without bashing each other..on the Cook County game, it was anyones for the taking, when we went up by 2 td, Cook came roaring (excuse me, came swarming back)to cut it to 1 score..Cook has a very good program and a Coach that knows how to get the most out of its players…Hope to see y’all at Macon come March
B-TownWolves4Peat
November 30th, 2010
2:52 pm
And Buford Mom, buford did try to move up but the reason they didn’t wasn’t because they got blocked it was because of the region they were going to get put in! We wanted to play in the Hall county region, which would had maid good since but they was afraid of getting put in a region that was in north Ga!
CalhounFan
November 30th, 2010
3:52 pm
I’m a ‘00 Calhoun alum, and I used to follow the team very close…until I came to the realization that Calhoun is the Boise State of AA. We play in one of the weakest regions in AA, evidenced by the fact that it’s been a decade since we lost a region game. We never win the big one, Charlton was close (we should’ve won), but Buford wasn’t. I doubt we’ll get to the big one this year, but I hope I’m wrong.
valleyboy32
November 30th, 2010
4:07 pm
all i’m saying how do your qb go from getting kicked off the team to on again top of that you get a suppose to be d-1 recruit from some sorry school and all of a sudden you suppose to just walk through peach i dont matter who you get yall aint played anyone and i dont belive yall can handle adversity so sandy mae i ment creek you gonna get a big dose of trojan power
Jacket Speed
November 30th, 2010
4:18 pm
Calhounfakefan,
You obviously don’t follow closely now. The difference between Boise and Calhoun is we have a play off system to shut everyone like you up. Calhoun hasn’t won the show yet but beat a lot of good teams, Buford was best, Calhoun 2nd best. How is that Boiseish? Carver Columbus plays in region 5AA, the second weakest region in the state. Coosa, who is 7AA that didn’t even make the play offs this year beat the #2 in 5AA.
Oh and 3 points was the deficit at the Dome last year. That’s not close? Buford was the better team that day. Calhoun was 2nd best in all regions of AA. Weak???
CalhounFan
November 30th, 2010
4:33 pm
You’re right, I don’t follow closely anymore. I take you at your word on the stats. I have no ill will for my alma mater; in fact, I hope we win it all. BUT…history isn’t on our side. Boise has won 2 BCS games, one over Oklahoma. They beat VT this year. Likewise, Calhoun has won a few games against elite teams. Both play WEAK regular seasons, and always have great records, but never win it all. Maybe the Braves would be a better comparison during their 14 straight D titles…1/14, we’re 0/10.
Jacket Speed
November 30th, 2010
4:49 pm
No harm, just we have so many haters locally and most don’t even know anything about the program. All the way down to the rec leagues Calhoun city dominates, running the same containment defense and some spread option offense that the boys of Friday night do. Playing at a middle school that has lost very few games in years.
Calhoun is supposed to lose Friday night, if they do, I am still a fan. That being said, I believe this D can play with anyone in the state, so this should be a battle of atheletes vs well disciplined teamers.
herman75tigers
November 30th, 2010
5:14 pm
Let me set the records about COLUMBUS schools. From 1997-2005, It was Shaw High beating everyone in GA, Peach CO,sandy Creek, Cairo, Carrolton, Thomasville, Troup CO,LaGrange and Statesboro. Shaw went 15-0 in 2000. Carver went 15-0 in 2007 defeated Cairo. This year Carver is on a MISSION TO WIINER IT ALL. They will have a new high school in 2012 costing 45 million. will move up to class AAA or AAAA THEN.11 MEN AT A TIME, NOT THE SIZE OF SCHOOL, BUT ONE HEART ON THE FIELD. GO TIGERS.
valleyboy32
November 30th, 2010
5:23 pm
herman you forgot pay was a mutha in ft.valley when we beat shaw for the ring yeah yall beat us kendrick was the team back in the early 90’s an early 2000’s shaw and now col.. big towns rezones teams changes but oh well i hope col win
TROJAN MAN
November 30th, 2010
7:15 pm
boy sandy creek better be strapped up cause we are coming in there wearing TROJAN man condoms and we’re ready to bust a big load all over ya’ll!
TROJAN MAN!
GT VET
November 30th, 2010
7:18 pm
4peat..Sounds like Buford Mom knows you SON!….My Prediction..Calhoun..2010 State Champions..Football AND(already Baseball)…GO JACKETS!!!…btw 4peat…West Rome was, is ,and will be after this year the ONLY HighSchool with 4 straight Championships in football.Get your facts straight before you run off at the mouth….but good luck with that anyway
GT VET
November 30th, 2010
7:32 pm
@Jacketspeed..Not only can Calhouns D play with anyone in this state,Calhoun can play with with Anyone in this state……………..I get a kick out of Bufords coach.(Hes a very good coach and Im in no way putting him down) but before last years game in the Dome he called Calhoun the ajc’s little darlin…LOL never mind that ALL you hear in the AJC was Buford ,Buford,Buford..Calhoun was mentioned (other than just the name Calhoun) twice ..in the final 4 and before the Championship game….WHO’s the AJCs little Darlin???
SouthGARules
November 30th, 2010
8:39 pm
fair play fan: I am aware that Kell, EP & others dropped down in classification this year. My point is that everyone had anointed NSWR as the AAAA state champs.
SouthGARules
November 30th, 2010
8:49 pm
Suwanee0wnz: That is high praise for Nkemdiche to be compared to Cameron Heyward. Heyward was like a grown man playing with children while at the Ridge.
I see BrookFan has slithered out from wherever he/she’s been hiding. It’s evident he has p@ni$ envy toward Valdosta & Lowndes because all he can do is denigrate them. He/she only wishes that his school had the tradition of those 2 fine programs!
LAWILLIAMS
November 30th, 2010
11:05 pm
CARROLLTON TROJANS WILL WIN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. BEST ATHLETE…THE ENTIRE TEAM. THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS TEAM MAGICAL. BUT…LOVING BEING UNDERESTIMATED.
ATL
November 30th, 2010
11:18 pm
Brian Randolph of Kell should be POY regardless of classification. He has dominated the stre of GA for 3 season now. 125+ tackles 3 straight seasons, 3+ INTs 3 straight years and back to back 1000+ yds rushing on offense. has accumulated ove 30 td’s the last 2 seasons and rarely leaves the field. true 2 way star that will see the field early and often as a true freshman at Tennessee next season. hard to argue with the impact he has had on the field. not to mention his 4.1 GPA in the classroom and terrific leadership skills, an absolute all around kid who is deserving of such a recognition. this will be the 3rd straight season he makes the 1st team all state selection. an absolute pleasure to watch on Friday nights.
ATL
November 30th, 2010
11:20 pm
state*
wolfbait 67
December 1st, 2010
1:21 am
Calhoun fans: good luck Friday and yes ,y’all have a storied baseball tradition…remember playing Calhoun when those 2 super Sophomore came thru and beat us 2-1 and 3-2…also beautiful old school park
cougar
December 1st, 2010
8:43 am
player of the year AAAAA CHRIS ROBINSON NEWNAN GA he doesnt have the stats but i think 1,000 yards rushing this season missing 2 games with a High Ankle Sprain!! he runs hard every play so just throwing out a player for college recruits!!
TROJANS09
December 1st, 2010
9:58 am
Why Carrollton will win!
Wing-T under King, having rushed for 3,550 yards on the year with 56 rushing touchdowns. The passing attack is averaging right at 100 yards per game. Barge and junior quarterback Dallas Dickey have combined to go 63-for-105 through the air for 1,243 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Carrollton is also averaging 44.5 points per game this year
Tiger4Life
December 1st, 2010
10:28 am
@Witn3ss
Did you seriously categorize Tucker with the likes of “coosa, woodland, alcovy, upson lee ,fayette, mcintosh, northgate, harris, hardaway” ?
@rwdekalb
It looks as if Chris Sanders will not play this week. But not to worry, we have a kid that backs him up that’s really good. I’m more concerned about how the punter will perform
TigerFan
December 1st, 2010
10:33 am
@Tiger4Life…Where are you hearing that Sanders wont play. Everything I am hearing says he will play.
BrookFan
December 1st, 2010
10:57 am
SouthGaRules -
Either you don’t get out much or you’re simply too much the inbred. Read ALL my posts throughout the year. Lowndes Co. HS, currently, and Valdosta HS, in an earlier age, are/were exceptional programs. But they have FANS who oftentimes run their mouths way too much on this blog and at the games. Been there. Both places.
The rest of your commentary appears a bit homo-fixated and I don’t play on your team.
Tiger4Life
December 1st, 2010
11:32 am
@TigerFan
If he doesn’t practice then it’s more likely he will not play. High ankle sprains are difficult to play with in the secondary trying to come out of back pedals and making breaks on the ball. His back up is a remarkable athlete as well that will probably sign D1. So instead of putting an 80% healthy player on the field you have a very capable 100% in his place. It would be more important to have him next week at 95% in the Dome because we will more than likely face Chattahoochee in the Finals, and they run the spread very well.
Copernicus
December 1st, 2010
11:44 am
Given that I have only seen AAAA games this year with Hooch I can only give my input as to who I think the best player and team is…
Obviously I am going to say that it is Chattahoochee and Timmy Byerly. He has been compared to Tebow with his size and running ability. Am I saying that he is Tebow, not at all (especially given the fact that Byerly is just a high school senior). However he is a 4-star general for this Hooch team and has alot of football left in his future. GREAT KID ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE!!
I know that we have our hands full with Statesboro this weekend and given that they are in the state semi-finals and they have state titles in the 2000s (2001 and 2005). However, with the explosion of our offense and that we have a key defensive player back on the field I think our chances of spending a December evening indoors at the Dome look very good.
@HoochFan I think that you and I should figure out who each other is at this next game in Statesboro. I am willing to bet we will be shocked to see who each other is.
The trip to Statesboro is one I am actually looking forward to and the drive back will be even sweeter with a Hooch win.
Hooch on 3
1
2
3
HOOCH!!!
Steve Davis
December 1st, 2010
12:18 pm
Looking Forward to the Calhoun vs Carver Game. I have to admit Isaiah Crowell is the best looking Running Back that I have seen in a while on You Tube. Looking forward to watching him play. My Heart is With Calhoun Yellow Jackets representing NW Georgia in the Road To The Dome. My Ridgeland Panthers took and early exit so I have been at Calhoun on Friday Nights. One thing for certain Calhoun’s Defense will Hit You Smash Mouth. It looks like they will have it to do against Carver and Isaiah Crowell.
Watching The Road To The Dome Is a wonderful hobby and interest of mine. I have watched many great games through the years in the Dome every year. It is good to know GHSF is the best in the country. The Best of The Best will Make It To The Dome. Good Luck To All Semi-Finalist.
I also would like to say Isaiah would look so much better wearing Orange and White Next Year Go Vols Get Crowell
BcS2010
December 1st, 2010
12:30 pm
Chris Sanders is playing this week for everybody that wants to no.
@Witn3ss….. Tucker beat Marist without there best offensive player that game. Dont make excuses about Ware County driving 5 hours they still got beat by 39 points.
Tucker vs Statesboro for a historic championship!.
BURKE CO. NO.1 FAN
December 1st, 2010
12:49 pm
@-trojans09 – BURKE CO. will WIN
sorry ,but we can definitly stop the run, we face wing-t teams all the time, powerful teams like STATESBORO, & WASHINGTON CO., run that crap, we gonna score because yall cant stop the pass, and we lllooovvveee throwing it to #7 and #5 #89 #22 and #14 , BURKE CO. WINS BIG…..31-7
TROJANS09
December 1st, 2010
1:39 pm
Great yall beat a 8-4 team in the third round by 25 woopie. We just shut out a 12-0 Cairo 17-0. Burke has 1 shut out we have 6 shut outs. I’ll admit #5 is good he is fast and elusive. The pass will be shut down by or corners then the run by our amazing D-Line.
TROJANS09
December 1st, 2010
1:40 pm
Carrollton will win , but i think itll be close not high scoring maybe like 17-10 or 17-7.
TROJANS09
December 1st, 2010
1:41 pm
*our corners
SportsFan31313
December 1st, 2010
1:57 pm
Tucker vs The Statesboro Blue Devils for the State Championship. Go Region 2-AAAA Statesboro!!!!
BURKE CO. NO.1 FAN
December 1st, 2010
3:36 pm
@ all burke co. haters
there will be NO SCHOOL FRIDAY FOR THEM BURKE COUNTY BEARS., it seems that the ENTIRE COUNTY is coming…, hhhmmm … all 8 smaller cities will be in carrollton friday nite…, what an amazing scene for high school football….they are leaving at 12 i think thats a 4-hour ride maybe 5 , well we are use to traveling long distances , with all the higher ranked teams we play over here, we are excited ,with this young team making it this far…, with all starters mostly jr’s and only 5-starting seniors, ,all our skilled players from qb’s/rb’s/wr’s/ will be back with the entire offensive line , and all our lb’s, but guess what they are saying- WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOOSE, but if when we beat Carrollton , their entire town will be in shock……they have everything to loose, expect over 5000 people friday from the county….see u at carrollton friday nite
dboy jones
December 1st, 2010
5:17 pm
Chris Sanders should play this week but we will have to see how he feels on Fri
rwdekalb
December 1st, 2010
5:31 pm
@ Tiger4Life, did you get to review any film on Stars Mill, I am a little concerned with Sanders possibly being out. And for the reason you stated. The ability to efficiently punt, in the playoffs is crucial.
wilcoforlife
December 1st, 2010
6:12 pm
In class A wilco is going all the way the players are hungry and they want and deserve a state title. They have worked very hard all year. It might be a shocker this friday for everyone but don’t count them out just yet. GO WILCO WARRIORS!!!!!!!!!!!
wilcoforlife
December 1st, 2010
6:26 pm
Everybody has been talking abount clinch’s ground attack but wilco has a ground attack to called defense and they can’t score if they can’t move.
SouthGARules
December 1st, 2010
7:05 pm
I’ll tell you BrookFan, you want to start running that smack to my face bright boy-have your self @ Brookwood Community Stadium Friday night & I’ll make you wish you hadf NEVER been on one of these blogs. It is evident YOU have not spent time in SOUTH Ga because you would not be making remarks that you have. If you are a Brookwood fan, you are an embarrassment to that program. BTW, genius, Valdosta & Lowndes have WON state titles SINCE Brookwood won their one & only.
Call me inbred & a homo to my face, I dare you. You don’t have the guts to do so!
Witn3ss
December 1st, 2010
8:34 pm
@tiger4life
I am comparing you to those teams because BcS2010 compared us to the likes of sw dekalb, mays, longanville, hiram, and ware
@BcS2010
we won about 5 games w/o our top player, and we won another another 5 with him with a club. we played 3 games with him 100 percent healthy (northgate, harris, and griffin)
Fred
December 1st, 2010
10:14 pm
@SouthGARules, just take it for what it is worth. Lots of folks show up at the end of the season to crow about/against their teams/perceived enemies. It goes both North v. South and South v. North. I and others value the opinions of those who are here week in and week out giving plausible arguments even if I don’t agree with them. It speaks to the depth of GA football when so many have such heartfelt reactions.
Panther Pride
December 2nd, 2010
7:01 am
@yoo and bcs2010…you know as well as I do that high ankle sprains are 3-5 weeks at least….go blow smoke up someone else’s behind if you think he’ll play this week….SM would love to see a safety on the field with an ankle sprain……hope he plays!
SouthGARules
December 2nd, 2010
7:55 am
Fred: I agree with you. I have respect for the bloggers that come on regularly, but for the fringe that come on here that want to resort to name calling & denigrating others, I have a problem with. Some folks are passionate & others don’t have a clue. I’m ready for the games!
TJ
December 2nd, 2010
7:58 am
Cautiously optomistic about Grayson winning it all based on the great defense. Fred has said it all about offense. About 8 backs at Grayson with a quick strike pass attack is good enough. Grayson plays true team football with quite a few great players that go under the radar. Numbers 57, 74, 4, 75, 18 and their special teams kicker and punter. Ball control and defense with pinning teams back on special teams is the key. Robert Nkemdiche, I can not say enough about the impact this Sophmore is making. If Grayson loses it will be because they could not score enough to beat what little points the defense gives up or makes. How many points a game Grayson averages on defense a game, anyone know? The team I would least like to see play Grayson in the dome is Collins Hill because of Taylor Heinicke who can take a game over. Do not think Brookwood can win two games in one season against Grayson.
SPORTS #1
December 2nd, 2010
8:29 am
AAA Player of the Year Cedar Groves Johnathon McCrary, 3345yds passing, 24 tds passing , 11tds rushing, 65.2% completion rate.
Tiger4Life
December 2nd, 2010
8:39 am
@rwdekalb
The acj have not been taking my post lately, guess something is wrong with my server… but anyways here is my third attempt to tell you how I feel about Starr’s Mill.
On defense they run the “3-5-3” and play very similar to Ware Co. <<<< Epic fail #1 ;_-)
They often over pursue which is good for our counter-action and cut back lanes.
On offense they run the “spread”. The QB doesn’t seem to read the defense; most of his passes are predetermined before the snap. <<<< Epic fail #2
Their running back is good, but we should have no problem containing him.
BURKE CO. NO.1 FAN
December 2nd, 2010
8:39 am
@ what the CARROLTON COACHES are saying on times-georgian.com
Rayvan Teague was already set on using a dual quarterback system entering the 2010 season.
With the luxury of having senior A.J. Barge returning for his third year starting under center and junior Dallas Dickey — who many teams across the state would love to have as their starter — also back after seeing plenty of action in his first two seasons with the Trojans, it was no secret that the Carrollton High School football coach planned on using a two-man system.
Burke County coach Eric Parker, on the other hand, never envisioned he’d be guiding his Bears to the Class AAA state semifinals with a platoon-style attack under center.
Parker, who admits he had actually been opposed to using more than one quarterback in the past, somewhat stumbled upon the idea during the Bears’ early-season contests against Josey and Lowndes County.
With junior Corey Mayton opening the season as a first-year starter in replace of former Burke County standout Terrell Brigham, who took his 3,100 yards of total offense and 34 touchdowns from a season ago to South Alabama, Parker inserted freshman Donquell Green into the game at times to get some work, which proved to be an eye-opening experience for the Burke County coach.
“You know, we started out using the youngster just kind of to get him some game experience. That’s just something where we’ve been going with our backup quarterback quite a bit. But we found out that he was kind of a weapon for us,” Parker said.
Green showcased his game-changing speed to where Parker felt he had to get him on the field, even if he was just a freshman. And while Mayton is the clear-cut starter, Green is now a solid dual threat, similar to how Trojan offensive coordinator Joey King utilizes Barge and Dickey’s talents.
“Both of them can play. They both do a great job with the offense,” King said. “[Green] is a little more explosive than [Mayton], but [Mayton] is very explosive and very dangerous.”
Mayton, who stands at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, has completed 84-of-145 pass attempts for 1,258 yards, with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing for 884 yards. Green, meanwhile, is 15-for-21 passing for 124 yards, but has rushed for 821 yards on 87 attempts, a 9.4 yard-per-carry average.
“I mean, I think both of them are dangerous. The guy that is really the quarterback the majority of the time, [Mayton], he’s big and tall. A good-looking kid. He runs a 4.6 [40]. He has a really good arm. But he runs physical and has good vision,” Teague said. “Then the freshman [Green], the small guy, is just cat-quick. I mean, from all I’ve gathered, he’s a 4.3 40 guy. You don’t really see a lot of 4.3 40 people. He just is extremely quick. He’s just a play-maker. Whenever he gets his hands on the ball, whether it be a receiver, running back or quarterback, he’s got the capability of going the distance.”
Barge said the Bears’ quarterbacks are somewhat reminiscent of Dickey and himself in that Mayton is used more as a thrower and Green as a running threat.
“They have a tall guy that kind of can throw it a lot and can run it a little bit that reminds me of myself. Then they’ve got that little fast, speedy guy with good feet like Dickey,” said Barge, who has completed 49-of-75 pass attempts for 965 yards, with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.
Dickey, who has thrown for 278 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 273 yards and nine touchdowns, noted that he and Barge have played to their strengths when under center this year.
“It just helps us give it more of a mix-up,” Dickey said. “Me and A.J., we both work very hard. He’s a great guy. We just try to do our best and help the team to a victory.”
King has been pleased with how the Trojans’ dual system has flourished this season.
“You know, we still consider A.J. the starter. It’s been his show for three years. We’re using what Dallas brings to the table. That’s definitely benefitted the offense. You just add it to your arsenal,” King said.
What has impressed Teague the most is how each player has handled the situation and put the team first.
“I’m proud of A.J. for being mature enough to handle it as a senior. I’m proud of Dallas for being able to be mature enough as a junior to be able to say, this is A.J.’s role and then I’m filling in and doing my part, too,” Teague said. “Two mature young men. Two quality young men. Two guys that have a lot of talent and a lot of ability. And two guys that have done a lot of really good things for the Trojans this year.”
Read more: Times-Georgian – Dual quarterback attack
BcS2010
December 2nd, 2010
9:33 am
*If anybody thinks Chris Sanders wont play than think that. If he doesnt play than you will see alot of Eric Rivers this week but it looks like Chris Sanders will be playing.
*From what i have seen from Starrs Mill Eric Rivers would still do just fine. Starrs Mill quarterback knows where he will throw the ball before the play begins and the Tucker defense will stop that. Chris Sanders is just 1 of the 11 players on this great Tucker defense.
*For those who do not no who Eric Rivers is let me let yall in. He is 6-1 185 and runs a 4.6 in the 40. He is very physical but gets fooled on plays he should make. He would be starting for almost any other team in GA its just the fact that he is behind one of the best safetys in the country. He was orginally starting but he has been in trouble and lost his starting role. If Chris Sanders the 4star safety that is playing for the University of Georgia next year does not play trust me Eric Rivers would di just fine he is a good safety ask the university of Tennessee how he did at there camp.
TROJANS09
December 2nd, 2010
9:34 am
Hey all I gotta say is that Friday nights game will be FUN and electric. I dont think i have ever seen 5000 on the visitors side.