AAAAAA blog: Who has the best feature back in the state final? And other questions worth asking
Five questions to be answered in the Georgia Dome next week in the AAAAAA final –
How many points will they score? Norcross and Lovejoy have good defenses, but they put up record numbers of points in the semifinals Friday. Lovejoy beat North Cobb 63-42 in the highest-scoring semifinal game in state history. The second-highest scoring game is now West Rome’s 61-31 win over Lakeshore in 1984. Meanwhile, Norcross beat Colquitt County 41-27. Norcross’ 41 points rank as the third-most in a semifinal in the highest classification over the last 25 years – behind Lovejoy’s 63 and North Cobb’s 42. Valdosta scored 49 in the 1986 semifinals, and no team had scored more than 40 in a high-class semifinal since.
What school and coach will win their first state championship? Norcross and Lovejoy have never won state championships in football. Neither have their coaches, both in their 18th seasons as head coaches – Keith Maloof of Norcross and Al Hughes of Lovejoy. Maloof will be coaching in his first state championship game. Hughes took Lovejoy to the Class AAAA final last year when beaten by Tucker.
Who has the better feature back? Alvin Kamara of Norcross and Travis Custis of Lovejoy are blue-chip recruits who went over 2,000 yards rushing Friday in the semis. Kamara is uncommitted. Custis has committed to Georgia Tech. Both are candidates for state player of the year.
Who will make the big plays on defense? Both teams play aggressive defense and force big plays. Lovejoy returned two interceptions for touchdowns against North Cobb, and noseguard Nathaniel Norwood has over 30 tackles for losses. Norcross has more than 50 sacks, 18 by junior defensive end Lorenzo Carter.
Will county football pedigree matter? Gwinnett teams, of which Norcross is one, have won state titles in the highest classification the past two seasons (Grayson, Brookwood) and eight of the past 16. Lovejoy is trying to become Clayton County’s first football champion since Morrow in 1987.
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248 comments Add your comment
sportsnut
December 11th, 2012
6:12 pm
Norcross will be another W on Lovejoy’s year end tab. You guy’s need to remember that this is Lovejoy and not those other teams that was supposed to be all world. All the pretenders are gone. We don’t have to give you stats. We can give you reality though. Nothing you say about Norcross will change the facts. Lovejoy will be the only game Norcross loses. Simply put, Lovejoy has too much for Norcross. Can any of you give me 5, no 3 reasons Norcross will win this game ?
sportsnut
December 11th, 2012
6:16 pm
You can attribute the change of attitude to his watching more of Lovejoy. Has he come to realize that this something to worry about ? Lovejoy has that effect on people. Wait till you see it in person.
Cat Man
December 11th, 2012
6:32 pm
@Cross. I AM impressed! You do have a soft side (like Lovejoy’s region schedule) JUST KIDDING! To be honest with you, Norcross scares the crap out of me. None of us wants to see our team lose and we all think we have the better team. When the game is over, the better prepared team will have won. Again, you can throw out the schedules, the stats, the playoff games because none of that is going to matter on Sat. night. These are the 2 best teams in Ga. It doesn’t get any better than that! I’m looking forward to seeing Kamara and Custis go head to head. It’s going to be a great game for sure. May the best team win!
The Cross
December 11th, 2012
7:20 pm
Sportsnut-Now you’ve snapped me out of humble mode…here are your reasonswhy Norcross will go 15-0 and become State Champs sportsnut!
Reason 1- Alvin Kamara
Reason 2- Best O-line in the State Ledford, Walker, Jenkins, Northrup, Crum, Wood
Reason 3- Joseph Wilber and his laser accuracy
Reason 4- Myles Autry the most elusive runner since Barry Sanders
Reason 5- Norcross D “The Blue Swarm” led by Tate, Carter, Jones, Connelly, Akins, Simpkins, Noil, Marshall
Reason 6- Norcross’ line-up of 6′2″ receivers-Lynch, Smith, Francis, Dennis
Reason 7- Better coaching, more discipline, more focus
Reason 8-We just believe that we will win
The Cross
The Cross
December 11th, 2012
7:27 pm
Sportsnut-I was trying to be nice to our next victim..but it appears that I will not be able to to that with you around. Sorry Lovejoy fans.
I have watched your film and NO I am not worried. You guys are good, NOT GREAT. And NO you are not the same caliber as Norcross. I wish I could say that you are, but you are not. That is reality.You will go home like our previous 14 victims. You won’t be able to out run this reality…it is like death and taxes…these are the only truths to Lovejoys bleak reality.
Sorry for the tough love sportsnut, but you just aren’t living in reality.
The Cross
ATLien23x
December 11th, 2012
7:59 pm
North Cobb had so many mistakes that Lovejoy didn’t cause. North Cobb ran right down their throat a lot and scored 42 points on the ” best D”
I wasn’t impressed by interceptions that were thrown right to the defender, this isn’t peewee, we should all be able to catch a ball at this age.
Lovejoy has a talented running back and good size, so they should be able to keep it within 3 scores if they don’t act like thugs and get stupid penalty after penalty
lhsalum33
December 11th, 2012
8:09 pm
I’ve read most of the post and a lot of great points were made but here’s a slight rebuttal. Yes, Lovejoy has a week region, BUT outside of NG (who LJ beat) that region looks weak to me! Mill Creek couldn’t play better D with 14 players on the field. And underneath that I see cupcakes. So kg our region is a bakery yours should be little Debbie’s region. Next, your QB isn’t that great, he’s definitely good but that’s it. He threw a lot of balls that Colquitt should’ve picked off but Lovejoy will. Travis Custis is the most underrated RB in the nation if Kamara is #4 because #4 ENd in the nation don’t fumble the ball inside the 5 in big time games! Also, do you think 6′ 2″ receivers scare them when they practice 1s on 1s and Lovejoy has a 6′ 6″ receiver and a 6′ 4″ receiver both running under 4.65. AJ and Ramos will be up for the challenge against your DBs as well. The honest fact of the matter is we have more playmakers than Norcross and while we can simulate your offense in practice, you can’t do that with ours because they just don’t have the personnel. that defensive line will make that “best line in the state” look like the “KB” teams we’ve played all year!
Lovejoy 35 Norcross 20 (13 of it in the first half)
Elementary My Dear Watson
December 11th, 2012
8:14 pm
The only team that could of beat Norcross, lost to them…….Camden. Ramsey had a terrible game but Camden still lead 20-19 with what, eight or nine minutes left in game. Back and forth all night. Ramsey throws the pick to seal deal for Norcross. The two touchdown differential was misleading. Now, I will look forward to the continued posts by ” The Cross “. I must meet this guy one day. He is fun to read, full of it sometimes, full of himself sometimes and most definitely loves his team.
lhsalum33
December 11th, 2012
8:15 pm
Atlien23x: you can’t say Lovejoy didn’t force mistakes, all picks came from pressure. 7 points on a late KOR and a 1 play drive from the 15 from another KOR. Those first 21 were impressive the other 21 were pretty much during the wrap up of the game…they never got closer than 14…hard to 2ND string players in on D for that TD after the return
ATLien23x
December 11th, 2012
8:18 pm
Lovejoy is very much overrated
Tucker whooped your ass last year in state and you had WAY more kids at your school
ATLien23x
December 11th, 2012
8:24 pm
Lovejoy actually didn’t have their second string in, you might wanna watch the game again
Their running back played the entire game…. Stupid coaching
And no, the NC qb just played horrible
ATLien23x
December 11th, 2012
8:25 pm
Lovejoy played their starters the entire game and gave up A LOT of yards
The Cross
December 11th, 2012
8:40 pm
Ihsalum-I don’t know which brand of glue that you like to sniff but let me know so I can go get some because the sky must be purple in your world. You seem to sniff and then believe Lovejoy is in the same stratosphere as the nationally-ranked Norcross Blue Devils. You guys keep asking why, why, why arent we ranked nationally or why, why can’t we get the press? Answer is simple you are not good enough…that is why there are no ugly girls on the cover of Cosmo or in the centerfold of Playboy. This country is built upon the most talented gets the fruits and sorry you guys just are not good enough to be nationally ranked or pretty enough to be on the cover of Cosmo. You will respect Norcross not because I said so but because they have earned it. I know it hurts that no one will remember the runner up, but that is the way this cookie crumbles. Don’t be mad, don’t hate just please appreciate. Norcross is the best team in this state and it is not even CLOSE.
The Cross
Norcross rolls through Lovejoy
December 11th, 2012
8:40 pm
Is there anyway GHSA can lower the price of admission for the Clayton County fans? I know $20 is gonna be way too steep for most of their pockets
Just save your money for drugs and spray paint and watch Norcross whoop your ass on tv
oh wait,,, most of them don’t have cable, oh well
The Cross
December 11th, 2012
8:45 pm
ATLien23x-Don’t worry your pretty little head about Lovejoy. Norcross will avenge the injustice of North Cobb’s defeat and we will make it so sweet that you will show up in Norcross on December 22nd for our victory parade and not only catch a few strings of beads from the floats but also to salute the best team in Georgia.
We are here for you ATLien23x and anybody else who is tired of the pretenders that is Lovejoy.
The Cross
ATLien23x
December 11th, 2012
8:48 pm
I’ve been to 4 Norcross games this year ( vs Parkview, Collins Hill, S Gwinnett 2nd game, and Colquitt County. This is by far the most talented team the state of Georgia has had in many many years
Norcross is the REAL DEAL… Grown man football with GROWN MAN coaches
Lovejoy simply doesn’t have the coaching or discipline to deal with Norcross
ATLien23x
December 11th, 2012
8:49 pm
I’m a Collins Hill alum, and i’ve been to the Dome for state championship games every year since they moved the finals there. Norcross will bring ANOTHER title back to gwinnett
GO Blue Devils!!!!
Norcrossboss
December 11th, 2012
8:51 pm
Norcross is going to win get it strait
CCUChants34
December 11th, 2012
9:02 pm
Norcross rolls through….is that comment really necessary? You lack class and there is no reason to assume that $20 is too much to pay to watch a game. I am a neutral fan and enjoy high school football but your comments speaks volumes of you character, or should I say lack there of.
The Cross
December 11th, 2012
9:10 pm
CCUChants-I thought about responding in a similar manner to that post but I didn’t want to bring anymore attention than it deserves (NONE). I can assure you that whoever wrote that post doesn’t represent Norcross (my bet is he/she is not even affiliated with the program).
The Cross
Cat Man
December 11th, 2012
9:45 pm
Thanks Cross and CCU for standing up for us poor southside folks. I was going to ask that dude if I could borrow $20 to get in, but I think I can dig up enough change.
Cat Man
December 11th, 2012
10:09 pm
Now on to the business of football. It’s pretty obvious you guys are head over heels about your team, as you should be. Like I’ve been saying all along, you can throw out the stats, the national ranking (that did Grayson a lot of good didn’t it), and anything else. Gentlemen, it’s time to play ball. hey ATLien, you’ve seen 4 Norcross games this year, but never mentioned seeing Lovejoy so tell me how you can make a comparison. And how do you know there’s no coaching or discipline there? You don’t know that. You’re just blowing smoke. We’ve got a great coaching staff. Always have. Dude, you don’t get to the Dome on talent alone! And 2 yrs in a row I might add. I understand your excitement about your team and finally making it to the Dome. But let’s keep it real here. We have the 2 best teams in the state, both well coached, both multi talented, both big and fast. I see an evenly match game and I think it will come down to whoever makes the least mistakes. I don’t see a blowout either way.
The Cross
December 11th, 2012
10:31 pm
Camden74-Coming to the Dome? You are an honorary Nocross fan through this week.
The Cross
Lovejoy#1
December 11th, 2012
10:38 pm
I started to reply to that ignorant person as well. But our kids are us to the privilege looking and talking down on them. So keep doing your meth and stealing your neighbors I.D ’s in living in your house’s you can’t afford. In believe I do foreclosures in your area I know. One question. Do the Dome take food stamp vouchers? Lol…..
Camden74
December 11th, 2012
11:01 pm
The Cross….LOL…..Thanks for the early Xmas present! If Camden had made the Finals, I would have been there. Gotta hold it down in Texas this weekend, but I’ll be watching!……..
The Cross
December 11th, 2012
11:08 pm
Camden74-Come on man. I have a suite and a delicious BBQ sandwich waiting on you.
The Cross
Fred
December 11th, 2012
11:49 pm
Uh, Cross if you are offering and 74 can’t make it…….
sportsnut
December 12th, 2012
12:50 am
Thats right, team up.
@ The Cross == You are much to into it. Your feelings are going to be hurt.
Walker and Jenkins, 338 lbs and 394, respectively, can only hold a block for so long. What about Ledford at 251, Wood at 240 and Crum at 209. What will they do ? Not enough weight. This D will be coming from all ends. You need Walker and Jenkins at all 6 spots. Custis is better than Kamara. This will be on display saturday and then everyone will know. Wilbur has not faced the kind of pressure he will saturday.2 seconds. Remember that, 2 seconds. I give it to you though. You are one of the most avid fans here and I wish you luck because you will need it.
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
3:59 am
Sportsnut-Your post woke me from a pleasant slumber because I worry about you and the many Lovejoy fans that are not thinking rationally. I do not know if your serotonin is out of whack or like my Uncle Emmett use to say “you are just touched in the head” but something is definitely wrong down there in Clayton County. Our O-line has only given up 4 sacks all year and one was down in Camden where Wilber slipped on the turf. You bring up weight and your weights are all wrong. If you got that out if the Gwinnett Daily Post article about our Offensive line jelling then you got last years weights because that is what they used. Our line averages 278lbs and they are good, really good. You mentioned Walker and Jenkins our two athletic tackles BIG tackles…they will be playing on TV on Saturdays but not next year as they are only juniors. They will have so many pancakes that Aunt Jemima is thinking about doing a promotion on Saturday. You mentioned our All-County selection and probable All-state selection Ledford (who will play on Saturdays next year) who will out technique, out think and out play all of your D lineman because he could line up at literally any position on the line. Crum, Wood and Northrup will want to get your D tackles addresses as they were brought up well and they’ll want to send flowers on Sunday after being on top of your D tackles and nose guard all night. Ask Griffen from Mill Creek and the USC commit how fun it was to play against this line. He thought he was in astronomy class because he was looking up at the stars all night. You preach two seconds and I chuckle because that’s all it takes for Kamara to run 20 yards and be at the third level ready to punish your safety. Two seconds and our wide receivers just beat your dbs on an out and up. But if we wanted four seconds we will take it. We will dictate the game and we will take what we want. Sportsnut did you even look at why the Matan calendar says what it says??? It says Norcriss will be spreading Love and Joy on December 15. Then almost one week later everyone misread the end of the world on December 21. That’s the date the Mayans had for the Norcross Parade and Victory Party. One silly Mayan wrote that we are going to party like the end of the world is coming. And that my friend is why everyone thought the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world. It is not coming but it will feel like it for Lovejoy on Saturday.
The Cross
robo71
December 12th, 2012
7:48 am
@sportsnut- it is good to be proud of your team but you are a windbag….
lhsalum33
December 12th, 2012
7:50 am
Norcross is ranked number 8 the same reason Grayson was number 1 and USC was number 1 on the collegiate level and yada yada yada…rankings don’t mean anything because even Camden was in the top 10 Nationally this year and THEY ARE AT HOME! The fact of the matter is NO region in Ga is really tough EXCEPT that Region 8 (respect where respect is due) I’m sniffing that Elmer’s Cement extra hold and you are obviously drinking that “Nationally ranked” Kool-aid! Your O-Line averages 278 Lovejoy’s averages 300. You’ve never seen a defense front like this. All we heard was NC’s QB doesn’t make mistakes and is careful with the football. Lovejoy can’t stop the high powered Marrietta. Your ranking means as much to me as the predictions for us to lose by 18 to NG. NOTHING! You’ll see how good we really are and while you’ll be back on this post Saturday night and Sunday, you will be singing a different tune!
sportsnut
December 12th, 2012
8:18 am
Sounds like Nocross can’t lose. I wish I could say the same about Lovejoy. They know they can lose and that is the difference. Maybe the difference in this game. Although we will win, we know AGF, or in this case, AGS still applies. That said, Lovejoy will put you in your place. I know, we don’t have a chance. We will come to play anyway. We may just pull a Norcross and beat the Big, almighty Blue Devils. All hands will be on deck for this one. I don’t feel the need to mention our players and what they can do. It has all been said before. What I will continue to say is that Norcross has not played a team this good before. Not Camden, not Colquit, not South Gwinnett and certainly not Chattahoochee. There is nothing wrong in Clayco. As a matter of fact, ,we are feeling pretty good in the Southern Crescent. We have 3 teams in the Dome this weekend.
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
9:12 am
Sportsnut-I never said that Norcross can’t lose, it’s just that we refuse to lose and I’m confident that we won’t get beat by Lovejoy on Saturday. I just don’t want you waking up on Sunday full of despair so I am trying to help a brother out by proactively programming you to expect to lose. Which frankly you should be doing on your own if you were thinking clearly.
The Cross
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
9:31 am
Ihsalum- Of course Camden is at home…who put them there? Come on man work with me. Norcross is the best team in this state. You know it, I know it, ESPN knows it, USA Today knows it, MaxPreps knows it, Freeman knows it, Loren Maxwell knows it, so lets not lie to each other. Lets be honest and have a relationship that has a solid foundation built on honesty and trust.
The Cross
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
9:36 am
Ihsalum- I can’t let your statement about region 8 go by without questioning if you believe region 8 is so strong why was there 3 out of 8 region 7 teams in the quarters when 7 and 8 played in the second round? You don’t make any sense. Reality is reality guys and the reality is the best team from the best region is the best team in the State and its not even close!
The Cross
lhsalum33
December 12th, 2012
10:08 am
The Cross: I say region 8 is the best because of consistency! Now it really doesn’t matter which region is the toughest now because it’s between 2 and 7. Besides the point, even though you talk about our region, we won all our region games with an average of 50 points so we KNOW how weak they are. But when a powerhouse meets a cupcake they devour them! Now if we struggled with our schedule then your region argument would be valid but we handle business. And most of those games were over in the FIRST HALF…The fact of the matter is Travis Custis has rushed for over 2000 yards and 30 TDs didn’t even play in the second half for most the season! Norcross is the best team in the state because they have no loses, I respect that, but a 12 point win at a 5-5 Collins Hills, a 8 Point win at 7-3 Mill Creek, and 10 point win at NG is not THAT impressive. While we don’t play anyone in the regular season, we took care of business, you have only 2 shut outs and our offense is better than ANY offense you’ve seen this season so why do you think you will hold us to less points, we’re better thank Mill Creek which put up 41 on you! Let me get some of that Kool-aid!
R31768 Pack
December 12th, 2012
11:08 am
To Norcross and LJ fans, The Packers played a good game against Norcross and LJ (to be fair LJ was early in the season). The point I am trying to make is that I agree Norcross is probably the best High School Football team this state has seen in several years. The Pack vs. Norcross game was clean with few mistakes on either side. Norcross beat the Pack handily and the Pack played a good game. (Packers were a good team this year but not great. Coaching is what took them as far as they got.)
This is my word of caution for Norcross. I think you guys had 3 turnovers against the Pack. Although, the Pack did not capitalize on them another team might. Turnovers will be the only way Norcross loses.
grayram
December 12th, 2012
1:29 pm
Most of the talk centers around Kamara and Custis, those two certainly deserve the attention. I think the difference in the game could be Norcross linebacker #51. Tate. This guy seems to make every tackle, i think he had about 20 aganst Colquitt and a bunch at Camden also. I think he and Custis will know each other very well before the 2nd quarter starts on Saturday.
Elementary My Dear Watson
December 12th, 2012
8:03 pm
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
3:59 am
Seriously @ ” The Cross “………a post at 3:59 am?? Are you a sick man?
sportsnut
December 12th, 2012
9:19 pm
Norcross goes down saturday. No need for all the talk. I am thrilled to have my fellow posters from Lovejoy doing what is right by spreading Love and Joy throughout the state. They will all be talking about how they did not think Lovejoy was that good. Many are startring to confess that already. Norcross is just another obstacle in Lovejoy’s way on the road to their desired goal. Remember, you were all told much, much earlier bout this team. After thought, that’s what Lovejoy was. Where are they now ? Get ready Norcross. It’s coming.
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
9:42 pm
Elementary-I carry so much pain from the world and this morning at 3:59am I felt sportsnut’s pain that will come this Saturday when Lovejoy turns into a pumpkin. The hope, the joy that he currently has gets blown into a million pieces. I felt his tears and his upset tummy and how hehas to explain to his wife why his team is being compared to the Buffalo Bills. His pain woke me up or it might have been the shrimp salad sandwich that I had for dinner. Either way I was up.
The Cross
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
9:51 pm
sportsnut-I will be at the Dome ready to shake your hand on Saturday. I have a suite that I will watch my Blue Devils take down your Cats. If it goes any other way look up as the buzzer sounds and you might see someone in a Blue Devil shirt taking a swan dive into the stands below.
See I knew that thought would put a smile on your face. But we also both know that its only going one way. Have fun sportsnut you seem to be taking this awfully serious.
The Cross
RobFromNorcross
December 12th, 2012
10:11 pm
You have a suite ‘Cross? The team won’t be able to hear you cheer from that far away. Not good…
Lovejoy#1
December 12th, 2012
10:13 pm
Omg them cats are looking good.
The Cross
December 12th, 2012
10:23 pm
Rob-Suite is just to watch the other games and eat with Family and some out of towners…I’ll be down in the mix come game time! We Believe!!!!
The Cross
ATLien23x
December 13th, 2012
1:23 am
How do i find a way to watch past games like some of you do?
Any info on that would be gladly appreciated!
LHSAlum33
December 13th, 2012
8:50 am
ATLien23x: Playonsports.com
sportsnut
December 13th, 2012
9:03 am
3 Days. Lovejoy will be champions. Headline will read “Man found naked in Fetal position in Dome Suite”
sportsnut
December 13th, 2012
10:14 am
All the criticizing he does, you would think he has been watching all along. Do you have a one track mind or do you consider that NC was good at what they do ? Yards are not points. It does not matter if the starters played the whole game or not, Lovejoy won. These comments about who did what is not relevant unless you package it all together and look at the whole, not the parts. Norcross has some good pieces but lack enough to complete the puzzle. Lovejoy has it all. Every position. It has been hard for anyone to match-up with them for this reason. From Rockdale County to North Cobb, they have all tried. Every team they have played had the same attitude you guy’s have and it has not mattered. Norcross will find out what real D is. If you check, I stated long ago that Grayson, whom everyone said had the best D, did in fact not have the best D. My statement was delivered with confidence because I knew where the best D really resided.
My message to Norcross today is to warn you about these Cat’s. These are not the cats from the coast. These are the Cat’s that are ready to eat. They are starving. They only feed between the white lines. Come Saturday, there will be Devil on the menu. We hope you are enjoying the ride. These Cat’s are like none you have seen. Think you can watch TV and you will know ? Don’t bet on it ! Let’s be real. Norcross has Kamara. He is very good. They have Autry. He also is very good. That in itself is enough for some teams to win. With what they do, it has been. Now they must face a team that has 6,7,8 of that type player. That is just offensively. They, Norcross, have a very good linebacker. #51, I believe. They count on him and he does not disappoint. Here again, they must now deal with the front 7 of Lovejoy. This is a job.
Speaking of offense. A nightmare scenario for a defensive coordinator. What do you do ? Stop the best back in the state still standing or play pass defense against those big, speedy recievers. What do you do ? Balanced is a word I have used quite a bit this season and now people understand why. A complete football team is also what I said. A team playing at a high level in all phases of the game. You will need more than just Alvin and Myles. If you had 6 or 7 of them, maybe I would worry but you don”t so I won’t.
RobFromNorcross
December 13th, 2012
1:58 pm
“From Rockdale County to North Cobb, they have all tried.” — sportsnut
You make me laugh so hard… At least you didn’t say “From Mundy’s Mill to North Cobb”…