Weekend Preview: Top 10 games of Week 11
Dalton at Cartersville
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Weinman Stadium, Cartersville
Records, rankings: Dalton is 7-2 overall, 3-1 in Region 7-5A and unranked; Cartersville is 9-0, 4-0 and No. 4.
Last meeting: Cartersville won 39-14 in 2022.
Things to know: The winner will be the region champion. It would be Dalton’s first region title since 2016. Cartersville has won nine region championships since 2012, the most recent in 2021. Cartersville is assured of no worse than the No. 2 seed. Dalton could fall to third or fourth with a loss. In the 2022 game, Malachi Jeffries, now at UTC, rushed for 227 yards, and Khristian Lando ran for 123. Lando, a senior, has rushed for 727 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Nate Russell has thrown for 1,166 yards in a mostly run-based offense. OL Malachi Toliver is committed to Georgia. He’s the only major Division I prospect for either team. Dalton has a 1,000-yard rusher, Adriel Hernandez with 1,077, but gets most of its yards passing. Ethan Long is 130-of-196 passing for 2,163 yards and 25 touchdowns. Bubba Tanner has 11 TD receptions. Kenny London has eight. Dalton’s average score is 37-21 against the 19th-toughest schedule in Class 5A. Cartersville’s average score is 32-11 against the 14th-toughest. Cartersville has three Region 7 wins by seven points or less (Calhoun, Cass, Hiram). Dalton blew out Cass, beat Calhoun 28-21 and lost to Hiram 49-39.
Grayson at Archer
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Archer Community Stadium, Lawrenceville
Records, rankings: Grayson is 6-2 overall, 2-1 in Region 4-7A and No. 10; Archer is 5-3, 3-0 and unranked.
Last meeting: Grayson won 41-0 in 2022.
Things to know: Though unranked, Archer holds a one-game lead in the region over No. 7 Newton, No. 9 Parkview and No. 10 Grayson. Archer and Grayson have the toughest schedules among the four because each plays another of the top four next week (Archer vs. Newton and Grayson vs. Parkview). Grayson beat Archer easily last season. Jeff Davis was 11-of-14 passing for 160 yards. As a senior, he’s 134-of-185 passing (72.4%) for 1,812 yards and 22 touchdowns with one interception. His top receiver is John Cineas, who has several mid-major offers. Other players to watch are OL Waltclaire Flynn and TE Kylan Fox (both committed to Central Florida) along with DB Myles Woods (Coastal Carolina), DB Jaylen Bell (sophomore committed to LSU) and sophomore DE Tyler Atkinson, who leads the team in tackles (55 solo) and tackles for losses (16). Archer doesn’t have highly recruited players yet, but it’s a matter of time. Eight of its 22 starters are sophomores, including WR Jonathan Stafford (66 receptions, 650 yards). QB Jordan Do, another sophomore, went down injured against Parkview two weeks ago, but senior William Wallace came in and led the upset victory, scoring the winning touchdown in the final minute. Wallace rushed for 105 yards and passed for 149 last week in a 22-19 victory over South Gwinnett.
Jones County at Warner Robins
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, McConnell-Talbert Stadium, Warner Robins
Records, rankings: Jones County is 6-2 overall, 4-0 in Region 2-5A and unranked; Warner Robins is 5-3, 4-0 and No. 9.
Last meeting: Warner Robins won 54-30 in 2022.
Things to know: The winner will be the region champion. Warner Robins has beaten Jones County each of the past three seasons, including victories in the 2020 semifinals and 2021 quarterfinals. Jones County coach Mike Chastain was Warner Robins’ coach from 2016 to 2018, leading the Demons to two state finals. Warner Robins’ first-year coach, Shane Sams, was on Chastain’s Warner Robins staff for the two state runner-up teams. The ties between these programs went from interesting to strange a couple of months ago when Judd Anderson, Jones County’s quarterback the first two games, transferred to Warner Robins and immediately led the Demons to a comeback victory over crosstown archrival Northside. (With Jones County, Anderson had lost to Northside two weeks earlier.) Anderson took over for Chase Reece, who threw for 383 yards in last year’s Warner Robins-Jones County game. Reece now starts in Warner Robins' secondary. Anderson, a Miami commit, is 115-of-180 passing for 1,393 yards and 14 touchdowns as a Demon. WR Isiah Canion, who is committed to Georgia Tech, has 62 receptions for 959 yards and 13 touchdowns, at least one in every game. The new Jones County quarterback, Devin Edmonds, is 99-of-160 passing for 1,662 yards and 19 touchdowns. Tyler Stewart, who is committed to Temple, has 793 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, at least one in every game, and two of them from Anderson before he transferred.
Lee County at Thomas County Central
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Jackets’ Nest, Thomasville
Records, rankings: Lee County is 7-1 overall, 3-0 in Region 1-6A and No. 4; Thomas County Central is 8-0, 3-0 and No. 2.
Last meeting: Thomas County Central won 39-30 in 2022.
Things to know: The winner will be the region champion. Lee County had won five consecutive region titles until Thomas County ended the Trojans’ reign last season. In the 2022 game, Thomas Central’s Trey Brenton rushed for 187 yards. He’s rushed for 795 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Jaylen Johnson, a first-year starting quarterback, has thrown for 1,236 yards. Kendarius Reddick is a top-100 national junior recruit and Auburn commit who plays in the secondary. Lee County’s top-100 national recruit, also a junior, is Ousmane Kromah, who rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns against Thomas Central last season. He leads the region with 1,124 rushing yards this season. Weston Bryan has thrown for 904 yards. Devin Collier, a Georgia Southern commit, has 783 all-purpose yards. DL Leroy Jackson, a three-star recruit, has 17 tackles for losses. Lee County’s average score is 45-19 against Class 6A’s eighth-toughest schedule. Thomas Central’s average score is 45-6 against the 13th-toughest. Lee County’s loss came against Colquitt County, the No. 3 team in Class 7A.
Mary Persons at Upson-Lee
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Matthews Field, Thomaston
Records, rankings: Mary Persons is 7-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 2-3A and No. 4; Upson-Lee is 8-1, 3-0 and unranked.
Last meeting: Mary Persons won 33-0 in 2022.
Things to know: The winner will be the region champion. It would be Mary Persons’ first title since 2018 or Upson-Lee’s first since 1993. Mary Persons leads the series 9-0. They first played in 2014, though Mary Persons had played an Upson-Lee predecessor, R.E. Lee, as far back as the 1930s. Both teams feature heavy-duty running backs. Mary Persons’ Duke Watson, who is committed to Louisville, has rushed for 1,461 yards and 25 touchdowns. Upson-Lee’s Ja’Quan Bentley has rushed for 1,212 yards and 18 touchdowns. Both teams have sophomore quarterbacks. Mary Persons’ Mac Nelson has thrown for 1,011 yards. Upson-Lee’s Niko Wells has thrown for 667. Mary Persons’ loss came to Spalding, an unbeaten Class 4A team. Spalding lost to LaGrange, a Class 4A team tied for first in its region. Mary Persons’ average score is 33-14 against Class 3A’s 11th-toughest schedule. Upson-Lee’s average score is 33-11 against the 37th-toughest.
Peachtree Ridge at Norcross
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Blue Devil Stadium, Norcross
Records, rankings: Peachtree Ridge is 8-0 overall, 4-0 in Region 7-7A and unranked; Norcross is 7-1, 4-0 and No. 6.
Last meeting: Norcross won 50-13 in 2022.
Things to know: Peachtree Ridge can win its second region title in history, first since 2008, with a victory. If Norcross wins, North Gwinnett (5-3, 3-1) can get back in the race. Norcross or North Gwinnett has won a region title 14 of the past 17 years. Peachtree Ridge has re-emerged as a threat under second-year coach Matt Helmerich. The Lions have won more games in these two seasons (14-5 record) than they did the previous five (13-36). They are 8-0 for the first time. Their leading passer (Darnell Kelly with 1,811 yards) and rusher (Sedric Addison with 434 yards) are sophomores. So is CB Dorian Barney, a top-50 national recruit in his class. Senior WR Myles Abernathy has 11 TD receptions. Norcross’ main offensive threat is the unusually talented A.J. Watkins, who has 563 yards passing, 697 rushing and 196 receiving. Dillon Mohammed has thrown for 594 yards when Watkins is not behind center. Norcross’ average score is 36-13 against the 38th-toughest Class 7A schedule, according to the Maxwell Ratings. Peachtree Ridge’s average score is 42-12 against the 44th-toughest.
Perry at Spalding
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Griffin
Records, rankings: Perry is 7-1 overall, 4-0 in Region 2-4A and No. 4; Spalding is 9-0, 5-0 and No. 5.
Last meeting: Perry won 40-7 in 2022.
Things to know: The winner will be the region champion. Perry has won a region title each of the past three seasons. Spalding most recently won in 2003. In the 2022 game, Armar Gordon was 19-of-23 passing for 165 yards and rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns. He’s now at UT-Martin. Younger brother Ahmad Gordon leads the team with 1,032 yards rushing with 20 touchdowns. The new quarterback is Colter Ginn, who has passed for 1,530 yards and 11 touchdowns. He missed Perry’s most recent game, a victory over Baldwin. In his stead, Cullen McDaniel passed for 175 yards. Perry has won seven straight games since an opening 42-35 loss to Houston County. Spalding is a victory from its first 10-0 regular season. Spalding and Perry are both highly balanced on offense, but Spalding is more dependent on its dual-threat quarterback, Curt Clark, who has passed for 1,282 yards and rushed for 839. Perry’s average score is 44-20 against Class 4A’s seventh-toughest schedule. Spalding’s average score is 40-15 against the 32nd-toughest.
Rabun County at Commerce
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ray Lamb Stadium, Commerce
Records, rankings: Rabun County is 7-2 overall, 1-1 in Region 8-A Division I and No. 6; Commerce is 8-1, 2-0 and No. 4.
Last meeting: Rabun County won 27-22 in 2022.
Things to know: Commerce can win its second region title in 20 years and first since 2020 with a victory. Rabun County can win the title, extending its region championship streak to 10 seasons, by winning by 13 points or more. That would give the Wildcats the edge in the points-differential tiebreaker with Commerce and a third team, Elbert County (7-2, 1-1). Commerce is as run-heavy as a team can be. The Tigers average 386 yards rushing and nine yards passing per game. Jaiden Daniels (1,352) and Tysean Wiggins (1,093) are each over 1,000 yards rushing, and Jacari Huff has gone over 100 the past two games. Rabun County’s offense is almost perfectly balanced. Ty Truelove, a sophomore, has passed for 1,519 yards and 15 touchdowns. Willie Goodwyn has 11 TD receptions. Reid Giles has run for 762 yards. Commerce’s loss came to Hebron Christian, a Class 3A school. Rabun has lost to Stephens County and Elbert County. Commerce and Rabun County are in the top 10 of points scored and points allowed in Class A Division I.
Swainsboro at Bleckley County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Royal Stadium/Shelly Hayes Field, Cochran
Records, rankings: Swainsboro is 8-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 2-A Division I and No. 2; Bleckley County is 7-2, 3-0 and No. 7.
Last meeting: Swainsboro won 28-21 in 2022.
Things to know: Bleckley County can clinch the region title with a victory. It would be Bleckley’s second in history, first since 2021. Swainsboro might need to beat Dublin (6-2, 1-1) next week to clinch the championship. A region title would be Swainsboro’s third straight. In the 2022 game, Swainsboro took a 28-7 lead in the fourth quarter, then weathered two Bleckley touchdowns, one in the final two minutes. Demello Jones rushed for 223 yards and scored four touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Jones, a Georgia commit, is back. He has 562 all-purpose yards and is perhaps Class A’s best safety. Swainsboro rarely passes (18-of-36 on the season) or surrenders points (allowing a class-best 4.9 per game). Bleckley runs its offense through Kamryn Everett, a junior with 1,161 yards passing and 518 rushing. Sophomore RB Joshua Stanley has rushed for 726 yards. Bleckley County has scored 42 points or more in each of its past five games and six games overall, including a 48-42 loss to Schley County.
Valdosta at Colquitt County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium, Moultrie
Records, rankings: Valdosta is 7-2 overall, 3-0 in Region 1-7A and unranked; Colquitt County is 8-0, 2-0 and No. 3.
Last meeting: Colquitt County won 24-6 in 2022.
Things to know: The winner will be the region champion. It would be Valdosta’s first region title since 2016 and first in the highest class since 2011. It would be Colquitt County’s seventh in 10 seasons. In the 2022 game, Colquitt scored twice in the fourth quarter to break open a 10-6 game. Both teams had less than 200 yards of total offense. This season, Colquitt County is tied for second in Class 7A scoring per game (45.9). QB Neko Fann, a three-year starter, holds most of the school’s passing records. He has thrown for 2,002 yards and 26 touchdowns this season and can run a little (305 rushing yards). Ny Carr has 856 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns. He’s committed to Miami. Landen Thomas, a five-star tight end, is committed to Florida State. Valdosta is a ball-control, defensive-minded team. Todd Robinson has passed for 783 yards and rushed for 561. Freshman RB Deron Foster is the rushing leader with 620 yards. Eric Brantley, who is committed to Colorado, has 28 tackles for losses. Colquitt has won nine of the past 10 games in the series.