Weekend Preview: Top 10 games of Week 2

Benedictine at Christopher Columbus (Fla.)

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tropical Park Stadium, Olympia Heights, Fla.

Records, rankings: Benedictine is 1-0 and No. 1 in Class 4A; Christopher Columbus is 0-0 and No. 6 in Florida’s Class 4 Metro (MaxPreps).

Last meeting: Christopher Columbus won 42-27 in 2021.

Things to know: Defending Class 4A champion Benedictine is looking to play more of a national schedule, especially if the opponent is a fellow Catholic school, and it secured this home-and-home series with Christopher Columbus of Miami. Columbus was a semifinalist in Florida’s highest 2021 classification, 8A, in 2021. Junior QB Adrian Posse (committed to Auburn) and senior RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. (committed to Stanford), are top-100 national prospects. Both transferred to Columbus in the offseason. Juniors Dylan Stephenson and T.J. Capers, described as edge rushers, also are top-100 players. Benedictine won its opener against Jenkins 45-0 after the game was stopped short of halftime because of a rumble in the Jenkins stands that had fans fleeing onto the field. Luke Kromenhoek, a Florida State commit making his first start at quarterback, was 10-of-16 passing for 212 yards and four touchdowns, two to all-state WR/DB Za’Quan Bryan, who is committed to Minnesota. Bryan also intercepted a pass.

Carrollton at South Paulding

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Timothy D. Glanton Stadium, Douglasville

Records, rankings: Carrollton is 1-0 and No. 9 in Class 7A; South Paulding is 1-0 and No. 9 in 6A.

Last meeting: Carrollton won 40-13 in 2021.

Things to know: Carrollton defeated South Paulding comfortably the past two seasons while both were members of the same Class 6A region. Those are the only times they’ve played, but they chose to maintain the series now that Carrollton is up in Class 7A. Both were 6-1 in region play last season, tying for first with Rome (South Paulding beat Rome, and Rome beat Carrollton). In its opener last week, South Paulding defeated Harrison 28-20. Jamarion Wilcox rushed for 236 yards, and Kasen Weisman was 12-of-16 passing for 176 yards. Both are first-team preseason all-state picks and Georgia Power 100 members. Weisman is committed to Kansas. Carrollton also has a highly talented QB-RB duo. Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis is the state’s most heralded freshman quarterback since Trevor Lawrence, whose Cartersville coach, Joey King, is now Carrollton’s head man. In his first high school game, a 69-7 victory over Gadsden City, Ala., Lewis was 18-of-27 passing for 286 yards and five touchdowns, four to WR Jordan White. RB Bryce Hicks had 178 yards from scrimmage (135 rushing, 42 receiving). He had 1,219 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns last season.

Clarke Central at Oconee County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Watkinsville

Records, rankings: Clarke Central is 1-0 and No. 8 in Class 5A; Oconee County is 0-1 and No. 8 in 3A.

Last meeting: Oconee County won 21-2 in 2021.

Things to know: Both played their archrivals last week, with Clarke Central beating Cedar Shoals 40-0 and Oconee County falling short against North Oconee 16-13 after trailing 16-0 at halftime. Clarke Central and Oconee County, from bordering counties, have played each of the past six seasons, each winning three times. Clarke QB Lucien Anderson III has several mid-major offers. He had 185 total yards on 12 rushes and 12 passes last week and was pulled early during the blowout. Clarke DL Dailen Howard and DB Malachi McNeill were preseason all-state players. Oconee County held North Oconee to 206 yards but couldn’t sustain drives. RB/LB Whit Weeks, committed to LSU, had 80 yards from scrimmage as a runner/receiver. QB Mac Ricks was the team’s leading rusher but was 9-of-25 passing with two interceptions against heavy pressure. C.J. Jones rushed for 1,072 yards as a junior. New Oconee County coach Ben Hall is 3-0 against Clarke Central, all victories while at Flowery Branch.

Crisp County at Westlake

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Westlake Stadium, College Park

Records, rankings: Crisp County is 1-0 and No. 2 in Class 3A; Westlake is 0-1 and No. 10 in 7A.

Last meeting: Crisp County won 41-29 in the second round of the 2001 Class 4A playoffs.

Things to know: Crisp County, a 2021 Class 3A quarterfinalist that returned most of its key parts, was underwhelming in its opener, a 17-6 victory over Dooly County, a Class A Division II team. Crisp was outgained 261-196, though the game was never much in doubt. Cayden Daniels returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Zymorian Jackson had seven of his team’s 29 solo tackles. Trae Walker had two interceptions. Semaj Chatfield rushed for 103 yards. Ahmad Brown, an Ole Miss-committed safety/quarterback, was 3-of-10 passing for 42 yards and rushed for 36 yards on five carries. Westlake lost its opener to No. 4 North Cobb 21-17 but moved into the rankings at No. 10. Westlake was impressive defensively, holding AJC Super 11 QB Malachi Singleton in check, but managed just 169 total yards. Westlake’s top players are QB R.J. Johnson, who has more than 7,000 career passing yards, and Clemson-committed CB Avieon Terrell. Crisp County has played several teams in the highest classification in recent years, including Colquitt County and Valdosta, and won the last four (two each against Tift County and South Gwinnett).

ELCA at Blessed Trinity

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Blessed Trinity Stadium, Roswell

Records, rankings: Eagles Landing Christian is 1-0 and No. 1 in Class 2A; Blessed Trinity is 1-0 and No. 6 in 6A.

Last meeting: Blessed Trinity won 24-21 in 2021.

Things to know: These private schools, each with multiple state titles, are up one classification. ELCA won six Class A championships while Blessed Trinity won three in 3A and 4A. They first played an unplanned game in 2020 after both had COVID cancellations, and they’ve maintained the relationship. In the 2021 game, ELCA took a 21-0 lead but couldn’t contain RB Justice Haynes, who rushed for 356 yards. Haynes has transferred out. ELCA’s stars in the game were Brandon Hood (254 all-purpose yards) and Charlie Gilliam (245 yards passing). They’re back. Hood rushed for 235 yards with three touchdowns last week in a 50-49 victory over Brentwood Academy. Blessed Trinity opened with a 36-25 victory over Calhoun. The score was 17-17 entering the fourth quarter, and the Titans scored the next 19 points. Kieran Davis, a son of former Georgia and NFL star Charles Grant, rushed for 112 yards. He’s committed to East Carolina as an edge rusher. Sophomore QB Brooks Goodman was just 5-of-9 passing for 105 yards but with two TD passes, both to Cole Weaver, a 6-foot-5 wide receiver. All-state LB Mavrick Torrico had a team-leading eight tackles with an interception for a touchdown.

Northside (Warner Robins) at Peach County

When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Trojan Field at Anderson Stadium, Fort Valley

Records, rankings: Northside is 0-1 and unranked in Class 6A; Peach County is 1-0 and No. 7 in 3A.

Last meeting: Northside won 28-14 in 2021.

Things to know: These middle Georgia programs have played each of the past four seasons, with each winning twice and Northside winning the past two. Northside, which started the century with 15 consecutive 10-win seasons before tapering off, quietly returned to prominence last season, reaching the Class 6A semifinals after 3-7 and 5-6 finishes. All four losses in the 9-4 season were blowouts, so more work is to be done under third-year coach Chad Alligood. Northside lost its opener 27-21 to Jones County, the No. 3 team in Class 5A. Northside’s best player is probably Ricardo Jones, a 6-foot-3 junior safety and wide receiver and four-star recruit. Offensive linemen Kyle Mixon (6-5, 298) and Quinton Lewis (6-4, 290) are huge assets. Isaiah Harvey is an all-region nose guard. Peach County beat Baldwin, a perennial Class 4A playoff team, 50-20 last week, going up 37-13 in the first half. The Trojans got big games from QB Colter Ginn (275 yards passing and three touchdowns in the first half), Dylan Johnson (114 yards receiving) and Isaiah Mitchell (62 yards receiving, two interceptions). In the 2021 game between these two, Northside led in total yards 356-185.

St. Pius at Flowery Branch

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Falcon Field, Flowery Branch

Records, rankings: St. Pius is 1-0 and unranked in Class 6A; Flowery Branch is 1-0 and unranked in 5A.

Last meeting: Flowery Branch won 21-14 in 2021.

Things to know: Flowery Branch and St. Pius won their openers with game-winning touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but their games could not have been more different otherwise. Flowery Branch beat Decatur 39-38 in a game of 77 points and 842 total yards. St. Pius beat Dacula 10-7 in a game of 17 points and 329 total yards. Flowery Branch, in its first game under new coach Jason Tester, produced 150-yard rushers Malik Dryden (26 carries, 195 yards) and Myles Ivey (16-152). Ivey also had four receptions for 42 yards, and his 3-yard run in the final minute was the game-winner. Brody Jordan was 11-of-16 passing for 99 yards and two touchdowns. St. Pius defeated Dacula, a 2021 Class 6A semifinal team, on Will Moreman’s 29-yard TD pass to Jack Tchienchou with 8:17 left. In a certified rare event, St. Pius had more passing yards than rushing yards (117 to 77) as Moreman was 8-of-12 with three balls going to Tchienchou for 76 yards. St. Pius held Dacula, which averaged 32 points in its four 2021 playoff games, to 135 total yards and forced three turnovers. In these teams’ 2021 game, St. Pius led 14-0 in the first quarter, but Flowery Branch scored the final 21 points.

Swainsboro at Washington County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The House of Pain, Sandersville

Records, rankings: Swainsboro is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class A Division I; Washington County is 0-0 and No. 10 in 2A.

Last meeting: Washington County won 22-21 in 2021.

Things to know: In the 2021 game, Washington County rallied from a 21-8 deficit in the fourth quarter and preserved the one-point victory by stopping a fourth-down reverse at about the Washington County 20-yard line. Washington County’s Dontavius Braswell rushed for 104 yards and intercepted a pass. Now a senior, Braswell is the highest-rated Washington County prospect this century and the reigning Class 2A champion in the 100 and 200 meters. He rushed for 1,026 yards in just 80 carries in 2021. He’s committed to South Carolina. This game will feature the debut of Washington County coach Robert Edwards, hired from Riverwood in Atlanta to his alma mater, where he played in the early 1990s before going on to Georgia and the NFL. Washington County was 5-5 last season, but every loss came against a top-10 team. Swainsboro, coming off a Class 2A semifinal appearance in 2021, defeated Metter 21-7 last week while allowing only 43 yards to one of the state’s historically best rushing teams. QB Ty Adams, who has committed to East Carolina, rushed for 77 yards for Swainsboro. He ran for 1,778 yards last season while starting two ways.

Walton at Brookwood

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Brookwood Community Stadium, Snellville

Records, rankings: Walton is 0-1 and No. 8 in Class 7A; Brookwood is 1-0 and No. 7 in 7A.

Last meeting: Walton won 52-35 in the 2021 Class 7A quarterfinals.

Things to know: In the playoff game between these two last season, Walton jumped to a 35-14 halftime lead and maintained the momentum. Jeremy Hecklinski, then a sophomore, threw four TD passes and scored a touchdown. He shared the quarterback role last season but is now a full-timer, and he’s emerging as one of the state’s best passers. In last week’s opener, he was 20-of-33 passing for 426 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-41 loss to Mill Creek. Cameran Loyd had six receptions for 197 yards. Makari Bodiford rushed for 140 yards. All three are juniors, as is leading tackler Ashton Woods, a three-star linebacker. Walton had 600 yards in total offense against Class 7A’s fifth-ranked team. Brookwood’s quarterback, Dylan Lonergan, is fully established in his role. He’s a three-year starter and four-star prospect committed to Alabama. Lonergan was 12-of-22 passing for 187 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-24 victory over Norcross last week. He rushed for 77 yards. LB Malcolm McCain, who is committed to Miami of Ohio, had 11 solo tackles against Norcross. Though they’re from different counties (Walton from Cobb, Brookwood from Gwinnett), these programs frequently get together for non-region games. Brookwood leads the series 5-4.

Woodward Academy at McCallie (Tenn.)

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium, Chattanooga

Records, rankings: Woodward Academy is 1-0 and No. 5 in Class 6A; McCallie is 1-0 and No. 2 in Tennessee’s Class 3A Division II (MaxPreps)

Last meeting: McCallie won 7-0 in 1957.

Things to know: McCallie, a Chattanooga private school, is Tennessee’s three-time defending Class 3A Division II champion. MaxPreps ranks McCallie as the No. 4 overall team in Tennessee. McCallie has played a Georgia opponent each of the past eight seasons and defeated Calhoun by 18 and 16 points the past two. With star QB William Riddle off to East Tennessee State, McCallie won its 17th consecutive game, a 28-7 victory over Chattanooga Christian, last week. RB Tario Price rushed for 138 yards. DL Carson Gentle, a junior, is committed to Tennessee. Woodward, with more blue-chip talent, will seek to become the fourth Georgia team this season to beat a reigning out-of-state champion (Buford, Prince Avenue Christian and Commerce came before). Woodward’s top performers in an opening 37-19 victory over Trinity Christian were QB Jalen Woods (15-of-21 passing, 294 yards), WR Ben Grice (seven receptions, 159 yards) and CB Sam Reese (two interceptions, one for a touchdown). Clemson-committed LB A.J. Hoffler is one of our major Division I prospects on Woodward’s defense.