Weekend Preview: Top 10 games of Week 2

Bainbridge at Coffee

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jardine Stadium, Douglas

Records, rankings: Bainbridge is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class 4A; Coffee is 1-0 and No. 4 in 5A.

Last meeting: Bainbridge won 24-21 in 2022.

Things to know: In the 2022 game, Bainbridge’s Cam Sanders threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Cam Scott with 22 seconds left for the winning score. Keenan Phillips rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Coffee was left to regret a muffed punt, leading to a Bainbridge field goal, and a failed a fourth-and-5 from the Bainbridge 9 when trailing 17-13. Phillips is back for Bainbridge and rushed for 206 yards last week in a 55-3 victory over Eagle’s Landing Christian. Coffee got 234 yards rushing last week from Fred Brown in a 38-13 victory over Tift County. Coffee leads the series 10-9, though it won one game by forfeit that Bainbridge originally won 36-35. This will be the fourth consecutive time they will met as ranked teams. Though they’re more than 120 miles apart in south Georgia, they were in the same region from 1986 to 2001.

Brookwood at Walton

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Raider Valley, Marietta

Records, rankings: Brookwood is 1-0 and No. 10 in Class 7A; Walton is 1-0 and No. 4 in 7A.

Last meeting: Walton won 34-20 in 2022.

Things to know: This is the third straight season these teams have met, all while both were ranked. Walton won the previous two, including a 52-35 victory in the 2021 quarterfinals. Both are coming off victories in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. Brookwood beat McEachern 21-20. Braden Tyson scored the winning touchdown on a 9-yard run with 6:16 left, and McEachern didn’t get past Brookwood’s 40 from there. Tyson and Cam French each rushed for 93 yards. Lee Niles had 104 yards receiving. Quarterbacks Matt Peavy and C.J. Franklin, succeeding current Alabama freshman Dylan Lonergan, were 9-of-17 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown. Walton beat Grayson 49-27 after leading by 36 in the second half. Jeremy Hecklinski (committed to Wake Forest) passed for 284 yards and four touchdowns. Walton had six sacks, two each by Wendell Gregory and Lota Ugokwe.

Brunswick at Camden County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Chris Gilman Stadium, Kingsland

Records, rankings: Brunswick is 0-0 and unranked in Class 6A; Camden County is 1-0 and unranked in 7A.

Last meeting: Brunswick won 16-10 in 2022.

Things to know: These coastal Georgia teams have split their last four meetings after Camden County had won 11 straight in the series. In the 2022 game, Camden County had a first-and-goal at the Brunswick 7-yard line in the final two minutes but was turned away as Brunswick broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone. Brunswick finished 10-0 but lost to Houston County in the first round. The Pirates bring back WR Terry Mitchell, the 2022 Region 2-6A player of the year, and LB Devin Smith, the region’s defensive player of the year and a top-750 national recruit. Camden County beat Columbia 23-12 in the opener, avenging a 2022 loss. Jaden Dailey rushed for 146 yards. Elyiss Williams, a junior tight end committed to Georgia, had two receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. Camden attempted only five passes.

Calhoun at Carver (Atlanta)

When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Eddie S. Henderson Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Calhoun is 0-1 and No. 9 in Class 5A; Carver is 1-0 and No. 3 in 3A.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: This is part of the fifth Great Atlanta Bash, a two-day event at Atlanta’s Henderson Stadium. Carver is one of five Atlanta Public Schools in the event. Peachtree TV is televising all five games. Calhoun lost its opener last week to unranked Blessed Trinity, a 6A school, 17-7. Calhoun lost to the same opponent to open last year and made the state quarterfinals for the 14th time in 15 years, so concern is minimal. QB Trey Townsend passed for 2,147 yards last season. RB Caden Williams (committed to Liberty) rushed for 1,005. Carver beat then-No. 10 LaGrange, a 4A team, 28-12 on the road last week. Calil Hill’s 97-yard fumble return for a touchdown was a turning point. First-year starting QB Adam Sheely was 13-of-19 passing for 175 yards and scored a touchdown. Rodrick Hunter (Akron) and Joshua Stone (Arkansas State) police Carver’s rich secondary.

Cedartown at Callaway

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Callaway Stadium, LaGrange

Records, rankings: Cedartown is 1-0 and No. 9 in Class 4A; Callaway is 0-0 and No. 4 in 2A.

Last meeting: Cedartown won 47-7 in 2022.

Things to know: Cedartown was only a nine-point favorite ahead of last year’s game, so the blowout raised eyebrows. It was Callaway’s worst loss in 17 years. Using 11 ball carriers, Cedartown had 260 yards rushing and held Callaway to 87 total yards. Callaway bounced back to make the Class 2A quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive season. Callaway OL JoJo Shuman made preseason all-state. DL Camren Gunn has stood out in preseason camp. Other returning first-team all-region players are FS Cam Tucker, CB Korey Jackson and WR Treyvonn Tucker. Cedartown, the 2022 Class 4A runner-up, graduated its leading passer, rusher and receiver and top three tacklers but won its opener, beating Rockmart 13-12 after Rockmart missed a 44-yard field goal in the final seconds. Rockmart got within 13-12 on a kickoff return for a touchdown, but Cedartown turned away the two-point try.

Clinch County at Macon County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Adams-Maffett Field, Montezuma

Records, rankings: Clinch County is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class A Division II; Macon County is 1-0 and No. 9 in A Division II.

Last meeting: Clinch County won 24-20 in 2022.

Things to know: Clinch County beat Macon County for the first time last season, ending a seven-game losing streak in the series, a strange fact given Clinch’s eight state titles. Macon upset Clinch in 2020 and 2021, each time with Clinch ranked No. 3. In the 2022 game, Keegan Clayton threw a 15-yard TD pass to Jeremy Bell with 10 seconds left for the win. Clinch was outgained 266-177 but recovered six Macon County fumbles. Bell is back and committed to Indiana but playing running back. He rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns and returned a punt return for a touchdown in a 35-14 victory over Berrien last week. Macon County didn’t complete a pass in last year’s game but likely will this time as Brian Harris was 11-of-13 for 178 yards and three touchdowns last week in a 28-0 victory over Whitefield Academy. RB Tyler Felder had 155 yards from scrimmage. Macon County is outside of Macon, and Clinch County is on the Florida border. They’ve never been in the same region.

Houston County at Perry

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Herb St. John Stadium, Perry

Records, rankings: Houston County is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class 6A; Perry is 0-0 and No. 5 in 4A.

Last meeting: Houston County won 57-56 in 2022.

Things to know: While Perry was off, Houston County opened last week with a 56-12 victory over Sumter County. A.J. Hill was 16-of-16 passing for 287 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half.  Against Perry last season, Houston County trailed 28-3 in the first half and 42-26 late in the third quarter and won on a two-point conversion after Hill threw an 18-yard TD pass to Ricky Johnson with 10 seconds left. Hill passed for 414 yards. Ryan Taleb, now a senior, rushed for 200 yards. Johnson, who had 125 yards and three touchdowns in the game, also returns. He's committed to Stanford. Another Houston County receiver, Kale Woodburn, is committed to Cincinnati. So is Perry WR Dakarai Anderson, who had 193 yards receiving and three touchdowns in the 2022 game. Perry graduated QB Armar Gordon, who had six TD passes in that game, but picked up Colter Ginn, a transfer and former two-year starter at Peach County. Houston County leads this country rivalry 6-5. This will be their first meeting when both are ranked.

Norcross at Mill Creek

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Markham Field at Mill Creek Community Stadium, Hochston

Records, rankings: Norcross is 1-0 and No. 9 in Class 7A; Mill Creek is 1-0 and No. 3 in 7A.

Last meeting: Mill Creek won 49-17 in 2022.

Things to know: These Gwinnett County teams have played a non-region game against each other the past six seasons. Mill Creek is 5-1 in those games. In the 2022 matchup, Mill Creek’s Cam Robinson rushed for 150 yards and had 54 more receiving. Now a senior, he ran for 229 yards and two touchdowns last week in a 49-14 victory over North Gwinnett. Hayden Clark, who threw for 262 yards in the 2022 game, now plays for Washburn University in Kansas. His successor, Shane Throgmartin, was 11-of-17 passing for 143 yards and three touchdowns last week. Norcross opened with a 45-23 victory over Marietta. A.J. Watkins passed for 95 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 107 yards and had five receptions for 33 yards. Dillon Mohammed was 10-of-11 passing for 91 yards. Jamari Harrold had five catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns.

Rabun County at Stephens County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Reservation, Toccoa

Records, rankings: Rabun County is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class A Division I; Stephens County is 1-0 and No. 7 in 3A.

Last meeting: Rabun County won 14-7 in 2022.

Things to know: Rabun County has won five straight in this northeast Georgia series that resumed in 2016 after a 47-year respite. In the 2022 game, Stephens County held Rabun County to its lowest scoring total in a victory in 24 years, but Rabun prevailed, breaking a 7-7 tie in the third quarter and clinching it with a late interception. Rabun beat Haralson County 45-21 in its opener last week. Sophomore QB Ty Truelove, a new starter with nearly the same fanfare as current Georgia sophomore Gunner Stockton five years ago, was 15-of-20 passing for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Stephens County beat Habersham Central, a Class 6A school, 31-29. Luke Waters kicked a 31-yard field goal with five seconds left, and the Indians rallied from a 29-13 deficit that also required Waters to execute an onside kick. WR/DB Jasec Smith stood out with four receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns and three solo tackles.

Thomasville at Thomas Co. Central

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Jackets’ Nest, Thomasville

Records, rankings: Thomasville is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class 3A; Thomas County Central is 1-0 and No. 8 in 6A.

Last meeting: Thomas County Central won 31-0 in 2022.

Things to know: Thomasville leads this vintage south Georgia rivalry 28-27. This is the first time both teams have been ranked since 2017. Thomas Central coach Justin Rogers, in his second season, lifted the program from mediocrity last season as the Yellow Jackets went 12-1, a seven-win improvement, and won their first region title since 2016. Central dominated the 2022 game with 557 yards of total offense. Trey Benton, who rushed for 101 yards, is back and ran for 115 yards in Central’s opening 38-0 victory over Cairo. New starting QB Jaylen Johnson was 16-of-27 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Thomasville’s only real offense a year ago was Jay Randall’s 188 yards rushing. The preseason all-state player is back. In its opener last week, Thomasville beat Brooks County 42-20. Cam Hill, a new starter, was 16-of-21 passing for 266 yards and a touchdown.