High School Football
X Marks The Spot
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Garrett Grady begins year two as the captain of the Brunswick High Pirate football program. Year one was a solid success with a 10-1 record with a heartbreaking 29-28 loss to Houston County in the playoffs.
I sat down with Coach Grady to discuss this upcoming season. “I am excited for this fall. I like the fight in this football team. We have some talented players returning on both sides of the ball. I thought we had a great spring practice, and we have picked up on that this summer. We had a tough contact camp with Thomas County Central, Ware County, and Cedartown recently and our kids competed hard. The programs we competed against are elite and we found out plenty about our guys. We know they want to compete, and the effort was outstanding. Effort is something we can control. If we bring max effort, then we can overcome some inexperience we have in a couple of position groups.”
“Our program had a tragedy this summer where we lost a super young man and great human being MyKal Ellis. We are going to dedicate our 2023 season to the memory of this young man. He was such a pleasure to coach and be around. This adversity has brought our kids and all the Pirate nation closer together.”
Let us look at the position groups:
RB: Jamarious Towns and William Heck return for their junior seasons. They combined for right at 1,300 yards rushing and 11 TD’s last fall.
Grady added “We have two solid running backs in those two, and we expect and demand great things from them. The remarkable thing about them is they come to work daily and want to be great.”
QB: Jarrod Elkins returns for his senior season after passing for 1,500 yards and 19 TDs in 2022.
“JR has a cannon for an arm, and he can make any kind of throw we need him to make. He is more experienced this fall, and we feel he can get us where we need to go as a football team.”
WR: TJ Mitchell known in the Golden Isles as “Touchdown Terry” is a game changer.
“There is nothing he cannot do with the football in his hands” added his head coach.
“He can make people miss him in a phone booth. We have some talent in this group.”
OL: Jack Hunt will lead a talented but young inexperienced group. “We must grow up fast this fall in the OL.”
DL: “Donyea Broughton and River Creel have played a lot of football for us over the past three years, and they will lead solid group I feel very good about.”
LB: Devin Smith, the returning region defensive player of the year will anchor a solid Pirate defense.
Grady says “If you produced an all-time Brunswick High football team, he would be on it. He is our team leader on defense and in the locker room. He is a dude and QB’s do not pat the ball when he is coming off the edge.”
J’shawn Towns led the Pirates in tackles with 88 last fall, returns for his junior season.
“He is a thumper. When he hits folks, they go down in a hurry” added Grady.
DB: “Tavion Gadson and Tyler Sams give us a solid core in the secondary.”
Special Teams: “Nobody works harder at their craft than Mcclain Fineran and he has developed into a solid kicker for us.”
Grady added that “Our schedule is tough. We open at Camden and that will tell us all we need to know about our football team right out of the gate. We travel to Effingham to close the regular season and the last two years that game has been for the region championship. These seniors have a chance to go out as 4-time region champions. We shared the title when they were ninth graders and have won it outright the past two seasons. There is a lot to play for. And of course, nobody around here is happy with our playoff results lately. That has really eaten at us this offseason.”
The Hunt
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Buford Wolves are always contenders to win the state championship.
They have won from the smallest classification up to 6A. They have won 14 football state championships and only one of those was before the year 2000.
Last year was the first season in Georgia’s highest classification, 7A. They were the No. 1 team all season and went 10–0 in the regular season. They lost to Walton in the second round of the playoffs, 42–35.
This season they look to win again and they have the most talented team in the state. They have three players ranked in the top six in the Class of 2024.
The first player to mention is the top ranked recruit in the nation, quarterback Dylan Raiola. He’s from Arizona and committed to Georgia, so it looks like his family moved here to get acclimated to living in the state. He did attend three high schools previously so I’m not sure what that says about him.
Raiola is 6’3 and 220 pounds so he has prototypical size that should help him adjust to playing tougher competition.
Safety KJ Bolden is a five-star recruit and the No. 3 player in the state for the 2024 class. He has also committed to UGA. He’s a playmaker and stands 6’1 and 185 pounds.
They have another five-star recruit and the No. 6 player in the class of 2024, defensive lineman Eddrick Houston.
Houston is 6’3, 255 lbs. already, so he’s a man amongst boys on a high school field. He will be in the opponent’s backfield all season getting sacks and tackles for loss. He has committed to Ohio State.
Senior safety Tyshun White is a three-star recruit and the No. 56 player in the state. He’s currently committed to North Carolina.
Junior linebacker Jadon Perlotte is the No.4 player in Georgia for the class of 2025 and a four-star recruit. He is also a UGA commit.
Fellow junior corner back Devin Williams is also a four-star recruit.
Offensive tackle Brayden Jacobs is the No. 24 player in the class of 2025. He’s 6’7, 310 pounds so you can expect him to dominate 99% of the competition based on size and intimidation alone.
Junior linebacker Mantrez Walker has committed to Michigan.
They have a stacked team and that will come in handy based on their schedule.
They start the season at home August 18 against St. Frances Academy (MD). St. Frances Academy finished their 2022 season ranked No. 8 by MaxPreps and had a 9-1 overall record. I think this will be a close game that the Wolves will lose.
The following week they travel to Mallard Creek (NC). Last season, Buford thoroughly defeated Mallard Creek with a score of 56-7. Expect a similar outcome.
September 1 is at North Cobb for the third matchup in three seasons. Buford won last year to tie the series up and they will win again.
They have a bye week then return to Tom Riden Stadium to host Carver-Atlanta, a AAA team. Last season Buford won 44–16.
Marietta travels to Buford on September 22. Last season the Wolves won 14-0 at Marietta.
The Wolves begin region 8-AAAAAAA play on Sept. 29 at Collins Hill.
They have another bye week then Oct. 13 travel to play the defending state champs, Mill Creek. Mill Creek lost several players from last year’s team.
The final three games are against Dacula, Mountain View and Central Gwinnett. They should finish the regular season 9-1.
The teams with comparable talent are Grayson and Parkview, so I look forward to them meeting in the playoffs.
Running Wild
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For the last three years I have had the pleasure of watching Jaden Dailey progress as a player for the Camden County Wildcats.
The Camden running back began getting carries for the Wildcats on the varsity level as only a freshman and has evolved into the main weapon at running back for Camden.
Dailey was born in Camden and then moved to Valdosta shortly after. Fortunately, for Camden fans, he moved back to Camden at the age of six. At age seven Dailey began playing football and immediately was a natural. By the time Dailey was eight years old his father, Michael Dailey, saw his son had a gift as a football player.
His father began working with his son on becoming a better running back and harnessing his talent.
Jaden Dailey was a freshman in Bob Sphires last season as Camden County Head Coach in 2020 and earned the trust of the coaching staff.
Dailey had a great mentor as he often shared the same backfield as Jamie Felix. “Jamie was a great motivator and was like an older brother to me. He would always tell me stay positive and keep my head up.” Jamie Felix is now playing on Saturdays at Georgia Tech.
In 2020 Felix went down for a portion of the season with a hamstring injury and Jaden Dailey was given the opportunity for some carries and he never looked back. By 2022, Dailey was a tough ‘between the tackles’ runner with great vision in Jeff Herron’s Wing-T offense.
Herron took over the program in 2021 and installed his signature Wing-T offense.
“My first impression of Jeff Herron was he was tough and serious. As I have gotten to know him I have seen some funny moments out of him too. He wants us to be physical as offense and pound the ball. He sets the tone.”
Jaden is the oldest of three brothers: Julian and Noah. Fourteen-year-old Julian also plays for Camden and plays running back. Noah is 11.
Jaden has some lofty goals for 2023 on the field. “I want to rush for 2,000 yards this coming season. I would also like to have 3,000 all-purpose yards.” If Dailey accomplishes those goals you will probably see the Wildcats in Atlanta in December.
He is a good student as well. He has a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and hopes to graduate with honors.
The plan after high school is to attend college and major in Business Marketing.
He will have a big decision as several schools have shown interest in offering Dailey a football scholarship. Some of those schools include Navy, Stetson, Tennessee Tech, Kennesaw State, UConn and Georgia State.
I expect a ton more offers to follow and for Jaden Dailey to have a monster 2023 season.
The Prince Of Terror
By: Garrison Ryfun
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Glynn Academy Red Terror Senior wideout David Prince looks to make some noise in his final season as a Terror.
A four-year starter at the receiver position and standing 6 foot 4 inches 220 pounds, Prince is an imposing force at wideout.
Glynn Academy used his size advantage last year, as he became a regular jump ball target on the goal line for Quarterback Tyler Devlin. Prince’s wider catch radius makes him a perfect target for an inexperienced quarterback, which the Terrors will be rolling into 2023 with.
After starting high school with Louisville commit, TJ Lewis at QB and the stability of the last two years with Devlin, Prince will be looking to Ryan Schueneman as the new signal caller.
Schueneman, who played a similar role to David Prince last season, will now be the third starting quarterback to play with David Prince.
While out at practice, Prince and I talked about where he got his love of football from. He attributed it to watching his brothers play when he was growing up. Prince said after he started playing in the sixth grade he just fell in love with the sport.
Prince embraced the run-first identity of Glynn Academy’s offense in our interview saying: “Our number one thing is running the football; we ain’t ever going to change that.”
Despite playing in a run-first offense, Prince put up impressive stats last season, totaling up 28 catches for 607 yards and 7 touchdowns. That includes an explosive performance against Northside in round 1 of the playoffs last year, where he caught 3 passes for 120 yards and 1 touchdown.
Prince also played two ways last season, embracing being a team player and plugging in as an outside linebacker on defense. Prince told me he expects to play on defense again this season, once again playing outside linebacker for the Terrors. Another year’s worth of experience at the position, colleges are sure to take notice of both David Prince the tight end and David Prince the linebacker.
He talked about his goals and the team’s heading into 2023: “Get stronger, faster, and try to win a region championship. First day of spring we came out here with a mindset to win a region championship.”
Those kinds of goals are the right mindset to have and are warranted when you look at Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo’s track record. Coach Rocky Hidalgo has won a region title, or tied for one, five times in his career at Glynn Academy.
Coach Hidalgo himself had this to say about Prince: “He is an amazing kid, he is a lot of fun to be around. Anything he does is going to automatically be more energetic, it’s going to be more enthusiastic, and it’s going to be more fun. He’s just kind of naturally got one of those personalities. Great kid, got a good heart, and he’s a great teammate.”
Prince talked a little bit about the college recruitment process and told a story about receiving his first offer from Troy: “I was in class, [Troy coach Evan McKissack] texted me and asked if he could call me. So, I went somewhere and called him, he was telling me that I was going to be the first tight end that they offered.”
Prince went on to say the current state of his recruiting process felt “regular,” saying that it hasn’t changed who he is as a person. He is also interested in making the most of his coming college experience, possibly pursuing a business degree.
David Prince is a bright young man, who will turn some heads in high school ranks and with more college coaches very soon. Look for him to not only have a great senior year, but also be a steal for whatever college is lucky to get him.
Farewell, George
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been an incredible time of ups and downs recently.
This world has lost some fine people; Vince Dooley, Charley Trippi, Mike Leach, Devin Willock, and Chandler LeCroy all in just the last 3 months. Just a crazy time.
But to me, this one hurt worse than anything. We recently lost the great George Rose.
Not only was he one of the top athletes to come out of South Georgia EVER, but he was one of the nicest and most genuine people you would ever want to meet.
Throughout our latter time together whenever we saw each other it was……….” Hey Coach!!!!!” “Hey Joe!! How’s Kim doing?” The guy was just solid gold.
When I learned of his passing it brought tears to my eyes. He was my coach but through everything he was my friend.
If you know anything about Glynn Academy Red Terror football, then you know who George Rose was. I’m not going to list everything here that he accomplished as a player at Glynn, Auburn and the NFL. It would take up the whole column and more.
Just a few superlatives were, he was a team captain at Glynn, and Auburn. He was the 34th overall pick in the NFL draft and played for Minnesota, New Orleans and San Francisco. He gave up ONE pass completion in his senior year at Auburn as a defensive back, ONE! He was that damn good and just purely fast as hell.
After the pros he came back to Glynn County and coached the Red Terrors during my senior year. I played QB that year for the first time and the truth be told I was pretty good and terrible. George got handed a mediocre bunch of Jimmys and Joes with a few good players sprinkled in that year.
But we worked hard and had a lot of fun. I remember one day at the end of practice we were doing extra passing drills and were all needling coach about playing DB and got him to go over and cover a couple of guys.
We were all laughing and having a good time and I went over to the receivers’ line and got lined up with George and he started laughing. I said come on Coach I’m gonna burn you! Well, I looked over at Coach Hudson, who was throwing and nodded my head. Coach Hudson goes “HUT ONE” and I take off……. huh wait a second……. I take one step and all of a sudden, I’m looking at the sky on my back. I don’t think they called it bump and run back then but I guess I’d call it bump and dump because I didn’t run anywhere!
Next thing I know George is looking down at me laughing, Coach Hudson is about to fall out laughing and next thing you know I’m laughing with everyone else.
I’d love to say we won all the close games and had a great year, but we didn’t. But what we did do was get better. Our last game of the year was against Brunswick High and they were the sub region champs and everyone from Murray Poole to my 12-year-old little brother said they were going to beat the snot out of us. And probably badly.
Well, between George, Marvin Hurst, Herman Hudson and the other coaches, they got us ready.
We beat the Pirates 26-21 at old Lanier Field in front of a standing room only crowd, coming from behind in the fourth quarter. We were the city champs.
After the game I went over to George and hugged him and told him thanks for everything he had done for us that year. He looked me straight in the eyes, smiled and said “Joe you played your best game tonight.” I’ll never forget that……. It brought tears to my eyes then……….and it brings tears to my eyes now.
God bless you coach, War Damn Eagle! Rest easy.
At The Top
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The high school football season ended last weekend after the state championships were played. Let’s take a look at the entertaining 7A game.
Mill Creek 70 – Carrollton 35: This was for the state’s highest classification. Carrolton (14-1) was undefeated going into the game.
The Hawks (14-1) won their first state title in school history. Both teams are ranked nationally, Mill Creek is No. 18 and the Trojans are No. 26. The game was played in the fog and light rain at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
This gave Gwinnett its third straight state champion in Class AAAAAAA. Their 70 points broke the state record for most points scored by one team in a state final, according to Georgia High School Football Daily records, besting the old mark of 62 set by Valdosta in 1971 and Warner Robins in 2020.
This game also set the championship record for most combined points scored in a game with 105. The previous record was set in 2013 when Griffin beat Carrollton 56 – 35 (91).
Junior running back Cam Robinson ran for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Mill Creek ran for a total of 410 and averaged 9.5yards per carry.
“It’s not about me, it’s about us,” said Mill Creek’s Josh Lovelady, a coach at the school since it opened in 2004, and head coach the past four seasons. “What I mean by us is it isn’t just about the players here and the coaches here. A lot of coaches and a lot of alumni. I had people from all over the United States, ‘We’ve got you, coach.’ They understand what this program is about. It’s a foundation, building bricks. It came to that point but it took a lot of work by a lot of people from the Touchdown Club to the players to the administration.”
Mill Creek’s lone loss came to Buford, who was ranked No.1 and undefeated during the regular season.
The Hawks were dominant in the postseason and beat their first four playoff opponents so thoroughly the mercy rule with the running clock was used.
“I’m just so proud. Some unbelievable hours by our coaches. It’s a wonderful feeling. It’s wonderful because we did it the right way. I know it’s just my opinion, but by golly, we did it the right way with our kids. I’ve got so many youth pictures of our kids in little Hawk baggy uniforms, all those guys that played together at 10 years old and now they’re here. That’s what makes it so special.”
Carrollton hadn’t allowed more than 28 points in a game all season. The Trojans never got the deficit to single digits after the first quarter despite 529 yards and five touchdowns from freshman quarterback Julian Lewis. The Hawks finished with 601 yards of offense.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s a blessing to be able to be here and win it,” Mill Creek senior linebacker/tight end Jamal Anderson said. “Obviously, it’s a lot of emotion going through my body right now. I’ve been with the Mill Creek Hawks for what, 10, 11 years since I was 6 years old. It’s great. It’s great to get a win for the coaching staff. I know a lot of these guys haven’t been here yet to win one. So, it’s been a great time, great experiences with this team.”
A wild first half had Mill Creek with TDs that covered 66, 88, 96 and 80 yards, while Carrollton scored on two 80-yard passes.
Coach Of The Year
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Brunswick High Pirates Head Coach Garrett Grady was named Region 2-AAAAAA Coach of the Year.
Grady guided the Pirates to a 10-1 record in his first year as a head coach.
Since Grady was named the Head Coach back in February, he has had the Midas touch on everything concerning Brunswick High football.
Grady came to BHS in 2017 as part of Sean Pender’s staff, serving as Offensive Coordinator.
The Superintendent of the Glynn County School System Dr. Scott Spence had this to say about Coach Grady:
“It is rare for a large high school to hire a head coach that is already on staff. The hiring of Coach Grady at BHS was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made, and it seems to be turning out just fine. With Coach Grady it is more about developing the whole student athlete rather than just winning football games. Coach Grady cares about the ‘now’ with his kids and will most definitely be there for them in the future. On behalf of the entire school system, I congratulate Coach Grady on this well-deserved honor”
Garrett Grady graduated in 2006 from Pierce County High School in Blackshear, GA.
Once he graduated, he attended Valdosta State University, where he continued his football career.
At VSU he earned his Master’s in Public Administration and his Bachelor’s in Arts (History).
Grady began coaching in 2010 as a student assistant with Valdosta State’s Offensive Line and moved into the Offensive Line Graduate Assistant position the following year.
He was promoted to Running Back’s Coach in 2012 and successfully coached the group of running backs during Valdosta State’s 2012 National Championship season.
He spent three years on the VSU coaching staff before he returned to Pierce County High in 2013.
Grady spent four years at PCHS where he was the Running Backs Coach (2013, 2014) & Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach (2015, 2016).
Coach Grady is entering his 6th year at Brunswick High and his 1st year as the Head Football Coach. He has served as the Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach since 2017.
Grady commented on being named the Region COY:
“I am honored to be named Region 2-AAAAAA Coach of the Year. This is a great testament of what our program is all about-All About the Family. I would like to say thank you to the administration, coaching staff & coaches’ families, players, & community, because without each one of you our success is not possible. I would like to say a special Thank You to my wife, Erica Grady, for supporting me throughout my career and the sacrifices you make, I know it is not easy being a coach’s wife. I look forward to building upon our positive culture and family atmosphere here at Brunswick High School.”
The Pirate Ship is in good hands for the foreseeable future.
2022 Crusade
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Whether intentional or not, it would seem that every Frederica Academy football season has a theme.
2018 championship season was the fastest, the 2020 was the smartest, and it seems the 2022 was the steadiest.
If you had to describe the 2022 season in a single word, it would be weird.
The season started three hours late, when the opening game versus Brookwood was delayed by lightning. Thankfully, the game ended early as well, the Knights losing the abbreviated opener 41-12.
Week two was a much more favorable result, with the Knights leaving Chula, GA with a 34-27 victory.
Frederica went to an all-time record of 4-4 versus the Panthers and brought themselves to a .500 record on the early season.
The next four games proved to be as difficult as expected.
Head Coach Brandon Derrick knew that his team would not get better playing lesser teams, so he scheduled a buzzsaw of a lineup for this year’s squad.
The following four games against Valwood, John Milledge, Clinch County, and Tattnall Square would prove to be losses but valuable ones at that.
Invaluable they were, indeed. While the team was not registering wins, junior running back Jordan Triplett and classmate LB Hamp Thompson were putting up statistics that would place them in the top of the standings in the state of Georgia.
By the end of the year, Triplett would have 2,305 yards rushing on 315 carries with 26 touchdowns, while Thompson would wind up #10 in the state across all divisions with 123 total tackles and 70 solo tackles on the year.
After a 1-5 start to the year, the Knights ran out the schedule in championship style.
The last four games of the year saw the Green & Grey put up an identical 42-point score, and their offensive powerhouse RB Triplett put up a minimum of 300 yards and 3 touchdowns per game, apexing with a 400-yard 6 touchdown effort in the final game. That secured a region championship for Frederica.
The regular season championship would grant the Knights a first-round bye and a second-round matchup against Deerfield Windsor Academy out of Albany, Ga. Frederica had only faced the Deerfield Windsor Knights once before. That was a second-round playoff upset at home ‘Under the Oaks’ in 2016.
The game looked to be a tale of two halves; unfortunately, the first half was the better for Frederica.
The opening drive was a clinical one. The Knights drove 80 yards in 13 plays, cumulating with a Jordan Triplett touchdown 7 ½ minutes into the first quarter.
After a three and out, Jordan ‘The River’ Triplett picked up a punt on two bounces and took back a blissful 88-yard return for a touchdown, taking the Knights to a 14-0 first quarter lead.
Unfortunately, that would be the end of the offense on the night.
Deerfield Windsor would put up three touchdowns over the final three quarters while shutting out Frederica, ending their March to Mercer two weeks early by a score of 18-14.
While any season that doesn’t end on the field at Mercer University seems like a letdown for the Frederica faithful, the 2022 season seems almost like a warmup to what should be another championship run.
2023 should prove to be just as memorable as 2022, regardless of the outcome.
Gold Rush
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Ka’ Shawn Thomas should be the Region 2-AAAAAA defensive player of the year. No other player in this area has had a bigger impact on that side of the ball than Thomas has had.
The 300-pound senior finished his Pirate career with that heartbreaking 29-28 OT loss to Houston County. Thomas has been the ringleader of a senior class that won 35 football games and 3 region championships.
When you mention the name Ka’ Shawn Thomas to his head coach Garrett Grady you get the following “Ka’ Shawn has been an outstanding football player for us for four years. He is our leader on defense. When things get tough the other kids look to him for leadership and he makes things happen on the football field. He can dominate the line of scrimmage and make teams struggle in the run game. He is also a great pass rusher, and he caves in the pocket in the passing game. You don’t see many kids like him that come through high school programs. He will be missed around here and will be a productive college player at Wake Forest both on the field and in the classroom. He has set the standard around here for defensive linemen moving forward”.
Thomas could end up on some All-State teams after the current high school season concludes and will most definitely be an all-region player in 2022.
Thomas committed to Wake Forest back in March. He was the top player on the Wake Forest board and was the first player committed in their 2023 recruiting class.
Wake will be getting a young man with a great motor, quick first step, and at 300 pounds a man who can command double teams from an opposing offensive line. Wake Forest is a program that is on the rise and is very competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Ka’ Shawn comes from a great family, and he would probably tell you his favorite person and role model is his mother, Tashana.
Tashana is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and she has an amazing personality and when momma talks Ka’ Shawn listens. She has raised a solid young man that is going to be a success in life long after his football career is over. His mother and family have instilled a great foundation in Ka’ Shawn.
Ka’ Shawn leaves a great legacy at Brunswick High School. He will be mentioned as one of the all-time greatest players to ever come through the school. I personally believe that he is one of the top ten players that BHS has ever produced.
It has been a privilege to broadcast Ka’ Shawn for his entire BHS career on Pirate Radio. He has been a great ambassador for the program and a ‘yes sir’, ‘no sir’ kind of young man that always greets you with a firm handshake and the upmost of respect.
I know Ka’ Shawn is going to have a fine college career at Wake Forest, and possibly in 4-5 years you could hear his name called by an NFL in a future NFL draft. I know this the young man will be missed on Altama Avenue.
I will leave you with one final comment that I firmly believe. Ka’ Shawn Thomas is the best defensive lineman to ever play at Brunswick High School. I have seen many kids come through the program since I went to my first Pirate football game in 1974 and I can’t think of one better at his position than Ka’ Shawn.
The Best Remain
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The second round of the 7A GHSA playoffs had a major upset. No. 1 Buford lost their first game of the season to No. 6 Walton, 42 – 35. They ended the Wolves 22-game win streak, quest for a fourth consecutive state championship and a possible national championship. This is the first time this century that Buford has not advanced to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
“We’re not used to feeling like this around here and that’s a good thing,” Buford head coach Bryant Appling said. “It also handicaps you to an extent because you’ve got to understand what it feels like (to lose) and work a little bit harder. There’s an inch in there we can get and we just didn’t get to it this year.”
The upset means any of the remaining eight teams in the quarterfinals has a legitimate shot to win it all. We are going to take a look at those matchups.
#2 Colquitt County vs North Gwinnett: The Packers (12-0) have to be the favorite to win the state championship now. They beat Harrison in the second round 49 – 28. Colquitt County has an explosive offense. The least amounts of points they scored in a game was 24 against Valdosta.
The Bulldogs (10-2) come into the game unranked but they have had a good season. Their best player is four-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. He’s ranked as the 22nd recruit in the state for the class of 2023 and he committed to Ohio State. They also have four-star linebacker Grant Godfrey.
I expect this to be a very close game but Colquitt will win.
#5 Mill Creek vs #7 Westlake: The Hawks (11-1) have the best player in the state, five-star safety/receiver Caleb Downs. They also have Clemson commit and three-star linebacker Jamal Anderson. I think this is the most talented team left in the playoffs.
The Lions (9-3) also have a Clemson commit, corner back Avieon Terrell. This should be a close game but I give the edge to Mill Creek.
#3 Carrolton vs #6 Walton: The Trojans (12-0) are unbeaten and still somehow underrated. They only have two wins this season that were decided by less than 10 points. They beat Marietta in the second round, 47 – 14.
Walton quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski and running back Makari Bodiford played key roles in the upset of Buford. Neither team has a senior ranked as a top 100 recruit in the state but they have talent. I’m picking the Raiders to win since they were able to beat the top ranked team.
#8 Milton vs #10 Grayson: The Eagles (9-3) beat Norcross 30 – 23 to advance to the quarterfinals. Senior safety Bryce Thornton is a three-star recruit and he’s committed to Florida. They have another three-star safety, Robert Billings and he’s committed to Clemson. The strength of the defense is the secondary.
The Rams (10-2) beat Camden County 28 – 10 in the second round. The best player on the team is four-star safety and LSU commit Michael Daugherty. At linebacker they have Tennessee commit Jalen Smith.
I think this will be a very good defensive game and the offenses will have to protect the football. I think Grayson will win.
