Ramming Through
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Grayson has been one of the best programs in the state over the last decade.
They won state championships in 2011 and 2016. They won another state championship in 2020, going 14 – 0. They only had one game decided by single digits.
The Rams lost a ton of talent from 2020 but they were 10 – 4 in 2021. They made it to the state semifinal where they lost to the eventual champion, Collins Hill.
They play in the highest classification and one of the toughest regions, 4 AAAAAAA. I still think they will compete for a state championship this season.
Senior safety Michael Daugherty is the No. 18 recruit in the state and a four-star player. He’s 6’1, 180 pounds and very physical. He’s committed to LSU.
Linebacker Jalen Smith is a three-star recruit and a Tennessee commit. Defensive end Ravon Johnson is also a three-star player. He’s 6’4 and 220 pounds so he has great size for the position.
The Rams also have talented players in the class of 2024. Guard Waltclaire Flynn Jr. is the No. 11 player in Georgia for the class of 2024. At 6’1 and 290 pounds he’s almost the size of a college offensive lineman.
Joseph JoJo Stone is a four-star player and an LSU commit. He’s listed as an athlete, but he contributes on both sides of the ball.
Grayson also has three-star corner back Zion Ferguson in the secondary.
They start the season Saturday, August 20th at Marietta. The Blue Devils won the state championship in 2019 and they still have some talented players. Senior corner back Jace Arnold is a four-star recruit and he’s committed to Wisconsin. Grayson should win this, but it will be close.
The next week is the home opener against Eagle’s Landing. The Golden Eagles are a 5A team and they were 3 – 7 last season. Grayson will blow them out.
They start September with a neutral site game against Fort Dorchester (North Charleston, SC). The Patriots were 12 – 1 last year so they are pretty good. I think Grayson will win a close game.
They play another South Carolina team the following week, Spartanburg. The Vikings were 9 – 4 in 2021 so they are pretty good but I give the edge to Grayson.
After a bye week the last non-region game is at Lowndes. This is going to be on the road in a hostile environment against a very good team. I think the Vikings will win a close game.
They travel to Newton for the first region game and they will beat them handily.
After another bye week the Rams travel to South Gwinnett. This will be another easy win.
Things get much harder against Brookwood. The Broncos should be a top five team and are led by senior quarterback Dylan Lonergan. He recently committed to Alabama. Last year Brookwood won the game 35-14. This game is a toss-up.
The final two games are at home against Archer and Parkview. Both teams are normally pretty good but they struggled in 2021. They hope to bounce back this year but Grayson will be favored to win.
The best-case scenario for the Rams is 9 – 1, worst case is 7 – 3 with a couple of non-region loses. I think they will advance deep in the playoffs.
