By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

We are in the second half of the high school football season. Teams have started region play and we have an idea of what playoff seeding might look like. I’m going to take a look at 7A to see what teams are serious championship contenders.

#1 Collins Hill: The Eagles (6-0) are the most talented team in the state. Five-star wide receiver/corner back and No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022, Travis Hunter suffered an ankle injury last week. It was thought to be serious, but his head coach Lenny Gregory said he didn’t think it was severe.

“We don’t think it’s a season-ending thing,” he said. “We’re praying for good news obviously and I think, from everything we’re hearing, he’s going to be just fine.”

Collins Hill also has four-star quarterback and the No .10 recruit in the state, Sam Horn. In the same game, a 63 – 0 win over rival Peachtree Ridge he became Gwinnett County’s all-time leading passer. If Hunter returns, they will win the state championship. Junior tight end and four-star recruit Ethan Davis is the go-to playmaker while Hunter is not playing.

#2 North Cobb: The Warriors (5-1) only lost came in the season opener against the #1 6A team, Buford. They have steamrolled their opponents in their five consecutive victories. This is one of the most talented teams in Georgia.

Four-star cornerback and Georgia commit Marquis Groves-Killebrew is the best player on the team. They have another four-star and UGA commit on the team, wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette.

Wide receiver Samuel Mbake is also a four-star recruit and the No. 25 player in Georgia. Three-star defensive end and Michigan commit Joshua Josephs helps generate a pass rush.

#3 Milton: The Eagles (6-1) lost to North Cobb, 40 – 14 in Week 2.

The top player on their team is three-star tight end and Michigan State commit Jack Nickel.

They also have a three-star inside linebacker Maurice Clipper Jr. who is committed to Tennessee.

The backfield has a couple more three-star players, quarterback Devin Farrell and running back Jordan McDonald.

Milton does not have the elite talent like the top two teams, but they can compete with anyone else. They are in the same region with #9 Roswell and they play later this month.

#4 Mill Creek: The Hawks (6-0) have looked dominant so far. The closest margin of victory is 14 points. They have not been challenged this season.

The season finale is against Collins Hill so we will learn a lot about them from that game. Surprisingly, they do not have any players ranked in the top 100 recruits in the state.

Junior quarterback Hayden Clark has passed for 1,137 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

#9 Roswell: The Hornets (6-1) are my dark horse team to make a deep playoff run.

The lone loss was on the road to #6 Walton. They have a very good defense and are led by senior quarterback Robbie Roper. He’s thrown for 1,619 yards, 20 TD’s and 4 picks. He’s also rushed for 225 yards and 3 scores.

They have two running backs, Ryan Hill II and Nykahi Davenport that have over 300 yards rushing.