North Gwinnett Bulldogs
Top Teams In 7A
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re almost at the midway point for the high school football regular season. I want to take a look at some of the top teams in 7A and see how they have done thus far.
#1 Buford: The Wolves are the top team in the state and ranked #4 nationally by USA Today. They are reigning state and national champions. They have beaten some strong teams like #6 Gainesville (6A), Miami Central (FL) and Grayson.
They got a boost after Week 1 when five-star defensive lineman Jalen Brewster transferred in from Texas. He’s also rated #4 nationally for the class of 2027.
They’re about to start region play this week. AAAAAAA Region 8 is extremely weak. There’s only one other team that has at least a .500 record.
#2 Carrolton: The Trojans are always competing for a state title but coming up just short. They were 14-1 last season, with the only loss coming to Buford in the state championship game. They also lost the state championship in 2024 and 2022.
There are only three other teams in AAAAAAA Region 2 but they are tough. They consist of Douglas County, #8 Westlake and East Coweta. Carrolton is a legit contender. They are ranked #12 nationally.
#3 Newton: This is an odd position for the Rams because they aren’t a traditionally good program. They have a lot of talent on the roster this year like four-star RB Kevin Hartsfield.
They started the season with a double overtime win against Douglas County. Since then, it’s been all blowouts. A couple of notable teams they beat are #8 Roswell (6A) and Warner Robins.
They’ll start October playing at #8 Westlake. They also have Grayson and Archer in their region, so we will find out if The Rams are contenders.
#4 North Gwinnett: The Bulldogs advanced to the state semifinals last season. They picked up where they left off and they have not played a close game yet. They’ve won every game by double digits, with the closest margin of victory being 13 points.
They’ve already started region play but they will play the tough teams later in the season. That includes #6 Brookwood, Peachtree Ridge and Parkview.
#5 Lowndes: The Vikings are also beating up on the competition. They finished last season 10-2, losing in the second round of the playoffs to North Gwinnett. They start play in AAAAAAA Region 1 October 9th, which is considered the toughest region in the state.
That consists of Camden County, Richmond Hill, #7 Valdosta and #10 Colquitt County. The Vikings are looking to win their first state title since 2007.
#6 Brookwood: The Broncos have looked good so far. They were 10-3 last season, so they have started to get back to being one of the best programs in Gwinnett County. I spoke about AAAAAAA Region 7 earlier when I talked about North Gwinnett, so I won’t mention that here. Their last state title was in 2010.
#7 Valdosta: The Wildcats have more wins than any football program in the country. They also have 24 state championships, with the most recent from 2016. They advanced to the state semifinals last season, before losing to Buford.
This team knows how to win but things will get tougher when they begin region play in mid-October.
#8 Westlake: The Lions are playing well. This school is known for producing talented players like Cam Newton, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Malik Willis, Chance Warmack and A.J. Terrell.
They get to the playoffs consistently but have never won a state championship.
New Lead Wildcat
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia high school football coaches carousel has been spinning all over with coaches coming and going since the close of the football season.
When Camden County’s previous coach, Welton Coffey, decided to make the move to the office of the athletic director, it opened a vacancy at one of the premiere coaching jobs in the southeast.
Well, that job has now been filled, and what a job the search committee did by bringing in Coach Bob Sphire, previously the head coach at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia.
There are many times when a coach will not want to enter a situation where the former coach is the new coach’s boss. Coach Sphire brings such a resume to the Camden program that there is not concern for being intimidated by that position.
Plus, Coach Sphire has a huge advocate in his corner in Coach Coffey. I reached out to the future Athletic Director Coffey to get his thoughts on the hire. “We are excited to be entering a new era of Wildcat football that is coming to Camden County. The committee did a great job in identifying the best candidate for the job. It was not an easy decision because of all of the tremendous candidates that had applied for this job. Coach Sphire brings a great pedigree, not only in the state of Georgia, but also while coaching in Kentucky as well. Coach Sphire and his family are very excited about the opportunity at Camden.”
I asked what factor pushed Coach Sphire to the top of the list? “It wasn’t just about his on the field record or accolades, but it was his ability to work and mold young men,” Coffey replied.
Of course, the question had to be asked as to what the Wildcats would look like on offense next year, given that the wing-t has been a staple for Camden, while Sphire was a big proponent of the spread offense. “The great thing about Coach Sphire is his ability to adapt. He will be able to meld his offense to the talent that we have coming back. The players will also be able to fit to his style of play. I will say there will be some philosophy changes both on the field and off, but most importantly any coach needs to be structured for his players.”
Coach Bob Sphire brings a high school career coaching record of 250-79 spanning over 26 years. Sphire has been the coach at North Gwinnett since 2006, leading the Bulldogs to the state title game in 2007 and 2013.
North Gwinnett would win five region championships in 7-AAAAA, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014. Sphire’s record at North Gwinnett was 110-28. Coach Sphire has had notable players such as CJ Uzomah, Ja’wuan James, and Scott Hosch go on to play in both college football and in the NFL.
Camden County has made a big-time hire to help get the Wildcats back to the upper echelon of high school football. The Eastern Kentucky graduate is coming to Kingsland at a great time. The Wildcats have taken their share of lumps the last couple of years given a rare dip in football talent at the massive high school.
However, the rising junior and sophomore classes are chock full of big time athletes that should thrive in the spread and defensive system implemented by the tough-minded coach.
This is a time for Camden County to be excited! Coach Sphire should bring the Wildcats back to prominence once again and compete in the ultra competitive region 1-AAAAAAA. As everyone knows, if you can win in that region you can beat anyone in the state.
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