Bergen Catholic (N.J.) vs. Grayson
When, where: 5:30 p.m. Friday, Buford High School's Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
Records, rankings: Bergen Catholic is 0-0 and the No. 1 team in New Jersey (MaxPreps); Grayson is 1-0 and No. 1 in Class AAAAAAA.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Things to know: Bergen has won 17 state titles dating to 1963, but the 2017 championship was the Crusaders' first since 2004. The all-male school has a tradition for quarterbacks. Tennessee's Jarrett Guarantano and Boston College's Johnny Langan are former Crusaders. Andrew Boel is the new starter this season. Expect running backs Rahmir Johnson (committed to Nebraska) and Josh McKenzie (a three-star recruit going to Yale) to be prominent in the offense early. DE Aeneas DiCosmo, TE Tyler Devera and especially four-star junior DB Jordan Morant are other major-college prospects. Grayson is in in the top five of four national polls, peaking at No. 4 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25. They've got 10 of the top 100 senior prospects in Georgia, according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings. Those include LB Owen Pappoe (Auburn) and OL Wanya Morris (Tennessee), both five-star recruits. Grayson got some negative publicity last week when several players walked out of practice, citing harsh conditions, but a meeting with the coaching staff appears to have smoothed things over. Grayson then pounded Tucker 48-7 in its opener after taking a 34-0 lead. Jonathan Halyard rushed for 110 yards.
Brooks County at Clinch County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Donald Tison Field at Panther Stadium, Homerville
Records, rankings: Brooks County is 1-0 and No. 5 in Class AA; Clinch County is 1-0 and No. 1 in Class A public.
Last meeting: Brooks County won 17-14 in 2017.
Things to know: Brooks County graduated its quarterback (Mac Perry) and top three rushers (Jonathan White, Perry and Rahjon Holden) from last year's team that finished 11-2 and reached the state semifinals, but the Trojans have found new offensive leaders in Jacolby Brown and Deon Fountain. Brown, the new starting quarterback, was 8-of-13 passing for 58 yards and rushed for 95 yards in a 43-6 victory over Mitchell County two weeks ago. Fountain ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns and had three receptions for 22 yards in that game. He had just 19 carries for 49 yards last year but was the team's leading receiver with 34 catches for 500 yards and five TDs. Brooks County handed Clinch County one of its two losses (Irwin County was the other) during its 2017 state championship season, but the Panthers were without their best player, LB/RB/QB Trezmen Marshall, who missed the first half of the season with an injury. In a season-opening 24-17 victory over Hebron Christian, the AJC Super 11 selection and Georgia commitment rushed for 143 yards on nine carries, had three tackles and a sack, and forced and recovered a fumble that he returned 29 yards for a touchdown.
Coffee at Ware County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Waycross
Records, rankings: Coffee is 2-0 and No. 2 in Class AAAAAA; Ware County is 2-0 and No. 8 in AAAAA.
Last meeting: Coffee won 21-14 in 2017.
Things to know: Coffee had a relatively balanced offense (209.3 yards per game rushing, 157.1 passing) during its 2017 state runner-up season, but the Trojans are more run-oriented this year after the graduation of 2,000-yard passer Wade Sumner. They have averaged 265 yards rushing and 52 yards passing through the first two games and have five of the top 11 rushers in Region 1-AAAAAA. Junior Josiah Killebrew leads the way with 14 carries for 138 yards, followed by sophomore A.J. Wilkerson (19-112) and junior Antonio Dawson (15-104). Wilkerson, the quarterback, is 9-of-21 passing for 118 yards. Ware County's loss to Coffee last season was part of the team's 0-4 start that led to a 5-6 record, the Gators' first losing season since 2001. Still, they reached the second round of the playoffs. Ware County has outscored its first two opponents 87-24 this season, including a 25-24 overtime victory over Burke County last week. The Gators run the ball about 74 percent of the time. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos is 11-of-19 passing for 200 yards and is the team's leading rusher with 165 yards on 31 carries. Sophomore Dream Gainer has run for 164 yards on 11 carries (14.9 ypc).
Deerfield Beach (Fla.) at Buford
When, where: 8:30 p.m. Friday, Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
Records, rankings: Deerfield Beach is 1-0 and No. 2 in Florida's Class 8A (Associated Press); Buford is 2-0 and No. 2 in Class AAAAA.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Things to know: Deerfield Beach, a school about 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, is Florida's No. 1-ranked Class 8A team according to MaxPreps but No. 2 in the Associated Press Poll, which gave the Bucks six of 15 first-place votes. Ten Deerfield Beach players are rated three-star recruits or higher. Junior RB Jaylan Knighton (committed to Oklahoma) rushed for 143 yards in a 13-10 victory over defending Florida Class 3A champion Chaminade-Madonna in the opener. OLB Ge'mon Eaford (Oregon), DE Brandon Dorlus (Virginia Tech) and WR Aydin Henningham (four-star junior) are other top prospects. Buford RB Derrian Brown, a top-250 national recruit, has rushed for 297 yards in two games behind a line of scrimmage that comprises five major Division I prospects led by AJC Super 11 pick Harry Miller, an Ohio State commit. Buford is 9-1 against out-of-state opponents since first seeking them out in 2007. The loss came last year to South Pointe, which went on to win South Carolina's Class AAAA and finishewith top-10 national rankings.
Hapeville Charter at Heard County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Staples Stadium, Franklin
Records, rankings: Heard County is 1-0 and No. 2 in Class AA; Hapeville Charter is 1-0 and No. 1 in AA.
Last meeting: Hapeville Charter won 28-21 in the 2017 Class AA semifinals.
Things to know: Hapeville defeated Heard County in the 2017 semifinals on Marcus Carroll's TD run with 5.3 seconds left. It broke a 21-21 tie. Carroll is back and rushed for 178 yards in Hapeville's 42-0 victory over River Ridge in the opener. Hapeville graduated three major Division I recruits (DL Kingsley Enagbare to South Carolina, DB Chris Smith to Georgia, LB Caleb Kelly to Stanford), plus star QB Hajj-Malik Williams. The new quarterback is Jordan Slocum, a 6-foot-5 mid-major prospect who started three seasons at Southwest in Macon before transferring. The team's best player is East Carolina-committed DB Malik Fleming, who had 11 interceptions last year. Heard County has at least five all-state-caliber players. Those start with Tennessee-committed RB/DB Aaron Beasley, who rushed for 183 yards in the opening victory over LaGrange. DL Zaylin Wood (committed to Temple) had three tackles for losses in that game. LB/FB Andrew Leak (one mid-major offer) can become the leading tackler in school history this year. OL Jaidan Cameron squats 550 pounds. Alijah Huzzie, who had more than 600 yards receiving last year, has taken over at quarterback for Florida signee Emory Jones.
Jones County at Northside (Warner Robins)
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, McConnell-Talbert Stadium, Warner Robins
Records, rankings: Jones County is 2-0 and No. 9 in Class AAAAA; Northside is 1-1 and No. 8 in AAAAAA.
Last meeting: Northside won 36-22 in 2015.
Things to know: The teams haven't met since they played in Region 2-AAAAA together from 2012 to 2015. Northside won three of those four meetings and leads the series 6-1 overall. Jones County has put up its usual big numbers on offense this season in victories over Howard (34-28) and Baldwin (41-17). QB Hunter Costlow was 12-of-16 passing for 229 yards and three touchdowns against Baldwin last week and had five TD passes against Howard. Jontavis Robertson caught two TD passes last week, and Maleek Wooten had three in the opener. Semaj Ingram has run for 219 yards. He was the third-leading rusher last season with 295 yards sharing time in a backfield with 1,000-yard rushers Drake Bolus and Teldrick Ross, who both graduated. Northside averages about 210 yards per game rushing, the majority of which comes from Eric Smith and Jadin Daniels, the top two rushers in Region 1-AAAAAA. Smith has 215 yards and three touchdowns. Daniels, the quarterback, has 165 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries and is 23-of-40 passing for 196 yards and one TD. A loss would drop Northside to 1-2, its worst record after three games since the 1997 team started 1-2.
Lowndes at Parkview
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Big Orange Jungle, Lilburn
Records, rankings: Lowndes is 2-0 and No. 5 in Class AAAAAAA; Parkview is 1-0 and No. 7 in AAAAAAA.
Last meeting: Lowndes won 64-38 in 2017.
Things to know: Parkview has scored 38 and 34 points against Lowndes the two past seasons and lost both games. The current team expects to be better on defense than offense initially. Parkview graduated its leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler but feels confident in the maturity of a program that has improved its victory total each of the past four seasons. Junior QB Jordan Williams, making his first start, was 9-of-11 passing for 141 yards in the opening win over Mountain View. Parkview's best player is Malik Washington, who had 517 receiving yards in just six games last year before suffering a torn ACL. He's a high-academic player with offers from Duke and Stanford. Lowndes also graduated more starters than it returned. Andrew Koenemann, who has taken over for all-state QB Michael Barrett (now at Michigan), is 18-of-27 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Projected starter Joe Almond suffered an injured spleen in preseason, and his return for this game is doubtful. Travis Tisdale, a scatback who is committed to Kentucky, has rushed for 169 yards and four touchdowns on just 12 carries.
Mount Paran Christian at Irwin County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Indian Field, Ocilla
Records, rankings: Mount Paran Christian is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class A private; Irwin County is 2-0 and No. 2 in Class A public.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Things to know: Mount Paran (a private-school semifinalist last year) and Irwin County (the public-school runner-up) rely heavily on the run. Mount Paran ran for 329 yards last week in a 55-7 season-opening win against Our Lady of Mercy, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Sam Griffith-Tesch (77 yards), John Robert Sess (66), Matthew Moore (66) and Jake Allen (63) all had at least 60 yards rushing on six carries or less. QB Niko Vangarelli was 3-of-8 passing for 113 yards and ran for two touchdowns. Irwin County's leader in the running game is junior D.J. Lundy, a 1,000-yard rusher and first-team all-state player last season. He ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in the team's 41-7 victory over Berrien in the season-opener. The Indians have been tough on defense as well, holding Class AA schools Berrien and Fitzgerald to 297 total yards in the first two games. A victory by Irwin County would give fifth-year coach Buddy Nobles his 44th career win, tying him with Joe Compton (1983-1988) for most in school history. Mitch Jordan, in his 11th season, is the only coach in Mount Paran program history and has a career record of 81-34.
Peach County at Lee County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Trojan Field, Leesburg
Records, rankings: Peach County is 1-0 and No. 3 in Class AAA; Lee County is 2-0 and No. 1 in AAAAAA.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Things to know: Peach County was the runner-up in Class AAA last season, and Lee County won the Class AAAAAA title. Both teams are coming off of big victories on Saturday. Peach County beat Northside of Warner Robins (a member of Lee County's Region 1-AAAAAA) 27-24 at Mercer, and Lee County rolled 35-3 past Dr. Phillips, the reigning champion in Florida's Class 8A. Peach County junior Jaydon Gibson, a new starter at quarterback after the graduation of honorable mention all-state selection Antonio Gilbert, passed for 140 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 95 yards and a score. His 6-yard touchdown run with 9:51 remaining to give the Trojans a 27-17 lead. Lee County also has a new quarterback after the graduation of Jase Orndorff, also an honorable mention all-state pick. The job has gone to junior Kyle Toole, who is 23-of-40 passing for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Lee County has rushed for 318 yards in two games, led by Preston Simmons with 107 yards and three TDs on 23 carries.
Wekiva (Fla.) vs. North Gwinnett
When, where: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Milton High School's Eagles' Nest, Milton
Records, rankings: Wekiva is 1-0 and No. 1 in Florida's Class 8A (Associated Press); North Gwinnett is 1-0 and No. 3 in Class AAAAAAA.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Things to know: Wekiva (pronounced wah-KYE-vah) is an Orlando-area school that opened in 2007. It wasn't really noted for football until last season, when the Mustangs lost in Florida's Class 8A semifinals to eventual champion Dr. Phillips. Now, they are stacked, perhaps the team to beat in their state's highest classification, with five major college recruits who are seniors, all who play most prominently on defense. They are LB Rian Davis (committed to Georgia), DT Tyler Davis (top-150 national prospect), CB Renardo Green (Florida State), DB Brandon Hill (Pittsburgh) and DT Norell Pollard (Virginia Tech). Wekiva's defense was far ahead of the offense in a season-opening 17-3 victory over Jones, another Orlando-area school. North Gwinnett, the defending Georgia champion in the highest classification, is well-stocked with college prospects of its own. DB Warren Burrell (Tennessee), RB Tyler Goodson (Iowa), WR Josh Downs (four-star) and DB Quinton Newsome (Nebraska) are the notable ones. Goodson rushed for 142 yards in North Gwinnett's opening 37-2 win over Brookwood, which was held without a first down until the game was in hand.
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