It was another great action on the high school gridiron as some teams looked to proved they were one of the top teams in the state, while other teams looked to bounce back from upsetting losses. And the upcoming week will feature a game that will shape the playoff picture for Region 6-AAAA. Here's a look at the top stories from the high school scene in Georgia.
5. North Gwinnett and Camden County go national
Many people knew North Gwinnett and Camden County were going to have good seasons, especially Camden, as they are the defending Class AAAAA state champions. But what they probably didn't realize is how hot they would start the season with big wins against out-of-state competition. North Gwinnett defeated Crenshaw (Calif.) in their last game on September 3, while Camden won a shootout against Miami Central (Fla.) on the same day.
As a result, they were all over the national rankings when they were released last week. Camden is ranked No. 7 in the USA Today poll and No. 7 in the RivalsHigh 100 poll. North Gwinnett comes in at No. in USA Today No. 13 in MaxPreps Freeman and No. 24 in ESPN Rise 50.
4. The ‘Ridge roll over Newnan
In what could be a preview of the state championship in AAAAA, Peachtree Ridge went doen to Newnan on Friday to take down the Cougars 27-17 at Drake Stadium. They were able to defeat the Cougars by running the ball, rushing for 261 yards in the win. Running back Raham Dixon had 148 yards while Dewayne Brooks added 67 yards and one touchdown. Justin Watts who plays wide receiver, cornerback and kicker notched an interception which was returned for a touchdown and kicked two field goals. This was a big win for the Lions because they were able to snap Newnan's 29-game regular season win streak and 20-home game regular season win streak. They are now 3-0 for the year and are right behind Camden and North Gwinnett in the state rankings.
3. Buford bounces back
After being shut out by Carver Columbus the week before (which was their first shutout in 10 years), Buford was looking for some redemption, and they got it a big way by taking down Westminster 32-10. Running back Dominique Swope led the Wolves with 72 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown. Buford was only ahead 16-10 in the fourth, but with the help of Swope and a stingy defense, the Wolves scored 16 unanswered points and improve to 2-1 for the year. This Buford squad is more inexperienced than previous teams under head coach Jess Simpson, but this win could be the start of another title run because they're an no signs of this squad slowing down.
2. Watch out for Kell
Kell moved down a classification this year, as they were in class AAAAA since their existence. This is not a good thing for the other AAAA teams in the area because the Longhorns are on a roll as of late. Friday, they took care Woodstock 17-10 thanks to a stingy defense that only allowed the Wolverines to produce 73 yards of total offense after Woodstock scored on an 80-yard drive in the first quarter. For the Longhorns, Tennessee commit Brian Randolph scored on a 31-yard touchdown reception in the first half to give Kell the lead which they would never surrender. They improve to 3-0 and are definitely a dark horse to win the state title in AAAA.
1. Marist-SWD battle it out on Friday
Some of the best football in Georgia is played in the metro Atlanta area and the Marist-SW DeKalb contest that will take place in Friday should be another classic coming from Region 6-AAAA. Marist is coming off a 27-0 win over Chamblee which improved their record to 2-0. They are led by quarterback Cole Truxillo, who threw and ran for a touchdown in the win on Friday. SWD was ranked in the top-10 at the beginning of the season, but after being blown out by Tucker in the first game of the year, the Panthers need a big win over a top 10 team to get some of their mojo back. The game will be played at Hallford Stadium.