Here’s a look at five things we learned from Week 7 of high school football...
1. Dawson County’s offense is the real thing
It’s almost crazy sounding now, but -- back in August anyway -- we had no idea what to make of Dawson County football. Call us Tiger believers now. The Dawson County offense has talent, depth and -- most important -- balance. A strong offensive line leads the way for an attack that features quarterback Coey Watson. And the sophomore only gets better every time we see him. He is a true dual threat -- just look at Friday’s 54-40 win over Franklin County in which he threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more -- and has talented teammates around him to help spread defenses out and keep them guessing. Receivers Austin Young and Tyler Maxwell are a 1-2 punch that most defensive secondaries have a hard time covering, while running back Hunter Mitchell is both a hammer and receiving threat in his own right. The scariest part? They’re only going to get better. After playing just six games under coach Sid Maxwell, we can already see a steadiness and explosiveness rarely seen in Dawsonville. It has helped catapult the Tigers into sole possession of first place in 7-AAA and could yield even more in the coming weeks.
2. Lanier has cleared its path to a second region crown...
We have always thought it was simply matter of time until the Longhorns became a powerhouse program -- just look at their location (the Sugar Hill area produces buckets of talent) -- and after Friday’s gritty defeat of Gainesville, it looks as though Lanier is on its way to that. The Longhorns are now firmly in the driver’s seat for a second straight Region 8-AAAAA title. And with a defense as brutal as they currently boast, who wants to bet against them taking a big step forward in postseason play after last year’s disappointing first round exit? Yes, everyone knows about defensive lineman (and occasional running back) Derrick Brown, but Lanier is far from a one-man team, as standouts dot the entire lineup. And after handing Gainesville and Loganville their only region defeats so far, there are no more teams left on the schedule that Lanier won’t be heavily favored against. That’s not to say it will be easy, as Salem and a resurgent Winder-Barrow still lurk in the coming weeks, but Lanier certainly looks ready for the challenge.
3. ...But Gainesville still has a lot to play for too
Yes, the Red Elephants have two losses on their resume, but look at those defeats -- to Class AAAAAA No. 2 Grayson and Class AAAAA No. 6 Lanier. And the last came with Gainesville battling a number of injuries and a couple of scoring opportunities left on the field (one touchdown pass in a 16-8 loss was negated by a penalty). That doesn’t change the Red Elephants’ record, and Gainesville must bare those setbacks. But if Gainesville can use them as learning opportunities and simply look back to last season, it will see that it can still make a huge impact on the current campaign. First off the Red Elephants must keep winning -- even if Lanier doesn’t slip up over the next few weeks -- and regain their momentum. Do that and Gainesville clearly has the make-up and talent to equal or outstrip their state quarterfinal run of last season. The Red Elephants could receive a boost by come players returning to health, but even so the group that finished up Friday’s battle with Lanier showed they had the ability to stand toe-to-toe with the best in Class AAAAA.
4. Region 8-AA championship could well be on the line this week
This coming Friday’s Rabun County-Union County showdown in Tiger is not a de facto Region 8-AA championship battle -- Washington-Wilkes is also still undefeated in region play -- but there is little doubt that the winner will have the inside track to the 8-AA crown. And when you consider that both programs are already fierce rivals, both top 10 programs (Union County for the first time in program history) and feature some of the best talent in the state, let alone northeast Georgia, we’re already drooling over the possibilities of this week’s face off. It should prove exciting indeed to watch these two slug it out. Last year’s victor (Rabun County) did indeed claim the 8-AA crown following a shootout in Blairsville that saw the Wildcats pull away late, and if fans get a similar showing this week they will indeed be treated (regardless of the outcome).
5. Region 7-AAAAAA race all comes down to next four weeks
Talk about a disparity, Region 7-AAAAAA features four teams with 4-0 region records and four programs 0-4 in league play... and all four teams are set to play each other over the next three weeks. In fact, Mill Creek, Norcross, Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill could say that, while they have already put themselves into postseason contention, the playoffs actually get started this week, as jockeying for seeding begins in earnest. And with Mill Creek and Norcross currently ranked in the top 10 and Peachtree Ridge just outside the rankings, these are the kind of games that fans would expect to see in the playoffs.
WEEK 7 AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, OCT. 9
Athens Christian 35, Towns County 7
Buford 49, North Hall 0
Dawson County 54, Franklin County 40
East Hall 24, West Hall 7
Elbert County 20, Jackson County 14
Fannin County 41, Lumpkin County 35
Flowery Branch 28, Clarke Central 21
George Walton Academy 42, Lakeview Academy 20
Hart County 62, East Jackson 0
Jefferson 17, Morgan County 0
Lambert 21, Habersham Central 7
Lanier 16, Gainesville 8
Madison County 59, Chestatee 29
Mill Creek 42, Mountain View 0
Osborne 33, Johnson 6
Peachtree Ridge 42, North Gwinnett 6
Rabun County 60, Oglethorpe County12
Stephens County 21, White County 20
Union County 49, Greene County 28
Washington-Wilkes 14, Riverside Military 3
West Forsyth 48, North Forsyth 17
WEEK 8 AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, OCT. 16
Apalachee at Flowery Branch
Chestatee at Stephens County
Dawson County at Fannin County
East Hall at Johnson
Franklin County at West Hall
Gainesville at Clarke Central
Habersham Central at Centennial
Hart County at Jackson County
Heritage, Conyers at Lanier
Jefferson at East Jackson
Lakeview Academy at Athens Academy
Lumpkin County at Banks County
Monroe Area at Buford
North Forsyth at Johns Creek
North Hall at Madison County
Oglethorpe County at Riverside Military
Providence Christian at Commerce
Towns County Prince Avenue Christian
Union County at Rabun County
Winder-Barrow at Cedar Shoals
White County at North Oconee
