Here's a look at five things we learned from Week 6 of the high school football season.
1. Dawson County ready to end GAC's Region 7-3A run?
Dawson County (6-0, 2-0 Region 7-3A) has been running over, through, and around its opponents all season. The Tigers are averaging over 400 yards rushing a game behind senior quarterback SeVaughn Clark and senior running back Ahmad Kamara and lead all of Class 3A in scoring with 273 points (45.5 points per game) after last week's 64-0 romp over East Hall. They are off to their first 6-0 start in program history and their best start overall since opening the 1986 season 5-0-1. However, coach Sid Maxwell and his charges have a chance to make even bigger noise this week when they travel to Norcross to face Greater Atlanta Christian (4-2, 2-0) which is a perfect 14-0 in Region 7-3A play since joing the region in 2016. The Spartans, who advanced to the Class 3A semifinals in 2017, were the overwhelming preseason favorites for a third consecutive title. But GAC was pushed hard by North Hall and its wing-T offense in last week's 21-0 win. GAC does feature defensive end Michigan-commit Chris Hinton (6-foot-4, 290-pounds) and his book-end brother Miles Hinton (6-7, 320) and they held the Trojans to just 171 yards. But no one has been able to slow down Clark and Kamara, who have a combined 1,100 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, and a big Tigers offensive line could be just the right ingredients to stir a big upset, and put the rest of Class 3A on notice.
2. Desperation time for Habersham Central AND Gainesville?
Despite being just one game into their Region 8-6A schedules, with Dacula, Lanier, and Winder-Barrow projected as the heavy preseason favorites to secure playoff spots, only one spot seemed to be in full play for a playoff spot coming into the 2018 season. But Apalachee, which came into the season having gone just 3-26-1 over the past three seasons and sporting a new coach in Tony Lotti, stunned the Bulldoggs last week in a 7-6 defensive slugfest for their third consecutive victory and first region win since joining 8-6A in 2016. Which makes Friday's region showdown between Gainesville and Habersham Central in Mt. Airy an almost must-win for both teams. The Red Elephants (0-6, 0-1 Region 8-6A) have lost two games by just 4 points but were routed last week 37-7 by Dacula. Meanwhile, the Raiders (3-3, 0-1) have dropped two straight, including a disappointing 38-10 decision to Lanier in a game that saw them with their lowest offensive output since 2016. Both still have Winder-Barrow and Lanier while the Raiders face Dacula next week. The loser on Friday will certainly be staring down the Eight-ball while Apalachee finishes its season against both. Expect both teams to pull out all the stops on Friday.
3. Union County displayed its toughness, and guts
Many Georgia football coaches would put Elbert County's Granite Bowl among the toughest places to play in the state. And recently the Blue Devils had been especially tough winning 7 of its last 8 and 16 of its last 21 at The Granite Bowl going back to the 2014 season. So few probably expected the Panthers, making their first-ever trip to Elberton last week, to be able to walk away with a victory in their first attempt, despite owning the top-rated offense in Class 2A. The Panthers led most of the way but watched as the Blue Devils rallied with just over two minutes left to take a 28-21 lead. But Pierson Allison, who led all of Class 2A in passing coming into the contest, engineered a masterful drive that culmintade with a Chad Buzzard touchdown run with 1:25 left. Instead of going for the tie and overtime, coach Brian Allison called for a reverse on a 2-point conversion and Sawyer Drake converted the gutsy call to give them a 29-28 lead and John Mancuso sealed it with an intercpetion on Elbert's next, and final, possession as the defense held the Blue Devils to their lowest offensive output at the Granite Bowl since a 42-10 loss to Rabun County in 2016. The Panthers will face Banks County, Oglethorpe County, and Social Circle after a bye this week and are expected to be heavy favorites in all three. If they take care of business over the next month, a season-finale showdown against arch-rival Rabun County should be for the region title. We can't wait.
4. RMA makes a statement in 8-A North
With Divison I standouts in senior quarterback Isaac Teasley and senior wide receiver Khalid Duke, it seemed only a matter of time before Riverside Military Academy's offense got untracked. The Eagles came into last week's uber-important Region 8-A North subregion opener against Towns County having played one of the toughest schedules in the area facing Class A Private No. 1 (in the power rankings) Christian Heritage, No. 3 Prince Avenue, and Class 5A Johnson, which is 4-2 on the season. They had scoed just 67 total points. On Friday, Teasley and Duke led the explosion as the Eagles rolled to a 48-14 win. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for RMA (2-3, 1-0 Region 8-A North) and with winnable games this week against Providence Christian (2-3, 0-2 Region 8-A South) and Lakeview Academy (0-5, 0-1 8-A North) next week, the Eagles could be flying even higher when they close out their subregion schedule against Hebron Christian and Commerce with a chance to rise in the power rankings, make a bid for the top spot in the subregion, and possibly clinch their first playoff spot since 2009. Maginnis Field could once again be a place to be over the final month of the season.
5. Johnson ready to make playoff run?
No one expected Johnson to knock off powerful Buford last week. The Knights' 49-0 loss to the Wolves at Tom Riden Stadium was just another in a long list of 38-consecutive region wins for the Wolves spanning three classifications and three regions since 2012. However, Johnson (4-2, 0-1 Region 8-5A) already has shown that it is a team to be reckoned with capturing as many wins in six games in 2018 than it had in the previous four campaigns combined. This week they get Walnut Grove (1-5, 0-1) which has lost four straight and is yielding 26 points a game in that span. Johnson does follow with a much-improved Cedar Shoals next week. With Buford behind them, and just six teams in Region 8-5A, a win Friday night could put the Knights within one win of perhaps clinching their first playoff appearance since 2004.
