5 things: What we learned from Week 8 of the high school football season

Posted 5:13PM on Monday, October 20, 2014

Here's a look at five things we learned from Week 8 of the high school football season... 1. Region 7-AAA is a sportswriter's dream -- and perhaps a coach's nightmare We don't mean that any of the teams in the region are bad -- far from it. In fact it's a compliment: You never know what is going to happen in this league on any give night. Friday only reaffirmed this, as previously 0-2 Banks County won a wild 49-46 shootout over previously 3-0 Lumpkin County. Fannin County (now 2-1) also battled Dawson County (1-3) to the death before prevailing 35-28. Franklin County (1-3) also gave West Hall (3-0) a huge scare, jumping in front of the Spartans and forcing West Hall to battle for its life before prevailing 27-12. (East Hall (1-2) played out of region -- beating Johnson 42-23.) And this was just one weekend's worth of action. The same thing has been happening almost every Friday night. The best news for fans and us writers is that there are three more weeks remaining in the 7-AAA slate. Who knows what will transpire over that time? We can't wait to find out. 2. The mountains are brimming with football talent Every fall, people from the Atlanta area pack the north Georgia mountains to catch a glimpse of the brilliant colors of the changing leaves. This year, however, many of those same people are starting to notice another kind of brilliance -- that of the players on mountain gridiron. There has always been talent at places like Rabun County, Union County and Fannin County, but this season we are bearing witness to something special and -- maybe -- the start of something big. We already knew of athlete Charlie Woerner (Rabun County), quarterback Joseph Mancuso (Union County) and quarterback Brad Davis (Fannin). But this weekend's slate of games showed us that there is talent to spare on each of those squads -- these are far from one-man teams. The Panthers are a defensive coordinator's nightmare, with receivers bristling like a special forces unit. Meanwhile, the Wildcats showed they are equal parts surgeon and bludgeon, hitting for key passes to multiple receivers (quarterback Collin Grant showing his development) before grinding out big runs behind Woerner and a strong offensive line in a shootout 45-31 victory at Union County. Fannin County, meanwhile, showed its big-play ability in a slugfest with Dawson County, 35-28. The mountain leaves are likely to be at their peak this week -- and by the looks of things, so are the mountain team. 3. There is no quit amongst northeast Georgia's teams/players Make no mistake, losing hurts. Anyone who has ever played a sport and taken it seriously knows the pain of coming up short. It happens to all of us. What's important is how you respond to those setbacks. This past Friday showed us that the football players and teams of northeast Georgia are not willing to give in to a losing mentality. North Forsyth out-fought Johns Creek for its first victory of the campaign, while Habersham Central came within touching distance of its first win of 2014. North Hall, meanwhile, stood toe-to-toe with Madison County and had the Red Raiders on the ropes early. All three results bode well for the future and show that the desire and grit in those programs is still very much in the ascendancy. Good things are on the way, and when those things happen to the Raiders (both sets) and Trojans it won't be because of luck. 4. Turning points made for area teams We already knew that Winder-Barrow, Lakeview Academy and Lanier were on the verge of big seasons. This past week, each of the three teams did something to show that they are now beyond big and into "special" territory. One might have though the Longhorns already had the "special" designation after edging Gainesville 26-23 on Oct. 10. While that result was indeed huge for the five-year-old program, this week's 49-20 defeat of Heritage, Conyers was just as telling. The contest set up as a classic "trap" game, as Lanier undoubtedly pushed itself to the limit the week before and could have easily stumbled against a game Patriots team. The fact that the Longhorns dominated showed that, they have the mental make-up -- on top of their physical talents -- to be champions. Meanwhile, Winder-Barrow -- which has been undergoing a transformation under new head coach Heath Webb -- won a nail-biting 37-35 over Cedar Shoals. The result in itself doesn't look like much. But the factors surrounding the game and the final seconds of the contest tell the real story. First of all the Bulldoggs showed determination like they have not in some time. After being caught by a hail Mary sucker punch in the dying seconds, Winder-Barrow regrouped and held the Jaguars' 2-point conversion attempt out of the end zone. In recent seasons, yielding a last-gasp touchdown would likely have broken the Bulldoggs' resolve -- not any more. The win also kept Winder in the playoff hunt, an amazing feat in of itself for a team that has already surpassed its win total for the last four seasons combined. And, finally, Lakeview... the Lions could have been daunted by their first season of full region competition. Instead a program that has only produced one winning campaign in its history is charging ahead like winning is now second nature. Lakeview has claimed three of its last four games -- including Friday's historic comeback over Athens Academy, outscoring the visitors 20-0 down the stretch for their first ever win over the Spartans. Coach Matthew Gruhn said afterward that he hoped it showed his team belongs in region competition. We think it fair to say that's now a certainty. 5. Week 9 comes bearing gifts Beyond the potential craziness of what might happen in Region 7-AAA (discussed in point 1), there are some hugely-important contests for the playoff picture this coming Friday. In Region 8-AAAA, North Oconee will look to give Buford its first stern league test when it plays host to the No. 1-ranked Wolves. Both teams are undefeated in 8-AAAA play. Meanwhile Stephens County -- also perfect in 8-AAAA -- will also travel to Madison County knowing that it cannot afford a slip up against a strong Red Raiders team. Meanwhile, fresh off its huge win in Blairsville, Rabun County will look to solidify its lead in Region 8-AA when the Wildcats travel to defending 8-AA champ Washington-Wilkes. And, in 8-AAAAA, Lanier can all but clinch the league crown with a win over Salem at home. Elsewhere, White County faces a must-win against Chestatee to stay in the postseason race in 8-AAAA, while Habersham Central will look to build on its near-miss of this week in a game against Johns Creek. WEEK 8 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, OCT. 17 Banks County 49, Lumpkin County 46 Buford 51, Monroe Area 12 Centennial 42, Habersham Central 39 Commerce 49, Providence Christian 10 East Hall 42, Johnson 23 Fannin County 35, Dawson County 28 Flowery Branch 52, Apalachee 28 Gainesville 35, Clarke Central 10 Hart County 43, Jackson County 7 Jefferson 63, East Jackson 0 Lakeview Academy 29, Athens Academy 28 Lanier 49, Heritage-Conyers 20 Madison County 49, North Hall 20 North Forsyth 14, Johns Creek 13 North Oconee 31, White County 6 Prince Avenue Christian 40, Towns County 7 Rabun County 45, Union County 31 Riverside Military Academy 21, Oglethorpe County 0 Stephens County 55, Chestatee 27 West Hall 27, Franklin County 12 Winder-Barrow 37, Cedar Shoals 35 WEEK NINE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, OCT. 24 Apalachee at Heritage, Conyers Buford at North Oconee Centennial at North Forsyth Chestatee at White County Collins Hill at Mill Creek Dawson County at Banks County Fannin County at West Hall Franklin County at East Hall Gainesville at Cedar Shoals Greene County at Riverside Military Habersham Central at Johns Creek Jackson County at East Jackson Lakeview Academy at Athens Christian Loganville at Flowery Branch Monroe Area at North Hall North Gwinnett at Duluth Rabun County at Washington-Wilkes Salem at Lanier Stephens County at Madison County Towns County at Commerce Winder-Barrow at Clarke Central