Here's a look at five things we learned from Week 10 of high school football...
1. Winder-Barrow passes the toughness test
All season we had seen that this is a Bulldoggs program on the verge of something big. And when adversity hit -- Winder showed that perhaps even moreso. Yes, the 'Doggs suffered a surprising loss to Gainesville two weeks ago, breaking up a previously perfect season and making it tougher for Winder to win a region title. But instead of panicking or moping, the 'Doggs went out and took care of business last week, pushing past Habersham Central 40-28 to stay in the thick of the 8-AAAAAA championship hunt. That shows this team, beyond talent, has determination and leadership. And that will be just as important if Winder is to keep moving forward on their best season in decades. The Bulldoggs face Dacula this week in a huge showdown at W. Clair Harris Stadium. The Falcons have rolled through region play and are allowing just 12 points per 8-AAAAAA batte, but you can bet that a shot at winning the program's first region title and notching their best regular season since 1989 -- combined with mental toughness and ability -- should make for a heck of show on Friday.
2. Jackson County gets back on track, in postseason
The Panthers bounced back with a vengeance on Friday night, surging out of a bye week with a 43-7 win over cross-county foes East Jackson. The Panthers not only answered a tough loss to Hart County but also clinched their second straight state playoff berth under Brandon Worley and gave themselves a shot at their first winning regular season record since 2012. The victory marked the program's fourth-ever state success and fourth in six seasons -- for a program that prior to 2012 had gone 19 years between playoff games (their last came in the 1992 Region 8-AA playoffs). It is further proof of the trajectory Jackson County is on, and while the Panthers face another tough showdown this Friday against No. 9 Morgan County, you have to bet they will do so with plenty of optimism.
3. Towns County looks ready for history
The Indians have never made the playoffs -- in fact they have 66 wins in program history (over 44 seasons according to Georgia High School Football Historians Association.org), and yet here they are making the most of a serious bid. The Indians sat 25th in the Class A Public power ratings headed into Friday night's showdown with fellow playoff hopeful Lakeview -- and made quite the statement in the process, defeating the Lions 56-13 in Hiawassee. Towns County will likely need another statement win this week against a 1-8 Providence Christian team that sits 32nd in the Class A Private ratings, but the way Towns has been playing we would not be shocked to see it. The Indians (4-5 overall) are also on the verge of their best regular season since going 7-3 in 2008 -- the program's only winning campaign to date -- and 2008 came in a non-region setting. Should Towns go on to notch a postseason berth it has to rank as one of the most surprising and impressive stories of 2017.
4. North Hall continues its turnaround
The Trojans could make a bid for hottest team in northeast Georgia -- certainly North Hall can claim biggest turnaround of the season. The Trojans' regular season is complete and, at 4-6, may not look over-impressive on its face. But dig just a little bit and you'll see a team that has won four of its last six, will finish as the No. 3 seed in a highly-competitive Region 7-AAA and is full of players that will be back again in 2018. And this from a program that started the season 0-4. Coach David Bishop's staff and a roster full of previously inexperienced varsity players deserve quite a round of applause for the work they have put in this season, and Friday's 31-20 defeat of East Hall's high-octane offense was just the latest reminder of that. Holding a team that averages 43.4 points per game to just 20 is impressive in and of itself. And we're intrigued to see the continued improvement arc for these Trojans.
5. Bailey Fisher among the all-timers in state history
We already knew that the Rabun County quarterback was good, one of the best we've covered in northeast Georgia -- and, remember that includes names like Deshaun Watson (ask the Seahawks how good this NFL rookie is), Connor and Jaybo Shaw and Bryant Shirreffs. The hardware that the Wildcats have accumulated in his time as a starter is testament alone to his abilities -- in three seasons as starter, Rabun now has three region championships (they also won 8-AA the campaign before he took over as starter) and back-to-back state quarterfinal appearances. And talking to the coaches that have been forced to play against Fisher is also eye-opening in the praise they shower on the dual-threat. And then you have the numbers... with 95 passing touchdowns, the senior is now tied for fifth all-time with McEachern's Bailey Hockman -- trailing only the aforementioned Mr. Watson, as well as Trevor Lawrence, Jake Fromm and Nick Marshall (all high school legends and either big-time collegiate players or on their way to carving out that niche). He is 14th in career passing yards, with 8,107, and is only 174 yards away from being in the all-time top 10. And then look at his combined career numbers: 8,107 yards passing, 94 TD's, 2,298 yards rushing, 48 TD's equals 10,405 yards and 142 scores. With just one regular season game remaining the chances to see this kid at work are dwindling fast, but he is more than worth the price of admission.
WEEK 10 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, OCT. 27
Athens Academy 22, Commerce 7
Athens Christian 25, Riverside Military Academy 22
Banks County 14, Putnam 7
Buford 49, Loganville 0
Cedar Shoals 41, Johnson 18
Dacula 41, Lanier 6
Dawson County 42, Lumpkin County 21
Gainesville 35, Apalachee 12
Jackson County 43, East Jackson 7
Jefferson 27, Stephens County 24
Marist 48, Chestatee 30
North Gwinnett 45, Collins Hill 6
North Hall 31, East Hall 20
Rabun County 56, Oglethorpe County 14
Towns County 56, Lakeview Academy 13
Union County 37, Fannin County 14
West Forsyth 35, North Forsyth 16
White County 33, West Hall 30
Winder-Barrow 40, Habersham Central 28
WEEK 11 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, NOV. 3
Blessed Trinity at West Hall
Buford at Flowery Branch
Commerce at George Walton Academy
Dacula at Winder-Barrow
Dawson County at Greater Atlanta Christian
Duluth at Mill Creek
East Hall at Fannin County
East Jackson at Hart County
Elbert County at Banks County
Habersham Central at Apalachee
Johnson at Loganville
Lakeview Academy at Riverside Military Academy
Lanier at Gainesville
Marist at White County
Monticello at Rabun County
Morgan County at Jackson County
North Forsyth at Milton
North Gwinnett at Discovery
Oconee County at Jefferson
Stephens County at North Oconee
Towns County at Providence Christian
Union County at Lumpkin County
