Last week, we hit the nail on the head for our Games2Watch selections.
Habersham Central outscored White County 14-0 in the four quarter to pull away for the win, 42-28. At City Park, Gainesville struggled through the first half, trailing 7-3 before Julius Columbus blocked a Mountain View field goal attempt, and Zyrion Harrison picked up and returned it for a 76-yard score before the first half. The score gave the Red Elephants the momentum going into halftime en route to a 30-7 win and start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2009.
And in Blairsville, Lumpkin County, behind a solid offensive attack, knocked off Union County, 21-7, to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2014.
This week, we think the three Games2Watch will provide just as many, if not more.
Anyway, Week 3 has some lookers on the schedule, and below are a few that interest us. Follow Friday Game Night's Twitter page for score updates, stories, highlights and more.
North Cobb at Buford
What do you get when top-ranked Buford and No. 3 North Cobb clash? The potential for an epic battle between two Class 7A juggernauts.
Buford (2-0) has proven it's ready for "big boy" football, hammering Alabama's Class 7A three-time champ, Thompson Week 1, and taking care of top-10 ranked Mallard, NC last week. The Wolves led 21-0 with 4:30 to go in the first quarter and racked up more than 300 yards of offense by halftime.
Meanwhile, North Cobb (1-0) knocked off Westlake, formerly ranked in the top-10, last week, 21-17.
North Cobb won the first three games in the four-game series that dates back to 1958. Buford broke the losing streak last season with a thrilling 35-27 win on the road.
The Wolves come into the game averaging 47 points per game while giving up just seven points in their first two games and have proven they're not in a rebuild but rather a reloading mode. The Wolves haven't had any problems doing what they want on offense. North Cobb struggled through the air against Westlake last week but pounded the pigskin for 254 rushing yards. Could this game be set up for an old-fashioned, as they say, slobber knocker? Or could Buford go over the top in an air raid to blow out its third top-10 opponent this season?
Flowery Branch at Stephens County
Oh boy, what to expect with this one? Nobody really knows other than the two seem to like defense better than offense. Flowery Branch's defense kept St. Pius X from crossing the goal line in the 9-0 Week 2 win. But the Falcons (2-0) could only put up 186 total yards of offense, which will most definitely be a problem against Stephens County (1-1).
The Indians held a potent Rabun County (2-0) offense that exploded for more than 500 yards of offense in Week 1 to just 185 total yards last week. Rabun County squeaked out the win on a Jaden Gibson Pick 6 to get the win, 14-7.
The Indians are loaded on defense and have the potential on offense to be scary, with Ben Stowe at quarterback and athlete Cam Lacy playing all over the field. On the other hand, Flowery Branch has a solid duo of Malik Dryden and Myles Ivey out the backfield. The two combined for more than 300 yards rushing in Week 1 and 143 yards last week. What to expect with this one? It has the potential of being another defensive battle. However, if Stephens County can slow Dryden and Ivey, the Flowery Branch offense will struggle to find paydirt.
Dawson County at North Hall
Welp, here we are, speculating on yet another Dawson County-North Hall matchup. This one, however, doesn't have as much luster as the ones in the past. It's not a region game, and it's not for a home playoff game; however, it's still very interesting.
So far this season, these two teams have had their Jekyll and Hyde moments, and that's why it's a Game2Watch.
In the season opener against Jackson County, the Tigers (1-1) trailed 21-7, then exploded for 21 unanswered to knock off the Panthers, 28-21. Last week, there was nothing to write home about in the blowout 49-6 loss to Lambert.
North Hall (0-1) is under reconstruction with new head coach Sean Pender. The Trojans are running a new offense, the spread, after 20-plus years in what became known as the North Hall wing-T. Plus, the Trojans, like the Tigers, have many new pieces in place. North Hall showed glimpses of brilliance in the opener against White County two weeks ago but turned the ball over five times, 35-14.
But the Trojans have had two weeks to work on the new offense, iron the wrinkles out, and prepare for a Dawson County team still trying to find an identity. This series has always been weird, with each winning four games, and Friday night most likely will add to the weirdness. Which team's offense has improved the most will have the upper hand in this one.
