East Forsyth got the party started last week for Northeast Georgia-area teams in the newly-constructed Region 8-4A.
The second-year Broncos stunned Cedar Shoals, a playoff team in 2021, on the road last week to open region play. Now, the rest of the region will follow suit this week.
With nine teams in the region, it will be a long sprint to the finish on Nov. 4.
The staff at AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night, along with 12 other publications, picked North Oconee to repeat as champions in our preseason poll. The Titans, however, are off this week before opening region play next week at home against Madison County, the first of eight straight weeks to close out the season for them.
This week, three key matchups should begin to paint a picture of what to expect. Cherokee Bluff travels to Madison County; East Hall heads to Chestatee; and North Hall plays host to Walnut Grove.
But with East Forsyth’s quick emergence, East Hall’s resurgence, Walnut Grove’s unexpected strong start, Cedar Shoals’ rebuilding project, and a struggling Cherokee Bluff, things early on already look like they could be taking a different shape from preseason projections.
So far, the defenses have taken center stage over the first month. Three of the top four defenses and four of the top seven in points allowed in the classification reside in 8-4A.
Walnut Grove and East Forsyth are tied for first (7.0 points/game), North Oconee is fourth (19, 9.5 points/game), and East Hall, which gave up the most points in Class 4A in 2021, is seventh and has surrendered just 27 points (13.5 points/game), a marked turnaround so far for the Vikings.
East Hall coach Matt Turner said it has been a welcome change.
“We’ve struggled on defense the last few years so to see these guys start to put things together is very nice,” Turner said. “The difference is everyone being aligned and in the right position. We’ve cut down on giving up those chunk plays. We’re tackling better and just being better in our overall fundamentals. But we know we haven’t played the top-tier offenses yet so we still have a lot to work on and improve.”
Meanwhile, Cherokee Bluff has the region’s only top 24 offense in the classification, sitting fifth in scoring average (36.5 points/game).
“I think we’ve had some good moments of execution and (junior quarterback) Asher Wilson has played well,” Bears coach Tommy Jones said. “But we’re nowhere near where we need to be.”
Here is what else we do know about Region 8-4A heading into Friday’s action.
-- North Oconee is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A and has won eight straight Region 8-4A games going back to 2020.
-- The region as a whole was just 8-9 in non-region play. East Forsyth has one more non-region game next week so the best they can do is break even.
-- East Hall is 2-0 for the first time since 2011. The Vikings have gotten to this point with its improved defense while a rebuilt offense finds its footing.
-- Walnut Grove is also 2-0 for the first time since 2014, the last time they had a winning record. However, both wins came against Class A programs.
-- Cedar Shoals, which has made the playoffs five years running, is allowing 40 points/game on defense and dropped its region opener for the first time since 2019.
-- Cherokee Bluff’s offense has been rolling early but the defense has struggled, a reversal of what many expected coming into 2022. The Bears are allowing 44.5 points/game to this point.
-- North Hall and Chestatee are in rebuilding mode and have looked like it over the first three weeks. Both typically have potent offenses but find themselves in the bottom 12 in Class 4A entering region play.
Starting with Bluff, the two-time Region 7-3A champs, who moved up in class beginning this season, have found the going tough so far. A young, inexperienced Bears squad is 0-2 for the first time since 2019. They travel to Madison County to open region play.
The offense has looked potent behind Wilson (400-plus yards passing). The defense, however, has been roughed up for 89 points (44.5 ppg) in their first two games. The Red Raiders employ a bruising triple-option attack that is averaging 34.5 points/game behind junior running back Camden Smith, who is averaging over 100 yards/game on the ground.
Jones said his young group just needs to continue to get more on-field experience.
“First, we’ve played two pretty good football teams,” Jones said. “We’re just very young overall and we’ve been making young mistakes. Really, just too many mistakes. We’ve played well at times and not so well at times.
“But these guys are working hard to get better. The more time they get on the field, the better they should get. It’s a process right now.”
Turner, whose Vikings have a chance to move to 3-0 for the first time since 1990, said it’s imperative to get off to a strong start in the region. East Hall has not won a region-opener since 2017.
He felt like the region is wide-open for anyone that wants to step through the door.
“You have to get off to a good start in the region if you want to have a chance to make the playoffs,” Turner said. “It only gets tougher as you go. North Oconee probably has one of the best teams in the state and will be tough to knock off.
“I also feel Bluff will get things going and be right there. East Forsyth winning last week was interesting. Cedar is always talented. Walnut Grove is undefeated. I think it’s pretty wide-open for most of us.”
Jones also knows getting off to a quick start in region play is crucial. He also knows the Red Raiders will be a load to handle.
“Madison County will be a big challenge for us. That option is tough to defend and we’re going to have to be disciplined,” Jones said. “We’re also going to need to take advantage of every opportunity we get. You don’t get as many possessions against an option team so you have to make them count.”
North Hall plays host to Walnut Grove hoping it has worked out the kinks in its new spread offense. The Trojans were effective at times in their opener against White County but also have committed 9 turnovers, counting downs, in their first two games.
The North Hall defense has also played well but was gutted for 302 yards last week by Dawson County. They will have to do a better job against the Warriors rushing attack.
