Regions 8-5A, 7-3A, and GAPPS 11-man will join 8-4A and 8-6A in their quest for playoff spots opening region play tonight.
Among Northeast Georgia-area teams we cover at AccessWDUN, Gainesville and North Forsyth started strong in 8-6A last week while North Hall and East Forsyth are unbeaten in 8-4A. Gainesville is off this week but the other three all face tough road games tonight.
In Region 8-5A, Jefferson faces a huge region opener at home against Clarke Central in what is expected to be a brutal defensive battle with two punishing rushing attacks. The winner could set the tone in 8-5A over the final half of the regular season.
Lumpkin County is finally getting some recognition around the state. It took even longer than you think for that to happen.
Those are some of topics in the football notebook this week:
HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? REALLY?
Lumpkin County is ranked 9th in the latest AccessWDUN/Friday Game Night composite poll in Class 3A. The Indians (4-0) have been as dominant in the early going as any team in Northeast Georgia. They have outscored their first four opponents 156-44.
The Lumpkin offense is 3rd in Class 3A in scoring average (39.0 points/game). Defensively they have surrendered the 3rd-fewest points (11.0 ppg). However, it took until Week 6 for them to break into the rankings.
And that’s no small feat for the Indians. The last time they were ranked in ANY poll in the modern era of football was in 1967. That’s right -- 1967!
Full disclosure. The Indians have made the state playoffs just six times in program history, including last season, and are still looking for their first-ever playoff win.
They should be able to hold onto that ranking after this week as they take on a Pickens team that is 39th out of 50 in 3A in defense, allowing 36.5 ppg. And Lumpkin has RB Mason Sullens, who is 2nd in 3A in rushing with 738 yards, 1st in average (184.5 ypg) and 1st in TDs with 13.
NO AIR SUPPORT NEEDED!?
When Clarke Central invades Memorial Stadium to take on Jefferson, expect a long and protracted land battle.
The Dragons feature Sammy Brown, who is 6th in Class 5A in rushing with 491 yards and leads the classification with 12 rushing touchdowns. The Gladiators counter with Corey Watkins, who is 8th in 5A with 460 yards 4 TDs, and Kendrick Curry, who has 268 yards and 3 TDs.
If both ground games get bogged down and they have to go to the air, that’s when things could get very interesting. Clarke Central has thrown for just 335 yards (83.8 yards/game) while Jefferson has passed for just 367 yards (91.8 ypg) on the season but with 5 interceptions.
PUT ME IN COACH!
Jackson County sophomore quarterback RJ Knapp made the most of his opportunity last week in his first-ever varsity start. He wasn’t perfect, throwing a pair of interceptions. But in between, he may have given the Panthers the passing attack they have been looking for.
Knapp was 16-of-32 for 207 yards and 2 TDs last week against North Forsyth and nearly led the Panthers back from a 21-point third quarter deficit through the air. It was a significant performance considering Class 6A leading-rusher MJ Spurlin had gone down with an injury in the second quarter.
Spurlin is a game-time decision this week so the emergence of a passing game, and senior running back Acoreon McClure, who churned out 68 yards after taking over for Spurlin, could be big factors in whether they can stay in the playoff race in Region 8-6A.
The Panthers play host to winless Apalachee tonight.
MAKING HISTORY
When Cameron Pettus took over an East Jackson program that was reeling four years ago, he proclaimed, sort of, he would have them playoff-competitive within five years. He did it in four after the Eagles made the postseason in 2022 for the first time since 2009.
Now, Pettus is about to make more history. He needs just one more win to tie Frank Caputo as the all-time winningest coach in program history. Caputo left the Eagles after the 2010 season with a 17-21 record. Pettus is 16-28 and amid his fifth season in Nicholson.
If East Jackson beats Johnson Friday night, Pettus will have a chance to take sole possession of the school record in the team's Region 8-2A opener next week at Banks County.
SAY WHAT!?
The fact that North Hall enters Friday night's matchup with Cherokee Bluff as an 18-point favorite over the Bears, according to the Maxwell ratings, is not a huge surprise at this moment in the season. Unless you look at recent history.
If that number proves correct, it would be the widest margin of victory by either team since 2019 in this quickly-burgeoning rivalry.
The last three meetings have been decided by 17 points or fewer and the last two have been won by just two points apiece. Something will have to give, at least according to the point spread.
AREA STAT KINGS (as of Sept. 15 games)*:
Four area runners are in the top 10, five in the top 21, six in the top 32, and seven in the top 40 in the state, all classifications, according to the comprehensive stats released by Georgia High School Football Daily on Friday.
Jackson County’s MJ Spurlin still leads Class 6A with 699 despite leaving last week’s game against North Forsyth with an injury in the second quarter. He is 9th overall, just 4 yards ahead of Gainesville’s Gavin Hall, who is 10th at 695 yards, jumped up 20 spots after last week’s 223 yard performance.
Mason Sullens of Lumpkin County is 5th overall with 738 yards but is just 58 yards behind Class 3A leader Darrion Manuel of Monroe Area, who leads the state with 796 yards. Stephens County’s Javin Gordon is 6th with 734 yards. Also in Class 3A, Elijiah Hayes of West Hall sits 32nd with 575 yards.
Tysean Wiggins of Commerce is 21st with 621 yards and his teammate Jaiden Daniels is 40th with 551 yards.
In passing, Union County’s Caiden Tanner is 6th overall with 1,214 yards but is just 2nd in Class 2A behind Skyler Williams of North Murray, who has 1,249 yards.
Tanner’s teammate, Jensen Goble, is 2nd in the state overall in receiving with 589 yards, 98 behind state and Class 2A leader Judson Petty of North Murray, who has 687 yards.
Willie Goodwyn of Rabun County is 12th overall with 453 yards but is 2nd in Class A Division 1, 70 yards off the pace of Bryson Campbell of Athens Christian (523 yards).
(* -- Stats provided by Georgia High School Football Daily)
WEEK 6 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, Sept. 22
(All games start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
Apalachee at Jackson County*
Banks County at Commerce
Cedar Shoals at East Hall* -- 94.5 FM The Lake
Chestatee at North Oconee*
Clarke Central at Jefferson* -- WDUN FM 102.9
Dawson County at West Hall* -- www.northgeorgiasportslink.com
East Forsyth at Walnut Grove*
East Jackson at Johnson
Eastside at Flowery Branch*
Habersham Central at Lanier*
Lakeview Academy at Strong Rock Christian
Lanier Christian at Pinecrest Academy*
Lumpkin County at Pickens* -- www.northgeorgiasportslink.com
Marietta at Buford
North Forsyth at Shiloh*
North Hall at Cherokee Bluff* -- WDUN AM 550
Rabun County at Whitefield Academy
Riverside Prep at Oglethorpe County
(* -- denotes region contest)
