I gotta say, Week 9 was pretty good, and I'm not sure we will top it. Then again, this week has some games that could come down to the wire.
Playoff races around the area are on fire right now, but none more so than Region 6-3A. North Hall and Lumpkin County battle for a share of the region lead. Dawson County and Chestatee will fight it out for a postseason berth in Sardis, and White County is playing for their playoff lives at Greater Atlanta Christian School.
But there are some other intriguing matchups, like East Forsyth at Eastside. This game is for the No. 2 spot in the Region 8-4A standings. The standings will look different when the 18-game Week 10 schedule finishes Friday night.
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DAWSON COUNTY at CHESTATEE
Records: Tigers (3-4, 2-2 Region 6-3A); War Eagles (3-4, 2-2 Region 6-3A)
Last week: Dawson County beat White County, 14-0; Chestatee beat Pickens, 37-14
Where: Lynn Cottrell Complex, Gainesville
Radio: www.northgeorgiasportslink.com
Time: 7:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: DAWSON COUNTY: QB Gunnar Weaver (63-455 yards passing, 6 TDs, 2 INT), RB Cody McBrayer (44-288 yards rushing, 1 TD), WR Chatham Burnett (26-438 yards rec, 4 TDs), Dylan Edwards (15-291 yards rec. 2 TDs), FS Jacson Rickett (37 tkls), LB Owen Wooten (37 tkls), LB Zach Cruz (36 tkls), DL Elijah Odom (33 tkls, 4.5 sacks); CHESTATEE: RB/LB Ben Plemons (107-880 yards, 10 TDs, 38 tkls, 5 TFL), Isaiah Ledford (47-247 yards, 1 TD) Hector Espinoza (20-241 yards rushing, 4 TDs), RB Caysen Goss (40-163 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 51 tkls, 5 TFL), Colton Steele (45 tkls).
WHY WATCH IT? I would have laughed if you had told me these two teams would be playing for a playoff spot in Week 10. But stranger things have happened in a high school football season. Oh, like a hurricane moving games or COVID delaying the season. Yes, an act of God. Maybe this is an act of God. Chestatee hasn't made the playoffs in forever, and the Tigers have been on the roller coast down the mountain since last season. There was very little hope for both programs making a run into the playoffs this season. However, much good has been happening for the two Region 6-3A foes lately. Last week, Chestatee shocked Pickens in a blowout win. In a shutout last week, Dawson County stunned White County, a preseason region title contender. Now, the two teams meet with a playoff spot on the line this week in Sardis. The War Eagles' Wing-T offense has been pretty good, especially at burning the clock. Expect the War Eagles to do just that on Friday. Gunnar Weaver has settled in as a quarterback for the Tigers, and his team is playing well late in the season. Shutting out White County's offense is no small task, and holding GAC to just 21 points earlier this season turned some heads around the area. I expect Chestatee to control the ball, and when the Tigers get it, they'll need to find some points. If they don't, Chestatee, who's hungry for a playoff spot, may take it away from the Tigers. Chestatee seems to be writing a Cinderella Story right now. Will the clock strike midnight on the War Eagles?
EAST FORSYTH at EASTSIDE
Records: Broncos (7-1, 3-1 Region 8-4A); Eagles (7-1, 3-1 Region 8-4A)
Last week: East Forsyth beat Walnut Grove, 34-15; Eastside lost 40-35 to North Oconee
Where: Sharp Stadium, Covington
Time: 7:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: EAST FORSYTH––QB Brock Szakacs (91-147, 1,252yards passing, 14 TDs, 3 INT), RB DJ Haskell (79-515 yards rushing, 9 TDs), RB Gus Martin (72-289 yards rushing, 4 TDs), RB/LB Troy Hoover (32-143 yards rushing, 4 TDs, 62 tkls, 3 TFL), WR Chase Rhoads (22-426 yards rec., 3TDs), WR Trent Polk (23-243 yards rec., 3TDs), TE Andrew Frank (15-249 yards rec., 2 TDs), LB Jeremiah Foote (59 tkls, 8 TFL, 5 sacks), M Acevedo (59 tkls, 12 TFL) LB Kellen Moran (57 tkls, 4 TFL), DT Roman Dickerson (38 tkls, 10 TFL, 5 sacks); EASTSIDE: QB Payton Shaw (45-64 1,010 yards passing, 11 TDs), RB Myles Mims (70-640 yards rushing, 6 TDs, RB Jayden Barr (80-703 yards, 18 TDs, 212 yards rushing, 1 TD), WR Michael Kenon Jr. (10-282 yards rec., 2 TDs), LB Christian Gass (54 tkls, 7 TFL), LB Bryce Benson (50 tkls, 11 TFL), LB Jameel McMichael (46 tkls, 5 TFL).
WHY WATCH IT? The path to a home playoff game is staring the Broncos in the face this week. All they have to do is beat No. 8 Eastside. Yeah, it's a tall task. Eastside lost to North Oconee last week on a last-second touchdown, proving they may be just as good as the Titans. RB Jayden Barr rushed for 134 yards and five TDs, and the Eagles totaled over 400 yards of offense, 311 of which came on the ground, against the fourth-ranked Titans. So, yeah, it won't be easy for the Broncos. However, the Broncos have proven they are no push over this season. There are several questions going into this matchup with the Eagles: Can the Broncos muster enough offense to keep pace, and can the defense slow down a gruesome rushing attack? I don't have the answers to those. But here is what's on paper: Eastside is averaging 40 points per game and giving up 16. North Oconee scored 40 on the Eagles last week, which is the most they've given up all season. If you're comparing, the Broncos only gave up 24 to the Titans. EaFo is averaging 32 points per game and giving up 15.5. So, this is a really good matchup on paper, but it's not played on paper. The Broncos have to travel to Eastside. Will that play a factor in their performance? It could, but the Broncos have already taken road trips to Athens and Walnut Grove, and it didn't seem to change anything. However, the opponent on the other end of the long road trip is much better than those in Athens and Walton County. However, I have a feeling the Broncos will be ready for whatever the Eagles try to throw at them.
NORTH HALL at LUMPKIN COUNTY
Records: Trojans (5-2, 4-0 Region 6-3A); Indians (5-2, 3-1 Region 6-3A)
Last week: North Hall beat GAC, 27-23; Lumpkin County beat Johnson, 64-14
Where: The Burial Grounds, Dahlonega
Radio: WDUN 102.9 FM; www.northgeorgiasportslink.com
Time: 7:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: NORTH HALL–– Smith McGarvey (52-93, 542 yards passing, 7 TDs, 3 INT, 263 yards rushing, 6 TDs), RB Luke Jenkins (57-408, 2 TDs, 230 yards rec.), RB/LB Parker Carlton (70-506 yards rushing, 5 TDs, 65 tkls, 4 sacks), WR Cole Cable (31-427, 7 TDs), WR Ty Kemp (31-394 yards, 4 TDs), DB Walker Davis (61tkls), DB Charlie Dyer (50 tkls), LB Buddy Clark (42 tkls), LB Jake Clark (36 tkls), DB Chris Harwood (33 tkls) LB Dalton Hulsey (32 tkls, 4.5 TFL), DL Matthew Arceo (30 tkls, 4 TFL); LUMPKIN COUNTY: QB Cal Faulkner (55-81, 565 yards passing, 5 TDs, 2 INT, 558 yards rushing, 10 TDs), RB Nolan Matthews (97-639 yards rushing, 8 TDs), WR/DB AJ Scott (27-315 yards rec., 2 TDs, 37 tkls), LB Mike Nichols (48 tkls, 3 TFL), DL Connor Greilich, DB Jackson Bell (53 tkls, 3 TFL).
WHY WATCH IT? We can go in many different directions with this game, but first, we must revisit the GAC-Lumpkin County matchup in September. The Indians jumped out to a 13-0 lead but failed to close the game in a 19-13 loss to the Spartans. Nolan Matthews left the game with an injury, which most say played a huge factor in the outcome. Sure, his absence at running back and in the secondary played a part in the loss, but blame the injury for the loss? I'm not buying it. Lumpkin County had them on the ropes and didn't keep the gas pedal down. That's why they lost, and speaking of the pedal, North Hall didn't bust it out of the floor against GAC either. The Trojans allowed the Spartans to rally from a 20-point deficit to the lead in the second half. However, North Hall was able to dish out some Brickyard Magic and come back to win the game. Here's the thing, though: there will be no Brickyard Magic in Dahlonega. Instead, the Gold City Dust might be the magic potion at the Burial Grounds on Friday. The Indians need to win, although they'll need to win by at least nine points to earn the tiebreaker for the region lead, but regardless, they need to win. They're playing rival North Hall. They haven't beaten the Trojans in the last seven tries, and they're due. If there's a time for the Indians to take advantage of the Gold City Duster, Friday night is the time. Matthews is healthy, and with a dynamic dual-threat QB like Georgia Tech-commit Cal Faulkner, the Indians might make a statement to Region 6-3A on Friday. That statement: we are here to defend our region title. Then again, maybe North Hall has enough to stop the Indians and head to Gold Rush on Saturday with a can of Brickyard Magic for sale.
