The upsets continued for northeast Georgia area teams in Week 2, good and bad.
Flowery Branch knocked off Habersham Central 31-28 on the road while East Hall fell on the road to Oglethorpe County, 30-27. Riverside Prep snapped a 35-game losing streak, the program’s longest in history, with a 36-6 win over Cross Keys.
There were also several nail-biters.
East Forsyth beat Dawson County 19-16 in overtime, while Jefferson’s thrilling 10-3 win over Jackson County went down to the final possession for the first time in the series.
With Week 3 now here, five games caught our attention among the 17 games scheduled, beginning with a local battle between Riverside and Lanier Christian on Thursday.
Once again, North Forsyth is a team to watch this week as the Raiders go for their first 3-0 start since 2020. Branch is also in our sights after its upset win. And now the Falcons will welcome winless Forsyth Central to Falcons Field.
We’re also intrigued by Jefferson and Gainesville again, but the highlight of the week may be at The Brickyard when North Hall plays host to Cherokee Bluff in what has developed into one of the best rivalries in the area.
With that, here are the five GAMES TO WATCH on Friday that had us asking the most questions among ourselves this week. Three can be heard on Jacobs Media airwaves.
Cherokee Bluff at North Hall
Records: Bears (2-0, Region 8-3A); Trojans (1-0, Region 6-3A)
Last week: Cherokee Bluff beat Apalachee, 47-2; North Hall beat Wesleyan, 41-7
Radio: WDUN 102.9 FM
Time: 7:30 p.m. The Brickyard, Gainesville
Key players: Cherokee Bluff -- OL/DL Cohen Carter, Sr. QB Cooper Dean (300-plus total yards, 4 TDs passing, 2 TDs rushing), Jr. RB/CB Jackson Pirkle (26-164, TD), Sr. WR/CB Malcolm Milsap (6 rec., 135 yards, 2 TD), Jr. DL Tony Rushin, DL Hudson Davis, DL Bryce Fontenot, LB Erik Johansen, LB Mattax Sutulovich, LB Brett Pierce, LB Conner Cook; North Hall -- Sr. OL Mason McGill, Jr. QB Alex Schlieman (13-23, 220 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT), Sr. QB Smith McGarvey (1-2, 16 yards passing, 3 car., 12 yards rushing, 1 rec., 21 yards receiving), Sr. RB Wyatt Tumlin (10-221 yards, 1 TD), Sr. RB/LB Parker Carlton, (3 rec., 63 yards, TD receiving, 6 tkl, 1 TFL, 2 QB hurries), Sr. DB Walker Davis (8 tkl), Sr. WR Ty Kemp (4 rec., 87 yards, TD), Jr. WR Cole Cable (4 rec., 21 yards), Sr. LB Buddy Clark (11 tkl, 1 FF, 1 FR)
Why watch it: Simply because this has quickly become Hall County’s best rivalry. The two teams have played every year since Bluff opened in 2018, and the Trojans lead the series 4-3. But the Bears snapped a two-game losing streak to the Trojans in last year’s 38-13 win at home. This one is at The Brickyard, where North Hall is 2-1 against Bluff, including a thrilling 14-12 win in 2022. North Hall definitely has the experience on its side, with 19 returning starters, and looked impressive in a pummeling of Wesleyan last week in its opener. The Trojans' defense returned all 11 starters and held the Wolves to just 19 yards rushing on 25 attempts. The North Hall offense piled up 580 yards, including 347 on the ground. The Bears, however, have looked ahead of schedule with several new players at key spots, especially Dean at QB. And the Bluff defense, after giving up 14 quick points to Lumpkin County in the opener, has allowed just 7 points over its last six quarters behind Pirkle and Rushin. The Bears' defense will have to find a way to slow down a potent and balanced North Hall offense, and have the offense create some big plays if they want to stay in the game in 2025.
Forsyth Central at Flowery Branch
Records: Bulldogs (0-2, Region 6-6A); Falcons (1-1, Region 8-4A)
Last week: Forsyth Central lost 57-34 to Winder-Barrow; Flowery Branch beat Habersham Central, 31-28
Radio: WDUN AM 550
Time: 7:30 p.m. Falcons Field, Flowery Branch
Key players: Forsyth Central -- Sr. RB/CB Max Haertel, Jr. QB Durham Roach, Sr. TE/LB Carter Jackson, Sr. WR Nate Smith, Jr. LB Aaron Escobar, Sr. CB Dmarcus Stanicals; Flowery Branch -- Sr. QB Brett Sturm (32-of-38 305 yards, 2 TD passing; 24-135 yards, 1 RD rushing), Sr. RB/LB Griffin Harper (31-217 yards, 4 TD rushing; 4 rec., 18 yards, TD receiving), Sr. WR Tre Shields (4 rec., 102 yards, TD), Sr. TE Brooks Recinella (5-93 yards), Jr. TE Jake Bursinger (6-42 yards), Jr. WR Tyler Robinson (6-28 yards), So. LB Ryland Garrison (26 tkl, 2 TFL, 1 sack), Jr. DE Dre Sadler (19 tkl, 3 TFL, 2 sacks), So. LB Nick Hall, Jr. DE Eli Poole (17 tkl, 1 TFL)
Why watch it: The Flowery Branch offense, and in particular, Brett Sturm. The senior QB has had an outstanding start to the season after transferring from West Hall. He’s completing 84% of his passes with six different receivers catching at least 4 balls in the first two weeks. And he has rushed for 135 yards as well. Harper has one 100-yard game rushing already. The Falcons' defense, despite allowing 32 points/game so far, has played well against two of Region 8-5A’s best offenses in Jackson County and Habersham Central. The 34 points scored by Forsyth Central matched a 2024 season high and was just the second time since the second half of the 2022 season that they had scored more than 31 points. But the 57 points allowed by the Bulldogs were the most since giving up 58 against North Forsyth in 2017. The Bulldogs beat the Falcons 10-0 in 2024, but Branch's first-year head coach, Michael Perry, may have them turning the corner quicker than expected. However, keeping Sturm healthy and continuing to improve on the defensive side will be key to building for what will be a brutal Region 8-4A schedule.
Jefferson at Clarke Central
Records: Dragons (2-0, Region 8-3A); Gladiators (1-1, Region 8-5A)
Last week: Jefferson beat Jackson County, 10-3; Clarke Central lost 14-0 to Oconee County
Time: 7:30 p.m., Billy Henderson Stadium, Athens
Key players: Jefferson -- Sr. QB Colton Grant (17-of-24 226 yards, 3 TD passing; 13-74 yards, 1 TD rushing), Jr. RB/LB Max Brown (11-58 yards rushing, 26 tkl, 9 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR), Jr. LB Dylan Berardinelli (18 tkl, 2 TFL), Sr. WR Logan Edmunds (5 rec., 121 yards, 2 TDs) So. Carter Perrin (7 rec., 47 yards), Sr. DB Chance Payne (4 tkl, 1 INT), Sr. PK Taylor McCall (42-yard FG last week); Clarke Central -- Jr. QB Kamron Lawrence, Sr. QB Camar Lee, Sr. RB Nushi Valenti, Sr. WR Troy Rucker, Sr. DE Anthony Lonon (Georgia commit)
Why watch it: Normally, because you have two of the area’s most prolific winning programs, although Jefferson is 3-0 against the Gladiators, with all three meetings coming since 2022. This year, the Gladiators appear to be in a rebuilding mode. They averaged 38.5 points/game in 2024 but are replacing several key offensive pieces and have managed just 13 total points in their first two games. The Jefferson defense has been particularly nasty in the early going, allowing just 3 total points in wins over Marist and Jackson County, two teams expected to make the playoffs in their classifications. Despite not being able to find the end zone, Clarke Central got into Oconee County territory six times last week, including twice inside the red zone. And Clarke Central is tough at home, and they have Lonon, who is one of the top DE recruits in the nation. He can disrupt any game at any time, and the Gladiators have surrendered just 26 points so far this season. The Gladiators have also won 7 of their last 8 home games, dating back to 2023, with the only loss in that span coming to Houston County in the playoffs last season. It will be the first road test for Grant as a starter, so it will be interesting to see how he and the Jefferson offense handle the adversity. But with the Dragons' defense backing them up, they may not need to do much to improve to 3-0 for the second time in the last three seasons.
North Forsyth at Lanier
Records: Raiders (2-0, Region 6-6A); Longhorns (1-1, Region 7-5A)
Last week: North Forsyth beat Creekview, 10-0; Lanier beat Mountain View, 27-7
Radio: www.northgeorgiasportslink.com
Time: 7:30 p.m., The Ranch, Sugar Hill
Key players: North Forsyth -- Fr. Tucker Lamb (9-of-17 140 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), So. Noah Bourque (12-of-21 197 yards, 1 TD), Sr. RB Darron Parry (39-178 yards, 2 TD), So. WR Cash Martin (So. 7-176, 1 TD), Sr. WR Matthew Bray (7-107 yards), Jr. DE Adriel Rojas (10 tkl, 1 TFL), Sr. LB Cole Simpson (8 tkl, 1 TFL); Lanier -- Jr. QB Dominic Larocca (21-of-47 279 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT), Jr. RB Michael Morring, So. WR Doyle Morrison (17-178, 1 TD), Jr. DE David Ekechukwu (10 tkl, 2 TFL), Sr. LB Brady Dunning (19 tkl, 6 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR)
Why watch it: The Raiders were expected to be young and in a total rebuild mode in 2025. And while they’re still young, the rebuild, at least in the early going, looks to be ahead of schedule. Playing the same schedule as in 2024, when they started 0-2 on the field (they were awarded a win over Wheeler after a forfeit), they are 2-0 this season, including a wild comeback win over Wheeler in the opener and then an impressive shutout last week. They have not started a season 3-0 since 2020, but can match that this week. The Longhorns whipped Class 6A Mountain View last week and dropped a narrow loss to Norcross, who pushed Grayson in a 2nd round playoff loss last season. Lanier is also rebuilding on offense after graduating its QB, top rusher, and top three receivers from last year. But Ekechukwu and Dunning give the Longhorns a solid core to a good front-7 on defense. This is the last non-region tilt for the Raiders before taking their first off week to get ready for arch-rival South Forsyth in both teams’ Region 6-6A openers in two weeks. One last boost of confidence for a roster composed of 45 sophomores and freshmen out of 81 listed could make things very interesting in what should be a competitive playoff battle in 6-6A.
Westlake at Gainesville
Records: Lions (1-1, Region 2-6A); Red Elephants (2-0, Region 7-5A)
Last week: Westlake beat Douglass, 35-7; Gainesville beat Moody (Ala.), 49-7
Radio: 94.5 FM The Lake
Time: 7:30 p.m., City Park Stadium, Gainesville
Key players: Westlake -- So. QB Cannon Robinson, Jr. RB Jacob Jackson, Sr. RB Jackson Ragland, Jr. WR Elias Gandy, Sr. WR Deion Thomas, Sr. LB Jayden Penny, Sr. DT Keon Ringfield; Gainesville -- Jr. QB Kharim Hughley (25-of-41 386 yards, 7 TD passing, 1 INT; 10-51 yards, 2 TD rushing), Jr. RB Nigel Newkirk (38-145 yards, 5 TD), Sr. WR Phillip Williams (9-179 yards, 2 TD), Jr. Collin Porterfield (3-39 yards, 1 TD), DB Jeremiah Proctor 1 INT last week), Sr. LB Xavier Griffin (Alabama commit, 17 tkl, 4 TFL, 2 sacks), Jr. WR Collin Porterfield (3-39 yards, 1 TD), Sr. DL Jamarion Matthews, Jr. CB Zachary Ingram, Sr. DE Kadin Fossung
Why watch it: Kharim Hughley and the offense, and Xavier Griffin and the defense, for starters. The Red Elephants put on an impressive display on both sides of the ball last week in a stunning thumping of Moody (Ala.), a team with serious state title aspirations in the Yellowhammer state. The triumvirate of Hughley, junior RB Nigel Newkirk, and senior WR Phillip Williams has been as potent as advertised so far, with the offense averaging 37.5 ppg and the defense allowing just 14 total points with more than two dozen TFLs and sacks to this point. The Lions have a slew of young, talented players on both sides of the ball, but on offense, led by Robinson, Gandy, and Thomas, they are already ahead of last year’s pace. The defense also is giving up fewer points, despite being torched for 46 by Hughes in their opener. The Red Elephants have cut down on penalties and mistakes and already look in midseason form. With the talent alone, they should be able to handle the Lions at home, as long as they don’t revert back to committing untimely penalties and turnovers.
