5 things: What we learned from Week 3 of high school football

Here's a look at five things we learned from week three of the high school football season...<br /> <br /> <b>1. Gainesville still has plenty of weapons</b><br /> <br /> Is anyone still wondering about the Red Elephants' abilities now? There were probably more than a few doubters out there after Gainesville suffered a one-sided loss to Grayson in its season opener. But the Red Elephants answered plenty of questions on Friday in a 46-6 blowout of Winder-Barrow that saw plenty of playmakers step up on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Mikey Gonzalez not only played efficiently, completing 23 of 29 passes. He was deadly, tossing four-scoring passes, including a 50-yard strike to Chris Williamson that showed Gainesville still possesses plenty of vertical threats. Meanwhile, Rodney Lackey and Messiah Dorsey proved both explosive and as workhorses at receiver -- each catching six passes. Perhaps most impressive was the work of Chris Byrd, who ripped off a 74-yard touchdown run and a 32-yard scoring catch and run, in which he broke four tackles en route to the end zone. The best news for Big Red fans is that Gainesville will only get better. They are not Deshaun Watson's team anymore, but, as they showed on Friday, they can still be very, very good.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>2. Derrick Brown is a force to be reckoned with</b><br /> <br /> Area football fans may have known a little bit about the 6-foot-4, 275 pound defensive lineman prior to this season. But, thanks to his play so far, Brown's may well become a household name. Just look at his performance on Friday in a huge, 27-12 win over Flowery Branch in which the massive lineman disrupted the Falcons offense all over the field. Brown finished the contest with eight tackles, two assists, three tackles for loss, one-and-a-half sacks, three quarterback hurries and a pass broken-up. His combination of size and quickness make him a nightmare for opposing offensive lines, and he has grown into a Football Bowl Subdivision recruit. The scariest part for teams in Region 8-AAAAA? He's only a junior. Expect Brown to be a major part of Lanier's quest for a region crown in 2014.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>3. Warriors rushing attack is among the best</b><br /> <br /> While every opponent that lines up against White County knows exactly what the Warriors will do on offense, no one has been able to slow it so far. White County is going to line up and run the ball at you, and, in three games, the Warriors have done so with plenty of success, rolling up over 350 yards on the ground in each of their three games so far. The four-headed monster of quarterback A.J. Vandiver and running backs Max Taylor, Maurice Sutton and Sam Turner provide a steady combo of speed, power and elusiveness that keeps opposing defenses on their heels. The big question is can White County keep it up this week? Go for over 350 for a fourth straight game, and the Warriors will be in elite territory indeed. White County travels to face Buford on Friday. The Wolves have allowed just 89 yards rushing combined in starting 3-0 on the season. It will be a stat that bears watching come Friday night.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>4. Fannin County-Union County set for intriguing showdown</b><br /> <br /> Union County has sprinted to a dominating 3-0 start, averaging 44.6 points per game on offense. Fannin County, meanwhile, has bounced back from a lopsided season-opening loss to Gilmer to allow just one touchdown combined in two wins. Something will have to give on Friday when the two mountain-school neighbors face off in Blairsville. The Rebels -- under new head coach Jim Pavao (Gainesville's former defensive coordinator) -- are off to their best start since 2011, and both teams believe they have the make-up to compete for playoff spots in their respective regions -- Fannin in 7-AAA and Union in 8-AA. It will be a contest to watch in Week 4.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>5. Region 7-AAA has some twists and turns ahead</b><br /> <br /> Speaking of 7-AAA, we had no real handle on the region before the season started -- and now we have, er, a small handle on it. With no region games yet played only a few things <i>seem</i> clear for the teams within the league: 1. West Hall (3-0) has to be the early favorite. 2. Banks County (2-1) and Fannin County (2-1) are much improved. Everything else is pretty much up in the air. There is talent at East Hall (1-1), and Lumpkin County (1-2) is better than its record. Dawson County is 0-3 but all three losses came against teams with winning records, while Franklin County (0-2) has faced two very strong programs in Stephens County and Hart County. League play is still two weeks away, but we're already interested to see how things play out when it begins. <br /> <br /> <br /> <b>WEEK 3 PREP FOOTBALL RESULTS</b><br /> Banks County 43, East Jackson 0<br /> Chestatee 24, Pepperell 19 <br /> Fannin County 35, Armuchee 0 <br /> Gainesville 46, Winder-Barrow 6<br /> Hapeville Charter 15, Riverside Military 14<br /> Heritage-Catoosa 10, Dawson County 6<br /> Jefferson 28, Commerce 3<br /> Lanier 27, Flowery Branch 12 <br /> Lumpkin County 14, Johnson 3<br /> Northview 49, North Forsyth 0 <br /> Rabun County 34, Jackson County 21 <br /> South Forsyth 49, Habersham Central 7 <br /> Stephens County 28, Blue Ridge, S.C. 0 <br /> Towns County 14, Lakeview 6<br /> Union County 49, Andrews, N.C. 20<br /> West Hall 38, North Hall 0 <br /> White County 31, Pace Academy 17 <br /> <br /> <br /> <b>WEEK 4, Sept. 19</b><br /> Athens Academy at Commerce<br /> Cedar Shoals at Lanier<br /> Collins Hill at North Gwinnett<br /> East Jackson at Franklin County<br /> Fannin County at Union County<br /> Gainesville at Apalachee<br /> Hebron Christian at Towns County<br /> Heritage, Conyers at Flowery Branch<br /> Jackson County at East Hall<br /> Loganville at Winder-Barrow<br /> Lumpkin County at Our Lady of Mercy<br /> Mill Creek at Duluth<br /> North Cobb Christian at Banks County<br /> North Forsyth at South Forsyth<br /> North Hall at Carrollton<br /> Pickens at Johnson<br /> Riverside Military at Rabun County<br /> West Forsyth at Habersham Central<br /> West Hall at North Oconee<br /> White County at Buford

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