Week 1 of the high school football season opened with a bang.
Top-ranked Buford beat No. 1 Thompson, Alabama, in probably the most shocking result of the night, 38-7. Most thought this game, which pitted two perennial state title contenders, saw Buford roll over the Warriors.
Gainesville opened fast against No. 6 Marist on the road but stumbled a bit in the second half, allowing the Eagles to rally back. Big Red was up 27-7 at the half before Marist scored 23 unanswered to make it a close one with less than five minutes to go, 27-23. However, Gainesville cashed in on a late drive to put away the game, 34-23.
In other action, Commerce, Union County, Lumpkin County, Rabun County, East Hall and Banks County had impressive season openers.
Anyway, Week 2 has some lookers on the schedule, and below are a few that interest us. Follow Friday Game Night's Twitter page for score updates, stories, highlights and more.
White County at Habersham Central
After a 90-minute lightning delay, the skies delivered a rainy second half in Cleveland. White County took advantage of the weather conditions, capitalizing on two North Hall mistakes to win the annual arch-rival matchup, 35-14. Meanwhile, Habersham Central led 3-0 until late third quarter against a stingy Stephens County, eventually losing 14-3.
The Week 1 results make this game all the more interesting and let's not forget, it's also another rival contest. The Raiders lead the all-time series, 8-4, having won the last three out of five, including a 21-12 victory last season in Cleveland.
The Raiders put up a strong showing against Stephens County, the defense especially, forcing six fumbles and sacking Stephens quarterback Ben Stowe twice. But the story killer was the Raiders only recovered one of those fumbles. The good news: Habersham Central's defense could be really good. That also could spell doom for the Warriors' offense, which needed scoring help from their defense last week.
Could all those defensive stats mean a defensive battle is brewing in Mt. Airy on Friday? We think so. Which offense will strike last could be the storyline.
Lumpkin County at Union County
Union County turned some heads with the 14-7 upset win over rival Fannin County in Week 1, and Lumpkin County, well, they've scored 112 points, 62 in a scrimmage and 61 against Riverside, in the last two weeks.
Panthers' quarterback Caiden Tanner passed for 195 yards, but the Panther defense was the story, holding the Rebels to just seven points. The defensive play bodes well for Union County going into the non-region bout against the high-powered Lumpkin County offense.
The Indians took care of business with their ground attack, grinding out 327 yards, with Mason Sullens rushing for 121 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries. Lumpkin County stalemated Riverside's offense, holding the Eagles to 112 yards of total offense.
This one should be interesting. Union gave up 210 rushing yards to Fannin County on Friday, and, even though it's way too early to completely tell, the Indians have the ground game looking pretty good. Will Lumpkin County rush away with this one, or will Union County step up? This one is a toss up.
Mountain View at Gainesville
Gainesville's offense could be just nasty by the start of Region 8-6A play. Take away the holding and pre-snap penalties, nine for 84 yards in the 34-23 win at Marist, and this offense is guaranteed to be racing like a Cobra Mustang.
Big Red ran out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter against Marist and led 27-7 at the half. Junior quarterback Baxter Wright's guidance was on target, 12-of-14 for 235 yards in the win. He's got a solid receiving corp with Darius Cannon, Tre Reece and Travien Watson to toss the ball to and a running back in Naim Cheeks, who had a 158-yard performance in Week 1, but the Red Elephants sputtered in the second half against Marist that allowed the Eagles to get back in it.
Mountain View could pose a threat to Gainesville's front seven. The Bears tallied 194 yards on the ground, behind Jayden Dooley's 111 yards on eight carries last week against Shiloh. The Red Elephants' defense gave up 192 yards rushing, including a 71-yard rushing touchdown to DJ Mazzone. However, the way Gainesville came out against Marist in Week 1 should be multiplied by 10 this week. The Red Elephants may have a hiccup or two here and there this week, but the offense is too high-powered not to overcome.
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