On paper, Week 1 was jam-packed with big games. Did it turn out as good as we expected? Not totally.
It's the opposite this week. On paper, Week 2 doesn't look very appealing, but It's high school football, and you never know which game or games could turn into classic endings.
But we did find three games we think you should keep an eye on, with none no bigger than Gainesville's road trip to Moody, Ala. North Hall opens its season on the road against a very good Wesleyan squad, and Jackson County will look to break the losing streak against county rival Jefferson at Panther Stadium.
There are 17 games on the schedule this week. To follow scores and more this week, follow our Friday Game Night X for scores, stories and highlights.
GAINESVILLE at MOODY (Ala.)
Records: Red Elephants (1-0, Region 7-5A); Blue Devils (0-0, Region 6-5A)
Last week: Gainesville beat Marietta, 41-3; season-opener for Moody
Where: Bill Morris Stadium, Moody, Ala.
Radio: 94.5 FM The Lake
Time: 8 p.m. EST
Key players: GAINESVILLE: WR Jeremiah Ware, QB Kharim Hughley, OL Alex Payne, DL Julius Columbus, RB Carmelo Byrd, WR Shane King, DE Xavier Griffin; MOODY: QB Charlie Johnson, WR Braden Wright, DE Simon Molay, DL Cam Mallory, LB Ba'Roc Willis, LB Kaleb Guff, DB Sidney Walton, DB Kylan Baker DB Jr. Willis and Sr. FS Kaleb Goff.
WHY WATCH IT: When Gainesville takes its first out-of-state road trip since 1950, it won't be just a stroll in the park. The second-ranked Red Elephants will actually be rolling into an all-out fight with No. 5-ranked Moody, Ala. Moody, coached by former Georgia Bulldog Jake Ganus, is coming off their best season in program history. Since Ganus took over, he's led the Blue Devils to a 20-5 record and back-to-back playoff berths. This year, he's loaded the schedule with eight playoff teams from a year ago and is not messing around in Moody. Meanwhile, Gainesville's Josh Niblett has proven he doesn't mess around either. The preseason talk was about the losses on offense to graduation. Open the cupboard door, and you'll find it full. Gainesville may have been a little slow to start last week in Marietta, but Mother Nature woke the Red Elephants up as they reeled off four touchdowns to hand Marietta its largest home loss since 2007. The Blue Devils return many key players from last season's quarterfinal team, including the entire O-Line, QB Charlie Johnston, who passed for over 2,500 yards and 29 TDs, and a stacked D-Line. On the other side, Big Red is also packing a nasty punch on defense and a revamped explosive offense. Sophomore QB Kharim Hughley was efficient in his first start, completing 16 of his 20 passes for 228 yards. Shane King hauled in 127 yards, Jeremiah Ware added 118 yards receiving and a TD, and Carmelo Byrd rushed for 128 yards to complete the balance on offense. Defensively, the Red Elephants did what everyone expected, holding Marietta to just three points and less than 150 yards of total offense. Still, we're not sure what to expect in this one. A good guestimation could see Gainesville roll into Moody, take care of business, and head east on I-20 2-0. However, with the way Ganus has the Blue Devils playing and believing, this one could end up being one for the record books. Tune us in on FM 94.5/AM 1240, and we'll paint the picture for you!
NORTH HALL at WESLEYAN
Records: Trojans (0-0, Region 6-3A); Wolves (0-0, Region 5-A D1)
Last week: Season-opener for North Hall; Wesleyan beat Commerce, 42-21
Where: Henderson Stadium, Norcross
Time: 7:30 p.m.
KEY PLAYERS: WESLEYAN: QB Ben Brown, RB Maddox Gartland, DL Matthew Wright, DL Connor Roush; NORTH HALL: QB Alex Schliemen, RB Parker Carlton, RB RJ Dalton, WR Cole Cable, TE Dawson Gray.
WHY WATCH IT: North Hall took its lumps with graduation, losing a bunch on both sides of the ball. They were off last week and open the season with a Wesleyan team that can score points. Commerce proved the Wolves are vulnerable to the run, racking up over 400 yards on the ground. But Wesleyan QB Ben Brown had a field day picking apart the Commerce secondary, passing for 385 yards, six touchdowns, and connecting with 10 different receivers. If the Trojans are going to have success, they'll need to win the battle in the trenches. The good news is that's where most of the experience returns. Defensively, they'll need to pressure Brown and hope he makes a mistake downfield. Offensively, they already know the running game has been successful against the Wolves. Will that be part of the game plan? Absolutely, but the Trojans have shown the passing game is in good shape with Alex Schliemen and Smith McGarvey, as well as wideouts Cole Cable and Dawson Gray. This is a Game2Watch simply for that reason ... to see how far the Trojans have come in the offseason. Can they beat Wesleyan? We think so. However, it will take an offense clicking in both the run and passing game and a bend-don't-break, aggressive attitude on defense.
JEFFERSON at JACKSON COUNTY
Records: Dragons (0-1, Region 8-3A); Panthers (1-0, Region 8-5A)
Last week: Jefferson lost 23-7 to Marist; Jackson County beat Flowery Branch 31-2
Where: Panther Stadium, Hoschton
Radio: WDUN 102.9 FM
Time: 7:30 p.m.
KEY PLAYERS: JEFFERSON: WR Talan Childress WR RJ Hinton, QB Gavin Markey, RB Mikell Pittman, DE Kelan Butler, LB Jayden Yang, LB Rett Hemphill, LB Max Brown; JACKSON COUNTY: QB RJ Knapp, RB Jayson Lee, DB Robert Spry, WR Daylan Maxwell, RB Luke Mobbs, LB Deacon Wiley, DE Josue Mendoza, LB Kane Berryman
WHY WATCH IT: Some might believe the Dragons are in trouble after the 23-7 loss to Marist last week. Yes, life after Sammy Brown wasn't fun in Atlanta on Friday. However, no one expected it to be otherwise for the Dragons. Yes, Jefferson struggled to move the football consistently. They also lost starting quarterback Gavin Markey in the first quarter to injury. But the Dragons did find some success with backup QB Colton Grant, who tossed a TD pass to RJ Hinton in the third quarter. However, the offense will need to take some pressure off their defense. Jackson County is coming into this game licking their chops. Yes, it took them 18 minutes of gameplay to find the end zone against Flowery Branch last week, but when they did, the Panthers reeled off 31 unanswered points. Still, though, can they beat their cross-county nemesis? That's the biggest question and why this is a Game2Watch this week. Jackson County returns several key skill players, including quarterback RJ Knapp, who had a mighty fine Week 1 performance. Jefferson watched Marist quarterback Jack Euart slice them up with his legs last week, but this week, it'll be up to the Dragons' secondary to keep the long ball in check. Oh, and the Dragons MUST find some consistency on offense. If they don't, it could be a long night, and the Panthers could walk out of Panther Stadium with their first win in the series.
PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, August 22 & 23
August 22 (Thursday)
Gainesville at Moody (Ala.)
North Forsyth at Creekview
August 23 (Friday)
Benedictine at Buford
Cherokee Bluff at Apalachee
Commerce at East Jackson
Creekside Christian at Lakeview Academy
East Forsyth at Dawson County
Franklin County at Johnson
Habersham Central at Flowery Branch
Jefferson at Jackson County
King’s Ridge at Lanier Christian
North Hall at Wesleyan
Northview at West Hall
Oglethorpe County at East Hall
Rabun County at Fannin County
Riverside Prep at Towns County
Union County at Gilmer
(Banks County, Chestatee, Lumpkin County and White County are off)
PREP SCOREBOARD, Saturday, August 17
East Forsyth 44, Forsyth Central 10
East Hall 16, Banks County 14
Seckinger 41, West Hall 10
Towns County 42, Murray County 14
PREP SCOREBOARD, Friday, August 16
Cherokee Bluff 31, Lumpkin County 20
Chestatee 27, Franklin County 21
East Forsyth 44, Forsyth Central 10
Gainesville 41, Marietta 3
Jackson County 31, Flowery Branch 2
Lakeview Academy 21, Lanier Christian 0
Marist 23, Jefferson 7
Milton 13, Buford 10
North Forsyth 2, Wheeler 0 (forfeit)
Rabun County 40, White County 27
Rock Springs Christian 14, Riverside Prep 6
Stephens County 21, Habersham Central 10
Towns County 42, Murray County 14
Wesleyan 42, Commerce 21
Winder-Barrow 43, East Jackson 20
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