Weekend Preview: Hillgrove-Harrison, Woodward-Decatur games will determine region champs

Last meeting: Peach County won 16-7 in the 2011 Class 3A semifinals.

Things to know: Peach County can clinch the region title with a victory. Cairo can win the championship with a victory and a win next week against Westover (7-1, 2-1). Peach County is back on track in its second season under coach Marquis Westbrook, who came to Fort Valley after two winning 2020 and 2021 state titles at Warner Robins. Peach went 4-7 last season, but the Trojans’ 7-1 start is their best since 2020. A region title would be Peach’s 15th this century. Peach leans heavily on the trio of D.J. Hudson (106-of-151 passing, 1,560 yards, 25 touchdowns), Ashton Barton (613 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns) and Zion Hudson (36 receptions, 601 yards, 10 touchdowns). Cairo is gunning for its first region title since 2018. The Syrupmakers’ generally stick to the ground and rely on Bryian Duncan Jr., a 5-foot-9, 160-pound sophomore who is Class 3A’s leading rusher with 1,614 yards and 20 touchdowns. Duncan is also the state’s leading sophomore rusher. He ran for 524 as a freshman and has 2,138 for his career. Cairo has won six straight games since losing to Thomas County Central 44-14 and Thomasville 35-28 to open the season. Peach’s loss came to Perry 49-29 in August.

Cherokee Bluff at Jefferson

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Jefferson

Records, rankings: Cherokee Bluff is 8-0 overall, 3-0 in Region 8-3A and No. 3; Jefferson is 6-2, 3-0 and No. 4.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: Cherokee Bluff can clinch the region title with a victory. Jefferson can clinch with a victory and a win next week against Oconee County (4-4, 2-1). Jefferson has won region titles the past two seasons and won 31 of its past 32 region games. Cherokee Bluff, a 7-year-old school, won region titles in 2020 and 2021. Jefferson’s Gavin Markey is his team’s leading passer (1,016 yards) and rusher (614 yards). He has 17 total touchdowns. The Dragons’ most dynamic player is Rett Hemphill, who has 605 all-purpose yards, touchdowns rushing, receiving and returning, and a team-leading 44 solo tackles. Cherokee Bluff’s Brooks Brien leads Class 3A with 1,750 passing yards. He’s thrown 18 TD passes, 10 to K.T. Thompson, who has 40 receptions for 753 yards, second-most in Class 3A. Cherokee Bluff had never beaten a top-10 team until this season. Now the Bears have beaten two (Lumpkin County, Oconee County). Jefferson’s losses are against top-five Class 4A teams Marist and North Oconee.

Fannin County at Christian Heritage

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Lions’ Den, Dalton

Records, rankings: Fannin County is 8-0 overall, 5-0 in Region 7-A Division I and No. 3 in Class A Division I; Christian Heritage is 7-1, 5-0 and unranked in 3A-A private.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: Christian Heritage will win the region with a victory. It would be the school’s second in history, first since 2020, and first under second-year coach Frank Barden. Fannin County can clinch the title with a victory and another win next week against Gordon Lee (6-2, 4-1). Fannin won its most recent region title in 2021. Christian Heritage QB Carter Triplett has passed for 1,723 yards, third most in Class A Division I, while rushing for 734 yards. He has 23 TD passes and 10 TD rushes. Fannin County, more of a running team, also has a dual-threat quarterback. Lawson Sullivan has 1,268 passing yards and 894 rushing yards with 23 total touchdowns. Carson Callihan has rushed for 1,121 yards, third most in Class A Division I, and 17 touchdowns. These teams will go into separate state-playoff brackets. The computer Maxwell Ratings predict that both will get top-eight seeds regardless of the outcome of this game. That means both would get home-field advantage the first two rounds. Fannin County is currently projected to be the No. 1 Class A Division I seed. Christian Heritage will go into the Class 3A-A private playoffs.

Fellowship Christian at Wesleyan

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Henderson Stadium/Robinson Field, Peachtree Corners

Records, rankings: Fellowship Christian 6-2 overall, 4-0 in Region 5-A Division I subregion A and No. 6 in Class 3A-A private; Wesleyan is 7-1, 4-0 and No. 9 in 3A-A private.

Last meeting: Wesleyan won 56-20 in the 2019 Class A Private semifinals.

Things to know: The winner of this game will be the No. 1 seed from subregion A and play a crossover game next week at home against the subregion B winner, Whitefield Academy (6-2, 3-0). This game’s loser can finish no higher than third in the region, so it is critical to seeding for the Class 3A-A private-school playoffs. The computer Maxwell Ratings project Fellowship to get the No. 3 state seed and Wesleyan to get the No. 12. These are high-scoring teams with different approaches. Wesleyan gets two-thirds of its offense passing. Ben Brown has thrown for 2,061 yards and 31 touchdowns this season and 7,508 yards and 98 touchdowns for his career. Carter Hayes has 36 receptions for 752 yards and nine touchdowns. Wes Vail had 449 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Fellowship is more of a running team, averaging 196.0 rushing yards to 116.4 passing. C.J. Givers has rushed for 706 yards and eight touchdowns. Jonathan Granby has passed for 802 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 444 yards and eight touchdowns. The game’s top prospects are OL/DL Josh Petty (committed to Georgia Tech) and WR Evan Haynes (North Carolina).

Gainesville at Roswell

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ray Manus Stadium, Roswell

Records, rankings: Gainesville is 7-2 overall, 4-1 in Region 7-5A and No. 5; Roswell is 7-1, 4-0 and No. 7.

Last meeting: Gainesville won 35-28 in the 2022 Class 6A semifinals.

Things to know: These teams are contending with No. 1-ranked Milton (8-0, 4-0) in the region. Gainesville lost to Milton 42-24 earlier this month. Roswell plays Milton next week. Gainesville’s other loss came against Carrollton 45-16. Roswell lost to Buford 52-17. Those are the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Class 6A. Roswell has beaten three Class 6A teams (Peachtree Ridge, Walton, Westlake). When normalized for schedule strength, only Milton and Lee County have better Class 5A offenses than Roswell and Gainesville, according to the Maxwell Ratings. Gainesville’s Kharim Hughley is 114-of-196 passing for 2,087 yards and 15 touchdowns. Carmelo Byrd has rushed for 738 yards. Jeremiah Ware has 32 receptions for 675 yards and eight touchdowns. Xavier Griffin, who is committed to Southern Cal, leads the team with 13 tackles for losses and six sacks. Roswell’s offense is tailored to Trey Smith’s talents. He is the team’s leading passer (85-of-151 for 1,410 yards, 14 touchdowns) and rusher (673 yards, 14 touchdowns). The Brody brothers, Ryder and Brody, are Roswell’s leading tacklers. When these teams played in the 2022 semifinals, Gainesville won on a goal-line stand after Roswell had a first down at the 3-yard line in the final two minutes.

Grayson at South Gwinnett

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Richard Snell Community Stadium, Snellville

Records, rankings: Grayson is 5-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 4-6A and No. 6; South Gwinnett is 6-1, 3-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Grayson won 28-6 in 2023.

Things to know: South Gwinnett’s 6-1 record represents the Comets’ best start since 2009. They stand in first place in the region, though Grayson joins Newton (3-3, 2-0) as others without region losses. South Gwinnett has reached this point in coach Bryan Lamar’s fourth season. Lamar came from Tucker, where he won four region titles. South Gwinnett’s Xavier Butler has passed for 745 and rushed for 687 yards and nine touchdowns in six games. Eric Ramey III has rushed for 638 yards and eight touchdowns. South Gwinnett has three Power 4 Conference commitments. They are LB Jaiden Braker (LSU), DE Jalen Shivers (SMU) and WR Jackson Cook (Kansas). Grayson, a Class 7A semifinal team last season, was regarded as a top-five team in preseason, but a one-point loss to Collins Hill in the opener is holding the Rams back in the rankings. Grayson’s best win is probably a 28-14 victory over Mallard Creek, a top-five overall team in North Carolina. Grayson has played only five games, winning a sixth by forfeit, and hasn’t taken the field in more than a month. Travis Burgess, a quarterback with several major Division I offers, is averaging 177 yards passing per game but hasn’t played since Sept. 6. Sophomore Deuce Smith threw five TD passes in his first varsity start in a 63-0 victory over Grovetown. Tyler Atkinson, a top-10 national junior prospect. leads the team in tackles with 10.2 per game.

Hillgrove at Harrison

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bruce Cobleigh Stadium, Kennesaw

Records, rankings: Hillgrove is 8-0 overall, 5-0 in Region 3-6A and unranked; Harrison is 7-1, 5-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Harrison won 14-10 in 2023.

Things to know: The winner will be the region champion. Harrison’s 7-1 start is the Hoyas’ best since 2019, when they won their most recent region championship and their only state title. Hillgrove’s 8-0 start is the Hawks’ best since 2018, when they won their most recent region title. The 2023 game between these two decided which team made the playoffs and which did not. Harrison overcame a 10-0 deficit and won 14-10 with two TD passes in the final 12:03. This Hoyas team features a new coach, Luqman Salam, who was Hillgrove’s defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2020, during which Hillgrove was a state quarterfinalist and region champion four times. Xavier Hill is Harrison’s primary player to watch. The senior quarterback has thrown for 1,339 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 683 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hillgrove is more strictly a running team (226.4 rushing yards per game to 77.1 passing). Caleb Walters has rushed for a team-leading 565 yards, but sophomore Jaiden Moore rushed for 255 yards last week in a 30-23 victory over McEachern. The series between these teams is tied 5-5.

Norcross at North Gwinnett

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tom Robinson Memorial Stadium, Suwanee

Records, rankings: Norcross is 7-1 overall, 5-0 in Region 7-6A and unranked; North Gwinnett is 8-0, 5-0 and No. 3.

Last meeting: North Gwinnett won 51-41 in 2023.

Things to know: North Gwinnett can clinch the region title with a victory. Norcross might still need to beat Brookwood (5-3, 4-1) next week. The 2023 Norcross-North Gwinnett game decided a region title, although in a strange way. North Gwinnett won to force a three-way tie for first place with Peachtree Ridge, but Norcross came away with the region’s No. 1 seed on points differential among the three. The 2023 shootout, the highest scoring game in series history, produced 966 total yards. North Gwinnett’s Ryan Hall passed for 202 and two touchdowns. Back for his senior season, and committed to Georgia Tech baseball, Hall has thrown for 1,273 yards and 17 touchdowns, six to Nicholas Bookman, with only two interceptions. Tommy Lafayette has rushed for 646 yards. Norcross’ most dynamic player is Jahsaun Clarke, who has 1,003 all-purpose yards (633 receiving, 252 rushing, 118 returning). QB Dillon Mohammed has thrown for 1,152 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions. Kobe Robinson has rushed for 796 yards. Norcross leads the series 15-13, but North Gwinnett has won the past five meetings.

Rabun County at Athens Academy

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Slaughter Field, Athens

Records, rankings: Rabun County is 6-2 overall, 3-1 in Region 8-A Division I and No. 10 in Class A Division I; Athens Academy is 9-0, 5-0 and No. 4 in Class 3A-A private.

Last meeting: Rabun County won 21-14 in the second round of the 1998 Class A playoffs.

Things to know: Athens Academy can win its first region title and complete its first 10-0 regular season since 2019 with a victory. Rabun County is trying to forge a three-way region knot of one-loss teams with Commerce (5-3, 3-1). Rabun County would be the region champion in a three-way tie if the Wildcats win this game by eight points or more, as the region’s three-way tiebreaker is points differential in games among the three. Athens Academy is averaging 42.1 points per game, third-most in Class A Division I, while putting up 275.6 rushing yards and 178.9 passing yards per game. Keyon Standifer has 41 receptions for 1,052 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 275 yards and totaled 204 return yards with 20 touchdowns overall. Jamari Welch has rushed for 877 yards. The biggest difference between this Athens Academy team and the one that went 6-5 last season is a competitive defense. The Spartans are allowing 16.9 points per game compared to 30.5 last season. Rabun County, traditionally pass happy, has become a running team this year built around Reid Giles, who has rushed for 1,090 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s also the team’s leading receiver with 311 yards. But Rabun County QB Ty Truelove is a talented passer who threw for 2,298 yards last season. He has been limited to five games because of an injury. Athens Academy beat Commerce 29-28 and Elbert County 35-34. Rabun County lost to Commerce 42-38 and faces Elbert next week.

Woodward Academy at Decatur

When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Decatur High School Stadium, Decatur

Records, rankings: Woodward Academy is 5-3 overall, 5-0 in Region 4-5A and unranked; Decatur is 8-0, 5-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Woodward Academy won 34-7 in 2015.

Things to know: Woodward Academy, the 2023 Class 6A runner-up, opened the season ranked No. 3 but started 0-3 and hasn’t returned to the top 10. Those losses have aged well, though. Carrollton and Marist are ranked No. 1 now, and Collins Hill is a top-10 Class 6A team. Woodward has found a rhythm now with Landon Walker, who has thrown for 1,451 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He’s committed to Navy. Josiah Abdullah, a Virginia commit, has 30 receptions for 628 yards and eight touchdowns. Woodward gets 78.3% of its total offense through the air. Decatur is one of only two undefeated teams that haven’t been ranked this season. Hillgrove is the other. The Bulldogs’ schedule ranks 56th in Class 5A, according to the Maxwell Ratings, although two opponents (Greater Atlanta Christian, Carver of Atlanta) are ranked in lower classes. Another victory would give Decatur its most wins in a season since the 13-1 finish of 2003. Sophomore Darius White has rushed for 865 yards and 14 touchdowns. DB Kaleb Lanier is committed to Duke. DL Quay Hood has 20 tackles for losses.