Weekend Preview: Top Georgia high school football games of Week 2

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: Down from Class 6A this season, Blessed Trinity believes it is a legitimate state contender again, and some fans point to a dominant win over No. 1 Marist in preseason as evidence. In a game that counted, Blessed Trinity shut out St. Pius 24-0 last week. Ahmonte Pitts rushed for 170 yards. The defense recorded five sacks. DL D.J. Jacobs, a contender for No. 1 sophomore prospect nationally, had three tackles for losses and blocked a punt that he returned for a touchdown. Blessed Trinity passed for only 44 yards. Holy Innocents’ has won three region titles and made two quarterfinals, one in Class 4A, the past five seasons. The 2023 team went 8-3. Holy Innocents’ has a new coach, Nick Perrotta, promoted from defensive coordinator. He led the Golden Bears to a 47-3 opening victory over North Springs. Ryan Woods was 10-of-11 passing for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Mays rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. WR Sam Chasteen scored two touchdowns receiving and one rushing. These private schools are about 15 miles apart in Fulton County. Blessed Trinity is in Roswell. Holy Innocents’ is just inside I-285.

Douglass at Westlake

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Westlake Stadium, College Park

Records, rankings: Douglass is 1-0 and No. 2 in Class 3A; Westlake is 0-1 and unranked in 6A.

Last meeting: Westlake won 23-21 in 2007.

Things to know: Douglass is coming off its best victory rankings-wise in 29 years, an 18-3 win over then-No. 3 LaGrange in volatile Class 3A, which experienced six defeats among its top 10 in the opening week. Those facts conspired to elevate Douglass to its highest ranking since 1999. Douglass held LaGrange to 82 yards rushing and 133 total yards. Junior QB John Wilson was 9-of-16 passing for 141 yards and rushed for 36 yards. Westlake, ranked in preseason, lost its opener to Hughes 52-21, getting pulverized by Hughes’ massive offensive line and surrendering more than 417 rushing yards. The offense was impressive, though. Westlake WR Travis Smith Jr. had eight catches for 221 yards. Sean Smith was 15-of-33 passing for 348 yards. Naeem Odeniyi rushed for 121 yards. A matchup to watch is Westlake WR Travis Smith (committed to Tennessee) vs. Douglass CB Jontae Gibson (Georgia).

Hebron Christian at Fellowship Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bob Lord Field, Roswell

Records, rankings: Hebron Christian is 1-0 and No. 3 in Class 3A-A private; Fellowship Christian is 1-0 and No. 4 in 3A-A private.

Last meeting: Fellowship Christian won 35-28 in the 2019 Class A Private quarterfinals.

Things to know: Hebron Christian has three ACC-committed players on its defense. They are LB Carrington Coombs (Georgia Tech), DB Gerritt Kemp (Duke) and DL Sichan John (Virginia). The Lions beat Therrell 48-0 in the opener. They had six sacks and nine tackles for losses. Fellowship Christian has two ACC-committed players on its offense They are WR Evan Haynes (North Carolina) and OL/DL Josh Petty (Georgia Tech). The Paladins also have QB Jonathan Granby, who passed for 128 yards, rushed for 152 and had a hand in four touchdowns in Fellowship’s 36-35 victory over Class A Division II champion Bowdon. Though ranked similarly, these teams face disparate challenges in getting high playoff seeds because of the GHSA’s new Post Season Ranking Formula and playoff rules. Using the PSRF, the Maxwell Ratings give Fellowship a 34.5% chance of getting the No. 1 seed in the state playoffs and a 73.8% of getting a 1-8 seed, which would mean a bye and home second-round game. Hebron’s chances are 3.7% for the No. 1 seed and 21.2% for a 1-8 seed, even though Maxwell ranks both in the top seven in strength. The difference is their regions. Fellowship projects to win nine games and win Region 5-Division I. Hebron is picked to win six games and finish third in Region 8-2A. That region has four top-10 teams, including Prince Avenue Christian. Hebron’s schedule also won’t play well with the GHSA’s PSRF, Maxwell concludes. Maxwell this week projects Fellowship as the No. 1 seed and Hebron as the No. 13. Winning this game would be a big boost to either.

Mill Creek at Norcross

When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Blue Devil Stadium, Norcross

Records, rankings: Mill Creek is 1-0 and No. 6 in Class 6A; Norcross is 1-0 and unranked in 6A.

Last meeting: Mill Creek won 27-13 in 2023.

Things to know: Mill Creek has won seven of the past eight games in this series after Norcross won the first eight. Mill Creek beat Lambert 56-26 in the opener. Daniel Smith rushed for 199 yards on 15 carries. Shane Throgmartin was 8-of-17 passing for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Luke Metz, a linebacker committed to Alabama, had 10 total tackles and a TD reception. Devin Ancrum, a defensive lineman committed to North Carolina, blocked two kicks. Mill Creek outrushed Lambert 305-69. Norcross opened with a 31-10 victory over Lanier. Dillon Mohammed was 17-of-22 passing for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Kobe Robinson rushed for 151 yards. Jahsaun Clarke had nine receptions for 118 yards. Esias Tompkins had three hits behind the line. Norcross and Mill Creek showed off good specialists last week. Mill Creek’s Brady Lane had five touchbacks and three punts downed inside the 20. Norcross’s Jack Rouille kicked a 37-yard field goal and had four touchbacks and one punt downed inside the 5.

Milton at American Heritage, Fla.

When, where: 7 p.m. Friday, Heritage Field, Plantation, Fla.

Records, rankings: Milton is 1-0 and No. 1 in Class 5A; American Heritage is 0-0 and No. 1 in Florida’s Division 4A.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: Milton is the consensus No. 8 team in the National High School Football Top 50 Composite. American Heritage is No. 20, peaking at No. 12 in ESPN. American Heritage QB Dia Bell is the No. 4 junior player at his position nationally, according to 247Sports. He is committed to Texas. WR Malachi Toney (Miami), DB Gregory Xavier Thomas (Florida State), DL Omarian Abraham (N.C. State), WR Brandon Bennett and RB Byron Louis are other top-400 national players. Milton has four top-400 players – QB Luke Nickel (Miami), WR C.J. Wiley (Florida State), TE Ethan Barbour (Georgia) and OL Brayden Jacobs (Clemson). Milton has five others committed to Power 4 Conference schools. Milton beat another top-25 national opponent, Buford, 13-10 in a rainy opener. Seven Milton players had at least one tackle for a loss. Milton has scheduled a prominent out-of-state opponent each season since 2018 and is 3-4 in those games.

New Hampstead at Savannah Christian

When, where: 7 :30 p.m. Friday, Pooler Stadium, Pooler

Records, rankings: New Hampstead is 1-0 and unranked in Class 4A; Savannah Christian is 1-0 and No. 2 in 3A-A private.

Last meeting: New Hampstead won 34-6 in 2017.

Things to know: New Hampstead won its first playoff game in five seasons in 2023 and returns preseason all-state QB Rashawn Truell, who averaged 300.7 passing yards per game. The Phoenix opened this season with a 56-35 victory over South Effingham after leading 30-0 at halftime. Truell was 10-of-12 passing for 180 yards and three touchdowns playing little more than a half. Khamari Smart rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on two carries. Kamari Maxwell had six receptions for 109 yards. Savannah Christian, the Class 3A runner-up last season, opened 2024 with a 35-7 victory over Whitefield Academy. The Raiders rushed for 421 yards with two 100-yard rushers – Zo Smalls (166) and Jaden Miles (117). Miles also had eight tackles at linebacker. Smalls is a Georgia Power 100 running back. Also prominent are five-star DL Elijah Griffin and Clemson-committed TE Logan Brooking. These teams have played twice, splitting games in 2016-17. They are about 10 miles apart on opposite sides of I-95 in Chatham County.

Peach County at Perry

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Herb St. John Stadium, Perry

Records, rankings: Peach County is 1-0 and No. 3 in Class 3A; Perry is 1-0 and No. 2 in 5A.

Last meeting: Perry won 42-21 in 2023.

Things to know: Perry, the defending Class 4A champion, beat Baldwin 37-6 last week. Cullen McDaniel threw two TD passes, both to Kiel Sparks. Ahmad Gordon rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries, and Decorrion Daniels rushed for 101 on 17 carries. Both running backs were prominent last year, especially Gordon, who ran for 1,811 yards. McDaniel replaced Colter Ginn, now a walk-on at Georgia. (In the 2023 game between these teams, Ginn, playing against his former team, passed for 239 yards.) Perry’s other big graduation loss was WR Dakarai Anderson, now at Cincinnati. Perry returned six of its 11 defensive starters. Peach County is coming off a deceiving 4-7 finish, its ugliest record in nearly 40 years, but the Trojans were seven points from a region title and one controversial play from beating eventual Class 3A runner-up Savannah Christian in the first round of the playoffs. That was a bitter 48-46 four-overtime loss. Last week’s 40-21 victory over Northeast was encouraging and not as close as the score. D.J. Hudson passed for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore RB Ashton Barton rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Perry has won two straight in this series after breaking a 10-game losing streak in it.

Rabun County at Fannin County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Rebel Stadium, Blue Ridge

Records, rankings: Fannin County is 1-0 and unranked in Class A Division I; Rabun County is 1-0 and ranked No. 4 in A Division I.

Last meeting: Rabun County won 35-21 in 2011.

Things to know: These mountain schools are favored to win their Class A Division I regions, according to the Maxwell Ratings. Fannin County, from Region 7, won region titles in 2020 and 2021. Rabun County, from Region 8, won nine from 2014 to 2022. Though unranked in other polls, Fannin is No. 5 in MaxPreps ahead of No. 6 Rabun. Rabun is the consensus No. 4 team in GHSF Daily’s composite rankings. Fannin beat Gilmer 42-28 in the opener. Lawson Sullivan rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns on six carries and was 7-of-12 passing for 117 yards. He also had six tackles. Fannin had 341 yards on just 31 plays, and Braxton Cheatham returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Rabun beat White County 40-27 in the opener. Ty Truelove, a junior with an offer from Florida Atlantic, was 8-of-14 passing for 214 yards and four touchdowns, two to Lake Evans. Truelove also rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Reid Giles had 55 yards rushing, 101 receiving. Fannin leads the series 9-7, though this is the first meeting in 13 years.

Ware County at Coffee

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jardine Stadium, Douglas

Records, rankings: Ware County is 1-0 and No. 4 in Class 4A; Coffee is 1-0 and No. 6 in 5A.

Last meeting: Coffee won 28-5 in 2023.

Things to know: Coffee won the 2023 game between these two by holding Ware County without a touchdown for the first time in 50 games. Fred Brown, who graduated, rushed for 176 yards. Ware and Coffee now are in different classes. Each won impressively against ranked smaller-school opponents last week. Ware defeated then-No. 2 Appling County of Class 2A 40-10 (Appling’s worst loss in seven years). Luke Hooks threw four TD passes on just eight attempts. Ware County RB R.J. Boyd, who is committed to N.C. State, missed last week’s game due to injury. Younger brother Jahmir Boyd was Ware’s leading rusher in his absence. Coffee, the 2023 Class 5A champion, beat then-No. 5 Bainbridge of Class 3A 59-6 (Bainbridge’s worst loss in 44 years). Tyrese Woodgett had 89 of Coffee’s 303 rushing yards, and Jordan Phillips was 7-of-9 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Coffee returned seven starters from a defense that allowed 6.7 points per game last season.

Woodward Academy at Collins Hill

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Fahring Field, Suwanee

Records, rankings: Woodward Academy is 0-1 and No. 7 in Class 5A; Collins Hill is 1-0 and No. 10 in 6A.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: Collins Hill entered the rankings this week after a 20-19 victory over then-No. 3 Grayson, overcoming a 19-3 deficit and winning on a two-point conversion with 2:11 left. TE Jaylen Burroughs scored the decisive final eight points. Ketrell Webb was credited with five tackles for losses. Deuce Geralds had four. Both are top-300 national junior recruits. Collins Hill, held to 24 yards rushing, used a pair of quarterbacks. A.J. Bush (10-of-17, 94 yards) started, and sophomore Makyree Cross (7-of-8, 86 yards) led the comeback. Woodward Academy lost to Class 6A No. 2 Carrollton 24-14 last week. Woodward’s offense struggled in wet conditions. Landon Walker was 10-of-22 passing for 109 yards and rushed for 65 yards, making up all but 27 of Woodward’s total yards. Woodward’s most prominent players are WR Josiah Abdullah (committed to Virginia) and WR/DB Jerome Bettis Jr. (Notre Dame).

Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.