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Are you ready for some football?

2005 H.S. season kicks off tonight

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

The slate is clean and a new season of high school football starts tonight. Right now, every one has the same chance to run the table, win a region title and contend for a state championship. If a local team is going to make that journey this season, this game is the first step in that direction.

Fayette County vs. Upson Lee, 7:30 p.m.

The Tigers moved the ball well against Sandy Creek in last week’s jamboree and Coach Tommy Webb also has to be pleased with a defense that held the Patriots off the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. Fayette’s two choices at quarterback, Brandon Boykin and Tyler Satterfield, each bring a different element to the offense and could give Upson Lee some trouble tonight. Upson Lee defeated Fayette County 28-3 last year in their stadium. The score was close at the half, 7-3, but a few mistakes proved costly for the Tigers. If they can get their offense on track tonight and cut out the mistakes, Fayette County has a good chance to match last season’s win total in the first week of the season.

Landmark Christian @ Twiggs County, 7:30 p.m.

This game might be one of the best matchups of the opening week as the seventh ranked War Eagles travel to take on the fifth ranked Cobras. Twiggs dominated Landmark in last year’s match, 34-6, but this is a new year and the War Eagles are a new team. Both teams made the Class A playoffs last year and both lost in the second round. The difference is Landmark took Bremen to double overtime before falling and Twiggs lost to McIntosh County Academy 30-0. As far as non-region games go, this one will be huge for the winner as they will undoubtedly move up in the polls.

McIntosh @ Douglas County, 7:30 p.m.

The Chiefs got beat soundly by the Tigers last year but got the win because of a forfeit. It seems Douglas County had an ineligible player on the field and had to forfeit the win. Douglas County is expected by many to contend for the region title this year and while McIntosh has improved in many respects, they may not have improved by 40 points. If the Chiefs can get a running game going and sustain it, they should be able to keep it close. If they are within a touchdown of the Tigers in the fourth quarter, anything can happen.

Our Lady of Mercy @ Pacelli, 7:30 p.m.

Last year the Bobcats fell behind to Pacelli very early, due mostly to turnovers on their first three drives. One main goal for Our Lady of Mercy this year is to cutdown on turnovers and other costly mistakes such as offsides and substitution penalties. It was in this very game last year that the Bobcats lost Matt Sanchez for the season to a serious injury in a collision with a Pacelli player. Sanchez made a miraculous recovery but won’t be on the field this year. The Bobcats will have to play hard and focused and it will be important for them to attempt to control the ball and the clock. If they can keep Pacelli’s offense off the field, they have a chance to make a shocking upset.

Sandy Creek @ Villa Rica, 7:30 p.m.

The Patriot offense has had moments of brilliance in their two jamborees although many of these moments came in the jamboree against Lovejoy two weeks ago. After a lackluster first half against Fayette County, Sandy Creek seemed to turn it up a notch and play better in the third quarter. For the Patriots to repeat their success of the past two seasons, they will have to play the best ball possible on every down all season long. In last year’s game Sandy Creek defeated Villa Rica 28-7 but the Patriots must not overlook the Wildcats this season. It will also be very important for the Sandy Creek defense to produce some turnovers in order to help an offense that appears to have a little trouble getting started.

Whitewater vs Temple, 7:30 p.m.

When these two teams met last year, the Wildcats edged out a 13-12 win. Everybody is back for Whitewater this year and they are looking to improve on last year’s 6-3 record. Temple went 3-7 last year and ended the season with four straight losses. Whitewater looked sloppy early on in last week’s jamboree aganst Jonesboro but they were able to put points on the board and slow down the Cardinal offense. Whitewater is hoping to have a good record in their final year of a non-region schedule and use it as a springboard to contending for a playoff spot in region 4-AAAA next year.

Starr’s Mill vs. McEachern, Saturday, Georgia Dome, 8:30 p.m.

The Panthers get the night spot in the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic and they are hoping to use this game as a springborad to a terrific season. The Panthers have a lot of good players on both sides of the ball returning and they seem to enter every game very well-prepared by Coach Mike Earwood and his staff of assistant coaches. Starr’s Mill won their game in the Kickoff Classic last year, 20-3 over Walton. The McEachern Indians went 9-3 last year, losing to Parkview 37-0 in the second round of the state playoffs.