Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

Playoffs on the mind of some in big region matchups

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Region 4-AAAAA

Starr’s Mill (4-1) at Lovejoy (2-2), Twelve Oaks, 7:30 p.m.

Starr’s Mill is 1-0 in region 4-AAAAA after getting a win over the Union Grove Wolverines last week. They have won four games in a row and have improved each week. Last week saw Greg Davis, Brandon Witta and Ryan Willis all have good games on offense and the defense remained sitngy, depsite losing cornerbacks Antonio Brown and Branden Lewis with injuries during the game. Coach Mike Earwood expects both of them back this week and is looking to continue to see improvement from his team.

Lovejoy had a bye last week and should be refreshed for what should be a battle for the top spot in the region. The Panthers will have to find a way to contain the athletic Mario Fannin, Lovejoy’s quarterback, and also slows down an offense that has no problem spreading the field.

Twelve Oaks stadium is located next door to Lovejoy High School on McDonough Road.

Fayette County (1-4) @ Union Grove (4-1), 7:30 p.m.

This will be an interesting test for the Tigers. Will they come out charged up, knowing that without the fourth quarter collapse against Newnan last week they would be at the top of the region, or did last week’s loss knock them down too far? Coach Tommy Webb should make sure that the team sees how far they have come this season, while also drilling in the importance of not letting a game slip away at the end. The Tigers have received a boost from the return of quarterback Jeremiah Enloe and will get another boost this week with the return of Brandon Boykin. Their defense has also played very well and with another solid game, a region win should be theirs.

Union Grove will be a challenge for Fayette County. They are athletic and thrive on spreading the offense. The Wolverines fell to Starr’s Mill last week.

Region 4-AAAA

Sandy Creek (4-0) @ Douglas County (4-1), 7:30 p.m.

This game will likely determine which of these two teams will host a state playoff game this year. If the Patriots, who expect starting quarterback Jake Turing back at the helm this week, get a win, it will mark the Tigers second region loss with four games remaining. Sandy Creek had their best night of running the ball this season last Friday and if the offensive line continues to gel and open holes for Samson Horne and Brad Bush, the Tigers may be in a lot of trouble. That’s because the Sandy Creek defense, which had a few letdowns last week, is typically very stout.

Douglas County is led by quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who throws the ball well and is the key to the offense. The Tiger defense is very aggressive and will present a challenge for the Sandy Creek offense. Douglas County has won two games in a row after falling to Creekside 41-23. In the past two games, the Tigers have outscored their opponents 79-9.

McIntosh (1-3) vs Lithia Springs (0-5), 7:30 p.m.

It was the sigh of relief heard around the county last Friday as the McIntosh Chiefs picked up their first win of the season. The team got two touchdowns from Jamael Owens, one from Morey Brooks and two field goals from Brett Buehler. They also had quarterback Brendan Hall back under center and a defense that gave a great team effort.

The Chiefs would like this to be the start of a winning streak and, if the defense can slow down down some of the explosive members of the Lions offense, which is capable of putting up some big plays, the second region win should come tonight. Tonight is McIntosh’s homecoming game.

Whitewater (4-0) vs. Dutchtown (1-3)

A good football team never looks past an opponent to the next game, so the Wildcats must focus on the task at hand tonight and attempt to carry over all of the good things from last week’s blowout victory over North Oconee. Whitewater put up monstrous numbers on offense and played a strong defensive game. This has been the recipe for success for Whitewater this year and the Bulldogs are not one of the tougher teams on the Wildcats’ schedule this year.

Dutchtown’s lone win was a 21-6 victory of North Oconee on Sept. 2. Before that game, the Bulldogs lost to Stockbridge, 17-3 and Henry County, 24-7. Last week, Dutchtown lost to Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy.

Tonight is Whitewater’s homecoming game and next week will see the Wildcats take on a good Landmark Christian team in Fairburn.

Region 5-A

Landmark Christian (3-2) vs. Mt. Zion, Carroll (2-3), 7:30 p.m.

The War Eagles started the season strong but have faltered a bit in the past two weeks against some of the top teams in Class A. Mt. Zion isn’t one of the top teams but the War Eagles will not be taking anything for granted tonight. Look for Landmark to stick with what’s working, which is quarterback Matt Moody throwing the ball to an assortment of receivers, while also trying to get the ground game going again and avoid some of the mistakes and turnovers that have proven themselves costly in their recent losses.

Mt. Zion opened the season with losses to Bowdon, 40-0, Ranburne, Ala., 27-13 and Temple, 14-6. Since the Temple game, the Eagles have produced wins over Towns County, 33-19 and Athens Christian, 48-28.

Our Lady of Mercy (0-5) @ Bowdon (4-1), 7:30 p.m.

If it weren’t for giving up 28 points to Aquinas in the first quarter of last week’s game, the Bobcats may have scored their first win of the season. Their defense played better and the offense got touchdowns from Wynton Yates and Michael Donald. This week will be a tough one for Our Lady of Mercy as Bowdon has put up some big numbers in their four wins. The Red Devils fell 45-3 to Carrollton last week but their team has some explosively fast members on their offense and a big defense that had no trouble slowing down Landmar Christian on Sept. 9.