Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

Teams hope to keep win streaks alive

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

October is right around the corner and with it will come the cool nights that many associate with the peak of the high school football season. There are several good games on tonight’s schedule and most will require a short trip out of the county if you’d like to attend.

Starr’s Mill (5-1) at East Coweta (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

The Panthers have won five games in a row and have looked better and better doing it as the season has progressed. Last week, the Panthers avenged a 2004 loss to Lovejoy that kept them out of contention for the region title. Now, Starr’s Mill is in the driver’s seat. There are four region games remaining, including tonight’s match. If they can hand the Indians a loss tonight and Newnan a loss on Oct. 21, a region title should be theirs.

East Coweta opened the season with a 43-28 win over Campbell. The Indians then dropped games to Grayson (24-21) and Brookwood (44-23) before winning two games in a row. In their past two games they have outlasted Banneker (23-21) and Mundy’s Mill (10-3). They had a bye last week.

Starr’s Mill has been able to slow down some very explosive and athletic players and teams this season and a good defensive effort should be able to keep East Coweta in check. The Panthers would also like to see their running game continue to gain yards and score points while also getting some more out of their passing game. Indian players to watch out for are quarterback Brandon Behenna and running back Tim McGill.

Whitewater (5-0) at Landmark Christian (4-2), 7:30 p.m.

This one could go either way. Both teams have offenses capable of putting up a large amount of points, but both have unique styles. Landmark, while getting good rushing, has a great passer in Matt Moody and great receivers in Miles King, Jimmy Edens and Tommy Kinney. Whitewater has a good quarterback in Jay Bright and there have been a number of good catches from several different receivers but the Wildcats have a stable of outstanding running backs including Tavoris Dixon, Kurdice Neal and Trey Scales.

The two teams also have good defenses with Whitewater’s producing more turnovers this year, thus far.

So, who wins? Fans will just have to take a trip to Fairburn to find out.

McIntosh (2-3) at Northgate (3-3), 7:30 p.m.

The Chiefs have won two games in a row and they can thank a solid ground attack led by Jamael Owens and Morey Brooks and an intense and effective defense. McIntosh would love to get a win over Northgate as they were handed a devastating overtime loss by the Vikings last year.

Northgate opened the season with a double overtime loss to Woodward Academy but followed it with a 20-7 win over Haralson County. The Vikings two other wins came against the two teams that McIntosh has beaten this year; Alexander and Lithia Springs, while their other two losses came at the hands of Sandy Creek and Creekside. In their wins, the Vikings are averaging over 26 points per game, but in their losses, they are averaging nine points per game, due mostly in part to being shutout twice.

Sandy Creek (4-1) vs. Lithia Springs (0-6), 7:30 p.m.

Lithia Springs was the opponent in McIntosh’s homecoming game last week and the Chiefs looked great against them. Sandy Creek fans should expect the same from their team this week as the Patriots look to bounce back from a big loss to Douglas County. Sandy Creek has a good defense that had a few letdowns last Friday against the Tigers. They will be looking to keep their home winning streak alive, as will the offense, which had looked good in the weeks leading up to last week’s loss. If Samson Horne and Brad Bush can get some big runs early, everything should fall into place for the Patriots this week.

Fayette County (1-5) vs. Lovejoy (2-3), 7;30 p.m.

The Tiger defense had played with a lot of intensity in the weeks leading up to last week’s loss to Union Grove. Though they picked things back up in the second half, the Wolverines had already taken a good lead and held on to the win. Fans should expect the defense to play with a lot of fire this week and if the offense is as balanced as it was last week and avoids the crippling turnovers in the red zone that have plagued them in recent games, Fayette could defeat Lovejoy.

Lovejoy’s offense is tough and like Union Grove, they are fast and are able to spread the defense. No word on how quarterback Mario Fannin’s ankle is healing this week but if he is at full speed, the Tigers will have their hands full.

Our Lady of Mercy (0-6) vs. Whitefield Academy (2-3), 7:30 p.m.

The Bobcats have yet to win a game and they have only been close a few times but now that the region schedule is here, they are hoping things start coming together more.

Last Friday saw the Bobcats get two touchdown passes from Brett Bartles, one to Issacc Jones, a transfer from New Orleans, and one to Wynton Yates. The passing game looked good for Mercy, which controlled the ball for most of the fourth quarter.

Our Lady of Mercy has faced some very tough opponents already this season and they have seen a lot of positive things in their losses. If they can truly put the mistakes behind them and get a full four quarters from the players on both sides of the ball, region wins and a trip to the state playoffs are not out of the question.

Whitefield Academy has scored a total of 52 points this year with over half of those points coming in last week’s 38-20 win over Athens Christian. They were shutout in two straight weeks to start September, losing to Bremen, the top ranked team in Class A, 41-0 and Jefferson 35-0. Their first win this season was a 7-0 victory over Glascock County. The Wolfpack has shown that they are capable of scoring points but are also capable of being completely shutdown. If Mercy avoids giving up the big plays that have cost them against other teams, the Bobcats could be 1-0 in the region.