“Friday Night Lights,” the television show premiered on Tuesday night on NBC. If you’d like to see the real thing, drop by one of the games played by the local teams tonight. There will be plenty of drama to go around as teams are looking for region wins that could lead to a spot in the state playoffs.

Starr’s Mill Panthers (3-2 overall, 1-2 region) at McIntosh Chiefs (0-4 overall, 0-2 region)

This is the biggest game in Fayette County tonight. These two teams haven’t played in the regular season since 2003, but whenever these two schools face off in any sport, it’s a big deal. Starr’s Mill snapped a two game losing streak last week with a 31-14 win over Banneker. Parker duPont had a great game running the ball and Eric Pitts and Manny Alvarez made some great catches including some for touchdowns. Coach Mike Earwood still sees places where the team can improve and one area he wasn’t all that impressed with last week was the defense.
Earwood will be looking for improvement from the defense tonight, while also looking for people to continue to step up in the absence of running backs Greg Davis and Brandon Witta.

The Chiefs had a bye week last week, giving them some time to nurse any nagging injuries and prepare for this game. In their last two games, McIntosh has built leads on their opponents and that translates into coming out with a lot of intensity. They will need to keep it up for an entire game and avoid making mistakes, which the Panthers would undoubtedly capitalize on.

East Coweta Indians (4-1 overall, 1-0 region) vs. Morrow Mustangs (0-4 overall, 0-1 region)

This is the biggest game in Coweta County tonight, although it doesn’t appear to be much of a challenge on paper. The Indians have won four games in a row and are averaging just over 33 points per game, while allowing just over 13 points a game. Last week, East Coweta handed Paulding County a 31-13 region loss, while Morrow lost to Hiram 28-6. The Indians got touchdowns from Jeric Woodall, Stephon Patterson, Rod Marrs and Michael McRae, while Ryan Gates added a field goal. Morrow’s lone touchdown last week came from Demetrius Williams. The Mustangs were held to 117 total yards of offense.

Northgate Vikings (2-2 overall, 1-1 region) @ Creekside Seminoles (5-0 overall, 3-0 region)

The Vikings hung on for a 15-13 win over Fayette County last week, while the Seminoles handed the previously undefeated Woodward Academy War Eagles a 32-0 loss. It was the third time this season that Creekside has shutout an opponent and they will be looking to do it again tonight. Northgate got points from a safety, two field goals and Derrick Brisbane recovering a fumble for a touchdown. The win snapped a two game losing streak for Northgate. The Seminole offense was as good as advertised last week but the defense was outstanding with Danny Evans recording 10 tackles and pulling in an interception and Jason Stanley getting seven tackles and an interception. Kayman Sutton led the defense with 14 tackles and Eric Berry had seven tackles and one fumble recovery.

Whitewater Wildcats (3-2 overall, 2-1 region) @ Banneker Trojans (1-3 overall, 1-1 region)

The Wildcats prevailed over Westlake last week 17-14, thanks to a field goal from Jordan Cooper. Coach Amos McCreary would like to see the winning margin be a little bigger this week, if only to help his nerves. Banneker faced Starr’s Mill and lost 31-14. Whitewater has played well this season, both with their passing game and their running game, and can break loose and put a lot of points on the board in a hurry. The defense has also been able to hold some very talented teams in check and slow down their production and they will need to do that to Banneker, which has some big and fast players, as well. Banneker also has a good defense which could make any offensive errors costly.

Sandy Creek Patriots (3-1 overall, 0-1 region) @ Cartersville Purple Hurricanes (3-1 overall, 1-0 region)

Last week, a win got away from the Patriots as they fell to Villa Rica 21-10. The question on the minds of the coaches and fans is, how will the team respond? Sandy Creek hasn’t lost back to back region games since 2001 and they will try everything to prevent that tonight. Last week, the defense looked good in places but gave up some huge plays to the Wildcats. The offense sputtered a bit, although they were able to move the ball in the air and on the ground at times. Cartersville defeated Cass 41-34 in overtime last week and their only loss this year was a 28-25 loss to Buford, which has one of the better defenses in the state. Tonight’s game will be televised on Channel 45 on Comcast and emotions will be on high on both sides of the field.

Landmark Christian School War Eagles (2-2) @ Bowdon Red Devils (4-1)

The War Eagles have lost two games in a row, both at home. Last week, they fell to Bremen 35-21, despite getting good play from their usual suspects (Matt Moody, Brian Lee, Matt Thornton). Landmark would like to get back on the winning track as they start region play next week. Bowdon had won four games in a row before being defeated by Heard County last week, 32-27. The Red Devils are averaging just over 28 points per game on offense and they have won two of the last three games against Landmark. The War Eagles need to continue to force turnovers and capitalize on them, while slowing down a good offense.

Our Lady of Mercy Bobcats (1-3) vs. Glascock County Panthers (1-4)

The Bobcat scored the most points all season long last week in a 33-17 loss to Mt. Zion, Carroll and also had a fairly balanced attack with success on the ground and in the air. That needs to continue this week, as does the evolution of William Pearl as a triple threat (running, passing and tackling). The Panthers fell to Athens Christian 54-20 last week. They are scoring an average of 12 points a game and are giving up an average of 31 points a game. Our Lady of Mercy doesn’t appear to be overmatched in this game and eliminating costly penalties and turnovers could give them a win.