Both teams may be winless in the region, but that does nothing to dampen the enormity of when these two teams meet. There are other high schools and other teams in Fayette County now, providing some more rivalries, but nothing can compare to the first one, which is....

Fayette County Tigers (1-7, 0-6 region) at McIntosh Chiefs (0-8, 0-6 region)

No matter what the records say in any given year, this is a big one and both teams want the win and the bragging rights that will go with it. Obviously, 2006 hasn’t gone as well as either school has hoped, but there are some positive signs for both teams. Fayette County has a solid running game with Matt Daniels rushing for 900 yards thus far and 15 touchdowns and quarterback Brandon Boykin complements him well. McIntosh has proven they can move the ball well but they have had trouble finding the endzone. In six of their eight games, the Chiefs have scored seven points or less.

The Tigers had some miscues last week in some very wet weather and they proved costly in a 36-20 loss to Banneker, a team that beat McIntosh in overtime. McIntosh fell behind Northgate 13-0 in the first quarter and then only allowed three more points the rest of the game. Fayette County needs to get their running game going against the Chiefs if they are to get their first region win and McIntosh needs to keep it in check if they are going to win.

It may not have playoff implications but the players, coaches and fans on either side really want this one.

There are some games with playoff implications in region 2-AAAA though, particularly...

Starr’s Mill Panthers (5-3, 3-3 region) vs. Northgate Vikings (5-3, 4-2 region)

The Panthers handily beat Woodward Academy last week 45-7. It was the most points the Panthers had put up this season and showed what the team was capable of operating at or near full strength. Greg Davis rushed for four touchdowns, Robby Davis ran his team well at quarterback, Brandon Witta scored and rushed for over 100 yards and the defense played outstanding, slowing down a War Eagle offense that had put up a lot of points on teams this year.

Northgate has their work cut out for them tonight, but they are a team that has proven themselves to be up for any challenge. They are the team that has come closest to upsetting Creekside, with Starr’s Mill and Whitewater at or near a close second, and they have won three in a row, including a very close game with Westlake. In their five wins, the Vikings have allowed 13 points or less in all of them and they didn’t give up too much more in their losses. Northgate has received consistent play from quarterback Andre Morris, running back Mike Davis and running back and defensive back Derrick Brisbane. They will all need to be factors, as will the entire team, if they are to win this game. This is a must win for the Panthers, who are still behind Northgate, Woodward and Westlake in the playoff hunt.

Northgate knows it will likely have to win this game and next week’s at home against Whitewater to make the state playoffs.

Whitewater Wildcats (6-2, 5-1 region) vs. Woodward Academy War Eagles (6-3, 4-3 region)

The Wildcats had a week off last week, so you can bet they had coaches and players at the Starr’s Mill/Woodward game last week, scouting the War Eagles. You can also bet that they are hoping to do everything the Panthers did to Woodward in their 45-7 victory over the team. Whitewater beat Starr’s Mill the previous week with a last minute touchdown and two point conversion but that game is over now and the team’s focus must be on winning their final two games and securing a home game to start the state playoffs. Whitewater has won four games in a row, but three of those wins have been by four points or less. Aside from their 41-7 win over McIntosh in that four game span, the Wildcats are averaging only 13 points per game and are allowing 10 points per game.

Woodward has found themselves to be a middle of the pack region team thus far. They have had three close games with Fayette County, Northgate and Banneker and have emerged victorious, they have blown out McIntosh and they have been blown out themselves by Creekside, Westlake and Starr’s Mill, scoring a total of 10 points in those three games and giving up 119 points. This is their final game of the regular season and to guarantee a spot in the state playoffs they have to win. If they don’t they need to hope for other teams ahead of them or behind them to lose.

In region 6-AAA....

Sandy Creek Patriots (5-3, 2-3 region) vs. Cass (6-2, 3-2 region)

The playoffs are still a possibility for the Patriots but they have to win their remaining two games and tonight’s game will be the biggest test. Sandy Creek bounced back from a 17-0 loss to Carrollton the week before to beat Haralson County 37-7. The Patriot defense held the Rebels to 83 total yards and they will need another great performance tonight if they are going to help their team make the playoffs. In their five wins, Sandy Creek is averaging over 29 points on offense and allowing an average of six points per game. In their three losses though, the Patriots are averaging just over three points a game and are allowing an average of 23 points per game.

Cass has won three games in a row. They too have lost to Cartersville and Carrollton but they have defeated Villa Rica, which beat Sandy Creek in their first region match of the season. In their six wins, Cass has only given up more than 14 points once and have only score below 26 points once. They know they need a win tonight to almost assure themselves of a playoff spot.

The region 5-A championship is on the line tonight when...

Landmark Christian War Eagles (6-2, 3-0 region) vs. Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy Chargers (8-0, 3-0)

The War Eagles have won four games in a row and they have done it in good fashion with Brian Lee rushing for a lot of yards and a lot of touchdowns. They have scored 172 points over their last four games and have allowed 81 points. The offense, led by quarterback Matt Moody, is involving a lot of Landmark players, and the defense has shut down their opponents for long stretches. They will have their hands full tonight with an undefeated Charger team.
ELCA has given up over 14 points once this season and that was to the Bremen in a 24-21 win over the Blue Devils. Bremen handed Landmark one of their two losses this season.

The Chargers have scored a total of 252 points this season and have allowed 95. In 2004 and 2005, they finished second to Landmark in region 5-A.

Our Lady of Mercy Bobcats (1-7, 0-3 region) vs. Fellowship Christian (3-5, 1-2 region)

The Bobcats have lost five games in a row. They were shutout by Whitefield Academy last week and that is the only time this season they have been shutout. Our Lady of Mercy is growing and rebuilding this year and there are some talented players on both sides of the ball. They still make too many mistakes and give up big plays though, all of which has led to their losses.

Fellowship Christian has lost two games in a row and both came against the top two teams in the region, Landmark Christian and ELCA. Fellowship fell to Landmark 49-21 before losing to the Chargers last week 28-6. The team’s lone region win came against Mt. Pisgah at Oct. 13. In three of their five losses, Fellowship Christian has been held to seven points or less.

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