North Gwinnett (Suwanee) and
Grayson (Loganville), two reigning region champions from Gwinnett County, represented Georgia well in the Progressive Football Challenge, a televised doubleheader that brought in two top teams from Alabama.
North Gwinnett defeated
Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) 42-20, while Grayson beat
Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.) 20-9 on Saturday.
North Gwinnett held Bob Jones to three yards rushing in the first half, when the Bulldogs took a 28-0 lead.
For Grayson,
Korey Jones scored two touchdowns as the Rams jumped to a quick 13-0 lead.
In another feather in the cap for Georgia,
Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (McDonough) went to Tallahasee, Fla., and beat
North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.), which won a Florida state championship in 2009.
Eagle's Landing – which has four or five blue-chip recruits – won 27-0 and looks like a contender to win its first state championship in Georgia this year. Virginia Tech commitment
Christian Reeves scored on receptions of 30 and 35 yards.
This week, there are more games in Georgia that will be watched closely around the country. North Gwinnett will play
Crenshaw (Los Angeles) on Friday at North Gwinnett. Crenshaw is ranked in several national polls.
And on the Georgia coast, defending Georgia Class AAAAA champion
Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) will play
Central (Miami), the No. 2 team in the country, according to USA Today.
ALSO NEWSWORTHY:*
Butler (Augusta) ended its 41-game losing streak, the seventh-longest skid in state history, while six other schools that were winless in 2009 won last week. They were
Monroe Area (Monroe),
Southeast Bulloch (Brooklet),
Albany,
Long County (Ludowici) and
West Hall (Oakwood).
North Cobb Christian (Kennesaw) earned its first victory in school history and Butler beat
Westside (Augusta) 42-0. Asked by the Augusta Chronicle if he expected a blowout, head coach Ashley Harden said, "Honestly? Yes. We don't feel like there's a team that outworks us."
* Tucker vs.
Marist (Atlanta) is probably the top metro Atlanta game this week. Both are ranked in Class AAAA. Tucker is coming off a shocking 50-19 victory over
Southwest DeKalb (Decatur). That's the first time a team has scored 50 on Southwest since 1952. Tucker is loaded with Division I recruits, including LB
James Vaughters, who has committed to Stanford, and DB
Chris Sanders (Georgia) and LB
Justin Garrett (Auburn). It's a rematch of the 2008 state championship game, won by Tucker. But Marist has routed Tucker in the past two regular-season matchups.
*
Lowndes (Valdosta), ranked No. 2 in AAAAA in most polls, is visiting
McEachern (Powder Springs) on Friday. McEachern is retiring the No. 5 jersey of Rajaan Bennett, the star running back who died in February. Bennett, who had signed with Vanderbilt, was the victim of a murder-suicide. McEachern also is erecting a monument in his honor.
* While Georgia teams had some big wins against out-of-state teams,
Colquitt County (Moultrie) was embarrassed by
South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), the Mississippi Class 6A champion. South Panola put up 439 yards rushing – 276 by
Qyendairs Griffin, who scored six touchdowns – and won 65-35. It was the most points that Colquitt County had ever allowed. Colquitt County, led by former Hoover (Ala.) head coach Rush Propst, is 0-2 after being nationally ranked to open the season.
*
Carrollton had a nice win over an Alabama team,
Oxford, 43-21.
Telvin Brown rushed for 111 yards, ran a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown and scored on a 68-yard run on the second play from scrimmage. Carrollton had 359 yards rushing and led 36-7 in the fourth quarter. Oxford quarterback Jackson Stephens was 25-for-35 passing for 259 yards and a touchdown. Oxford was 8-3 last season. Another Carroll County, Ga., school,
Bowdon, didn't do so well against Alabama as
Woodland won 48-34. Bowdon, which had been ranked in Georgia's Class A, committed seven turnovers.
BLUE CHIP WATCH:*
Isaiah Crowell of
Carver (Columbus) rushed for 135 yards and scored three touchdowns despite sitting out the second half in Carver's 63-0 victory over
Spencer (Columbus). Crowell is considered the No. 1 running back prospect in Georgia.
*
Nick Marshall of
Wilcox County (Rochelle) was intercepted three times but threw three touchdown passes and returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown in a 34-13 victory over
Miller County (Colquitt). Marshall has committed to Georgia as a defensive back.
*
Amarlo Herrera of
North Clayton (College Park) had 17 tackles in a 28-0 victory over
Riverdale. Herrera has committed to Georgia.
* Malcolm Mitchell of
Valdosta had three catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-0 victory over
Brooks County (Quitman). Mitchell is rated among the top 25 prospects in Georgia as a wide receiver or defensive back.
* Quan Bray of
Troup County (LaGrange) was held to 30 yards rushing and was 0-for-2 passing in a 29-0 loss to
Callaway (Hogansville), Bray’s former team. Bray is a consensus top-10 recruit in Georgia.