The relentless offseason workouts, sweaty two-a-days, grueling camps, and hard-hitting scrimmages are finally over and done.
Tomorrow night the lights will come on, painted fans will pack the bleachers, cheerleaders will fly through the air and the bands will blast their fight songs. Football season is here...
Five of the county’s six high school teams open their 2009 seasons tomorrow. Fayette County and Our Lady of Mercy begin the year at home; Sandy Creek, Whitewater and McIntosh are all opening on the road.
Stockbridge at Fayette County
Both teams are coming off of forgettable 1-9 campaigns and looking for fresh starts. Stockbridge beat Fayette County 27-14 a year ago before losing nine straight. The Fayette County Tigers looked like a much improved team in their 33-14 scrimmage victory over Jonesboro two weeks ago.
Look for sophomore quarterback Justin Murray to spread the Stockbridge defense with his powerful arm.
He has a legitimate home run threat in Eric Lauderdale, but he’ll throw quick routes as well in offensive coordinator Bart Phillips’ scheme. If the Armani Cato, Kendall Powmore and Corey Smith led ground attack approaches the 284 yards they piled up against Jonesboro, Fayette should get the season off to a good start.
McIntosh at Forsyth Central
The Chiefs beat Forsyth Central 28-7 in Peachtree City a year ago. It was McIntosh’s best game of the season. But, after the opening week, the Chiefs went 1-8 while the Bulldogs turned things around and finished the season on a 5-4 run.
Both teams lost their scrimmages, but McIntosh looks like the better team -- at least on paper. Returning starting quarterback Cam Porter showed some positive signs during the Chiefs 21-7 scrimmage loss to Rockdale County Friday. Running backs Darius Miliam and Andrew Graham both need the line to open up some holes against the Bulldogs in order to get the McIntosh offense into high gear.
South Forsyth certainly had no trouble opening up holes against Forsyth Central’s porous defense two weeks ago.
The Bulldogs lost their scrimmage game 48-0.
Sandy Creek at East Coweta
The most anticipated game of the week pits two 2008 playoff teams against each other in the always crowded and loud Garland Shoemake Stadium in Sharpsburg.
Sandy Creek was 11-0 a year ago before losing to Rome in the second round of the playoffs. The Patriots return the bulk of last year’s squad, with the noticeable exception of standout quarterback Rio Johnson. Junior QB Ronnie Bell has some big shoes to fill, but having Louisville commit Jarrett “JD” Davis to throw the ball to should make things a little easier.
Bell will also do a lot of turning around and handing the ball to Mississippi State commit Rajion Neal -- one of the most highly recruited tailbacks in the state.
But East Coweta has a star tailback of its own in Tay Willis. Quarterback Austin Ingram is also back for an Indians team that went 7-4 a year ago. However, coach Clint Wade has had to replace his entire offensive line and all but three defensive starters.
Creek won the match-up in 2008, beating the Indians 24-17 in Tyrone.
Both East Coweta and Sandy Creek are traditionally known for their defenses, so this one could be a low-scoring game. Creek and East Coweta both lost their scrimmages. This game could go either way. Expect excitement and a large crowd.
Whitewater at Douglas County
The Wildcats opened their successful 2008 campaign with a 42-17 blowout win over Douglas County in south Fayette.
Whitewater has been a playoff team during each of its three eligible campaigns and the coaching staff hopes to continue that trend this year. Beating Douglas County on the road would be a major step in the right direction.
The Tigers were 3-7 a year ago, but had strung together seven consecutive winning seasons before 2008.
Douglas County looked strong in its scrimmage against a Chapel Hill team that made the playoffs last year in AAAAA. The two local rivals battled to a 15-15 tie. Quarterback Devin Randall broke open a pair of 70-plus yard plays, showcasing the Tigers’ legitimate breakaway threats.
Whitewater didn’t get much going offensively against Newnan during its scrimmage, but the Wildcats defense looks to be as good or better than last year’s unit, especially with Andrew Dean leading the front line and Jeff Ashley roaming the secondary.
While this game should be closer than last year’s blowout, Whitewater has to be the favorite. Fans and coaches will be keeping a close eye on junior quarterback Renaldo “Ra Ra” Jenkins in his first varsity start for Whitewater.
Jackson County at Our Lady of Mercy
This match-up pits two programs struggling to find some measure of success against each other for the second consecutive year.
Jackson County beat Mercy 16-10 a season ago in a game Mercy head coach Chad Flatt said could have gone either way. It was Jackson County’s lone win of 2008. The Panthers have only won 10 games since 1997, but they are a AAA school.
This year the game is in Fairburn, giving Mercy home field advantage in what should be another close contest.
Cameron Singletary will debut as the Bobcats starting quarterback, taking over for three year starter William Pearl, arguably the best player in Mercy’s brief football history.
Singletary and the Bobcats looked strong in their scrimmage against Cross Keys, winning 33-7. Flatt was particularly impressed by the play of running back Tracy Daniels, but Daniels cannot suit up again until week five because of GHSA transfer rules.
The Bobcats need to win this one to get the season off to a good start.
All of Friday’s games start at 7:30 p.m.
Starr’s Mill is idle after falling to Etowah 21-14 in the Georgia Dome Saturday.
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