ITG Next Game of the Week
Lowndes at East Coweta
Week 5 of our Georgia high school football predictions features a rare matchup between the Lowndes Vikings and the East Coweta Indians in Sharpsburg. The spotlight will be on a pair of sophomore quarterbacks, with Christian Langford firmly planted as the East Coweta starter and Marvis Parrish earning the Lowndes job after a three-way battle that lasted through the spring and summer.
The Indians are coming off an exciting overtime win over Sandy Creek last week. Langford had a 6-TD passing performance two weeks ago against Hillgrove. He’ll be looking for a fellow sophomore, WR Jayshon Stegall, as one of his main targets when the Indians are throwing the ball. When they decide to focus on the run, senior RB Trey Bowles can expect to hear his number called.
Coach Zach Grage’s Vikings come into the game after enjoying an open week last Friday. They sit at 2-1 on the season, with consecutive wins since dropping their opener. Lowndes is averaging 32 points per game after these first three contests, while East Coweta’s offense is averaging 36.7 points, so expect to see some offensive fireworks in this one.
The Vikings will rely on Jacarri “Smoke” Fleming to carry the ball while on offense. On defense, look for the Lowndes defensive line, led by Jayden Battle and Vernon Wright, to get after Langford. The Vikings are averaging just under 5 sacks per game so far.
Phil’s Pick: Lowndes 33, East Coweta 30
Northside Warner Robins at North Cobb
There’s no rest for either team as we approach the near-halfway mark of the regular season. Both the Warriors and Eagles have played a daunting schedule so far, so don’t let the Eagles’ 1-2 mark fool you. They had an open date last week, which was a welcome sight after playing Jones County in the season opener, followed by Peach County and an overtime loss to three-time defending 5A state champion Warner Robins.
Don’t expect Shane Queen’s Warriors to feel sorry for Chad Alligood’s team, however. They started the season with a 21-17 win over Westlake before losing a heartbreaker to Buford by a touchdown. Last week’s matchup with Marietta saw North Cobb have to scramble for a come-from-behind 35-21 win.
It’s a shame that we may not be able to enjoy seeing quarterback Malachi Singleton face off against safety Ricardo Jones. The five-star players each suffered injuries that likely will keep both out of this game. Singleton did not play last week at Marietta, and Jones, who suffered a broken ankle two weeks ago, is expected to miss at least three to four more weeks. Whoever starts at QB for North Cobb will have to worry about DB Jaquavian Turner, who is sneaky quick at reading opposing signal callers. It was his interception against Warner Robins that prevented a would-be scoring drive and kept his team in the game.
The North Cobb offense features Michigan State commit Ben Hall at running back, who has 543 yards rushing so far. He’ll certainly add to that number in this one.
Phil’s Pick: North Cobb 27, Northside Warner Robins 21
Cedar Grove at Mill Creek
Next on our list of Week 5 predictions are the true road warriors of Georgia high school football, the Saints of Cedar Grove, who are pretty much forced to play all of their games without the comforts of a “home” field. They are coming off an impressive win over defending 7A state champion Collins Hill, and now here they go again, into the backyard of yet another class 7A powerhouse, Mill Creek.
Remember, Cedar Grove is a 3A team. But that doesn’t seem to matter to Coach John Adams’ group. Cedar Grove can beat teams in so many ways, with quarterback Elliot Colson running the offense and linebacker Charles Harris just one of many Saints defenders who give opposing offenses sleepless nights before game day.
Mill Creek features the state’s top overall player, safety Caleb Downs, who will actually line up anywhere and everywhere for the Hawks. QB Hayden Clark and RB Cam Robinson lead the Mill Creek offense in what should be a dandy of a game.
Phil’s Pick: Mill Creek 28, Cedar Grove 24
Carver-Atlanta at Buford
The Wolves of head coach Bryant Appling are in a familiar spot after three games: Undefeated. They enjoyed an off week after defeating North Cobb in an exciting matchup two weeks ago at home. They return home to take on 3A state runner up Carver-Atlanta, which is coming off a close 32-27 win over Stephenson at home.
The Wolves are rolling right now, and they seem to do no wrong. In their last game against North Cobb, Appling actually took points off the board when a penalty against their opponent allowed them to have a new set of downs, which enabled Buford to run more time off the clock, which they did while ultimately scoring a touchdown.
The Wolves are led by running back Justice Haynes, while Carver-Atlanta is led offensively be quarterback Bryce Bowens. He’ll look to stretch the Buford defense with throws to speedy wideout Deandre Buchanon, while defensively, the Panthers will depend on senior DT Aquantis Clemmons to stuff the Haynes-led rushing attack, which could be easier said than done.
Phil’s Pick: Buford 42, Carver Atlanta 20
Prince Avenue Christian at ELCA
Week 5 in our lineup of Georgia high school football predictions brings together these teams that last met in the 2020 quarterfinal round of the then-Class A Private playoffs. That meeting resulted in a shocking 38-0 blowout win for Prince Avenue Christian, which was led by quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who finished his high school career with over 10,000 passing yards before heading across town to the University of Georgia.
His heir to the position is on par to surpass his former mentor. Wolverines junior signal Aaron Philo has over 1,000 passing yards so far in just three games, and is as good, if not better, than his predecessor. Philo’s favorite targets are wide receivers Ethan Christian and Bailey Stockton, who also play cornerback on defense.
ELCA has been one of the state’s most impressive and consistently winning teams over the last decade. They also have a pretty good quarterback in Charlie Gilliam, a Wake Forest commit. The Chargers were off last week, but in their last game, which was called at halftime due to inclement weather, Gilliam threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns. The senior will look to Brandon Hood and Colton Hood as his primary receivers. Do not forget your popcorn for this one.
Phil’s Pick: Prince Avenue Christian 35, ELCA 16
Charlton County at Pierce County
The last of our Week 5 Georgia high school football predictions is a clash deep in the heart of southeast Georgia. The Indians had been playing well before last week’s surprising 33-0 shutout loss to Jacksonville’s University Christian. But head coach Russ Murray is an excellent motivator and will have his guys ready to go once again.
What once was one of the most dominant football programs in Georgia Class A football took a bit of a downward turn when Rich McWhorter left. But Murray has rebuilt the once-proud capital of small-town football in southeast Georgia. Having good players always helps, and Murray has got some for sure. Running back Jaylen Lilly is something to see, and as Lilly goes, so go the Indians.
The team that has arguably taken over the mantra of top dog in southeast Georgia football is Pierce County. The Bears are two years removed from a state championship under head coach Ryan Herring, and they were knocking on the door again last season before losing in the semifinals. Still, Herring has the folks in Blackshear excited, and they too have an exciting back who, like Lilly, pretty much steers the direction of his team. DJ Bell is listed as an RB, but he’ll take the direct snap most of the time. Look for a battle of two great backs dueling to the finish in the swamp.
Phil’s Pick: Pierce County 27, Charlton County 7
