Our Georgia high school football Pick 6 predictions for Week 7 include our ITG Next Game of the Week, in which Houston County travels to Lee County to take on the Trojans, as well as a battle of two of the state’s hottest Class A teams, Swainsboro and Irwin County, in Ocilla.
Collins Hill and Buford represent the best of the state’s highest classification from past and present. Collins Hill is the defending state champion in 7A, while Buford is certainly the favorite to win it all this year. After seeing Marietta battle Buford to the wire last week, you can see that Buford brings out the best in every team they play week in and week out, so don’t think that just because Collins Hill hasn’t looked like the 2021 Eagles team that won a state title, this game won’t be close.
We round out the Pick 6 with Dougherty hosting Crisp, Pierce County and Appling going at it in a rematch of last year’s soggy region title matchup, and Mary Persons taking on Prince Avenue Christian in a game featuring two of the state’s best quarterbacks.
Houston County at Lee County (ITG Next Georgia Game of the Week)
We begin our Week 7 Georgia high school Pick 6 predictions with a game that marks the debut of Lee County’s new starting quarterback, Weston Bryan. He takes over for previous starter Chris Martin, who according to family members has moved out of Lee County. Bryan is a 6-foot, 3-inch sophomore who has a big arm to match his height, and he takes over an offense that is averaging 36 points per game so far.
On the Houston County side, the Bears also have a rather tall and talented QB in AJ Hill, who has guided his team to a 5-0 start, including a big win over cross-county rival Warner Robins. While most of the attention will be on the teams’ top signal callers, the game will also showcase the top two rushers in the region as well: Ousmane Kromah leads Lee County’s ground game and is first in the region with 645 yards rushing. His counterpart is Ryan Taleb, who has rushed for 550 yards and 12 TDs. This is going to be a close one at Lee, and we will be there to bring you all the action as our Game of the Week
Phil’s Pick: Lee County 42, Houston County 40
Collins Hill at Buford
The defending state champion Eagles have been quite an unpredictable unit in posting a 2-3 record so far. Collins Hill is coming off its biggest game of the season, a 23-20 loss against Westlake, but make no mistake – this 2022 Collins Hill squad is a completely different team without Sam Horn and Travis Hunter.
Buford, on the other hand, has made the transition from Class 6A to 7A look rather easy. The Wolves are undefeated at 5-0 after last week’s win at Marietta in the ITG Next Game of the Week, but it was not easy. Their defense basically won their game, allowing no points, while their offense put up two early TDs and hung on from there. They have perhaps the best rusher in the state in Justice Haynes, who is averaging 10.8 yards every time he carries the ball. The Wolves’ QB is senior Dylan Wittke, who isn’t flashy but gets the job done. He is completing 63% of his passes.
Collins Hill is tougher than the record indicates, and as we saw with Marietta last week, Buford is going to get the very best from every opponent it plays. That will be the case with Collins Hill this week, so look for a solid game between these two teams.
Phil’s Pick: Buford 27, Collins Hill 12
Swainsboro at Irwin County
Next up in our Georgia high school Pick 6 predictions for Week 7 is Swainsboro’s clash with Irwin. The Tigers come roaring into Ocilla with an undefeated squad that is playing about as well as anyone in the state right now. They are coming off a bye week and are rested after their defense put up three straight shutouts before giving up just 12 points in their most recent game, a 41-12 win over ECI. Swainsboro wants another shot a state title after missing last season’s by one game, a loss to eventual state champion Fitzgerald in the semifinals.
Of course, there’s another team that also missed out by just a hair last season, and that would be the Irwin County Indians, who have been one the most successful teams in the state since the late Buddy Nobles turned the program into a contender before handing over the reigns to loyal assistant Casey Soliday. This will be Irwin County’s third straight game in a tough stretch that also has included Rockmart and Metter. This one will be worth the price of admission at the Reservation.
Phil’s Pick: Irwin 28, Swainsboro 21
Crisp at Dougherty
The Trojans are led by one of the state’s most dynamic young dual-threat QBs, Kam Davis. Built like a linebacker but playing like a running back, Davis can also throw it as well as any signal caller in the state. He’s completing almost 60% of his pass attempts, with 12 TDs and over 1,150 yards. He has also rushed for over 500 yards, and under his leadership, the Trojans are undefeated headed into this showdown at Hugh Mills Stadium against first-year head coach Lawrence Smith and his Crisp County Cougars.
Crisp is coming off a 29-10 loss against Northside Warner Robins. While Davis is certainly an exciting player, so is Trae Walker of Crisp County. The Crisp senior can – and will – line up anywhere on the field for Smith’s team, and that includes on offense, defense, and special teams. He’ll have a strong supporting cast around him as well, including Ahmad Brown and Ladarius Smith. Its the region opener for both teams; which team will get off to a 1-0 start in region play?
Phil’s Pick: Dougherty 32, Crisp 14
Pierce County at Appling County
Our Georgia high school Week 7 Pick 6 predictions also feature this rematch of last season’s region championship game that came down to the season-ending showdown in Blackshear in a driving rain and wind storm. That game was won by Pierce County 20-0, which went on to play deep into the playoffs, only to lose against Carver-Atlanta.
Appling County would face a similar situation, only they went on from the loss at the hands of Pierce to themselves make a deep run through the playoffs, losing to eventual state champ Cedar Grove. But that was then and this is now. Pierce County is playing really well (so what else is new?), entering this contest against the Pirates at 5-0 after a blistering 49-7 win over Bratnley. Appling is 2-1, with wins coming against out-of-state teams and the only loss a 7-0 shocking upset against Wayne County.
Unlike last season, when these two teams met in the last regular season game of the year to decide the region, they’ll start region action against each other in this one. Look for Pierce and coach Ryan Herring to do what they do best: Run DJ Bell right, left, and up the middle.
Phil’s Pick: Pierce County, 20 Appling 7
Mary Persons at Prince Avenue Christian
We wrap up our Georgia high school Pick 6 predictions for Week 7 with another dandy. In a season that I’ve dubbed “the year of the QB,” here’s a matchup that will give fans a chance to see two great ones in action. Mary Persons is led by senior signal caller Logan Hickman, a four-year starter who has thrown for 5,000 yards in his career, including 635 yards and 8 TDs this season, plus another score on the ground. He has led the Bulldogs to a 4-1 record, including a season-opening victory over Northeast Macon, their only loss on the year.
On the Wolverines side is Aaron Philo, who has picked right up where his predecessor, Brock Vandagriff, left off. The junior has thrown for 6,000 career passing yards, including 1,300 already this season, with 12 passing TDs and 3 more rushing. Philo has led Prince Avenue Chrsitian to a 4-0 start, with their last game a 30-15 win over ELCA before enjoying a bye week heading into this game. A Mary Persons victory would have Bulldog fans dancing in the streets of Forsyth all weekend. Should they plan on wearing their dancin’ shoes?
Phil’s Pick: PAC 27, Mary Persons 21
