As we near the unofficial halfway point of the 2023 season, fans have been treated to some great football so far, including several surprises. We’ve seen upsets, which of course happen every year. But this Georgia high school season has been a struggle for several top teams, including some that have not been through anything close to what the 2023 campaign has brought so far. Here are three surprises I wasn’t expecting.
ELCA
After a decade of dominance that saw ELCA win six state championships, including six in a row under former head coach Jonathan Gess, the Chargers have been one of the most surprising Georgia high school teams to struggle so far in 2023. Though their last state championship came in 2019, when they finished with a 13-1 record and a convincing 33-13 win over Wesleyan to clinch the Class A state title, ELCA still managed to win 23 games over the next three seasons, with two region titles and a No. 2 seed last year in a new region and classification.
The Chargers moved up to Class AA from 1A Private in 2022, but they still managed to finish 7-5 overall and 5-1 in Region 5-2A, just behind region champ Callaway. Last season also marked the first under new head coach Tanner Rogers, the team’s former defensive coordinator under Gess. Rogers replaced Gess when the latter left following the 2021 season to take over the head coaching duties at Hebron Christian.
The 2023 season has not been a very good one for the Chargers so far. They are off to an 0-3 start, and the losses have been staggering: A season-opening 55-3 blowout loss to the Bainbridge Bearcats was followed by a 46-0 shutout at the hands of Blessed Trinity in Week 2. In Week 3 the Chargers suffered a 64-6 loss to Calvary Day.
Fans may have expected the team to suffer a slight falloff after the graduation of quarterback Charlie Gilliam, now at Wake Forest, and two-way standout Colton Hood, a cornerback and wide receiver who signed with Auburn. But no one likely saw the Chargers as one of the Georgia high school teams that would struggle this much.
The good news for Chargers fans is that the team is known for slow starts. They always play a tough schedule, with larger schools typically present on their schedule year after year. This season has been no different, with Bainbridge a 4A team, Blessed Trinity a 6A team, and Calvary Day a 3A team
Still, to see ELCA losing the way it has lost – by an average of 55-3 through those first three games – is shocking. Prince Avenue Christian is next on the schedule for the Chargers. Here’s hoping Rogers and ELCA can find a way to turn things around before region play comes around.
Cedar Grove
Head coach John Adams’ team is 2-2 so far, and the Saints are known for always playing one of the state’s toughest schedules. But the other thing that the Saints are known for, a rock-solid defense, has been absent so far in the 2023 Georgia high school season. Through the first four games, it’s been a struggle as opposing teams have scored a whopping 155 points, or 38 points per game, on the Saints. By comparison, they allowed just 15 points per game through the same point of last season, when they started off 3-1.
The good news is that this year’s offense is actually slightly above last year’s average through the same time. Cedar Grove is averaging a little over 38 points per game so far compared to a 34-point average through the first four games in 2022.
It will be interesting to see if coach Adams and his staff can turn things around defensively, as the schedule is not getting any easier. Next up for the Saints is defending Class 7A state champ Mill Creek, followed by Colquitt County. The Hawks and Packers will present two potent offensive units, as well as the best defenses the Saints have faced so far. Stay tuned for more on Cedar Grove’s 2023 season.
Thomasville
The 2023 season has been somewhat of a head scratcher for the Thomasville Bulldogs. After a 9-4 season that saw them rally from a 1-3 start to finish 9-4, win their region, and advance to the quarterfinals in Class 3A, coach Jonathan Delay’s team came into this season with many of the starters and key contributors returning from last year. The Bulldogs were picked to come out of the gate strong, were considered a favorite to repeat as region champions in 1-3A, and were even mentioned by many to be a serious challenger for the GHSA Class 3A state title.
While the 2023 Georgia high school season is still early, Thomasville finds itself off to an eerily similar start as last season. Both teams found the first four games a struggle, going 1-3 in that span. The Bulldogs were outscored 124-50 through those first four games in 2022; this year they have scored 80 points and surrendered 135. The game that stands out the most is a 24-3 loss to a Cairo team that the Bulldogs were favored to win. Fans are hoping for a turnaround similar to last season, and the Dogs should be favored in at least five of their remaining six contests this year.
