Now that we’re a few months in, we’ve had our set of surprises.
Brantley County knocked off Charlton County for the first time in over two decades, and you know that the folks in Nahunta are really proud of that moment. And if I told you that two defending champs, Colquitt County and Allatoona, would start their seasons 0-3, would you have believed that?
Valdosta is in one of the toughest regions in the state of Georgia, and there are times that four teams in their region – the Wildcats, Lee County, Northside, and Houston County – are ranked top four in their weekly polls coming out of the blocks.
The “Region of Doom” in Single-A (Region 2) will be a fun bunch. Within Region 1-AA, I have always maintained that South Georgia has some of the best rivalries around, and the one thing that reclassification hasn’t been able to squash (for the most part, anyway) are the old match-ups we enjoy.
But when Camden County starts their season with three games in Florida, when Tift and Glynn Academy go to Orlando to take on Colorado sides, and when Colquitt takes on teams from Alabama and Florida UNTIL Game 8, it creates some interesting games we haven’t seen before.
But this also brings us to other thoughts: Regions that have only four squads (like Region 1-7A) and power rankings determining teams in both Single-A and 7A figuring out who gets in and who goes home.
The biggest wild card comes from IMG Academy.
I get you. I really do, but as the New York Times said in their investigative piece in 2015, they’re a “private, for-profit sports boarding school.”
If you invited someone to a backyard barbeque and they stole your electronics while they were there eating your food, would you really want them as a houseguest anymore?
I understand private schools wanting to play around the country, but IMG is a little different. The groundwork is set for kids who go there as high schoolers to be a part of an established system of agents and advisors when they’re adults ready to make the leap to being professional athletes.
And I know what the response is: “Well, they don’t have to listen to us for advice.”
True. It is up to the athlete and the parents. But for it not to be a part of the consideration to be represented by IMG years later with the relationships you’ve created is just not a logical thought.
So to IMG Academy, I wish you the best on the field with your all-star team of all-star teams, but don’t be surprised if more states join Texas and Georgia in not wanting you around anymore.
Be sure to catch “Football Fridays in Georgia” every week across the GPB platforms- TV, GPB.org, and the GPB Sports app for all the latest around the state and the games of the week as we get closer to the playoffs. It’s just beginning – even if it is at the half-way point.
Reach out across your social media platforms either on the Twitter machine with me (@OSGNelson) or In The Game Magazine (@inthegame_mag) or on Facebook (GPB Sports’ or In The Game Magazine’s pages).
Play it safe, everyone! I’ll talk to you soon!
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Written by Jon Nelson
Photo from usatodayhss.com
