We’ve almost reached the end of the 2022 GHSA regular season, with some teams merely playing out the schedule, while many others jockey for playoff seeds, hoping to secure a home playoff game in the opening rounds of the postseason. For some, winning this weekend could mean the difference between continuing their season or “Wait ’til Next Year.” But we aren’t there just yet. Looking ahead to Georgia high school Week 12 games this Friday night, we offer our final Pick-6 predictions of the regular season.
ITG Next Game of the Week
Colquitt County at Richmond Hill
Our Georgia high school Week 12 predictions are led off by the ITG Next-Georgia Game of the Week, which takes us to Richmond Hill for the first time as Sean Calhoun’s Packers try to make it a perfect 10-0 heading into the playoffs. For Matt LeZotte’s Wildcats, this is the last chance to pick up their first Region 1-7A win after moving from 1-6A in the offseason’s reclassification.
The Packers wrapped up the region championship last week with their victory against Valdosta, but they want to complete the regular season undefeated for the fifth time in the last nine years. The game will feature the top RBs and QBs in the region, as the Packers’ Charlie Pace and Wildcats Zion Gillard are #1 and #2 respectively in rushing in 1-7A. Neko Fann leads all region QBs with over 1,500 yards passing and Richmond Hill’s Ty Goldrick holds down the #2 spot with over 1,200 yards through the air.
Phil’s Pick: Colquitt County 35, Richmond Hill 14
Ware County at Coffee
This regular-season finale between Mike Coe’s Coffee High Trojans and the Ware County Gators will determine the Region 1-5A championship. The Trojans and Gators both enter the winner-take-all contest at 4-0 in region play, with Coffee having suffered just one loss overall, a 24-21 defeat at the hands of the Bainbridge Bearcats in Week 2.
The Gators are undefeated at 8-0 and could complete a region title and undefeated regular season both in one night. Ware County won last season’s game in Douglas 35-3, but this is a different Coffee team than last year. Then again, Ware may a bit different too – and even better – than the strong team they fielded in 2021. Can they go back to Douglas and win again?
Phil’s Pick: Ware County 35, Coffee 21
Effingham at Brunswick
After dropping their first two games of the season, coach John Ford’s Rebels have bounced back with seven straight wins, and that includes five region contests. They will take on the Grady Garrett-led Brunswick Pirates, who are red hot at 9-0 overall, including a perfect 5-0 region mark.
All that makes this one a showdown for the Region 2-6A championship and #1 seed heading into the state playoffs next week. Both teams won key region contests away from home last week, with the Pirates coming off a win last Thursday at Evans, while Effingham defeated Lakeside away from their Springfield home.
The Rebels offense is led by junior QB Nate Hayes, who has passed for over 1,300 yards so far, and WR Keion Wallace, and on defense, DL Keysean McCarr is a big-time run stuffer for Ford’s team. The Pirates also have a junior running the offense in QB Jerrod Elkins. Brunswick won last year’s game 21-18.
Phil’s Pick: Brunswick 27, Effingham 7
North Gwinnett at Norcross
Next up on our list Georgia high school Week 12 predictions is another regular-season finale to decide the region champion. This one is for the 7-7A title, with both programs entering the game at 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the region. These teams are led by two of the best head coaches in high school football: Keith Maloof for the Blue Devils and Richard Morgan for the Bulldogs. Both programs traditionally feature some of the best on-field talent, and this year is no exception.
North Gwinnett has four-star LB Grant Godfrey, a Kentucky commit who is the son of former Lowndes High and UGA great Randall Godfrey (a former linebacker himself). On the offensive side, the Bulldogs will rely on QB Ethan Washington to put points on the board against the Blue Devils. The two-sport standout recently committed to the U.S. Military Academy, where he’ll lead the Army offense. The Blue Devils have several play makers as well, including junior QB AJ Watkins, who has thrown for more than 1,900 yards and rushed for over 900 so far in 2022. This will be a great game; who wins it – and the region?
Phil’s Pick: North Gwinnett 32, Norcross 20
Carver-Atlanta at Cedar Grove
This 5-3A battle will pit the Panthers of Carver against the Saints of Cedar Grove and coach John Adams. Both teams enter the contest with identical overall records, but where it counts Carver Atlanta is 1-1, while Cedar Grove is 2-0, which puts the Saints in the driver’s seat.
If Adams’ team wins, they finish with a 3-0 region record and take the region’s #1 seed. If Carver wins, they also end up at 2-1, but the stickler in the region race would be Sandy Creek. If they win their last game (against the Douglass Astros), the Patriots would also be 2-1, and depending on what happens between Carver and Cedar Grove, there could be a three-way tie between the teams, with each team having split with the other two teams. Can Cedar Grove win and avoid all of the tie-breakers? I think so.
Phil’s Pick: Cedar Grove 30, Carver-Atlanta 14
Lowndes at Camden
Two of the long-dominant programs in Class 7A won’t be playing for the region championship this week, as Colquitt County has already wrapped up the top seed. But that doesn’t mean this Georgia high school Week 12 game doesn’t carry some importance, and it just might be the kind in which predictions are an exercise in futility. A Camden win at home would give the Wildcats a 3-1 region record with wins over the Vikings, Valdosta, and Richmond Hill. That would also give Jeff Herron’s team the #2 seed in the region and a home playoff game in rounds one and two of the state playoffs.
Lowndes, after defeating Richmond Hill last week, is now 1-2 in the region and could even their 1-7A record to end the regular season. But by virtue of a head-to-head tie breaker, Lowndes would end up as either the #3 or #4 seed heading into the postseason, and would start the state playoffs on the road. The truth is, any of the four teams from Region 1-7A can go far in the postseason, no matter if they are the #1 seed or the #4 seed, just as they have proven in previous seasons. I think these teams are very evenly matched, so who wins this 2022 regular-season finale?
Phil’s Pick: Lowndes 24, Camden 14
