Topping the list is a now well-known name in the South Georgia scene, Garet Morrell. Unfazed going against an undefeated Tift County team, Morrell rattled off one his best dual-threat performances of the year. Combining for over 320 yards and 4 TDs, this young man has established and reaffirmed his position as an elite quarterback. But how will he fair against the defending state champions next week?Demetrius Davis’ play caught our attention as Coffee continues to plow through region opponents. Also combining for 4 TDs between his rushing and receiving, Davis is leading the Coffee offense ever closer to a playoff birth, only having lost to Ware earlier this year.Kiel Pollard is clearly just an incredible athlete. With the size, strength, speed, and savvy to haul in balls all over the field, he amounted his usual receiving performance against Lowndes in the rain. The difference this week, however, came from his presence in the run game. Those same strengths that serve him so well as a receiver double as a between-the-tackles, “WIld Hog” running back. He proved to be too much for the Lowndes defense in both facets of the game, leading them to a 42-20 win to open region play.
Chase Parrish, a household name of South Georgia quarterbacks, overcame the relentless downpour in the Concrete Palace. In a night where the turnover and big play margin was paramount, Parrish predominantly protected the ball. One interception did pose a small blemish on his night, but the rest of his stats more than compensate for that. His 98 yard pass to break the 8-8 tie broke the school record for longest passing TD.
It may be cheating to pick two players in one slot, but it is merited in this particular scenario. While Morrell lit up the Tift defense, that was mostly off of mistakes by the Tift offense. Lee’s defense forced 6 turnovers, 4 of which came from these 2 outstanding defensive backs, T.J. Davis and Otis Reese. This secondary will certainly be tested next week against the likes of fellow Week 7 Top 5 players Chase Parrish and Kiel Pollard.
TOP 5 TEAMS:
Our prediction from last week held true: Colquitt and Lee would handle the pressure of the opening week of region play, perform up to their standard of play, and remain at the top of our list. With these two facing off on Friday, our list will inevitably be shaken up. The question becomes this: is a one-loss region 1-6A team still a state championship contender? How each team performs against each other on Friday will be a huge indicator towards that answer.
Fitzgerald and Bainbridge continue to remain steadfast, blowing away the competition through impressive run games. Will the week in and week out grind of region play wear down either of these two teams? Can they remain healthy and unblemished heading into the playoffs?
Lastly, Valwood has crept back in to our #5 spot. Brookwood lost to region opponent Deerfield, and while this was their first loss of the year, it did put them back on a level playing field with Valwood, statistically speaking. With our Top 4 being the only South Georgia teams remaining undefeated, our 5 spot is earned by 1-loss Valwood. Only having dropped an early, non-conference, out-of-state game against North Florida Christian, we still project them to have a great season. With the exception of that loss, Valwood has dominated every opponent that has stepped on the field against them. A well-rounded offense and growing defense indicate that they could run the table in 3-AAA GISA. However, lacking depth and already suffering a few key injuries, the question for them is simple: can they remain healthy?
* Our criteria is NOT creating hypothetical matchups amongst teams in an effort to crown a champion; that is settled on the field within each respective division, from A to AAAAAA. Since high school, unlike college, crowns multiple champions per year, our Top 5 is meant to highlight great teams who are excelling within their schedules, regardless of classification. It would be unreasonable and unfair to eliminate teams in lower classifications from our Top 5 simply because of that fact. We can only hold teams accountable to whether or not they are impressively performing against the teams that they are scheduled to play. In short, our criteria is based upon projecting performances and the likelihood of championships, regardless of classification.
