Our Georgia high school Pick-6 predictions are back for another week – we’re into Week 6 now – and I am once again choosing a half-dozen of the state’s top games that I think are ones to watch. As always, we include our ITG Next Game of the Week, which this week will be McEachern hosting the red-hot Valdosta Wildcats. McEachern enters the game after securing its first win of the season last week at Tucker. The Indians came away with their most impressive performance to date, defeating the Tigers by a 49-7 final score. The win was the first for new head coach Kareem Reid, who was hired this offseason from Griffin.
Other Georgia high school Week 6 matchups include Colquitt County and Cedar Grove at Moultrie. This one could turn into a track meet at Mack Tharpe Stadium, as both teams can rack up points in bunches, but the Saints’ usually ironclad defense is giving up lots of points, too. Our other games include Ware County and Bainbridge, Mill Creek and Parkview, Marietta at Buford, and a big one pitting the defending Class 6A state champion Langston Hughes against Douglas County. Here they are, with a description of every game. Enjoy!
ITG Next Game of the Week
Valdosta at McEachern
The ITG Next Game of the Week takes us back to Cobb County for a battle of traditional powers from North Georgia and South Georgia as the McEachern Indians host the Valdosta Wildcats. Neither team needs any introduction. Valdosta remains the nation’s all-time winningest program, and the Wildcats are looking every bit the part so far this season under coach Shelton Felton. The ’Cats are 4-1 in 2023, with a big win last week over Deerfield Beach (FL). Valdosta has rebounded nicely following its season-opening loss to Massillon (OH) in a game that was years in the making. The Wildcats defeated defending Class 5A state champion Warner Robins in convincing style, 45-12, dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
McEachern started the season against Brookwood in the Corky Kell-Dave Hunter Classic, a game they led by two TDs in the second half, then things went south for the Indians. Plagued by injuries to their top two running backs, Reid’s team has found scoring tough to come by. That’s not good news against the iron-curtain Valdosta defense.
Phil’s Pick: Valdosta 21, McEachern 10
Cedar Grove at Colquitt
Cedar Grove comes into this Georgia high school Week 6 matchup looking to get its defense back on track, and the Packers are not exactly the team you want to try to get healthy against. Sean Calhoun’s offense has weapons coming from every direction, with TE Landon Thomas, WR Ny Carr, and QB Neko Fann just a few of the standouts on that side of the ball for the Packers.
Cedar Grove is usually known for fielding a lights-out defense, but not so far this year. Through the first four games, the Saints have allowed more than twice the number of points they gave up at the same juncture last year (38 ppg in 2023 vs. 15 ppg a year ago). The good news is that Cedar Grove can still score points – the Saints are averaging 33 per game so far in 2023. Can Cedar Grove find enough defense to somehow upset the mighty Pack at home?
Phil’s Pick: Colquitt County 44, Cedar Grove 28
Mill Creek at Parkview
Both teams come into the game undefeated and highly ranked in Class 7A, although the Panthers received a scare a couple of weeks ago in their game against North Gwinnett. After jumping out to a comfortable 21-9 lead late in the first half, Parkview found itself trailing 32-28 late in the game with around five minutes left. But the Panthers would score with just under two minutes left to take the lead, and then hold on to defeat Eric Godfree’s Bulldogs 35-32.
Mill Creek enters the game after taking care of business last week against the Saints of Cedar Grove. These two teams have met in each of the last two seasons, with Mill Creek winning handedly both times. The Hawks are the defending 7A state champions, and even though they lost two key playmakers – ATH Caleb Downs and QB Hayden Clark – from last year’s dominant 14-1 team, they are showing no signs of slowing down so far in 2023. Shane Throgmartin has taken over for Clark, and he’s shown the ability to lead this team, completing 76% of his passes so far with 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. Can he lead his team to another win this week?
Phil’s Pick: Mill Creek 35, Parkview 20
Marietta at Buford
We had a chance to see each of these teams in the past two weeks, as first Marietta, then Buford, was the host of our ITG Next Georgia Game of the Week. Now here they are facing off at Tom Riden Stadium in Week 6 of the Georgia high school season, and if last year’s matchup is any indication of how this game could go, then the Blue Devils could pose quite a formidable challenge against the undefeated Wolves.
ITG Next Georgia carried the live stream last season when these teams met at Northcutt Stadium, where head coach Richard Morgan had an excellent game plan to stop the potent Buford offense – and it almost worked. Buford won the game 14-0, but the Blue Devils’ defensive game plan helped the Marietta offense stay within striking distance all night long. Of course, give Buford credit as they kept Marietta out of the end zone. Will we see Morgan come up with a similar approach against the Wolves in this one? You can bet Buford head coach Bryant Appling will have a plan or two of his own.
Phil’s Pick: Buford 24, Marietta 14
Douglas County at Langston Hughes
Panthers Stadium will be packed for this matchup between the home Langston Hughes squad led by coach Daniel “Boone” Williams and a Douglas County team that many are picking as a contender for the Class 6A state title. Of course, the problem is that the team that is the Class 6A champion is still considered the favorite to win it again. Despite dropping a 30-27 decision to Butler (NC) in Week 3, the Panthers remain one of the teams 6A contenders will need to get by at season’s end.
The key matchup in this one will be between the team’s signal-callers, with Hughes’ Prentiss Air Noland and the Tigers’ Sire Hardaway leading their offenses. Hardaway has thrown for over 4,500 career yards, and like his counterpart Noland, he is one of the most accurate passers in the state. Hardaway has completed 78% of his passes so far, while Air has a career completion percentage near 68%. But Air also has more than 8,600 career passing yards. Both of these young men are top-flight QBs, so get ready. This is a chance for Douglas County to show they belong as a serious contender for the Class 6A state title. Can they do it?
Phil’s Pick: Langston Hughes 35, Douglas County 31
Ware County at Bainbridge
Jeff Littleton’s Bainbridge team always schedules tough non-region games, and this one is about as tough as it gets. The Gators are the defending Class 5A state champion, but they’ve had to think about their last game for two weeks, having been off last Friday following a hard-fought 31-24 loss to Class 4A Benedictine, the defending 4A state champ, on September 8.
Bainbridge also is coming off a bye week after defeating the Thomasville Bulldogs 46-28 at Veterans Memorial Stadium. It’s been a while since Ware County has lost two in a row, and you can bet the Gators don’t want that to happen again here in Georgia high school Week 6. Both teams are loaded with playmakers who can change the game with a big play, including the Gators’ RJ Boyd and the Bearcats’ Keenan Phillips. Can Bainbridge pull off the upset against the visiting Gators?
Phil’s Pick: Ware County 35, Bainbridge 34
