The Pick-6 games keep getting bigger and bigger, and Georgia high school Week 11 may bring the biggest collection yet. Region titles are on the line for some teams, while a couple are simply fighting for a chance to make it into the playoffs. And there are proud teams who once were state powers but have since been battling for respectability and a chance to prove themselves again after all these years.
Those teams looking for respect are Peachtree Ridge, which was a co-state champion in 2006 but has struggled to find its way back to anything close to that level of success. Archer was a state semi-finalist in 2018, and a quarterfinalist in 2019, but last year saw the school fall to 2-8, which makes its resurgence this season even more improbable. Lee County, Houston County, Fitzgerald, Grayson and Colquitt County all are eyeing a deep run in the state playoffs. Cook is trying to establish itself where those teams are, and it’ll take a win over Fitzgerald to get closer to that goal.
Let’s shake up my magic 8-ball and see what it tells me in our Pick-6 games for Georgia high school Week 11.
ITG Next Game of the Week
Lowndes at Richmond Hill
Our Game of the Week features a key Region 1-7A battle between the Adam Carter-coached Vikings and Matt LeZotta’s Richmond Hill squad. This matchup features two teams that are young and whose best seasons are still to come as their respective rosters continue to grow in maturity, experience, and numbers.
Carter is in his first season as the Lowndes head coach, and he is molding the Vikings into what he hopes will be a state championship-contending team like the one he built and produced at Grayson. Coach LeZotta has done a great job with the Wildcats as they continue to battle for respect in the state’s highest classification.
The winner of this one can take a big step toward that respect factor and use it as a program-building victory. I have tremendous respect for each of these coaches, which makes this pick so tough. They represent the best qualities in what it means to be a high school football coach.
Phil’s Pick: Lowndes 24, Richmond Hill 21
Valdosta at Colquitt County
Sean Calhoun’s Colquitt County Packers are the toast of Region 1-7A, and they roll into this Georgia high school Week 11 matchup undefeated in eight games and playing with all the confidence and swagger of a program ready to compete for a state championship.
The Pack are led by quarterback Neko Fann, who became the school record holder for career TD passes earlier this season in their game against Tift County. He has a couple of big-time receiving targets in Ny Carr and Landen Thomas, both of whom were named to the AJC Super 11 before the season and are enjoying standout seasons. Colquitt was the only school to have two players named to the elite group of the state’s best players. They are showing everyone why with their level of play so far.
Calhoun has been a great choice as the head coach at Colquitt, leading them to a state semifinal appearance last season. Valdosta comes into the game looking to avenge last year’s three-TD loss at home, but going to Colquitt won’t be any easier.
Phil’s Pick: Colquitt County 37, Valdosta 14
Grayson at Archer
The Tigers find themselves in a position that truthfully they or their fans were not expecting in 2023. After a stunning upset of Parkview – one of the teams projected to make a run at the Class 7A state title – two weeks ago, followed by a win over South Gwinnett last week, Archer finds itself in first place in Region 4-7A with a 3-0 record and 5-3 overall record. Now, the Tigers will try to keep their magical season going against a solid Rams team that has one region loss, a four-point defeat at the hands of Newton, which Archer will see in the final week of the season.
But Grayson is all Archer is concerned about right now. The Rams are playing well on both sides of the ball. Offensively, QB Jeff Davis has enjoyed a stellar season, completing over 72% of his pass attempts, while defensively, Tyler Atkinson has been a dominating presence for coach Santavious Bryant’s team. Look for the duo to play big in this key matchup.
Phil’s Pick: Grayson 37, Archer 16
Peachtree Ridge at Norcross
Matt Helmrich has done an exceptional job since arriving as a head coach in Georgia. He turned a Johns Creek team into a playoff-caliber unit, and now he has led a long-suffering Peachtree Ridge program to an undefeated record with the help of some big-time playmakers. With many wondering if the Lions were for real, Helmrich led Peachtree Ridge to perhaps its biggest win in over a decade two weeks ago by knocking off well-established North Gwinnett 27-17 at the Bulldogs’ Suwannee campus.
Now, following a win over Discovery, here are the Lions once again seeking an even bigger win on an even bigger stage as they travel to Norcross to take on coach Keith Maloof’s Blue Devils for what could amount to the Region 7-7A title. Think that win over North Gwinnett meant something? If Helmrich can lead his Lions out of Norcross with a victory in Georgia high school Week 11, well, let’s just say of all the games in Peachtree Ridge history, it would be the biggest win. (Their state title in 2006 came on a tie with Roswell.)
Phil’s Pick: Peachtree Ridge 28, Norcross 21
Lee County at Thomas County Central
Coach Dean Fabrizio’s Trojans are enjoying their best start to a season since 2021, when they started 11-1 before falling to Buford in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state playoffs. Thomas County Central is coming off stunning 27-0 road win over the HoCo Bears, and the Yellow Jackets’ matchup with Lee County is the latest test in Region 1-6A, which is quickly being recognized as perhaps the toughest region from top to bottom in the classification.
The Trojans have arguably the best running back in the state in Ousmane Kromah. It was the standout junior’s 300 yard-plus rushing performance two weeks ago against Houston County that carried his team to a win in that big region battle. Now, following wins over Veterans and Northside, Lee County finds itself trying to re-establish its dominance as a state championship contender since winning back-to-back state titles in 2017 and 2018. This could be considered the Trojans’ toughest test since those two games. This Georgia high school Week 11 showdown isn’t for a state championship, but it’s still pretty big.
Phil’s Pick: Lee County 31, Thomas County Central 30
Fitzgerald at Cook
The significance of this game got turned upside down after Cook was found to be in violation of a GHSA participation rule after Fitzgerald notified the GHSA that a Hornets player followed a coach from a previous school to transfer and enroll at Cook. So, instead of these two teams playing for a region title, it turns into an opportunity for Cook to exact a little payback on the team that turned them in.
The Hornets have no chance of making the playoffs, since all of their wins to this point have been negated, so this essentially becomes their playoff game. Cook is coming off a big road win over Dodge County. Fitzgerald is coming off a big victory over a solid Sumter County team. The Purple Hurricanes, of course, always bring the run game big-time, and they have done that again so far this year. Can Cook get some payback with a win?
Phil’s Pick: Cook 26, Fitzgerald 21
