Week 5 Previews: Four games to watch
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GAME OF THE WEEK: Cartersville (4-0) at Cherokee (4-0) Last meeting: Cartersville won 28-7 (Sept. 20, 2019) Series: Cartersville leads 7-2-1 Key players: Cartersville: WR/DB Devonte Ross Devonte Ross 5'11" | WR Cartersville | 2021 State GA (6’, 170), RB…
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Continue ReadingGAME OF THE WEEK: Cartersville (4-0) at Cherokee (4-0)
Last meeting: Cartersville won 28-7 (Sept. 20, 2019)
Series: Cartersville leads 7-2-1
Key players:
Cartersville: WR/DB Devonte Ross Devonte Ross 5'11" | WR Cartersville | 2021 State GA (6’, 170), RB Quante’ Jennings Jr. (5’10”, 182), DB Evan Slocum Evan Slocum 5'10" | 175 lbs | DB Cartersville | 2021 State GA (5’10”, 175), QB Stratton Tripp (6’3”, 185), RB Sam Phillips Sam Phillips 5'7" | 155 lbs | WR Cartersville | 2021 GA (5’7”, 155)
Cherokee: RB, Keith Adams Jr. Keith Adams Jr. 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB Cherokee | 2022 State GA . (5’10″, 200), QB A.J. Swann A.J. Swann 6'3" | 200 lbs | QB Cherokee | 2022 State GA (6’3″, 200), LB Braesen Parker (5’11”, 210), WR Adarrius Harshaw Adarrius Harshaw 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR Cherokee | 2022 State GA (5’10″, 155), DE Toby Thompson (6’4″, 240)
Prediction: Cherokee 31, Cartersville 28
Preview: Beyond the undefeated records, plenty will be on the line this Friday at Tommy Baker Field in Canton.
Cartersville (4-0) — ranked No. 3 in Class 5A and riding a state-record 62-game regular season winning streak— will travel to take on Cherokee (4-0) to face a Warriors program which is looking for its first 5-0 start to a season since 2007. Cartersville won this matchup 28-7 last fall and the last regular season game the Hurricanes lost was a 27-26 defeat to North Cobb on September 5, 2014. Cartersville is 83-1 in regular season games since the start of the 2012 season.
The Hurricanes have won their games this season by an average score of 32-10. The program that produced Trevor Lawrence still likes to throw the ball, and this year it’s senior Stratton Tripp who’s taken over behind center. Tripp is averaging 179 yards per game while completing 61 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns to one interception. His primary targets have been seniors Sam Phillips Sam Phillips 5'7" | 155 lbs | WR Cartersville | 2021 GA (23 receptions for 245 yards) and Devonte Ross Devonte Ross 5'11" | WR Cartersville | 2021 State GA (16 receptions for 300 yards).
The Hurricanes have also run the ball well with senior Quante’ Jennings junior averaging 85 yards per game (6.7 per carry) to go along with eight rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Cartersville senior safety Evan Slocum Evan Slocum 5'10" | 175 lbs | DB Cartersville | 2021 State GA is a Wake Forest commit while junior linebacker Tate Smith leads the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks.
Cherokee is coming off a 14-9 road win at Creekview and for a team with an explosive offense, it was the defense which led this way. Senior defensive back Riley Lyons’ interception late in the 4th quarter helped secure the victory along with a 4th quarter sack by junior Tyler Goddard, who finished with a team-high 16 tackles. Senior linebacker Braesen Parker continues to lead the county in tackles while senior cornerback Austin Trimble has looked like one of the better defensive backs in the area to start the season.
The pass defense of the Warriors and open field tackling will certainly be tested this week and on the season Cherokee is allowing 14 points per contest.
Offensively, Cherokee was led last week by their junior running back Kieth Adams Jr. who finished with a team-high 177 total yards — 125 rushing and 52 receiving — and on the season is averaging 122 rushing yards per game. The Warriors passing offense is explosive with junior quarterback A.J. Swann A.J. Swann 6'3" | 200 lbs | QB Cherokee | 2022 State GA — 46-for-81 for 789 yards and eight touchdowns — but it may be the run game which will prove to be the bellwether for Cherokee’s offensive success.
Cartersville held on for a 21-18 victory last week against Creekside, which held the ball on the Cartersville 13-yard line in the final moments of the game. Cherokee already knocked off state-ranked Rome this season, and a win this week would speak loudly to the Warriors’ potential this fall.
Sequoyah (0-3) at Johns Creek (0-2)
Last meeting: Johns Creek won 34-0 (Sept. 2, 2011)
Series: Johns Creek leads 2-0
Prediction: Johns Creek 27, Sequoyah 20
Preview: Sequoyah (0-3) will travel to Johns Creek (0-2) this Friday following an early-season bye last week.
Sequoyah has flashed potential to start the season. The 35 points scored against Woodstock and the 20 scored against Cherokee were both the most either has allowed so far this season. Even following a bye week, Jaden Mitchell remains third in Cherokee County in rushing yards with 297 (6.5 average) and three touchdowns. Mitchell remains the team’s leading receiver as well — nine receptions for 93 yards — with juniors Jack Piskorz and Aidan Moore remaining key weapons in the passing game.
Sophomore quarterback Matthew Traynor has played well behind center for the Cheifs — 19-for-35 passing for 251 yards with three touchdowns — but junior Connor Gelatt also saw action at quarterback against Cass, finishing 6-for-8 for 38 yards. Traynor also serves as one of Sequoyah’s best defensive backs and led the Cheifs in tackles against Cass.
Sequoyah has improved its rush defense in each subsequent week, allowing 85 (3.1 average) to Cass and allowing an average of 128 per contest this season. Senior outside linebacker Jonah Haney leads the Chiefs in tackles with 19 while fellow seniors Joseph Silva and Jack Blackman both have 18.
Johns Creek is coming off back-to-back losses to Milton and Westlake, two of the better teams in the state. The Gladiators are 19-4 over the last two seasons and have plenty of talent to make a run back to the playoffs.
Defensively, Sequoyah will need to account for Johns Creek senior defensive end Cole Nelson Cole Nelson 6'3" | 211 lbs | DL John's Creek | 2021 State GA , a Virginia Tech commit. In the secondary, junior safety Terrian Williams II holds more than 30 college offers including LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State and South Carolina. A ball-hawk in pass coverage, Williams is also explosive in the return game as well.
Senior safety John Stegenga was the team’s defensive MVP a season ago while junior offensive tackle Tyler Gibson Tyler Gibson 6'5" | 285 lbs | OL Johns Creek | 2022 State GA (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) holds offers from LSU, Mississippi State, Oregon, and Georgia Tech among 13 FBS offers.
Game: Woodstock (2-2) at Calhoun (3-1)
Last meeting: First-ever meeting
Prediction: Calhoun 34, Woodstock 21
Preview: Two programs coming off blowout victories will meet for the first time this Friday in the final non-region games for each side this season.
Woodstock (2-2) defeated Campbell 48-7 at home last Friday. It was the most points Woodstock has scored since 2017 and the Wolverines were led by a quarterback playing in his first varsity football game. Sophomore Daniel Comeau finished 23-for-35 for 277 yards with five touchdowns, connecting with four different receivers for touchdowns and seven different receivers overall.
The seven points allowed were the fewest for Woodstock this season and a similar effort will be needed against a Calhoun team which scored 60 points a week ago. Woodstock’s senior safety David Daniel David Daniel 6'3" | 190 lbs | DB Woodstock | 2021 State GA — 30 tackles, two forced fumbles, one blocked kick — continues to lead the backend of Woodstock’s defense while sophomore linebacker Carson Gray — county-highs with eight tackles for loss and five sacks — has been one of the most productive defensive players in the county.
Calhoun (3-1) — ranked No. 6 in 5A — is coming off a 60-0 home win over Ridgeland and on the season has outscored opponents 137-59. One of the most successful programs in the state, the Yellow Jackets have won double-digit games in every season since 2000.
Calhoun’s senior running back Jerrian Hames was named a preseason All-State selection for Calhoun and has an experienced offensive line in front of him with senior Reed Randall leading the way. Hames tallied 152 yards and three touchdowns on only 10 carries against Ridgeland.
The Calhoun passing game has been dynamic as well. Entering last week, junior quarterback Christian Lewis was the state’s passing leader in Class 5A with 717 yards and in Calhoun’s lone loss this season to McCallie (TN), junior wide receiver Cole Speer set a program record for receiving yards with 221 on seven receptions.
Game: River Ridge (3-0) at Chattahoochee (1-1)
Series: First-ever meeting
Prediction: River Ridge 35, Chattahoochee 28
Preview: Two programs which both won three games a season ago will meet this Friday with renewed hopes of competing for a playoff spot in the newly aligned Region 7-6A.
River Ridge (3-0) will travel to Chattahoochee (1-1) this week and the Knights will bring with them the highest scoring offense in Cherokee County (36.3 points per game). River Ridge defeated Etowah 38-7 before last week’s bye and will be looking to start a season 4-0 for the first time since 2011 and the second time in program history.
The Knight’s spread offense has been led by a dynamic trio at quarterback, running back and receiver. Junior running back Amehre Morrison leads Cherokee with 509 rushing yards (8.4 average) and has looked like a better version of the player who led Cherokee County in all-purpose yards a season ago. He finished with 127 yards and a touchdown against Etowah, his lowest output of the season, and remains the key cog in the Knights’ offense.
Junior Carson Lathem has stepped into the starting quarterback role and proven to be an excellent decision maker for Collins’ offense. Lathem is completing 62 percent of his passes and has multiple options at his disposal. Sophomore Jackson Head is tied for the county lead in receiving touchdowns (3) while senior Riley Caines and junior Andrew Bingham both have over 100 receiving yards and scores to their names.
Defensively, the Knights have been equally impressive. Junior defensive lineman Brian Bradley leads the team in tackles (28) and has been supplemented by senior linebacker Hunter Deriso who leads Cherokee County with eight tackles for loss and is second in the county with four sacks.
Chattahoochee is coming off a 21-7 home defeat to Alpharetta but the Cougars put up 56 points in their season opener against Northview. Senior Jaylen Smith Jaylen Smith 6'0" | 180 lbs | QB Chattahoochee | 2021 GA is a dynamic dual-threat quarterback who accounted for seven total touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) and 427 total yards against Northview. Chattahoochee has multiple threats at receiver, with senior Jordan Palmer Jordan Palmer 6'3" | 190 lbs | WR Chattahoochee | 2021 GA holding 15 college offers including Appalachian State, Cincinnati and Georgia State.
How well River Ridge blocks Chattahoochee’s pass rush may well determine this game. Chattahoochee’s senior edge rusher Jaden Gaines (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) holds a number of college offers including Cincinnati, Georgia State and Troy while junior Chase Washington (6-foot-3, 265 pounds) has been disruptive on the defensive line to start the year.