Week 7: Four games to watch

<strong>Game of the week:</strong> River Ridge (4-0, 1-0) at Riverwood (3-1, 1-1) <strong>Players to watch:</strong> <em>River Ridge</em> — RB Amehre Morrison (5’8”, 165), WR Jackson Head (6’3”, 205), DE Brian Bradley (6’3”, 210), QB Carson Lathem (5’11”, 165), TE Riley Caines (6’1”, 210), LB Hunter Deriso (6’1”, 225) <em>Riverwood</em> — QB [player_tooltip player_id="33964" first="Avery" last="Smith"] (6’, 185), DB [player_tooltip player_id="33693" first="Khalil" last="Anderson"] (5’11", 175), DE Jonathan Brown (6’4”, 232), DE Tillman Weaver (6’3”, 240), OT Will Fitzpatrick (6’5”, 255), WR Donovan Logan (5’8”, 160) Prediction: River Ridge 28, Riverwood 21 <strong>Preview:</strong> What could prove to be one of the biggest games in Region 7AAAAAA this season will be played this week in Sandy Springs. River Ridge (4-0, 1-0) will travel to Riverwood (3-1, 1-1) this Friday and will look to begin a season 5-0 for the first time in program history. The Knights 40 points per game average is the best in both Cherokee County and within Region 7 while the 80 points allowed is tied with Johns Creek for third-best in the region. River Ridge will be coming off a bye and has been undoubtedly led by its junior running back Amehre Morrison. With speed and elusiveness, Morrison has amassed 827 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores in four games, good for an average of 207 yards and three touchdowns per game. He entered last Friday leading AAAAAA in rushing and second in the state among all classifications. [caption id="attachment_36976" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-36976" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/AmehreMorrison-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Amber Cloy Amber Cloy Photography[/caption] The RIver Ridge passing game has benefited from its dynamic tailback, as junior Carson Lathem is completing 62 percent of his passes for 580 yards and seven touchdowns. Jackson Head, Riley Caines and Andrew Bingham have been the main receiving threats, with Head’s three receiving touchdowns tied for the county lead. Defensively, the Knights have leaned on junior defensive lineman Brian Bradley, who leads the team in tackles (34) and sacks (3). Scotty Rutherford, Aidan Bruton and Connor Gross all have more than 30 tackles this season while senior Hunter Deriso leads River Ridge with seven tackles-for-loss. Riverwood fell 27-20 at home last Friday against Johns Creek. The Raiders have been led offensively by junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="33964" first="Avery" last="Smith"]. A dual-threat athlete, Smith (6-foot, 185) holds a college offer from Akron and has received recruiting attention from Maryland, Tulane and Memphis. River Ridge will need to contain Smith’s running ability while also defending his primary target Donovan Logan. The speedy wide receiver has been electric in the open field this season and is capable of scoring on every touch. Sophomore offensive tackle Will Fitzpatrick (6’5”, 255) will be Smith’s primary protection. Defensively, senior defensive linemen Jonathan Brown (6’4”, 232 with a college offer from Troy) and Tillman Weaver (6’3”, 240) have been two of the better players for Riverwood this season. Senior cornerback [player_tooltip player_id="33693" first="Khalil" last="Anderson"] (Pittsburg commit) is the Raiders’ best college prospect with offers from South Carolina, Arkansas and Ole Miss among others. <strong>Game:</strong> Woodstock (2-3) at Cherokee (5-0) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Cherokee won 13-7 in 2019 <strong>Series:</strong> Tied 10-10 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Cherokee 24, Woodstock 14 <strong>Preview:</strong> Woodstock (2-4) will travel to Tommy Baker Field this Friday to take on Cherokee (5-0). It will be the 21st meeting all-time between these two schools, with the series deadlocked 10-10. Cherokee, ranked as high as No. 6 in Class AAAAAAA in certain publications, is off to its best start since 2007 and is coming off one of the biggest wins in recent memory. The Warriors defeated Cartersville 14-12 two weeks ago to end the Hurricanes state-record 62-game regular season winning streak. Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id="33903" first="Keith" last="Adams Jr"]. has been the focal point of the Warriors’ offense. Adams — 648 yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries — has rushed for over 100 yards in four of the Warriors’ five games this season and is earning more notoriety with each passing week. [caption id="attachment_52035" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-52035" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/09/KeithAdamsRun1-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Greg Spell Prep Redzone[/caption] Cherokee’s defense may be equally impressive. The Warriors are allowing 14 points per contest and held state-ranked Rome and Cartersville to a combined 27 points. Senior middle linebacker Braesen Parker is Cherokee county’s leading tackler with 63 total tackles with juniors Tyler Goddard (52) and Toby Thompson (48) right behind him. The Warriors’ defense is averaging two forced turnovers per game and should be considered among the best in Class AAAAAAA. Woodstock fell 35-14 at Calhoun two weeks ago and is looking to win its opening region game for the first time since a 38-35 win over Etowah in 2017. The Wolverines’ sophomore quarterback Dan Comeau has played well since being inserted into the starting role three weeks ago. In only two games played, Comeau is second in Cherokee County in pass completions (49) and is leading the county with a 66 percent completion percentage. The top two pass catchers in Cherokee County are Woodstock seniors Wes Bruno and Sebastian Moss. Bruno hauled in 15 passes for 114 yards against Calhoun and leads the county by a wide margin in receptions (30) while Moss is second (19). The Wolverines’ spread offense has been effective when Comeau plays on rhythm and Cherokee will need to be prepared to cover the entire width of the field against Woodstock. Defensively, Woodstock senior safety [player_tooltip player_id="33656" first="David" last="Daniel"] (UGA commit) continues to be the best college prospect in the area. Daniel finished with 15 tackles against Calhoun and on the season he has 45 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups, one blocked punt, 250 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Woodstock sophomore linebacker Carson Gray has been one of the most productive players in the area. Gray leads Cherokee County with 12 tackles for loss and is second in the county with five sacks. Both coaches echoed an emphasis on not allowing the explosive plays this week. <strong>Game:</strong> Roswell (4-0) at Etowah (0-4) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Roswell won 48-14 in 2019 <strong>Series:</strong> Roswell leads 15-7 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Roswell 24, Etowah 10 <strong>Preview:</strong> Roswell (4-0) will travel to Etowah (0-4) this Friday for the 23rd all-time meeting between these two programs. Etowah coach Matt Kemper came over to the Eagles during the offseason after serving three seasons as the head coach at Roswell. Now entering region play with his new program, an upset one of the region favorites would be the perfect way for Kemper to begin region play at Etowah. Etowah fell 28-10 on the road at North Cobb two weeks ago and will enter this week off a bye. The Eagles’ senior running back Klivert Many finished with 123 yards and a touchdown against North Cobb and enters this week sixth among Cherokee County’s rushing leaders. Establishing a run game and possessing the ball will likely be key against a Roswell team leading the region with 36 points per game. [caption id="attachment_62044" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-62044" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/KlivertMany-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Klivert Many, RB, Class of ’21[/caption] Etowah took no easy paths to start the season as their first four opponents have a combined record of 15-2. That level of competition could bode well for the Eagles as they begin the second half of their schedule. Facing another state-ranked opponent this week will serve as another measuring stick for a program in search of its first win of the 2020 campaign. Roswell is coming off a 23-17 overtime win at home against Walton. The Hornets have been led by junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="33942" first="Robbie" last="Roper"], who threw the game-winning touchdown last week. Roper is completing 61 percent of his passes and has totaled 927 passing yards to go along with 10 passing touchdowns against two interceptions. The primary target for Roper has been senior Marquis Willis (21 receptions, 401 yards) but the Hornets have also been balanced offensively, averaging 214 rushing yards per game. A pair of juniors, Ryan Hill and Ryan Stephens, have combined for 567 rushing yards with seven scores. Senior tackle Corey Robinson (6’5”, 275) holds more than 10 Division 1 offers. Defensively, senior safety Dillon Holifield is third on the team in tackles and holds multiple Ivy League offers. Junior linebacker Case Barrett leads the team in tackles (42) while cornerback Ethan Nation is enjoying a breakout sophomore season with five interceptions so far this season. <strong>Game:</strong> Creekview (3-1, 1-0) at Sequoyah (0-4, 0-1) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Creekview won 27-14 in 2019 <strong>Series:</strong> Creekview leads 9-3 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Sequoyah 17, Creekview 14 <strong>Preview:</strong> Creekview (3-1, 1-1) will travel to Sequoyah (0-4, 0-1) this week for the 13th all-time meeting between these east Cherokee programs. Creekview and Sequoyah have played every year since 2008 and with both teams coming off byes, each side should be rested and prepared for the second half of the season. Creekview defeated Cambridge 19-0 two weeks ago and through the first four games, the Grizzlies’ defense has been outstanding. Creekview has allowed 29 points all season (7.2 per game) which is 31 points better than the next best team in Region 7AAAAAA, Riverwood. The Grizzlies have been led by senior middle linebacker Grant Anderson, who leads the team in tackles (39) and tackles for loss (9). His team-leading six sacks also lead Cherokee County. [player_tooltip player_id="34020" first="Isaac" last="Hubert"] (8), Sam Minozzi (7) and Chase Bombard (5) are all in the top 10 in tackles-for-loss in the county while junior safety Cale Williams (34 total tackles, one interception) has anchored the defensive secondary. [caption id="attachment_36551" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-36551" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/GrantAnderson1-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Amber Cloy Amber Cloy Photography[/caption] Offensively, two of the top five rushers in the county are in the Creekview backfield. Junior running back Tyler Stevens’ 358 rushing yards (4.3 average) is third in the county while senior quarterback Brody Rhodes’ 248 rushing yards (4.8 average) are fifth. Sequoyah fell 14-10 on the road at Johns Creek two weeks ago, but the performance could be a positive harbinger of things to come for the Chiefs. Sequoyah led 10-7 entering the 4th quarter and held the Gladiators to 45 rushing yards in the game. A positive trend in rush defense has continued for the Chiefs, as Sequoyah has allowed a fewer number of rushing yards in each subsequent game played this season. Senior linebacker Joseph Silva leads the Chiefs in tackles (30) and tackles for loss (5) while four players are tied with one sack apiece and three are tied with one interception each. Offensively, Sequoyah has been led by its senior running back Jaden Mitchell, who leads the team in both rushing (337 yards, three touchdowns) and receiving (nine receptions, 93 yards and one touchdown). Aidan Moore (6.8 average) and Jack Piskorz (3.2 average) are also both in the top 10 of county rushers. Sequoyah has scored 10 points in each of its last two games, and with Creekview averaging 15 points per contest, this could set up for a defensive, low scoring affair.