Week 11: Three games to watch

<strong>Game of the Week:</strong> Milton (6-1, 3-0) at Woodstock (3-5, 1-2) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Milton won 45-14 (Oct. 2015) <strong>Series:</strong> Milton leads 8-2 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Milton 28, Woodstock 13 <strong>Players to watch:</strong> <em>Milton</em> — DL Lebbeus Overton (6’5”, 245), TE [player_tooltip player_id="33880" first="Jack" last="Nickel"] (6’4”, 230), RB Jordan McDonald (6’1”, 210), QB [player_tooltip player_id="33991" first="Devin" last="Farrell"] (6’1”, 195), WR Debron Gatling (6’1”, 170) <em>Woodstock</em> — DB [player_tooltip player_id="33656" first="David" last="Daniel"] (6’3”, 190), DL Brett Stefan (6’4”, 250), WR Wes Bruno (6’2”, 180), Sebastian Moss WR/RB (5’7”, 170), DB Jarae Foster (5’10”, 160) <strong>Preview:</strong> A showdown in Region 5AAAAAAA will take place this week between two teams battling for playoff positioning. Milton (6-1, 3-0) will travel to Woodstock (3-5, 1-2) on Friday and both teams will have plenty of incentives as the regular season draws to a close. A win for Milton would set the Eagles up to win the region championship next week with a win at Cherokee. Woodstock needs the win to keep its playoff destiny in its own hands. With a loss, the Wolverines would need help from Etowah to advance to the state playoffs. Woodstock is coming off a 24-14 victory over Etowah last week and it was the Wolverines’ defense which led them to victory. Woodstock will need a similar effort this week facing a Milton offense which is averaging 26 points per game. Preston Lawrence and Ryan Comeau each tallied defensive scores last week but the Wolverines will need to secure their run defense. Etowah running back Klivert Many finished with more than 100 yards with two touchdowns against Woodstock last week and Milton has a few standout runners of its own. Junior <a href="https://twitter.com/jordan1mcdonald?lang=en"><strong>Jordan McDonald</strong></a> (6’1”, 215) is Milton’s leading rusher and holds more than 20 college offers including LSU, Tennessee and Michigan State. Fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id="33991" first="Devin" last="Farrell"] is a dynamic runner as well, and Woodstock will need to attempt to keep both in check this week. Milton rushed for 254 yards in last week’s win over Roswell. Freshman wide receiver <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/debron_gatling?lang=en">Debron Gatling</a></strong> could be one of the best receivers in the Class of 2024. Milton has a number of college prospects on its roster but none are more sought after than sophomore defensive lineman <a href="https://twitter.com/lebbeuso?lang=en"><strong>Lebbeus Overton</strong></a>. The No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2023 on multiple rankings, Overton (6’5, 248) holds offers from nearly every major college program in the country. Senior tight end [player_tooltip player_id="33880" first="Jack" last="Nickel"] is a Notre Dame commit. Woodstock sophomore quarterback Dan Comeau finished 14-for-21 last week and the quick passing game could be one way to neutralize Overton this week. Senior wide receivers Wes Bruno and Sebastian Moss are two of the top three players receptions in Cherokee County and as always, Georgia commit [player_tooltip player_id="33656" first="David" last="Daniel"] will be asked to provide playmaking ability on both sides of the ball. In addition to his defensive score last week, Lawrence added a team-high 43 rushing yards and a score on offense. Moss has also been used at running back in recent weeks and keeping Milton’s defense honest in pass coverage will likely be another key to victory this week for Woodstock. <strong>Game:</strong> Etowah (8-0, 0-4) at Forsyth Central (3-4, 1-4) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Etowah defeated Forsyth Central 35-7 in 2005 <strong>Series:</strong> Etowah leads 4-2 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Forsyth Central 21, Etowah 14 <strong>Preview:</strong> Etowah’s early-season matchup with Forsyth Central was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns but this week both schools agreed to reschedule the game for this Friday with each having a bye on its schedule. Etowah (0-8, 0-4) will travel to Forsyth Central (3-4, 1-4) and will be in search of its first win of the season. Etowah fell short in the Battle of Towne Lake last week, losing 24-14 to Woodstock. The Eagles were led again by senior running back <strong>Klivert Many</strong>, who remained in the top-5 among rushers in Cherokee County after finishing with a game-high 113 rushing yards with two scores. Etowah’s defense allowed only 10 points last week and held Woodstock to 216 total yards. Senior linebackers Lane Cantrell and Austin Skinner led the way with a combined 12 tackles while junior defensive lineman <strong>Jaden Maddox</strong> finished with three tackles and two tackles-for-loss. Senior defensive lineman <strong>Jared Weitkamp</strong>, who played every snap of the game after also serving as an offensive tackle, finished with four tackles. Forsyth Central will be coming off a 43-42 loss at Lambert that saw Lambert outscore Forsyth Central 22-7 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback victory. Even in defeat, the Bulldogs tallied 384 rushing yards (7.8 yards per carry) and five rushing touchdowns. Five different players scored touchdowns for the Bulldogs’ but the veer-option offense is led by senior quarterback <strong>Bronson Landreth</strong> who leads the team with 714 total yards (472 passing and 242 rushing). Sophomore Peyton Streko leads the team with 304 rushing yards and four scores while senior <strong>Noah Chol</strong> leads the team in all-purpose yards (103.7 per game) and touchdowns (6). The Bulldogs will lean on their offensive line. Senior <strong>Canaan Clark</strong> (6-for-6, 310 pounds) will play along both the offensive and defensive lines and is an East Carolina commit. Junior center <strong>Robby Watson</strong> (6-foot-3, 296 pounds) will also lead the point of attack. <strong>Game:</strong> Sequoyah (2-6, 2-3) at Riverwood (3-4, 1-4) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Sequoyah won 32-28 (Sept. 2013) <strong>Series:</strong> Tied 1-1 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Sequoyah 24, Riverwood 20 <strong>Preview:</strong> Sequoyah (2-6, 2-3) will travel to Riverwood (3-4, 1-4) this Friday looking to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Chiefs sit one game behind Cambridge for the fourth playoff spot and will likely need to win their final two games against Riverwood and Centennial while hoping Cambridge can stumble at least once against Chattahoochee or River Ridge. The Chiefs fell 35-9 on the road at River Ridge last week and after an early touchdown struggled to move the ball against the Knights. Senior running back <strong>Jaden Mitchell</strong> took his first carry 75-yards for a touchdown last week and finished with a team-high 122 yards on 13 carries. Mitchell enters this week third in Cherokee County with 816 yards rushing (6.1 average) with eight touchdowns. <strong>Steven Zurita</strong>, who leads Cherokee County with eight field goals made, added a field goal in the first half but the Chiefs were unable to score after halftime against River Ridge. Offensively, senior Carson Rowland has played well all season along the offensive line, switching between multiple positions. On the defensive side of the ball, Jonah Haney leads Sequoyah in tackles (59) and has also played multiple positions due to injuries. After starting the season 3-0, Riverwood has lost four-straight. Two of the losses to region-leading River Ridge and Johns Creek came by one score and despite the slide, Riverwood still has plenty of college-level talent on its roster. Senior cornerback [player_tooltip player_id="33693" first="Khalil" last="Anderson"] is the Raiders’ best college prospect and chose Pittsburg over various other offers including South Carolina, Arkansas and Ole Miss among others. Senior defensive linemen <strong>Jonathan Brown</strong> (6’4”, 232 with a college offer from Troy) and <strong>Tillman Weaver</strong> (6’3”, 240) have also been two of the better players for Riverwood this season. Sequoyah will need to contain the combination of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="33964" first="Avery" last="Smith"] and wide receiver Donovan Logan. Logan is a deep threat who can score from anywhere on the field while Smith (6-foot, 185) is a dual-threat quarterback who holds a college offer from Akron and has received recruiting attention from Maryland, Tulane and Memphis.