Region Championship Week: Three games to watch

We’ve reached the final week of the regular season with several region champions yet to be crowned. Cherokee County could have as many as five of its six schools in the GHSA state playoffs and two will be playing for region titles this weekend. Here are the best games of the week for Cherokee County football: <strong>Game:</strong> Milton (8-0, 4-0) at Cherokee (8-1, 3-1) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Milton won 28-21 <strong>Series:</strong> Milton leads 18-14 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Cherokee 24, Milton 21 <strong>Players to watch:</strong> <em>Cherokee: </em>RB [player_tooltip player_id="33903" first="Keith" last="Adams Jr"]. (5’10”, 200), QB [player_tooltip player_id="33908" first="A.J." last="Swann"] (6’3”, 200), WR [player_tooltip player_id="33934" first="Adarrius" last="Harshaw"] (5’10”, 150), OL Nasan Simmons (6’7”, 280), LB Braesen Parker (5’11”, 205), DL Toby Thompson (64”, 240), DB Austin Trimble (5’11”, 175) <em>Milton:</em> DL Lebbus “LT” Overton (6’5”, 245), RB Jordan McDonald (6’1”, 210), QB [player_tooltip player_id="33991" first="Devin" last="Farrell"] (6’1”, 195), TE [player_tooltip player_id="33880" first="Jack" last="Nickel"] (6’4”, 230), DB [player_tooltip player_id="34033" first="Bryce" last="Thornton"] (5’10”, 185), OL Cameron Dye (6’4”, 265), WR Debron Gatling (6’1”, 170) <strong>Preview:</strong> The first-ever game between Cherokee and Milton was played in 1956, also on the final week of the regular season, and this year’s contest should be worth the price of admission. Milton (8-0, 4-0) will travel to Cherokee (8-1, 3-1) this Friday in the final regular-season game for both sides. Both teams will enter the game knowing a win would lock up the Region 5AAAAAAA championship along with a No. 1 playoff seed. A win for Milton would give the Eagles their third-straight region title. For Cherokee, a win would give the Warriors their first outright region championship in the 65-year history of the program. The only scenario where Cherokee would fall to the No. 3 seed would include a Cherokee loss along with Alpharetta losing to Etowah and Roswell defeating Woodstock. Milton enters the game ranked No. 10 in AAAAAAA while Cherokee also saw time in the top-10 earlier this season. Milton is coming off a 52-21 win at Woodstock while Cherokee is coming off a bye. Both rosters include multiple college prospects and a pair of college-level running backs should lead the way. Cherokee’s [player_tooltip player_id="33903" first="Keith" last="Adams Jr"]. entered last week as the leading rusher in AAAAAAA with 1,246 yards (138 yards per game) and 15 total touchdowns while Milton’s Jordan McDonald is coming off a four-touchdown performance against Woodstock and has amassed 785 yards (112 per game) and 17 total touchdowns. Both backs will run behind future college lineman with Nasan Simmons leading the Cherokee offensive line and Brendan Dye leading Milton’s front. The two quarterbacks are both college prospects as well. Cherokee’s [player_tooltip player_id="33908" first="A.J." last="Swann"] leads the county with 1,757 yards and 18 touchdowns while Milton’s [player_tooltip player_id="33991" first="Devin" last="Farrell"] has amassed 1,418 touchdowns with 14 touchdowns. Farrell is also a dynamic runner and is Milton’s second-leading rusher. [player_tooltip player_id="33934" first="Adarrius" last="Harshaw"] leads Cherokee with 658 yards (18.3 ypc) while freshman standout Debron Gatling leads Milton with 268 yards (15.8 ypc). Notre Dame commit [player_tooltip player_id="33880" first="Jack" last="Nickel"] is also a weapon for Milton at tight end. This game will also feature two of the better defenses in AAAAAAA. Milton sophomore defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton is the No.1-ranked player in the country for the Class of 2023 and the Eagles have several other college prospects on that side of the including cornerback [player_tooltip player_id="34033" first="Bryce" last="Thornton"] (offer from Georgia) and safety Zyere Horton (interest from Florida and Louisville). Cherokee’s defense allowed 216 total yards to Alpharetta in its last game played and has caused 17 turnovers (1.8 per game) this season. Braesen Parker leads Cherokee County with 105 tackles while Riley Lyons and Keegan Baker are tied for the county lead with three interceptions apiece. Defensive lineman Toby Thompson has received Division 1 attention from Wisconsin while defensive back Austin Trimble recently committed to Marist College. Cherokee has recorded at least one interception in each game played this season. <strong>Game:</strong> Cambridge (5-4, 4-2) at River Ridge (8-0) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> First-ever meeting <strong>Prediction:</strong> River Ridge 34, Cambridge 17 [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: Amehre Morrison, RB, Class of 2022[/caption] <strong>Preview:</strong> Two programs which have never met will square off this weekend and for one side a region championship will be on the line. Cambridge (5-4, 4-2) will travel to River Ridge (8-0, 5-0) on Saturday for the final regular-season game for both sides. Kickoff is set for 3:30 following a rescheduling due to COVID-19 concerns. River Ridge is in the midst of the best season in program history and with a win could lock up its first-ever region championship. A Creekview win over Johns Creek would also result in River Ridge taking the region title and No. 1 playoff seed. With a multitude of playoff scenarios in Region 7AAAAAA, Cambridge needs a win to guarantee itself a playoff spot. The Knights faced an unexpected bye last week when their game against Johns Creek was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. The matchup would have likely served as a de facto region championship but the cancellation also served as a stark reminder of how fragile the season remains heading into the playoffs. River Ridge defeated Sequoyah 35-9 two weeks ago and put up 453 yards of offense in the process. Carson Lathem finished 13-for-17 passing for 169 yards while sophomore Jackson Head finished with a team-high six receptions for 87 yards. Amehre Morrison continued his impressive junior campaign, finishing with 125 rushing yards with two touchdowns. Morrison is the leading rusher in Class AAAAAA (1,480 yards) and is beginning to draw college attention. Senior receiver Riley Caines (21 receptions for 234 yards) has also seen his stock rise with eight college offers from primarily NAIA and Division III schools. The Knights’ defense has surrendered 16 points per game and has played well as a unit all season. Scotty Rutherford, Brian Bradley and Connor Gross are all in the top-10 on the Cherokee County tackles list with Bradley (6’3”, 210) emerging as one of the county’s best defensive players. Cambridge is coming off a 40-21 win over Chattahoochee and may be playing its best football of the season. After starting the season 1-3, the Bears have won four of their last five games by an average score of 33-18. Running back Phillip-Micheal Collins is the main cog in the Cambridge offense and is coming off a four-touchdown, 162-yard performance against Chattahoochee. Slowing down the 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior will be a priority for the Knights but the Bears also have options in the passing game. The combination of junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="33984" first="Zach" last="Harris"] and senior wide receiver Hayden Gardella is capable of exploiting defensive secondaries and pressuring Harris when he drops back to pass will likely be another key for River Ridge. Cambridge linebacker Luke Ritter (Stetson) and safety Evan Kurtz (Morehead State) have also received college offers. <strong>Game:</strong> Johns Creek (4-3, 4-1) at Creekview (6-2, 4-1) <strong>Last meeting:</strong> Johns Creek won 41-14 (Sept. 2011) <strong>Series:</strong> Johns Creek leads 2-0 <strong>Prediction:</strong> Creekview 20, Johns Creek 14 [caption id="attachment_36546" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-36546" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/BrodyRhodes1-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Brody Rhodes, QB. Class of 2021[/caption] <strong>Preview:</strong> A home playoff game will be on the line this week when Johns Creek (4-3, 4-1) travels to Creekview (6-2, 4-1) for the regular-season finale for both teams. A win for Creekview would lock up the No. 2-seed and a region runner-up in Region 7AAAAAA for the Grizzlies. The playoff scenarios are a bit more complex for Johns Creek but Creekview coach Trevor Williams said he’s grateful for his team’s situation. Both teams will be coming off unscheduled bye weeks following two cancellations last week. Creekview’s game against Centennial was called off as was Johns Creek’s scheduled game against River Ridge. Creekview’s offense posted a season-high 38 points two weeks ago against Chattahoochee and could be finding its rhythm at just the right time. Junior running back Tyler Stevens rushed for a season-high 222 yards and it was his fourth game of the season rushing for more than 100 yards. Combined with quarterback Brody Rhodes, the backfield duo for Creekview is averaging 168 rushing yards per game. Rhodes, the best dual-threat quarterback in Cherokee County, holds offers from Kennesaw State, The Citadel and Army. Stevens (6’1”, 205) has looked like one of the best power backs in the area this season. This game will feature two of the best defenses in the region. Johns Creek’s senior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="33753" first="Cole" last="Nelson"] (6’3”, 230) is a Virginia Tech commit and leads the team in tackles (43) and tackles for loss (8). Junior safety Terrian Williams (6’, 180) holds more than 30 college offers including LSU, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Stanford. Williams is dynamic in the kick return game as well. Several other players on Johns Creek’s defense have drawn college attention including defensive lineman David Alexander and linebackers Tremonte Barnett and [player_tooltip player_id="33929" first="Micah" last="Gay"]. Conversely, Creekview’s defense is arguably the best Johns Creek has faced so far this season. The Grizzlies are allowing 9.6 points per game and in their last game played recorded six sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one interception. Grant Anderson, Sam Minozzi and [player_tooltip player_id="34020" first="Isaac" last="Hubert"] are the top three sack artists in Cherokee County with a combined 26 this season.