How is it that we have already arrived at the end of the regular season? It is always fun and exciting to watch how the high school football season unfolds. There are always a few surprises and this season is no different. We have seen teams that traditionally have dominated their region and classification experience a rebuilding season of sorts- teams like the Roswell Hornets.  Last year, Roswell won Region 4 in class 7-A and played for the State Championship. But this year, Coach Matt Kemper’s team sits at 2-7.

Don’t worry Hornets fans. Roswell will be back.  

On the flip side, the Walton Raiders are having an outstanding season. They are undefeated at 7-0 and hold the top spot in Region 4-7A. The question now: Will they be able to carry that momentum into the playoffs and to an eventual State Championship? Stay tuned!

This year we have also watched perhaps one of the most talented class of players since the 2013 class that featured former Grayson high school defensive star Robert Nkemdiche and many others. That class went on to have several top NFL draft picks. The obvious standouts this season, and for good reason, have been QBs Justin Fields of Harrison High School and Trevor Lawrence of Cartersville. They are listed as one and two in almost every national ranking. The quarterbacks have had amazing high school careers and seasons. They’ve put up some big numbers and have helped to guide their teams to success.

There are other players too that deserve some recognition outside of the quarterback position. Among them is Stockbridge’s DE Brenton Cox. He has been a nightmare for offensive lines all season. The 5-star recruit is headed to Ohio State next season but his team is focused right now on the playoffs and competing for a State Championship. Then there’s Kearis Jackson- the speedy WR from Peach County who opened a lot of eyes after running a 4.5 at the Nike “Opening” over the summer. The 4-star receiver is headed to UGA. He too, is focused on finishing strong and leading his Trojan teammates to the playoffs and a possible State Championship. I could go on and on talking about all of the talent players across the state. There are plenty of them.

Kudos to you all!

This week, we get to see a highly-anticipated matchup between two 4A powerhouse teams. 8-1 Troup will take on undefeated Cartersville. Everyone knows how dangerous the Purple Hurricanes are with QB Trevor Lawrence. What this squad has been able to accomplish has been memorable. The Troup Tigers are for real, too. They also have one of the most explosive offensives in the state. Last week, Tanner Glisson coached his team to a 35-14 victory against Central-Carroll where the Tigers racked up 469 total yards of offense.

Many fans know about Lawrence but Troup’s QB Montez Crowe has been very special in his own rite this season. He led the state in passing yards for many weeks in the regular season. The Tigers will look for any advantage at Callaway Stadium over this tough Joey King-coached team.

Make sure to watch “Football Fridays in Georgia: Inside Edition” at 7pm this week. We will be tracking all of the key games paying particular attention to playoff matchups including revealing this year’s GHSA brackets as soon as it comes out, and we'll stay on the air untill 11 pm to set you all the bracket updates.

Now to the Arms Race… with only one week left in the regular season, 7 of the 8 QBs on our list are in the playoffs as their teams get set to make a run for the State Championship. Central Gwinnett’s QB Jarren Williams will have to play one of his toughest games this Friday against Parkview. With a win though, and some magic in the region, we could see Williams and the Black Knights in the playoffs as a lower seed.

Arm’s Race:

1.      Justin Fields. Harrison. DUAL. Last Game: Injured. Next Game: Creekview   

2.      Trevor Lawrence. Cartersville. PRO. Last Game: Off. Next Game: Troup.

3.      Emory Jones. Heard County. DUAL. Last Game: Only played Quarter and a half in blow out win. Next Game: Spencer.

4.      Jarren Williams: Central Gwinnett. DUAL. Last Game: Off. Next Game: Parkview.

5.      Knox Kadum: Rome. PRO. Last Game:  won the region on Friday night. Next Game: Woodland- Cartersville.

6.      Michael Barrett. Lowndes. DUAL. Last Game: Passed for 73 yards and 2 TDs rushed for 169 yards on 22 carries.

7.      Steven Krajewski. Colquitt County. PRO. Last Game:  15-27 for 234 yards.

8.      Gunnar Watson. Taylor County. PRO. Last Game: Won in blow out fashion. Next Game: Brookstone.

Others to Watch:

1.      Harrison Bailey. Marietta. PRO. Next Game: North Paulding.

2.      Bailey Fisher. Rabun County. PRO. Next Game: