GAME OF THE WEEK: Peachtree Ridge looks to fend off Collins Hill for Region 7 dominance

by Scott Janovitz

When Collins Hill welcomes Peachtree Ridge to its home confines next Friday, the game will feature a showdown between two of 5A’s finest teams.

From a Collins Hill perspective, however, Friday night’s game will be as much about revenge as anything else; the Eagles have fallen to the Lions in each of the last two seasons and have done so by a combined score of 42-0. But, without predicting an outcome to next Friday night’s clash, one thing is sure to be different this time around: Collins Hill will not be held scoreless.

Through the first five weeks of the season, the Eagles are putting up nearly 29 points per game, thanks mostly to the dominant running of senior back Charles Perkins. Perkins, a 6-0, 195-pouner who is currently committed to play his college ball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, mixes a good combination of speed, balance and power, making him a consistent producer of tough yardage and a home-run threat rolled all into one. On the defensive side of things, head coach Billy Wells’s team will be led by Zachary Davis, an undersized but speedy ‘backer and Tulane verbal commitment. Speed and quickness considered, Perkins and Collins Hill will still have their hands full avoiding the Lions next Friday, as Ridge has registered two shutouts already this year and has given up just seven and 13 points in two other ’09 victories. It’s not all defensive for head coach Bill Ballard’s squad, however, as the Lions have scored an average of nearly 39 points in their four wins to date.

And you can’t talk Peachtree Ridge offense, or football for that matter, without at least mentioning the name Bradley Roby. The 6-0, 175-pound receiver/cornerback/return man is a dynamic threat with the ball in his hands anywhere on the field and, as a result, has plans to take his game to the SEC next year (he’s committed to Vanderbilt). This matchup next Friday should feature two foes that are both undefeated in Region 7-AAAAA play, as the Lions and Eagles are both significant favorites this weekend in games against Mill Creek and Duluth, respectively.

Coverage of the game on Oct. 16 will start at 7:15 p.m. at GPB.org/football/watch, and kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.