Week One Wrap-up

Alex Ewalt

The first week of high-school football has come and gone, and like usual, we’ve seen a fair share of upsets, head-scratchers and memorable games. Let’s start with the upsets and surprises.

THE WEEK’S TOP GAMES

This wasn’t an upset, per se, but Coffee’s dominating 24-0 win over Ware County was a bit of a surprise, especially when it came to margin of victory. Remember, Ware is the team that took Northside-Warner Robins to the wire in the Class 4A State Championship Game last season, and was widely considered to be one of the most talented teams in the state, regardless of classification. Perhaps head coach Dan Ragle’s departure is hurting more than I thought it would. New head man John Stephens will have to figure things out quickly, because he has Lowndes and Stephenson on the schedule before the Gators even reach league play. Gulp. Peachtree Ridge was a team that I thought could challenge Lowndes in their upcoming non-region game, but I might have to re-evaluate where the Lions stand after a lackluster 13-3 loss to Harrison. The offense just wasn’t there for head coach Bill Ballard. David Hines gets his first win at the helm of Harrison, which hosts North Cobb this Friday. Collins Hill handily defeated Parkview 30-9 on Saturday. The question here is: Can Cecil Flowe get this program back to the monster it was in the late 90s and early 2000s? Three down years in a row is unprecedented for a Flowe team, but there’s plenty of time to turn things around and grab a high playoff seed (the Panthers ended up at the No. 4 seed out of Region 8-AAAAA last year). It’s not like the Panthers have fallen completely off the map, but two first-round playoff exits in a row is uncharacteristic. Dunwoody impressed me, and many others, I’m sure, by picking off Griffin, a team I had ranked in Class 4A last week. Dunwoody is a dangerous, dangerous team this year; most of the starters from last year’s 8-2 team return (they narrowly missed the playoffs lst season with just two region losses), and running back Treavor Scales is a force (he finished Friday’s game with 117 yards and three scores). The Wildcats are officially no longer under the radar.

BEST OF THE REST

Other notable games included our very own GPB/Score Atlanta Game of the Week, the annual Fish Bowl matchup between Marist and St. Pius X. We Webcasted this one live right here on GPB.org last Friday. St. Pius gets bragging rights—and the famous Fish Bowl Trophy—for the next 365 days. Their fans will surely savor this 21-10 victory over the War Eagles; it’s only their second win in the last 27 games of the series. For the second year in a row, Buford routed a higher-classification out-of-state team in the Kirk Herbstreit Football Series, this time taking it to Mansfield Timberview of Arlington, Tex. If people around the country haven’t noticed yet, Buford is already a legitimate national power. And this victory comes after losing five Division I players from last year’s squad. Chamblee is showing that the program is still on the rise even after another coaching change. Mike Collins stepped in and led the Bulldogs to a convincing 43-14 win over Douglass, which is two classifications bigger than Chamblee. In another regionally televised game for the team, North Gwinnett continues to prove that their program deserves national respect. Bob Sphire’s team hung right with Byrnes (S.C.), which is ranked in the top five of just about every national high-school poll. Even after losing so much on defense, the Bulldogs are still a force in 5A. Look out for West Forsyth, a program in its first year of varsity ball. Frank Hepler led Plantation High in Florida to a 135-30 record during his 14 years there, so he knows how to win at the highest level. The come-from-behind upset over North Forsyth should serve notice that the Wolverines will be a major player in 3A sooner rather than later. Last weekend also gave us another classic installment in the Thomas County Central – Thomasville series. TCC gets this one, 13-7. These are always close, even though the schools are now two classes apart (TCC in 4A, Thomasville in 2A).

NORTH FULTON FRENZY

To close out this week’s blog, I’d like to single out the game that, hereafter, will be referred to as the Wild One of the Week. Milton nips Chattahoochee in the first WOOTW, 51-49, an even hundred points for the game. Milton tailback Toney Williams, committed to Tennessee, goes for an absurd 350 yards rushing, with six TDs on the ground and one receiving. Check back here after every weekend for more thoughts on high-school football!

Alex Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.