Fri., October 28, 2011 4:37pm (EDT)

Knights Attempt To Slow Alpharetta Attack

By Fletcher Proctor

Updated: 2 years ago

ALPHARETTA   —   The Centennial Knights will make a visit to Alpharetta to face a Raiders' offense that thrives on the pass. Junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs and junior wide receiver Carlos Burse have hooked up enough to help Alpharetta to a 7-1 start. Dobbs passed for three scores against Roswell in the Raiders' last game. The quarterback regularly exceeds 300 yards in coach Jason Dukes’ offense. Burse, meanwhile, is one of the most highly sought-after wide receivers in the 2012 class. He caught four scores in the team’s first five games, then snagged two against West Forsyth and one against Roswell. Jalen Simmons is also a threat on the ground to shred defenses that drops back into a nickel to defend the pass.

Centennial will look to keep the Raiders' offense off the field with its vaunted triple-option attack. Quarterback Jimmy Meyer and tailback Zietrick Smith pack a strong one-two punch out of the backfield. Smith has carried the ball 128 times for over 600 yards and four scores, while Meyer has kept it for 88 carries and close to 300 yards. Meyer has rushed for nine scores and has passed for seven touchdowns. Meyer is completing around 48 percent of his passes for 1,131 yards and five interceptions. Cyril Teal also gets carries in the Centennial offense, rushing for 149 yards on 32 carries. When the Knights' go to the air, usually the target is either Wade Francis or Christian Robinson. Francis has tallied 36 receptions for 660 yards and three scores, and Robinson has 29 catches for 438 yards and three scores.

An Alpharetta victory would sew up the Region 6-AAAAA title. Centennial still has an outside chance at the region title, needing to win against Alpharetta and next week against Northview. The Knights also need West Forsyth to lose at Roswell in the Wolverines’ regular-season finale.