Predictions Revisited...

Woody
HS 3-2 (EH, NH, FB)
College 2-2 (GT, ND)
NFL 0-4 (???what was i thinking?)
Week total 5-8
Overall 12-14

Ouch! The NFL games cost me dearly, but I'll rebound this week...

Kenny
HS 4-1 (CHS, EH, NH, FB)
College 4-0 (UT, GT, UF, ND)
NFL 2-2 (Atl, NE)
Week Total 10-3
Overall 18-8

So Kenny holds the overall edge but we'll see what happens the rest of the year....

Flowery Branch at Johnson

Game of the Week!!!
Are you ready for some Football!!!!!!!

Can the Knights of Johnson pull another monumental upset this friday? I am not sure but they sure did suprise many people last friday when they shocked Gainesville at City Park. This win last friday could possibly vault the Knights into the playoffs, it would at least make things interesting in Region 7B-AAA. Flowery Branch better come ready to play because after last week, I know Johnson will.

History: Johnson leads series 3-1, but lost last year 42-0

What will it take for Flowery Branch to win at The Dungeon?

Flowery Branch 7-1 (2-0 subregion)

The Falcon Creed


A choice for those without choices,
where victory is the only option.

The mission is simple, to seize the opportunity,
deny the competition and establish dominance.

The work of the FALCON is for neither the soft nor the weak.
FALCONS are relentless and fearless in their attack with a vicious
and total commitment to their objectives.

FALCON POWER breeds explosive, powerful and fast athletes
who dictate the flow of competition such that
they are victorious.

If you are ready for the challenge –
ready to fulfill your destiny –
then enter the world of FALCON FOOTBALL.

Tempo – Compete – Finish

1.)Jaybo Shaw...... PERIOD!! Jaybo must continue to dominate as they have all year. Jaybo has 897yds rushing 12 tds, 1320 passing yds 18 tds and 5 int.

2.) Spread the ball around to recievers and keep Johnson off balance. Devon Reed 703 yds. 9 tds, Zach Veatch 333yds 6 tds, and Jaybo's brother Conner Shaw 314 yds 4tds.

3.)Flowery Branch defense only allows 185 yards a game (96.4 rushing yds, 88.6 passing yds). Keep this young Johnson team out of the game from the beginning, don't give them a chance to come back!!!!!

Key players of the Game: Jaybo Shaw and the Falcon Defense.

What do the Knights have to do to slay the mighty Flowery Branch Falcons?

Johnson

3-4-1 (1-1 subregion)

1.) Keep the momentum going at The Dungeon!! RB #34 Seth Evans and FB Omar Madrisol must run the ball effectively run the ball to be able to control the clock. Seth Evans must lead this team and lead this crowd to pull another upset.

2.) OPEN UP THE DUNGEON The Johnson faithful at The Dungeon must wake up the Knights so they can slay the giant, this time Flowery Branch. Don't let the high powered offense of Flowery Branch get warmed up and Johnson must make some plays on special teams, like a blocked punt or a trick play or two on offense because Flowery Branch will bring pressure. Keep them off balance.

3.) Don't turn the ball over. Flowery Branch is one the best in the region in scoring points off of their opp. turnovers. Keep the ball secured against this aggresive defense. Don't turn the ball over like they did against West Hall.

Key player of the Game: #34 Junior RB Seth Evans


pics and stats:

www.gasports.com

www.hallco.org/johnsonhs

www.footballatthebranch.com

7-AAA Game Previews - Nov 3rd

East Hall at North Hall
Series History: East Hall leads 32-13-1 (Last year, NH won 17-14)
Behind the Series: This series has belonged to North Hall for the past several years. The last EH win came in 2001, 10-7, in a game that Kenny and I were in attendance. However, from 1960 - 1995, North Hall only had 6 wins in this series. East dominated their foes from the North for those 35 years. Since that time EH has won only 3 games and NH has won 7. This intense rivalry also carries over to the other sports as well as the EH/NH games are always a must-see.
Why should I go? This will be great game to watch as Georgia football commitment Walter Hill leads his team into the brickyard looking to stay in the hunt for the playoffs. The NH defense which has only allowed 30 points in the past 4 games since their only loss of the season, will look to shut down the running game of EH and force them into 3rd and long situations in which the under-rated NH secondary can make some plays and create turnovers. The EH receivers have to catch the ball and break a few long runs in order to have a shot on Friday. North Hall get to finish the year up at the Brickyard and they'll look to strengthen their grip on the Region title which is within their reach. Get there early as the Brickyard should be rockin' come Friday.


West Hall at Gainesville
Series History: Gainesville leads 4-2 (Last year, Gainesville won 42-12)
Behind the Series: These teams have only met 6 times all in the last 6 years. This was certainly suprising to me as I thought they had met at least once in the 90's but the 1st two games were won by West Hall in 2000 and 2001. In the past 4, Gainesville has won by an average score of 44-13.
Why should I go? This game should be interesting to see if Gainesville can rebound. They have now lost 2 in a row and there is a slim possiblility that this might be the last game of the year for the Red Elephants. West Hall should have some re-newed confidence after a week off and beating the most recent team that beat Gainesville (beat Johnson 13-6). They will have to play with that same fire that they showed against Johnson. The key for them will be their defense. All year they've been shredded for tons of yards and points but against Johnson they really showed some fight and shut down the JHS offense. GHS will need to find some answers on defense as they have allowed 22 points per game this year but 30 points per game in their last 3 games. Their offense has been putting up the points and yards but they need to find a way to stop WH on Friday. City Park should be electric and full of anxious Red Elephant fans.

White County at Gilmer
Series History: White Co. leads 18-14 (Last year, WC won 27-14)
Behind the Series: In one of the few series that WC actually holds the advantage in, they have really gone back and forth with no one team holding the edge over the other. Each team has had at least a 5 game winning streak in this series. WC has won the last 2 years, 27-14 & 28-7
Why should I go? Well, unless you happen to be traveling thru Ellijay (or you have a son playing on the team) then there are some better area games to go to. It's a long trip over the moutain and the weather is calling for lows in the 20's. So like i said unless you're a glutton for punishment there are some closer games to go to.

Lumpkin at Chestatee
Series History: This is the 1st matchup between these two.
Behind the Series: In what should be no surprise, this is the 1st game b/w these two. With Chestatee being a fairly new school and Lumpkin being in AA for the past several years they haven't had a chance to meet.
Why should I go? If you're close by then i suggest stopping by and hearing the Chestatee band. They are by far the best band in the region and the loudest. Also, the football team isn't all that bad either. It should be interesting to see how Coach Luttrell will employ Mr. Vasser. Last week, he played TE and WR for most of the game and came thru with the game-clinching TD catch. Lumpkin will try to get in the win column and avoid their 6th winless season since 1961.


Kenny will be breaking down our Game of the Week - Flowery Branch at Johnson

Ok so last week it was rainy and cold and we didn't get a chance to unveil our special feature but the weather looks good for this week so check back throughout this week and on the weekend for our special new feature...

Region Standings & Playoff Look-ahead

7-AAA "A" Standings
North Hall 3-0, 7-1
Chestatee 3-0, 6-2
East Hall 2-1, 4-4
Gilmer 1-2, 2-6
White Co 0-3, 1-7
Lumpkin 0-3, 0-8

7-AAA "B" Standings
Flowery Branch 2-0, 7-1
Johnson-Gainseville 1-1, 3-4-1
West Hall 1-1, 2-6
Gainesville 1-2, 7-2
Pickens 1-2, 6-3

6-AAA Standings
Carrollton 5-0, 8-0
Cartersville 5-0, 7-1
Cass 3-2, 6-2
Villa Rica 3-2, 5-3
Sandy Creek 2-3, 5-3
Haralson Co. 1-4, 2-6
Central, Carroll 1-4, 1-7
Cedartown 0-5, 0-8

Possible matchups as of today: Villa Rica at North Hall, Cass at Flowery Branch, Chestatee at Cartersville, Johnson at Carrollton

Of course the 7-AAA side still has to be determined. NH is virtually a lock to make the playoffs and FB is pretty close as well. The playoff picture should be much clearer after this Friday's games.

On the 6-AAA side, there is a titanic mathup between Cartersville & Carrollton in Cartersville. Sandy Creek and Cass also matchup in what will go a long way in determining the 3rd and 4th seeds in 6-AAA. As the playoffs near, we'll be keeping a close eye on the outcomes of these games and previewing the possible matchups....

7-AAA Game Recaps from Oct 27

Johnson - 33, Gainesville - 31
What happened: If I told you that one team had 478 total yards and the other had 299 total yards, which team do you think would win? Well, in this one Johnson only tallied 299 total yards but they made enough plays to pull off this HUGE upset at City Park. Gainesville went 1-5 on extra point tries and this was the difference in the game. Johnson's defense made 2 big plays stopping GHS on 4th and 1 and stopping them on 4th and 9 on their own 29 to end the game. This was certainly not the same team that Kenny and I saw play against West Hall. JHS gave a spirited effort and made this the biggest win for them in this series history.
What lies ahead: Johnson will look to keep their playoff hopes alive at home against sub-region leader Flowery Branch. Gainesville will look to rebound at home vs West Hall next week. This is a must-win game for the Red Elephants in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They most likely will need Johnson to lose their last 2 games as well.
Player of the Game: Jared Williams, QB; The Senior QB found the endzone on a 39 yard TD run to put his team ahead late in the 4th qtr. He also had 2 other TD runs and finished the game with 88 yds on the ground and 143 yds passing with 0 interceptions.

Flowery Branch - 35, Pickens - 6
What Happened: The FB defense shut down the Pickens ground game and created some turnovers (with help from Pickens). The FB defense had 3 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions, & 3 sacks. In fact, they made 13 tackles for loss or no gain and held Pickens to 12 yards on the ground in the 1st half. On the other side of the ball, Jaybo Shaw was on his game and had 250+ yds on the ground and thru the air and also put the ball in the square box at the end of the field 4 times. This game however did turn on a special teams play early in the 2nd qtr with Pickens leading 6-0, Daniel Mendez broke thru and blocked a punt and returned it for a TD to put FB up 7-6. It was all FB from there.
What lies ahead: For FB, they will have to face an upstart Johnson team in Oakwood and for Pickens they have a week off before playing Johnson the last week of the regular season.
Player of the Game: Flowery Branch defense; Led the way with 6 turnovers forced and blocked a punt to put momentum on their side. The defense stepped up and made plays and shut down the Pickens ground game. Honorable mention to Jabyo Shaw and his 172 yds rushing and 86 yards passing with 4 TDs

East Hall - 14, White Co. - 10
What Happened: White Co. had the lead late in the 4th qtr until Walter Hill connected with Jay Jackson to set up the go ahead TD by Josh Vargas. It sounds as if White Co. came to play and cut out the turnovers and actually had a chance to win this game. Also, they made a change at QB(according to the Times) and went with Senior Quint Moss. He didn't have spectacular stats but he gave his team a chance to win the game. In the end, Hill made a play to win the game for East Hall.
What lies ahead: East Hall will travel up the road to visit North Hall in what should be a very interesting matchup between the EH offense and the NH defense. White Co. will also be on the road to take on Gilmer.
Player of the Game: Walter Hill, QB; He accounted for 206 total yds with 1 TD on the ground and 1 TD thru the air

North Hall - 53, Lumpkin - 0
What happened: Another game, another shut-out for this stout NH defense. Their offense put up 4 scores in the 1st half to go up 25-0 and in the 2nd half they put in alot of the reserves and they also put up several scores. They had 3 QB's complete passes and 10 players carried the rock as NH put up 395 total yards of offense. Obviously this wasn't a close game and wasn't expected to be close either.
What lies ahead: North Hall will get to play East Hall in the Brickyard. Lumpkin travels over to Chestatee looking for their first win of the year.
Player of the Game: Hunter Wolf, RB; Went for 106 yards rushing and 2 TDs to help his team trample the helpless Indians

Check back later for some more of our thoughts on the playoffs and region standings...

Pics from THE GAME OF THE WEEK!!

A foggy nite at Chestatee!!

Homecoming at Chestatee!!

The War Eagle Walk!!!!

Gilmer and Chestatee, The Game of the Week!!

Homecoming,

oh what a night this was. After a awful day of rain and fog , it ceased long enough for a wonderful night of football. Our GAME OF THE WEEK that featured the under appreciated Gilmer team against a Chestatee War Eagle team that has something to prove. The weather did keep many people away, but Gilmer, with only a handful of fans almost pulled a monumental upset, but Lane Vasser from Chestatee was not going to be denied, not on this foggy and rainy night.

How did Chestatee win?

I'm glad you asked, here's why.......

1.) Trick or Treat everyone. Lance Vasser was used in many different ways on friday night. He didn't line up in the backfield for a carry. He was used as a wide reciever, blocker and a tight end. He didn't have many touches, but to me he seemed more of a distraction than anything. He only had a couple of catches, but he did catch what would be the deciding touchdown in the 4th quarter. It looked like the War Eagles were going to run, then they ran Vasser out for a pass and he was wide open for the score. Here is a quote from the Gainesville Times about Vasser from his Coach, "Lane has grown so much in the past six months, he's been so unselfish and team-oriented. He deserved that (touchdown) play because of that."

2.) Running Backs Will Fuller and Jo Jo Sweet plus QB Ethan Souther rushed 40 times for 229 yds with a game high 87 yds from Fuller.

3.) Defense bent, but didn't break!!! The War Eagle D allowed some big plays on friday, but held strong with two key interceptions and a 4th down play in the 1st quarter that could have resulted in points for Gilmer.

Key players of the game: Lane Vasser, and the running attack of Chestatee Jo Jo Sweet, Will Fuller and QB Ethan Souther.

How did Gilmer disappear in the fog on friday night?

Here's why...................

1.) Gilmer played 4 quarters, but turned the ball over when they had opportunities to score. They had two passes picked off and they were stopped by Lane Vasser on a fourth down play.

2.) You da man Ethan!!!! Ethan Watkins had 10 carries for 150 yds and a td. Had a 65 yd. run and a 66yd. td run in the 1st quarter. He even had an interception and made several plays on defense. He seemed to be playing by himself at times.

3.) The underrated Gilmer Defense played well and had an interception of their own. They came to play and played well, but their offense just wouldn't give them a chance. They made several stands deep in their own territory in this game but I don't care who you are if your defense stays on the field as long as they did in the 4th quarter you wouldn't be able to stop anyone either.

There is only one person that deserves the key player of the game for Gilmer and it is Evan Watkins. He was da man, but he didn't have a very good supporting cast.

Game Updates

Wow! Lots of great action tonight. Chestatee won on homecoming, Flowery Branch rolled to a big win, East Hall won a squeaker, North Hall stomped Lumpkin, & perhaps the biggest upset of the year Johnson beat Gainesville! We'll give you more thoughts tomorrow afternoon. Kenny is in a marathon and I've got to work. So check back tomorrow night and Sunday for our game recaps and commentaries....

Email us at hallcosports@yahoo.com

Interview with Fox5 High School Sports...The Shaws

This past Saturday, Buck Langford and the Fox5 High School sports crew interviewed Jaybo, Conner, & Coach Lee Shaw of Flowery Branch High. If you would like to see a better version then go to fox5atlanta.com and go to the high school sports section. However, I videotaped the video of the interview and put it on YouTube. It may not be of the greatest quality but it's definitely a good interview so enjoy...





I'm not sure how long it will be on the Fox5 site but here's the link just in case you wanted to see a clearer version..here's the link http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Sports/Detail?contentId=783123&version=56&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=6.1.1

Email us at hallcosports@yahoo.com

Prediction Time!

So it's that time of the week where Kenny and I give our picks so without further adieu, here they are:

Woody's predictions (Last week/overall - 7-6)
High School
Gilmer over Chestatee
East Hall over White Co.
North Hall over Lumpkin
Gainesville over Johnson
Flowery Branch over Pickens
College
South Carolina over Tennessee
Georgia Tech over Miami
Georgia over Florida (Upset Special, yeah I'm a homer)
Notre Dame over Navy
NFL
Cincinnati over Atlanta (my picking against the Falcons last week so I'll try it again)
Carolina over Dallas
Denver over Indy
Minnesota over New England


Kenny's Predictions (Last week/overall - 8-5)
High School
Chestatee over Gilmer
East Hall over White Co.
North Hall over Lumpkin
Gainesville over Johnson
Flowery Branch over Pickens
College
Tennessee over South Carolina
Georgia Tech over Miami
Florida over Georgia
Notre Dame over Navy
NFL
Atlanta over Cincinnati
Carolina over Dallas
Denver over Indy
New England over Minnesota


As usual, barring heavy rain, Kenny and I will be hanging out in the parking lot around 5:15 and throwing the ole' pigskin until pre-game starts at 6:30. Stop on by if you would like to join us or to just say hello...Stop by the site on Saturday for our recaps and commentaries. Also, this week we'll reveal a special feature that we think you'll enjoy!!

Email us at hallcosports@yahoo.com

Chestatee vs. Gilmer Preview

It's HOMECOMING!!! I just love Homecoming games, not the dances though. Everybody dressing up and having a good time and staying out until the wee hours of the morning. Anyway, back to football, normally what we see in Homecoming games is a bunch of blowouts. You pick someone that will not put up much of a challenge so everyone else can concentrate on who is going to be the Homecoming queen and to see the cool cars that they ride in. This game may be a little different in our GAME OF THE WEEK.

Welcome back folks to another edition of the GAME OF THE WEEK. This week we are showcasing an interesting match up in Region 7A-AAA, the Gilmer Bobcats (2-5, 1-1 subregion) against the Chestatee War Eagles (5-2, 2-0 subregion). If Gilmer can pull a win in this matchup it will make for an interesting last few weeks of the year with East Hall still still lurking around for a playoff spot. We probably will not see a blowout in this game though. Lets see what i have for my keys to the game for each team.

History: Series is tied 2-2 with Chestatee winning at Gilmer in 2005 by a score of 14-10

Chestatee War Eagles: Stan Luttrell 1st year 5-2 (2-0 subregion)

1.)Control the ball with the run. Ever since RB LaneVasser went down with an injury, Jo Jo Sweet has come to the table ready to play. He has lead the team in rushing last week. Look for him to get more looks and to dominate.
2.)Vasser on D? It was said in the Gainesville Times that Lane Vasser will probably get more looks on defense especially because of his speed (4.46 40-yard dash), and because colleges are looking to recruit him more as a defensive player. Look for him to make some plays on this weak Gilmer County Offense.
3.)Stay focused on the playoffs. The have to win this game if they want to continue their quest for a playoff birth or even the subregion champ.

Key players: QB #5 Ethan Souther, RB #2 Jo Jo Sweet, and on RB /defense #45 Lane Vasser.


Gilmer Bobcats: Rob Stowe 5-25 overall (since 2003)2-5 (1-1 subregion)

1.)Play 4 quarters,not 2. The Bobcats need to play the whole game. There have been a couple of times (Flowery Branch and Gainesville) to where it looked like maybe Gilmer might play a good game, but they would just fall apart in the 2nd half. Play the whole game and there might be an upset in the making.
2.)Rely on your playmakers RB Rob Newberry and RB Ethan Watkins. If these guys can get free we may have a game on our hands folks.
3.)Play your own game, don't try to play up to Chestatee's standards. Gilmer County has been very competetive and is no pushover. They have to have confidence in their offense and control the ball so the stonger, faster War Eagle offense cannot have a chance to showcase what they have.

Key players: Gilmer County Defense and QB Kenny Lakins

Pics from www.gilmerschools.com, www.hallco.org/chs/ www.promdress.co.uk/suits/mainpage.htm

7-AAA Game Previews for Oct 27th

Flowery Branch at Pickens
Series History: Pickens leads 3-1 (Last year: FB 31-0)
Keys to a Falcon win: The Falcons will be back in action after a week off and they should be well-rested for the long trip to Jasper. They will continue to rely on a balanced offensive attack. For the year, the Falcon offense has rushed for 1,333 yds and passed for 1,461 yds. The offense will of course rely on the arm and feet of Jaybo Shaw. The Falcon defense will look to replicate the Gainesville game plan in shutting down the Pickens ground game. The Falcon's strength on defense is their speedy secondary which if they force Pickens to pass the ball should play right into the Falcons hands.
Most Memorable Falcon win: 10-14-2005, FB - 31, PC - 0. Since this is their only win in the series it would obviously be the most memorable one. The defense would register their school-record 6th shutout in Jasper.
Keys to a Dragon win: Pickens has to get the duo of RBs, George Weaver & Kevin Kinsey into a rhythm on offense. When they have been successful, Pickens has run the ball for 200+ yds. Pickens will look to rebound from last week's hard fought game vs Gainesville. Look for the Dragons to shut down the Falcons ground game and force them to be one dimensional.
Most Memorable Dragon win: 10-15-2004 PC-27, FB-21. Well, it could be this Friday if they pull out a 'W' but I suppose it would have to be in 2004 as PC barely won in route to a 8-3 record and a playoff appearance.


White Co at East Hall
Series History: East Hall leads 22-13 (Last year, EH won 32-29 at home)
Keys to a Warrior win: Well, let's just say as a former alumni of WC, it would take a minor miracle for WC to win. Actually, if the Warriors will just hold onto the freakin' ball they might have a shot. They have to find a way to get the offense on track as they have been shut down the past several weeks. Tyler Norman will need some help from his OL in order to get the ball to the WC playmakers, Moss & Vaught. The defense will have to force EH to be 1 dimensional to have a legitimate shot at the victory.
Most Memorable Warrior win: 9-21-2001 WC - 21, EH - 11. Obviously i haven't been to every EH/WC game but this has to be the best one I could think of as WC snapped a 14 game losing streak dating back to 1981.
Keys to a Viking win: As I've said on this blog every week, for EH to be successful they have to establish the ground game to open up the passing game. In the EH past 2 wins, they've gotten Jonathan Osbourne going and then Walter Hill has been able to find open WRs and in the end they've been victorious. Just as simple as that....
Most Memorable Viking win: 11-13-1981, EH-28, WC-27. This has to be the biggest win in this series for EH. They had lost to WC in the regular season 7-6 but this game was for the Region Semifinal with a chance to win the Region. East Hall was able to sqeak by WC with a 28-27 win in Cleveland as WC featured future Georgia Bulldog & Atlanta Falcon, Gary Moss. EH would eventually lose to the State Champ, Commerce, the next week 41-14 but for that one night in Cleveland it was certainly sweet revenge.


North Hall at Lumpkin
Series History: NH leads 12-6 (Last mtg - 1985, NH-25, LC-7)
Keys to a Trojan win: This isn't even a fair matchup. Maybe if the NH JV was playing. In fact, by halftime, they may end-up playing. I've got a feeling that NH will continue to run the ball, shut down the LC offense and create a couple of turnovers into points. NH will probably run up the score in the 1st half and let the young guys play in the 2nd half.
Most Memorable Trojan win: 8-28-1964, NH-53, LC-0. Ok, so I had to dig this up but in 1964 NH went 1-9. They won the 1st game 53-0 vs LC and lost 9 in a row. Sorry, they haven't met since 1985 & this appeared to be the best one I could find.
Keys to an Indian win: If perhaps, the entire NH squad were to be suspended for being late to school then LC might have a shot. Most likely, it will be an ugly night to be a LC fan.
Most Memorable Indian win: 9-24-1976, LC - 51, NH-6. In one of the very few winning seasons for LC they would run all over NH, 51-6. They would go on to an 8-1-1 record which is to this date the best single season record ever for a LC team.


Johnson at Gainesville
Series History: Gainesville leads 32-7-1 (Last yr - GHS-31, JHS-12)
Keys to a Knight win: The offense will have to hold onto the ball. Last week's game changed on turnovers. They will also have to score when they get close to the end-zone. Last week they were inside the Spartan 5 twice and came away with 0 points. The defense will have to create some turnovers in order to pull out a 'W' in City Park.
Most Memorable Johnson win: 9-6-1974, JHS-10, GHS-7. This was the very first Knight win in the series after they had lost the first 9 vs. Gainesville. I'm sure they have played some other memorable games that would stick out in people's mind but this is the one that I think would be most memorable for longtime Knight fans.
Keys to a Red Elephant win: GHS got back on track last week with a potent ground game and a precise passing game. They will look to stay in the playoff hunt by running behind their massive OL and quick RBs. The defense stepped up last week by shutting down the Pickens ground game and they will look to shut down the JHS running game and force them to pass. It should be a good night for football and whichever team can avoid the silly mistakes and turnovers should win.
Most Memorable Gainesville win: 10-3-2003, GHS-21, JHS-7. Both teams were undefeated with JHS being 4-0 and GHS being 3-0 but GHS would come away with the 'W' and go on to an 11-1 season.


Off: West Hall
Most Memorable Off week: just kidding....

Email us if you can think of any other memorable games that standout to you other than the ones that I've chosen - hallcosports@yahoo.com

Game of the Week - Oct 20th

VS

Gilmer at Chestatee

This week, we'll be visiting Sardis Rd as the Bobcats of Gilmer will hop on the big cheese and ride down to War Eagle Land for a titanic matchup in which the winner will have the inside track to the #1 or # 2 spot on the 'A" side of Region 7-AAA.

As usual Kenny and I will be throwing the ole' pigskin around on Friday around 5:15 to 5:30 in the parking lot. Stop on by if you've got the guts....We'll be breaking down the games over the next couple of days, predictions on Thurs and recaps on the weekend...

Other games going on this week
Flowery Branch at Pickens
White Co at East Hall
North Hall at Lumpkin
Johnson at Gainesville
Off: West Hall

Gilmer photo source - timescourier.com
Chestatee photo source - accessnorthga.com

Falcons, Dawgs, & Jackets...oh my!

Falcons - 41, Steelbergers - 38
Michael Vick took to the air and had a career day with 4 TDs passing. On the receiving end of 3 of those TDs was Algae Crumpler. All I've got to say is it's about time. Now, if we can get Coleman and Abraham back healthy then our defense should start to find it's rhythm. With a healthy Ed Hartwell, the run defense shut down Willie Parker and the Steelers ground game, however, this certainly opened up the pass and for lots and lots of yards for Batch and Benny-boy. In the end, the Falcons found a way to win where as in previous years they probably would have lost this one. Great game by Vick and the recievers. Another tough test next week as they travel to chilly Cincinnati. I'm looking forward to the Chad Johnson vs Deangelo Hall matchup in particular.

Source: AP Photo/John Amis



Dawgs - 27, Puppies - 24
Whew....this one was much closer than I thought. Although it's important to note that Kenny did predict that this one would be a close game. For the 1st time all year, Coach Richt used one QB for the entire game and it sorta paid off as Stafford found some rhythm for 267 yds thru the air. The bad news is that he also found the State DBs for 3 of his passes and the Dawg WRs were in a generous mood by putting 2 balls on the ground. The defense played ok, not great, but just ok. It was good to see the DE make some plays and get to the QB. The entire team will need to be on it's game for next week's big showdown. If they play as they did against UT in the 1st half then they'll have a shot. If it's anything like we've seen against Miss St, Colorado, Ole Miss, 2nd half vs UT, & Vandy then it might be a long game. I think they have a shot but like I said it'll take an all-around team effort.

Source: Image: Jim Hipple

Purple Tigers - 31, Techsters -7
No Calvin Johnson means no chance for Tech. For the 1st time in his college career he didn't record a reception. Clemson showcased their snazzy purple uniforms which didn't look all that bad but their offense looked spectacular, C.J. Spiller in particular. In fact, the duo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller ran all over the Tech defense. They looked like the best RB duo in the nation bar none! This was a close game no matter the score. It was 17-7 in the 4th qtr before a couple of late Tiger scores put the game away. I thought Tech had a chance in this game but with no CJ they didn't have a chance. Things are not all that bad for Tech as they still control their own destiny in the ACC Coastal Division. Beat Miami on Saturday and all that's left is NC State, UNC, & the Dukies. Beat Miami and they can go ahead and book their flight to Jacksonville for the ACC championship game...

Source:Rex Brown/WireImage.com




Next to Last Word - Game ball to Matt Bryant of Tampa Bay with a 62 yard field goal to beat Philly....2 words - Freakin unbelievable!

Source: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara



Final Thought- What was on Kenny Rogers' hand? Dirt or Pine Tar. My guess is the latter.

Source: US Newswire

Predictions Revisted....

What a great weekend of football. Lots of stuff to cover and talk about but first let's look at our predictions for Oct 20

Daniel
HS 3-2
College 3-1
NFL 1-3
Overall 7-6

Kenny
HS 3-2
College 2-2
NFL 3-1
Overall 8-5

My Videos

So I finally got some videos uploaded to Youtube so i hope you enjoy...

Here's Flowery Branch at White Co. - The Falcons running thru the banner...




White County kicking off to Flowery Branch to kick-off the 2006 season...





1st play of the year - Good way to start the year for the Branch.....





Falcon Players & Fans celebrating with the band after being victorious over Gainesville...




I'll have some pics to upload in a while....email us at hallcosports@yahoo.com if you have any questions or just want to drop us a line....

Pics from Johnson and West Hall

Johnson pregame


West Hall pregame




West Hall Cheerleaders







West Hall Band (Senior Night)










Johnson Cheerleaders











Senior Night at West Hall






Johnson at West Hall


West Hall 13
Johnson 6

This was Senior night, and it was nice to see all these seniors with all their parents. What a game, i didn't think it would be much but this was a game to go to, but it sure was cold.

Battle of the Blues!!

I tell you the truth this was a better game than i thought it was going to be. Even though it was cold outside you could still feel the heat of competition in this BATTLE OF THE BLUES!! If you came to see a flashy or a lot of points scored,this was not the game to come and see, but more importantly there were bragging rights on the line between these two cross county rivals. I was very suprised at West Hall and how they just didn't give up. West Hall was not going to be denied. Johnson seemed to be the better team from the start, and they may have had the better talent from what i could see, but West Hall just played with an undeniable spirit to win.







Kenny's Keys in review
1.) #3 RB Marquise Stephens was making Johnson defenders miss and keeping them off balance with16 carries and 103 yds 1td in the first half, but had to leave with an injury and didn't play a snap in the second half. Then came #21 Jake Copeland and had 67 yds on 12 carries (52yds in the second half) and continued the rushing attack.
2.) West Hall's defense made some huge plays by forcing 2 fumbles from #34 Seth Evans and they made a huge stop at the very end of the game deep in their own territory when it looked like Johnson was going to score to take the lead.
3.)Senior QB #15 Clay Smith would not let this team quit. This offense, even after losing their star running back, continued to drive the ball down the field. Statistically West Hall shouldn't have won this game, but were it counted the Spartans were not going to be denied. Clay Smith was 6-9 att. for 68 yards with 1 touchdown to Matt Paulson in the 3rd quarter that completed a 5 play 35 yard drive and that ended being the final score, 13-6.






Kenny's Keys in Review
1.)As far as running the ball, they did what i thought they were going to do. QB Jared Willams, FB Omar Madrisol, and RB Seth Evans combined rushed for 207 yds, but the stingy Spartan defense forced two fumbles and the Knights just continued to have problems putting the ball in the endzone.
2.) Johnson took the crowd out of the game, at least for the 1st half with #34 Seth Evans and their balance offensive attack especially when QB Jared Williams had a 56 yard td. run early in the 1st quarter. I thought it was going to be a long night for the Spartans.
3.)With Head Coach,Paul Friel serving his one game suspension, the coaching staff made several questionable calls especially toward the end of the game. For example, Johnson, on West Hall's 4 yard line, passed the ball three times when i thought they should have continued to use the run with Seth Evans.


West Hall is off next week

Johnson is playing Gainesville at City Park

Look for some amazing pics from this game.

Picture of Johnson's RB #34 Seth Evans was aquired from
www.gainesvilletimes.com

7-AAA Game Recaps

East Hall - 27, Lumpkin -14
What happened: The Vikings went back to the ground game as they churned out 216 yards. As we have been saying for the past few weeks, the Vikings have to run the ball to open up the passing attack. A very balanced effort by the Vikings offense and a great game plan by the coaching staff allowed East Hall to get back into the win column. Lumpkin fought hard but in the end, they just couldn't hold down East Hall.
Player of the Game: Jonathan Osbourne - 12 carries, 61 yds, 3 TDs
What lies ahead: East Hall will play at home against White County. Lumpkin Co. will play another home game against a very,very good North Hall team.

Chestatee - 34, White Co. - 7
What happened: Chestatee controlled the ball in running 62 total plays to WC's 38 total plays. The War Eagles rushed for 207 yds and had 100 yds passing. Jo Jo Sweet continued his good work with 72 yds rushing on 18 attempts. The defense also showed up and shut out the WC offense. The only score by WC was on defense as Brandon Vaught returned an INT for a 60 yd TD. The telling stat was that WC only had 112 total yds on offense and Chestatee forced 4 turnovers. Great work by the War Eagle defense as they seem to be on their way to the playoffs.
Player of the Game: The entire Chestatee defense
What lies ahead: A huge sub-region game for Chestatee as they play host to Gilmer. The winner has the inside edge on the 2nd spot on the 'A' side of the region. White Co. will try to get back on track on the road at East Hall.

North Hall - 35, Gilmer - 12
What happened: The Trojans traveled up to Ellijay and stuck to their game plan which is run the ball. They tallied 293 yds on the ground. Hunter Wolf, Fabian Jackson, & a host of RBs helped the Trojans move the ball methodically up and down the field against the Bobcats. Gilmer played tough but it wasn't enough against a very, very good North Hall team.
Player of the Game: NH offensive line (paved the way for 293 yds rushing)
What lies ahead: North Hall will play on the road again but a shorter trip lies ahead as they travel to Lumpkin Co. Gilmer will take the road as well and travel to Chestatee for a HUGE sub-region matchup.

Gainesville - 28, Pickens - 21
What happened: Two very good teams slugged it out in Jasper and Gainesville came away victorious with a 12 play 93 yard drive in the 4th qtr that could just very well be a season defining drive. Without it, Gainesville may have been sitting at home in a couple of weeks. With the win they keep their hopes alive of going to the playoffs once again. Pickens now has to rebound quickly as Flowery Branch comes to town in what will basically decide who is going to the playoffs from the 'B' region. This is not to slight Johnson and West Hall, but after watching both play last night, I don't believe either have enough to beat Gainesville or Flowery Branch.
Player of the Game: Kendrick Harris - 12 carries, 102 yds rushing, 3 TDs
What lies ahead: Gainesville will play at home at City Park vs Johnson. As mentioned above, Pickens will play at home as Flowery Branch comes to Jasper after an off week.

Stay tuned as Kenny will break down the "Battle of the Blue"

Coming Soon...

It was a cold night in Oakwood last night. West Hall's defense and Seniors stepped up for a big sub-region win. Look for our game recaps and commentaries to come later today...

If you would like to email us, please do at hallcosports@yahoo.com

Kenny's Predictions

High School
East Hall over Lumpkin
Chestatee over White Co.
North Hall over Gilmer
Pickens over Gainesville
GAME of the WEEK - Johnson over West Hall

College
Tennessee over Alabama
Nebraska over Texas
Georgia Tech over Clemson
Georgia over Mississippi State (Barely)

NFL
Cincinnati over Carolina
Tampa Bay over Philadelphia Upset Special
Atlanta over Pittsburgh
Dallas over New York Giants

So you may have seen the Miss. State fight song on the post below and now's here the Coach O & the Ole Miss fight song...

Daniel's Predictions

So another great week of football and here are my predictions... Kenny will post his in a few...
High School
East Hall over Lumpkin
Chestatee over White Co.
North Hall over Gilmer (closer than the experts think)
Pickens over Gainesville
GAME of the WEEK - Johnson over West Hall

College
Tennessee over Alabama
Texas over Nebraska
Georgia Tech over Clemson
Georgia over Mississippi State

NFL
Cincinnati over Carolina
Philadelphia over Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh over Atlanta
Dallas over New York Giants



For those SEC fans, here's a new fight song for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Game of the Week!!

Game of the Week

The Battle of the Blue
Johnson Knights at West Hall Spartans
Series history West Hall leads 8-3-1, won last year 17-7

There always seems to be something special about cross county rivals, North Hall vs. White County, Flowery Branch vs. Gainesville and this one, West Hall vs. Johnson. This one may not be as high profile as the others, but to these players it is huge. These guys have probably played many sports together because these schools are so close and there is such a history between the two. These two schools have been playing since 1994. A win is not only on the line here, but more importantly, pride.



West Hall Spartans

Coach Dave Dirksen (1st year)


Kennys Key's to a West Hall win:

1.) Needs to rely on youth. #3 RB Marquise Stephens, #27 RB Daniel Drummond (6ft.3in 220lbs) both sophmores, need to step up in this huge rivaly game.
Daniel Drummond had 35 carries 189yds and the lonely touchdown in the loss to Pickens 35-7.

2.) West Hall can't afford to give up huge yards like they did to Pickens,(George Weaver (119 yds) and Kevin Kinsey 2 tds apiece.) This defense needs to make big plays

3.) Senior QB #15 Co-Captain Clay Smith needs to lead this young team and they need to control the ball.

Key Players: Senior QB Clay Smith, #27 RB Daniel Drummond

Johnson Knights

Coach Paul Friel (1st year)

Kenny's Key's to a Johnson win:

1.) Run, Run, Run. Take advantage of West Hall's awful run defense with KR/RB phenom #34 Seth Evans. West Hall gave up over 300 yds. of offense last week against Picken.

2.) Keep the crowd out of the game. Score early and keep the crowd out of it. At this point in the season West Hall is going to do whatever they can do get some type of momentum in front of the home crowd in what has been a dissapointing season for the Spartans.

3.)Coaching staff will need to step up. Coach Paul Friel was ejected in a game against Lumpkin County two weeks ago and because Johnson was off this past week he will serve his one game suspension this friday night.

Key players: QB #14 Jared Williams, #34 Seth Evans

Pictures are taken from www.hallco.org/whhs/ and www.hallco.org/johnsonhs/

Look for our predictions to the area games and The Game of the Week here in the next couple of days and look for plenty of pictures from this local game.

7-AAA Game Previews

East Hall vs. Lumpkin Co.
Series History: East Hall leads 19-2-1
Looking back: Obviously this matchup has been one-sided in the Vikings favor. The only years that Lumpkin has won was 2001 (41-21), 1978 (14-8), & a tie in 1976 (14-14). This doesn't bode well for Indian fans.
Keys to a Viking win: Well, last week Chestatee shut down the Viking run game. I still say they are at their best when they can mix in both the run and pass. Of course, if your receivers don't catch the ball then neither matters. The Viking receivers have to step up and catch the ball in order for the Vikings to be successfull this week. Against a young and small Indian defense it shouldn't be hard for the Vikings to find the endzone this week.
Keys to an Indian win: Maybe the Viking bus will get lost on the way to Dahlonega. Chances are though they'll make it and the Indians will have their hands full. If they have a chance they'll have to make some plays on defense and create some turnovers and get field position on your side. Offensively, they'll have to play ball-control and don't turn the ball over or it might be a long night for the Indians.

Chestatee vs. White Co.
Series History: White Co. leads 3-1
Looking back: Chestatee picked up their first win in this series in 2005 by a 41-35 score in 2 OTs. In the 1st three matchups, WC outscored Chestatee 66-27.
Keys to a War Eagle win: Last week, they were able to control the ball by running their trio of backs, Sweet, Vasser, & Souther. Look for more of the same on Friday night in Cleveland. The Chestatee defense played well last week in shutting down the high-powered offense of East Hall. Against a very poor WC defense that has allowed 4 teams to score 50 points, it should be a very successfull night for the War Eagle offense.
Keys to a Warrior win: This WC team has to find someone that can play defense. They haven' t stopped anyone all year. Also, the offense isn't helping out the defense any by turning the ball over and giving the other team short fields to work with. The offense needs to hang onto the ball and the defense needs to create turnovers in order for this to be a victorious night for the Warriors.

North Hall vs. Gilmer
Series History: Surprising this series is tied 5-5
Looking back: NH won the 1st matchup in 1962 (19-12). Then they promptly lost the next 5 in the series ('63,'70,'71,'76,'77). After their game in 1977, they didn't meet again until 2002 in which NH won 41-20 in Ellijay and they have won the past 4 meetings including a 42-13 blowout last year in Ellijay. This game also happens to be in Ellijay. NH has outscored 181-40 in the last 4 meetings.
Keys to a Trojan win: Their defense is playing outstanding and their offense is controlling the clock and is hitting on all cylinders. In order for them to continue their win streak in this series, they'll have to continue to do what they do best which is run the ball and play swarming defense. Expect a tough game in Gilmer though. It's always an interesting environment over on the mountain in Ellijay.
Keys to a Bobcat win: Their defense has played well at times in limiting some of the better offenses to season lows. Last week, the ground game got rolling as they rushed for nearly 300 yds. Look for more of the same and for the Bobcats to steal a page from the NH playbook in that they'll try to control the clock with their triple option attack and play swarming defense. Should be an interesting game in Ellijay. Probably the best chance for anyone to beat NH the rest of the regular season.

Gainesville vs. Pickens
Series History: Gainesville leads 8-2
Looking back: Gainesville has dominated this series that only began in 1992. The only wins for Pickens has been in 2000(14-13) and 2004 (20-14) both in Jasper. Last year was a close game in a wet, muddy game at City Park with Gainesville winning 14-6.
Keys to a Red Elephant win: In order to get back on track after last week's loss to Flowery Branch, they have to continue to be balanced on offense by running Kendrick Harris & Brandon Cobb and getting Justin Fordham into a rhythm in the passing game. The offense got rolling in the 2nd half of last week's game and they need to put points on the board and not turn the ball over. They also have to play sound defense and not allow the big chunks of yards that they allowed to FB and to some other teams this year. The corners and safeties have to make plays in order for GHS to win in Jasper on Friday.
Keys to a Dragon win: Pickens has to continue to run the ball. The coaching staff needs to watch the NH or even the FB game film and pick up the weaknesses in the Gainesville run defense up the middle and the passing defense on the edge. Pickens likes to run the ball and NH ran the ball very well against the Red Elephants. Look for the Dragons to come out pumped up at home. If it was closer, Kenny and I would definitely be at this game.

Look for the Game of the Week preview to come in the next day or so...and for our game predictions on Thursday.

7-AAA & 6-AAA standings

Thru Oct 13th:
7-AAA (A)
TEAM....................Subregion...................Overall
North Hall..............1-0-0..........................5-1-0
Chestatee...............1-0-0..........................4-2-0
Gilmer County.......1-0-0..........................2-4-0
East Hall..................0-1-0..........................2-4-0
White County..........0-1-0..........................1-5-0
Lumpkin County.....0-1-0.........................0-6-0

7-AAA (B)
TEAM........................Region.............Overall
Flowery Branch........1-0-0...............6-1-0
Pickens.......................1-0-0...............6-1-0
Johnson......................0-0-0...............2-3-1
Gainesville..................0-1-0...............6-1-0
West Hall.....................0-1-0...............1-6-0

6-AAA Standings
School.....................Region..........Overall
Carrollton............... 3-0.............. 6-0
Cartersville............. 3-0.............. 5-1
Villa Rica................. 2-1............... 4-2
Sandy Creek........... 1-2............... 4-2
Cass ..........................1-2............... 4-2
Haralson Co .............1-2............... 2-4
Central, Carroll....... 1-2............... 1-5
Cedartown............... 0-3............... 0-6

So the early, early, early matchups would be...
Reg. 7 # 1 - North Hall vs. Reg. 6 # 4 - Sandy Creek/Cass/Haralson Co.
Reg. 7 # 2 - Flowery Branch vs. Reg. 6 # 3 - Villa Rica
Reg. 7 # 3 - Gainesville/Pickens vs. Reg. 6 # 2 - Cartersville
Reg. 7 # 4 - Chestatee/Gilmer vs. Reg. 6 # 1 - Carrollton

Obviously this is just an early glance at the playoffs but it's gonna make the next few weeks interesting as their are some things left to be determined like WHO's going to make the playoffs. Should be some great games over the next 4 weeks....Look for the 7-AAA Game previews tomorrow and the Game of the Week preview over the next couple of days...

Game of the Week - Oct 20th

vs
Game of the Week - Johnson vs. West Hall
The battle of Oakwood will be our game of the week for Oct. 20th. Some might say that Gainesville vs. Pickens would be a bigger game. And in a way they are right. But you can't under-estimate a rivalry game. So Kenny and I will be making the short trip over to Oakwood instead of the LONG trip up to Jasper. I did get a chance to watch highlights of the NH/Pickens game from earlier in the year and from what i could tell, Pickens looked pretty good. Anyway, our game should be just as good. Here's what to look for in the next few days...

Tues - 7-AAA Game Previews
Tues/Wed - Game of the Week Preview
Thurs - Game Predictions
Sat/Sun - Game Recaps, Commentaries & Photos from the game


Other Games this week:
East Hall vs. Lumpkin
Chestatee vs. White Co.
North Hall vs. Gilmer
Gainesville vs. Pickens


I'll post the 7-AAA sub-region standings in a few and also look at the 6-AAA standings which is the region that 7-AAA will matchup against in the 1st round of the playoffs.

More on Walter Hill...

This past week, East Hall 2-sport star Walter Hill committed to UGA in football. The strange part is that he was already committed to UGA in basketball. In my opinion this was a great move on Hill's part. First, I believe that he has more upside long term in football than basketball. Second, there is a little known NCAA rule that states a player who commits to a sport other than football can't play football for 2 years. By committing to football, Hill has the option of playing basketball. If he had signed on a basketball scholarship then he would have to wait 2 years to play football. The rule is sometimes known as the "Bear Bryant" rule in which 6'5 200 lbs athletes would sign swimming scholarships but somehow end up on the football team. So the NCAA created the rule as mentioned above.
What's even more interesting about this story is that even as recently as Sept. 21st he had told WNEG-32 that basketball was still his number 1 sport. In fact, when I asked one of his cousins about the story, they did not know anything about it. Obviously, someone may have told Walter about the NCAA rule and decided that he could always walk on to the basketball team if he wanted to. It was a great pick-up for the UGA football team and I expect Walter will do an excellent job at the next level (in either sport). Some may say that he is unpolished as a receiver in which he only played 1 full year at WR. I say with some coaching he will be a dominant receiver at the next level. He certainly has the size and speed that college coaches look for in WR's. Kudos to Walter for a smart move!


Walter Hill photo is courtesy of the East Hall High School website.



Having some trouble uploading pics from the FB/GHS game so they'll come later...