Hall Co Sports

On Hiatus...

2007-05-09T22:52:00.000-04:00

So I've been on hiatus for a while...I(Daniel) just experienced the joy of a newborn son....Baby Eli Bryant Wood was born on May 1..... Anyway, I'll get back to that later......as far as football is concerned, here's what i'd like to do.....a preview of all of the teams for 7-AAA. It's gonna take some work on my part so bear with me....expect to see something late May or early June.....

Early storylines include....the big-name schools recruiting 7-AAA's studs, Jaybo Shaw & Keith Wells. I also think Justin Fordham and Kendrick Harris are pretty good too but probably not D-1 level....You've got Ohio State, Florida, Georgia, & that school on the Flats checking out Mr. Wells in Big Red Country....Mr. Shaw has an offer from Air Force and I expect more D-1 offers to pour in the closer falls gets here.......check back over the next couple of weeks for some more updates.

got any ideas...send them to me at hallcosports@yahoo.com

Red Elephant to play College basketball

2007-04-02T19:37:00.000-04:00

Red Elephant Guard, Jamarco Warren committed to Charleston Southern. Charleston Southern plays in the Big South Conference and they do have an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Anyway, here's the link....http://www.thestate.com/181/story/24575.html (scroll all the way down the bottom of the article)

Congrats Jamarco and good luck at the next level.

Tech, UNC offer Gainesville DE

2007-03-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

Keith Wells, Senior DE for the Red Elephants has been offered by Georgia Tech, Marshall, & UNC. He's leaning to Tech & Louisville right now. Tech has the lead as Keith plans to major in engineering. So it's possible this Red Elephant could join his former teammate Nick Claytor down on the flats....stay tuned for more...

Honestly, I don't remember seeing him make much an impact the couple of times I saw Gainesville play. I do remember him from basketball and he certainly has the frame to play D1 football. It's obvious college football coaches from across the South have taken notice and are very interested in his services. Good luck Keith.

Jaybo Shaw visits FSU

2007-03-26T21:26:00.000-04:00

So here's a recent article on Jaybo's visit to FSU and a possible offer from a C-USA school.

here's the link... http://hsgeorgia.scout.com/2/630005.html

902

2006 Vidoes

2007-03-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

Wanna catch some of last year's highlight's?

I've got some of them on my YouTube site....Go there now

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=shannonwood21

Jaybo Shaw Talks About Tuscaloosa

2007-02-27T20:02:00.000-05:00

So if you've ventured over to hsgeorgia.scout.com then you'll notice a front page article about Flowery Branch QB, Jaybo Shaw visiting Tuscaloosa, AL and the Crimson Tide. Sounds like he came away very impressed....also near the bottom of the article he mentions that NC State and Wake Forest are recruiting Mr. Shaw very hard. For your reading pleasure, here's the article...

Jaybo Shaw Talks About Tuscaloosa
By John Marchant GAVSV.comPosted Feb 26, 2007
One of the Peach State's top quarterback prospects took in Alabama Junior Day this weekend. Flowery Branch athlete Jaybo Shaw talked to GAVSV.com bout his visit to Tuscaloosa.
Jaybo Shaw was very impressed with what he saw in Alabama.
"At first when I got there, they gave us a tour of the whole campus," said Shaw. "They had banners supporting their team all over the place. I really liked that because there is so much tradition at Alabama with Coach "Bear" Bryant and everything."
"It was real neat getting to see the twelve National Championships and twenty-seven SEC Championships. Just knowing that if you go to that program, you're going to win. I think that was one of the biggest things I liked about the trip."
The Alabama coaching staff made a strong impression with the Flowery Branch quarterback prospect.
"I got to talk to Coach Nick Saban. He came up and sat with us while we were eating. I also talked to the Quarterbacks Coach, Major Applewhite. They said that they were interested and that meant a lot to me. Coach Kirby Smart, the secondary coach, is the one that gave us the tour around the campus."
"I really liked the campus because everything is connected to the football players' dorm. The dining hall was right down the street and the academic center was right there. Everything was within walking distance. John Parker Wilson, who plays quarterback, sat down and talked to all the quarterbacks for a little while. I also met some of their receivers. It was a good day."
Shaw did not know a lot about Alabama before his visit, but now that he has been on a tour, things have changed.
"I really wasn't interested and I really didn't know hardly anything about them," said Shaw. "I'm glad they wanted me to come to their Junior Day. I really enjoyed being there. Now I have a lot of interest in them."
"To be honest, they've jumped up there. They're up there with Wake Forest, Clemson and Vanderbilt. I really had a lot of fun at that place."
Shaw does not have an offer, but Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Clemson, Princeton and Vanderbilt are showing a lot of interest in the 6-foot, 164-pound athlete.
"North Carolina State has been showing a lot of interest in the past couple of weeks," he said. "They've invited me to attend their Junior Day this Saturday. I'll be going to Wake Forest on April 19th. Those two schools are really recruiting me pretty hard right now."

Flowery Branch vs. Grady Playoff Videos

2007-02-22T17:54:00.000-05:00

So you're probably wondering where we've been....well.....things have been busy since football season. Here are the videos from the Flowery Branch & Grady playoff game...

The Game Winning Play...Sorry about the crappy camera work...

4th Qtr, 4th Down play....listen closely and you'll hear Kenny screamin'

3rd Qtr Action...

2nd Qtr Action...Flowery Branch Kicker attempts a long field goal right before the half...

1st Qtr Action...

Everything Lanierland....

2006-12-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

Congrats to the East Hall Vikings as they swept the boys and girls Lanierland titles...here are the articles of importance and the pics that I took at Friday night's games will probably come later...been busy with Fantasy football....

East Hall boys wins 5th straight Lanierland (accessnorthga.com)
East Hall girls shoot their way to the title (accessnorthga.com)
North Hall boys rebounds vs. Lakeview (accessnorthga.com)
North Hall girls rebounds vs. Flowery Branch (accessnorthga.com)
It's a sweep (gainesvilletimes.com)
North Hall teams take 3rd place (gainesvilletimes.com)

Also, this is funny if you haven't already seen it....it's the South Park SEC Cocahes...

Coming soon...

2006-12-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

Ok, so the games last night weren't that close but tonight games should be very very exciting....check back later tomorrow for pics from Friday's games and recaps....

Your Daily Inspiration

2006-12-12T22:09:00.000-05:00

Found this on YouTube....for all of the Dawg fans out there if you haven't seen this video from 2004 then you may want to grab a Kleenex before viewing.......

Also, on Friday Kenny and I will be at the Lanierland semifinals at Chestatee High School....so look for pics and game recaps on Saturday.......

Have a question? Email us at hallcosports@yahoo.com

Links to most recent posts

2006-12-10T13:17:00.000-05:00

So it was a great weekend for basketball. The consolation round is on Tuesday at West Hall. We'll probably not go to those games but we might be at Friday's games, here are the matchups...
4:00 Girls Chestatee vs. Flowery Branch
5:30 Guys Gainesville vs. North Hall
7:00 Girls North Hall vs. East Hall
8:30 Guys Lakeview vs. East Hall

Also here are the links to all of the recent posts
Lanierland Day 1 Recap
Lanierland Day 2 Recap
Lanierland Day 2 North Hall vs. Gainesville Pics
Lanierland Day 2 Lakeview vs. Johnson Pics
Lanierland Day 2 East Hall vs. West Hall Pics
Lanierland Day 2 Flowery Branch vs. East Hall Pics

Lanierland Day 2 Pics Flowery Branch vs East Hall

2006-12-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

Flowery Branch vs. East Hall

Lanierland Day 2 Pics East Hall vs. West Hall

2006-12-10T12:43:00.000-05:00

East Hall vs. West Hall

Lanierland Day 2 Pics Lakeview vs. Johnson

2006-12-10T12:34:00.000-05:00

Lakeview vs. Johnson

Lanierland Day 2 Pics - North Hall vs Gainesville

2006-12-10T12:07:00.000-05:00

North Hall vs. Gainesville

Lanierland Day 2 Recap

2006-12-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

North Hall 46, Gainesville 43
Recap: Kenny and I arrived late in the 4th qtr but we were there for the best part of the game as NH & GHS battled for a W. Honestly, the game seems like forever ago and it hard to remember exactly what happened. Anyway, it was a victory for NH and they will take on #1 seed East Hall on Friday at Chestatee.

Lakeview 93, Johnson 85
Recap: In what was the best game of the tournament, Lakeview battled back from 16 down at one point to pull out an overtime win. This game took forever thanks in part to lots of turnovers, fouls, & some exciting overtime play. Johnson was in full control going into halftime but thanks in part to an inspring halftime speech by Coach Vining, Lakeview rallied to close the deficit to be only down 67-61 going into the 4th qtr. Lakeview had a shot at winning leading 77-76 with 10 seconds left they turned the ball over. After a questionable foul, # 33 for Johnson hit 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game. Lakeview would actually turn the ball over again with 1.3 seconds but a desparation shot by JHS wouldn't fall. Lakeview would score first in overtime and JHS couldn't get anything going on offense. Lakeview would hit their free throws down the stretch to pull off one the biggest wins in school history.

East Hall 60, West Hall 37
Recap: West Hall battled in the 1st qtr and actually led 2 minutes into the 2nd but EH finally got on track as WH turned the ball over numerous times and EH pounded the ball inside for numerous easy baskets. It seemed like no one wanted to shoot for WH as they simply passed the ball around until they would turn the ball over. EH's inside game was the difference in this one. They now move on to take on North Hall on Friday.

East Hall 87, Flowery Branch 61
Recap: EH started the game on a 16-3 run but FB would battle back to close within 8 points at one point in the 2nd qtr before Walter Hill took over the game. He had 2 thunderous dunks in the 1st half in which they would stretch the lead to 44-32 at the half. In the 3rd qtr, the Vikings would pull away for a blowout win. They will face Lakeview on Friday.

Coming soon: I've got some great pics from yesterday's action......

Lanierland Day 1 Recap

2006-12-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

Chestatee 72, Johnson 54

Recap: Chestatee moves on to take on Flowery Branch in next week's semifinals as they dominated vs. Johnson. This is certainly not the same Johnson Lady Knights from the past few years. Their star players are now in college and their star coach is on the sidelines for the North Hall men. Kenny and I didn't make it to this one so no analysis is available.

Gainesville 75, West Hall 72

Recap: The game started in Gainesville's favor as they jumped out to a lead in the 1st half, however, WH scrapped their way back into the game thanks to #3 VJ Shedrick. He tallied 25 pts and he kept them in the game. For the most part though the game was about Gainesville, when #5 Warren was out of the game(both physically and mentally) WH was able to take stretch the lead to 7. The turning point in the game was late in the 4th qtr in which Warren hit 2 three pointers & a jumper as he went on a personal 9-0 run to give Gainesville the lead. Warren drove the lane with 30 seconds left and missed a lay-up, but WH couldn't get the rebound and Dockery for GHS hit a lay-up to provide the final pts of the game. WH had a shot but # 1 Tabor's three rattled in and out to end the game.

Flowery Branch 61 Lakeview 47

Recap: This game was all about Courtney Newton as she showed why South Carolina offered her a scholarship. She dominated the game and showed her shooting touch as FB rolled to a victory. Give Lakeview credit as they battled and fought the entire game. They never quit and in fact were down only 12 late in the 4th qtr before FB inserted their starters again.

North Hall 72 Chestatee 61

Recap: The view from the North Hall student section was excellent as NH rolled to an impressive victory over their rival. This was a close game throughout although itlooked like it was going to be a blowout at halftime when it was 39-28. Chestatee came out in the 2nd half on a 10-3 run to make it a close game. The turning point was after a 4th qtr timeout, Coach Wood and the Trojans turned up the defensive intensity and Tim Cox took over to put it away. And for those who haven't seen Chestatee play, Parker Smith is the real deal. As a freshman he is a little skinny but he has a tremendous shooting touch and by the time he graduates he should be very very good. NH looked a little like EH as they substituted 10-12 players the entire game. They now move on to take on Gainesville next Friday.

Pics from last night's games....

Lanierland Basketball Tournament

2006-12-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

So this weekend will be a great time to see all of the Hall County teams in action. Here's a link that was posted on accessnorthga.com. Lanierland

Kenny and I will be in attendance on Friday and Sat and we'll give you a recap of all the games on Sunday/Monday. Should be some great action.

Anybody know how much it is to get in the games? If it's like football then i'm sure it went up to $7. Post a comment and let us know. See at West Hall on Friday.

Upcoming blogs: 2006 7-AAA Football Recaps and 2007 Outlook

& Recap of the Lanierland Tournament games

Playoffs

2006-11-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

Congrats to North Hall and Coach Christmas! They move on to take on Washington County in the quarterfinals. Congrats also to Flowery Branch on a great season that came up just short...Kenny will be giving some of his thoughts on each game later today or tomorrow...

Updated 11/27 - 8:41.....
So I'm having some trouble uploading my pics and videos....probably be a couple of days...I did find out that North Hall will have to travel to the House of Pain a.k.a Washington County on Friday...Should be a great game!

I, personally, am taking a couple of weeks to recoup and spend some time for with my wife. I'll try to post as i have time....Kenny will still be posting as he gets time as well. We're both going to recover for a couple of weeks before we ramp up for basketball season. So expect just a few posts over the next several weeks.....

Great game on Saturday by the Dawgs as they beat Tech for 6 in a row. The only question I have is when and if Georgia will retire Reggie Ball's jersey. It'll be interesting to see some of the comments on this game

Flowery Branch Falcons at Grady Grey Knights

2006-11-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

Directions to Grady High School:
Travel south on I-85, exit at 10th street, make a left, school will be across from Piedmont Park on the right...

This game should be a good one folks. Flowery Branch with their spread option offense led by QB Jaybo Shaw and their many wide receivers will look to soar (no pun intended) with their playmakers. Grady I believe will look to also pass the ball led by their QB #1 Simeon Kelley and they will probably want to run the ball with#12 Dexter Barnett.

Flowery Branch (10-1, 4-0 7B-AAA) #2 seed

Average (Per Game)
Offense
159.2 rush yds
184.7 pass yds.
343.9 total yds

Defense
105 .9 rush yds
84.5 pass yds
190. 8 total yds.

A preview of Flowery Branch and Grady

http://www.11alive.com/sports/football/highschool

Then click on the game you would like to watch from the previous week.

Flowery Branch will look to open up the field with their 2-3 wide reciever looks, but will also try to confuse you with the triple option as well. Jaybo Shaw will lead this team along with WR Devin Reed, Connor Shaw, and Zach Veatch. They will run many of the same plays but out of different looks. So the Grady defense better be on their toes.

Grady High School (9-2, 6-1 5B-AAA) #1 seed

Average (per game)
Offense
82.0 rush yds
98.18 pass yds
180.18 total yds

Defense
89.64 rush yds.
46.18 pass yds.
135.82 total yds

This will be a test for Grady considering this is their 1st year in AAA. They moved up from 5AA this past year. In 2004 they were Region 5AA runner-up and in 2005 they were the runner-up once again and they advanced to the 2nd round of the AA State Playoffs.

Grady, I believe will look to use their athlete's from the backfield to dominate. They are led by QB #1 Simeon Kelley who looks to be a very good athlete. They also have a great running back in #12 Dexter Barnett who has softly commited to North Carolina i believe. He is 5ft. 10 184lbs and is very elusive. They will try to use their speed as they try to go for the deep ball and utilize their speed.

Flowery Branch Game Videos vs. Sandy Creek

2006-11-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

1st Round Playoff Videos vs. Sandy Creek - November 17, 2006
Coming up this afternoon: Preview of the Grady Grey Knights and McNair Mustangs

After the Falcons recover an onside kick, the clock runs out and the celebration begins...bring on Grady...

This video is typical of the night for Sandy Creek...how did they beat Cass?....

Jaybo scampers into the endzone for a 13-7 Falcon lead...

2 plays later, Devin Reed catches a long pass from Jaybo Shaw on 3rd down...

Devin Reed comes up with a leaping INT that would lead to the go-ahead score...

The Falcons running thru the banner...

Coming up this afternoon: Preview of the Grady Grey Knights & McNair Mustangs

Flowery Branch Game Pics vs. Sandy Creek

2006-11-19T12:12:00.000-05:00

1st Round Playoff Pics vs. Sandy Creek - November 17, 2006....Videos coming soon....

The Patriots prior to running thru the banner...

Sandy Creek during pre-game warm-ups...prior to the beatdown by the Branch...

Jaybo Shaw during pre-game warm-ups on the option pitch...

Falcon Field at 6:00pm on Gameday...

Flowery Branch logo on mid-field....Nice!

Jaybo & Co. would find this portion of land often on Friday night...

Videos from the game coming soon....

Recaps & Pics

2006-11-18T13:14:00.000-05:00

Congrats to North Hall and Flowery Branch as they move to the 2nd round of the playoffs. We'll give you a recap of the 7-AAA games and preview next week's games very shortly....also, plenty of excellent pics and videos from the Sandy Creek/Flowery Branch game....stay tuned!

Weekly Predictions - Nov. 17

2006-11-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

So last week, Daniel(13-4) beat Kenny(11-6) so Freddog you were wrong on your prediction :-)

Anyway, on to this weeks picks...good luck to all

Daniel Last week 13-4, Overall 37-25
Region 7-AAA High School Playoffs
North Hall over Cass
Flowery Branch over Sandy Creek
Carrollton over Gainesville
Cartersville over Chestatee
Other HS
Hab. Central over Cherokee
Buford over Rockmart
College
Boston College over Maryland
Georgia Tech over Duke
Michigan over Ohio St
Auburn over Alabama
Wake Forest over Virginia Tech
California over USC
NFL
Baltimore over Atlanta
Carolina over St. Louis
Cincinnati over New Orleans
San Diego over Denver
Jacksonville over NY Giants

Kenny - Las week 11-6, Overall 37-25
Region 7-AAA High School Playoffs
North Hall over Cass
Flowery Branch over Sandy Creek
Carrollton over Gainesville
Cartersville over Chestatee
Other High School Games
Hab. Central over Cherokee
Buford over Rockmart
College
Maryland over Boston College
Georgia Tech over Duke
Ohio St over Michigan
Alabama over Auburn
Virginia Tech over Wake Forest
USC over California
NFL
Atlanta over Baltimore
Carolina over St. Louis
New Orleans over New Orleans
Denver over San Diego
Jacksonville over NY Giants

Kenny and I will be tailgating at the Flowery Branch/Sandy Creek game tomorrow around 5:15. Stop on by if you wanna throw the pigskin around or if you just wanna chat....also if you can't make it out, here's the radio line-up:
Branch/Creek - WDUN 550
NHall/Cass - Magic 102.9
Gville/C'ton - 1240 the ticket

Daily Links - Nov 15th.

2006-11-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

For your enjoyment..... simply click on the titles & start surfing...
HS Football
Good interview with the Flowery Branch WRs
Week 11 HS Football rankings

Basketball
Preview of the Gainesville Red Elephant basketball teams
Preview of the North Hall Trojan basketball teams
Preview of the East Hall Viking basketball teams
Preview of the Johnson Knight basketball teams
FB Lady Falcon commits to be a South Carolina Gamecock

College Football
Here's a video of AJ Green, the # 1 HS Junior in America. Committed to be a Dawg!

THAT's nothing compared to this HS Senior, Noel Devine....a MUST-SEE video

The Cass Colonels

2006-11-14T18:47:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at the Cass Colonels

2006 Record: 7-3 Overall, 4-3 Sub-region
2006 Opponent's Record: 44-55
Last year's record: 3-7
Colors: Blue & Gold
Head Coach: Rick Casko 4 years 18-22 (Cass 18-22 *doesn't include any Florida stats)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 293
Avg Pts per game: 29.3
Avg Margin of Victory: 18.43
Avg Margin of Defeat: 11
Most Points Scored: 48 (vs. Gordon Central)
Fewest Points Scored: 7 (vs. Villa Rica)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 197
Avg Pts per game: 19.7
Most Points Allowed: 41 (vs. Cartersville)
Fewest Points Allowed: 0 (vs. SE Whitfield)
Misc. Info: 1 Region titles,
Record vs. current 7-AAA teams: 4-4; Gilmer (2-0), Pickens (2-4)

Key Players
Junior RB Richard Samuel; rushed for over 1,000 yds, scored 6 TDs in 1 game.
Scouting Report: Speedy back, can go the distance & run over a defender, already offered by UGA, AU, & UF
Senior QB Ricky Casko;
Scouting Report: accurate passer, smart decision-maker, coach's son
Ok, so there's not much info available as far as stats other than the game scores.

My take on the Colonels: So which team will show up on Friday? Will it be the one that almost beat Cartersville or Carrollton or the one that barely beat an 0-10 Cedartown 26-13. The Colonels have an all-star RB in Samuel who rushed for 250 yds and scored 6 TDs vs. Gordon Central. It seems as if you slow him down then you slow down this offense. It should be a great matchup this Friday at the Brickyard.

Early, Tuesday before the game prediction: North Hall 35, Cass 28
Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up on Tues/Wed: Keys to all the Games
Thursday: Weekly Predictions
Friday: Game time - no action on the blog
Saturday: Game Pics & Videos
Sunday: Game Recaps

Also, basketball season begins this week and we'll have some links previewing the area teams...

The North Hall Trojans

2006-11-14T18:10:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at the North Hall Trojans

2006 Record: 9-1 Overall, 5-0 Sub-region
2006 Opponent's Record: 46-53-1
Last year's record: 6-4
Colors: Green & White
Head Coach: Bob Christmas 10 years 57-49 (Bainbridge 4 yrs 12-29, North Hall 6 yrs 45-20)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 362
Avg Pts per game: 36.2
Avg Margin of Victory: 28
Avg Margin of Defeat: 1
Most Points Scored: 54 (vs. East Hall)
Fewest Points Scored: 17 (vs. Pickens)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 111
Avg Pts per game: 11.1
Most Points Allowed: 29 (vs. Gainesville)
Fewest Points Allowed: 0 (vs. White Co., Lumpkin Co.)
Misc. Info: 2 Region titles, & 1 NFL players (Corey Hulsey)
Record vs. current 7-AAA teams: 0-2; Carrollton (0-1), Cedartown (0-1)

Key Players
#11 Junior QB Fabian Jackson; passed for 493 yds, 6 TDs, rushed for 361 yds & 3 TDs
Scouting Report: Good athlete, avg arm strength, better as a rusher
#31 Junior RB Hunter Wolf; rushed for 948 yds & 14 TDs
Scouting Report: Speedy runner with great vision, likes to cutback
# 3 Senior RB Seth Satterfield; rushed for 305 yds, 4 TDs & caught 9 passes for 157 yds, 2 TDs
Scouting Report: All he does is make plays. Several HUGE runs in key situations
# 39 Senior FB Blake Sosebee; rushed for 400 yds & 4 TDs
Scouting Report: hard-nosed runner, gets the tough yds, 2nd on team in rushing
# 33 Senior LB Walt Booth; 80 tackles, 4 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 INT
Scouting Report: Rangy LB who likes to hit, leads the team in tackles
# 30 Senior LB Tyler Jackson; 68 tackles, 3 TFL
Scouting Report: LB who is all over the place. Buckle your chin-strap b/c this guy will hit ya.
# 85 Senior DB Trey Anderson; 35 tackles & 4 INT
Scouting Report: Under-sized DB but plays with lots of heart, decent hitter and defender

My take on the Trojans: This is probably the most balanced NH team that I can remember. There's not one uber-star but plenty of very good players. I like this NH team b/c they play hard and play with passion (the late hits not withstanding). I believe that they can go deep into the playoffs if their defense keeps playing at the level that they have been playing at. My only concern is that the passing game is only average at best but their running game & defense is excellent.

Early Tuesday before the game prediction: North Hall 35, Cass 28
Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up on Tuesday: Preview of the Cass Colonels

The Sandy Creek Patriots

2006-11-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at the Sandy Creek Patriots

2006 Record: 7-3 Overall, 4-3 Sub-region
2006 Opponent's Record: 47-52
Last year's record: 7-4 Lost to Griffin in the 1st round of the playoffs
Colors: Red, White & Blue
Head Coach: Chip Walker 2 years 13-7 (Sandy Creek 2 yrs 13-7)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 234
Avg Pts per game: 23.4
Avg Margin of Victory: 23.86
Avg Margin of Defeat: 19.67
Most Points Scored: 41 (vs. Cedartown)
Fewest Points Scored: 0 (vs. Cartersville, Carrollton)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 126
Avg Pts per game: 12.6
Most Points Allowed: 31 (vs. Cartersville)
Fewest Points Allowed: 0 (vs. Franklin Co., McIntosh)
Misc. Info: 2 Region titles, & 3 NFL players (Jabari Holloway, J.R. Lemon, Kedric Golston)
Record vs. current 7-AAA teams: 2-0; Pickens (2-0)

Key Players
#8 Senior QB Jake Turing; passed for 1,072 yds, 7 TDs thru 9 games
Scouting Report: Veteran Leader, accurate passer
# 26 Senior RB Bradley Bush; rushed for 445 yds & 7 TDs
Scouting Report: hard worker, leading rusher, part of 3 man rotation at RB
# 25 Senior RB Anthony Brown rushed for 238 yds & 3 TDs
Scouting Report: can do a little bit of everything, tough to bring down
# 20 Junior RB Josh Williams; rushed for 299 yds & 3 TDs
Scouting Report: shown at times to be the No. 1 RB on team, injuries have slowed him down
#12 Sophomore WR Braxton Lane; caught 30 passes for 445 yds & 3 TDs
Scouting Report: leading receiver & can take it to the house
# 14 Junior DB Zack Hilton; tallied 22 tackles and 3 INTs
Scouting Report; Breaks on the ball well, good 1on1 defender
# 44 Senior LB Robert Jaracz; 46 tackles, 1 INT
Scouting Report: Leader on D, always around the ball

My take on the Patriots: Sandy Creek being in the playoffs is nothing new, the class is though. After several years of being in AAAA they are now in AAA and in the playoffs. They haven't had the numbers that some of the other 6-AAA teams have had but they play sound defense and play ok on offense. I don't believe that they have enough athletes to keep up with FB though.

Early, Early, Monday before the game prediction: Flowery Branch 42, Sandy Creek 24
Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up on Tuesday: Preview of the North Hall/Cass matchup.

The Flowery Branch Falcons

2006-11-13T14:28:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at the Flowery Branch Falcons

2006 Record: 9-1 Overall, 4-0 Sub-region
2006 Opponent's Record: 46-53-1
Last year's record: 11-2 lost to Doughtery in the 3rd round of the playoffs
Colors: Black, Red, & White
Head Coach: Lee Shaw 10 years 39-64 (White Co 5 yrs 13-37, Flowery Branch 5 yrs 26-27)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 374
Avg Pts per game: 374
Avg Margin of Victory: 29.44
Avg Margin of Defeat: 3
Most Points Scored: 50 (vs. White Co.)
Fewest Points Scored: 18 (vs. North Hall)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 112
Avg Pts per game: 11.2
Most Points Allowed: 28 (vs. Gainesville)
Fewest Points Allowed: 0 (vs. Gilmer)
Record vs. current 6-AAA teams: 1-0; Central Carroll(1-0)

Key Players
#10 Junior QB Jaybo Shaw; passed for 1,637 yds, 22 TDs & rushed for nearly 1,000 yds, 15 TDs
Scouting Report: Versatile QB, above avg. arm strength, great vision and running ability
# 12 Senior WR Devin Reed; caught 40 passes for 803 yds and 11 TDs
Scouting Report: Big-play receiver, very good hands & good defender as well
# 8 Senior WR Zack Veatch; caught 23 passes for 442 yds and 8 TDs
Scouting Report: Utility receiver, makes the tough catches, good hands
#14 Freshman WR/QB Conner Shaw; caught 23 passes for 415 yds & 5 TDs
Scouting Report: Very good route runner, also the backup QB
#31 Senior LB Josh Wilson; 62 tackles, 10 TFL, 1 Fum Rec, 1 INT for a TD
Scouting Report: leads the defense in tackles, the leader on D, always around the ball
#77 Senior DT McKenzey Opio; 47 tackles, 11 TFL
Scouting Report; Big body, big frame, a space eater at DT & very good OL as well
#57 Senior DE Chris Earls; 47 tackles, 15 TFL, 2 Fum Rec, 1 TD
Scouting Report: Big motor guy, loves to pound opposing RBs & QBs

My take on the Falcons: This team will go as far as their QB leads them. The offense goes as Jaybo goes. The offense has become very balanced and can run or pass if needed. Jaybo rarely makes bad passes and has a multitude of weapons on offense around him. The defense will bend but rarely breaks as they have given up some yards but very few points. They play man-to-man on the outside and for good reason b/c they have some of the best DBs in the region. I believe the bracket sets up nicely for them and they will make a run at playing in the Dome. Although it will take a special effort in all areas for this team to take home the title.

Early, Early, Monday before the game prediction: Flowery Branch 42, Sandy Creek 24
Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up on Monday: Preview of the Sandy Creek Patriots

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The Carrollton Trojans

2006-11-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at the Carrollton Trojans

2006 Record: 9-1 Overall, 6-1 Sub-region
2006 Opponent's Record: 51-49
Last year's record: 10-1 lost to ML King in 1st round of the playoffs
Colors: Black & Gold
Head Coach: Rayvan Teague 17 years 142-52-1 (LaFayette 4 yrs 26-16-1, Swainsboro 8 yrs 67-26, Carrollton 5 yrs 49-10)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 326
Avg Pts per game: 32.6
Avg Margin of Victory: 22.67
Avg Margin of Defeat: 4
Most Points Scored: 49 (vs. Cedartown)
Fewest Points Scored: 17 (vs. Newnan, Sandy Creek)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 126
Avg Pts per game: 12.6
Most Points Allowed: 41 (vs. Cartersville)
Fewest Points Allowed: 0 (vs. Sandy Creek, Cedartown, Haralson Co.)
Misc. Info: 7 State Titles, 26 Region titles, & 3 NFL players (Darnell Powell, Jamie Henderson, Reggie Brown)
Record vs. current 7-AAA teams: 7-0; Gainesville (1-0), Gilmer (3-0), North Hall (1-0), Pickens (1-0), West Hall (1-0)

Key Players
#13 Senior QB Drew Folkes; passed for 504 yds, 4 TDs thru 7 games
Scouting Report: Veteran Leader, very smart decision maker, doesn't make many mistakes
# 56 Junior DL Nick Craig
Scouting Report: Big motor guy, thru 7 games had 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks
# 4 Senior WR/DB Jarrad Tarrant
Scouting Report: Georgia Tech commit who is explosive and makes big plays
# 8 Junior RB Courtney Mabry
Scouting Report: Talented wingback who leads the team in rushing
#16 Senior LB Rashad Brisky
Scouting Report: leads the defense in tackles, the leader on D

My take on the Trojans: Just like Cartersville they have everything going for them: a great coach, great tradition, and speed. But they did lose some confidence after losing to Cartersville. They still have a legitimate shot at winning the AAA title even though they didn't win the region. They certainly have history and tradition on their side.

Early, Early, Sunday before the game prediction: Gainesville 35, Carrollton 34
Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up on Monday: Preview of the Flowery Branch/Sandy Creek matchup.

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The Gainesville Red Elephants

2006-11-12T12:29:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at Gainesville Red Elephants

2006 Record: 8-2 Overall, 2-2 Sub-region
2006 Opponent's Record: 46-53-1
Last year's record: 11-2 lost to LaGrange in 3rd round
Colors: Red & White
Head Coach: Bruce Miller, 19 yrs (119-90) - Cass 9 yrs (32-58), North Forsyth 5 yrs (36-22), Gainesville 5 yrs (51-10)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 403
Avg Pts per game: 40.3
Avg Margin of Victory: 25.63
Avg Margin of Defeat: 4.5
Most Points Scored: 63 (vs. Chestatee)
Fewest Points Scored: 28 (vs. Gilmer, Flowery Branch)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 207
Avg Pts per game: 20.7
Most Points Allowed: 35 (vs. Flowery Branch)
Fewest Points Allowed: 6 (vs. Chestatee)
Misc. Info: 1 State Titles, 23 Region titles, & 3 NFL players (Preston Ridlehuber, Billy Martin, Billy Lothridge)
Record vs. current 6-AAA teams: 1-3; Carrollton (0-1), Cedartown (0-1), Villa Rica (1-1)

Key Players
#13 Junior QB Justin Fordham; passed for 1,381 yds, 17 TDs
Scouting Report: Above avg arm strength, can run if needed, good leader on the field
#75 Senior OL Nick Claytor
Scouting Report: 6-7, 320; Georgia Tech commit, very good run-blocker
#34 Junior RB Kendrick Harris; rushed for 840 yds, 11 TDs
Scouting Report: Small in stature but very tough to bring down
# 5 Junior WR Tyler Adetona
Scouting Report: Game-breaker, very good speed and good hands.
#43 Senior LB Tipton Sholes
Scouting Report: Leader on defense with plenty of playoff experience
#41 Senior LB Danny Luong
Scouting Report: Both Senior LB have a nose for the ball and will make plays

My take on the Red Elephants: It's hard to believe that they needed a Pickens win over Johnson to even get in the playoffs but now that they are in I believe they can do some damage as a # 3 seed. Being a #3 seed means that they'll have to go on the road in the 1st round but that shouldn't be a problem for an offense averaging 40 points a game. If the defense can make some stops and create some turnovers then Gainesville can go deep in the playoffs. In their 2 losses, the defense wasn't able to stop the pass so if you have a few good receivers you can dink and dunk your way to a win. My belief is that Gainesville has a chance to end up going further in the playoffs than any other 7-AAA team. It probably won't happen that way but as I mentioned earlier Gainesville is very dangerous as a # 3 seed.

Early, Early, Sunday before the game prediction: Gainesville 35, Carrollton 34
Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up on Sunday: Preview of the Carrollton Trojans.

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes

2006-11-11T22:53:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at Cartersville Purple Hurricanes

2006 Record: 9-1 Overall, 7-0 Sub-region
2006 Opponent's Record: 54-48
Last year's record: 9-3 lost to Stephens Co in 2nd round of the playoffs
Colors: Purple & Gold
Head Coach: Frank Barden 13 years 104-48 (Pickens 2 yrs 6-14, Cartersville 11 yrs 98-34)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 372
Avg Pts per game: 37.2
Avg Margin of Victory: 20.33
Avg Margin of Defeat: 3
Most Points Scored: 51 (vs. Woodland)
Fewest Points Scored: 24 (vs. Rome)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 192
Avg Pts per game: 19.2
Most Points Allowed: 37 (vs. Carrollton)
Fewest Points Allowed: 0 (vs. Sandy Creek, Cedartown)
Misc. Info: 2 State Titles, 11 Region titles, & 3 NFL players (Keith Henderson, Robert Lavette, Ronnie Brown
Record vs. current 7-AAA teams: 45-2; Gilmer (15-1), Johnson (1-0), Lumpkin (8-0), Pickens (14-0), White Co (7-1)

Key Players
#14 Senior QB Lyle Allen; passed for 1,469 yds, 18 TDs
Scouting Report: 6-4, 200; Baseball star has an excellent arm and tremendous leadship skills
#75 Senior OL Joseph Gilbert
Scouting Report: 6-5, 280; Georgia Tech commit, leads the big OL in a very balanced offense
#32 Sophomore RB Donavan Tate
Scouting Report: Son of UGA great Lars Tate, speedy, excellent burst, good receiver with 8 TDs
# 17 Sophomore RB Morgan Alexander
Scouting Report: Shredded Villa Rica for 245 yds, tough runner, hard to bring down

My take on the Hurricanes: They have everything going for them: a great coach, great tradition, speedy athletes, and confidence after beating former # 1 Carrollton. In that game, Allen led the offense on a 99 yard TD drive with 1:30 left in the game for a 41-37 win. They lost 24 seniors from last year's team but it appears that they have re-loaded and will be tough to beat especially at home. There appears to be no weakness for Cartersville and they are one of the few teams that has a legitimate shot at winning the AAA title.

Early, Early, Saturday before the game prediction: Cartersville 42, Chestatee 6
Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up on Sunday: Preview of the rest of the 6-AAA vs 7-AAA playoff matchups.

The Chestatee War Eagles

2006-11-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

An in-depth look at the Chestatee War Eagles

2006 Record: 7-3 Overall, 4-1 Sub-region

2006 Opponent's Record: 43-51-1
Last year's record: 6-5, lost to Stephens Co in 1st round of the playoffs
Colors: Black, Maroon, & Silver
Head Coach: Stan Lutrell 3 total seasons 11-19, Union Co 2 years (4-16), CHS 1st yr (7-3)

Offensive Stats:
Total Points Scored: 196
Avg Pts per game: 19.6
Avg Margin of Victory: 16.43
Avg Margin of Defeat: 37.67
Most Points Scored: 35 (vs Lumpkin)
Fewest Points Scored: 6 (vs Gainesville & North Hall)
Defensive Stats:
Total Points Allowed: 194
Avg Pts per game: 19.4
Most Points Allowed: 63 (vs Gainesville)
Fewest Points Allowed: 0 (vs Lumpkin)
Misc. Info: This will be Chestatee's 1st game against the current 6-AAA teams.

Key Players
# 5 Sophomore QB Ethan Souther

Scouting Report: Gutsy, undersized, excellent job leading team as Soph. Average arm strength
# 2 Junior FB JoJo Sweet

Scouting Report: Tough runner b/w the tackles, gets the tough yards
# 33 Senior RB Will Fuller

Scouting Report: Shifty back that can take it to the house, not very big
# 45 Senior TE/DE Lane Vasser

Scouting Report: Unquestioned leader of team, the more he touches the ball the better. May go to UGA.
# 44 Sophomore LB Chase Vasser

Scouting Report: Hard-nosed kid that finds the ball very well, very good football speed
# 84 Senior WR/DB Alan Hammond

Scouting Report: The go-to WR, continually makes big-plays and gets open

My take on the Eagles: Coach Lutrell has done an outstanding job in getting to the playoffs in his 1st year. They are playing with heart and they may not come out on top every week but they will play hard and play with passion. Chestatee's option offense likes to control the ball as evidenced by their 18 play 10 minute drive to open the 2nd half vs North Hall. The defense has really found their groove and will hit you hard. They are vulnerable to the big play so if you've got the athletes then you've got a chance for some big plays and big yards.

Early, Early, Saturday before the game prediction: Cartersville 42, Chestatee 6

Check back on Thursday for the actual Game prediction.

Coming up next: Preview of the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes

Region 7-AAA Playoff Matchups

2006-11-11T17:59:00.000-05:00

North Hall dominated to win the region, Flowery Branch rested their starters for the playoffs, Gainesville sweated their way in with a little help from Pickens, and Chestatee worked their way in with steady play. Now begins the real season as 32 teams seek out the one thing they've worked so hard for....to be called STATE CHAMPIONS!

1st Round pairings
Cass Colonels (7-3, 4-3) at North Hall Trojans (9-1, 5-0)
Sandy Creek Patriots (7-3, 4-3) at Flowery Branch Falcons (9-1, 4-0)
Gainesville Red Elephants (8-2, 2-2) at Carrollton Trojans (9-1, 6-1)
Chestatee War Eagles (7-3, 4-1) at Cartersville Purple Hurricanes (9-1, 7-0)

Over the next few days we'll break down the matchups and the teams...keep checking back for all the scoop...THE only source for Hall Co Football!

Game Videos - North Hall vs Chestatee

2006-11-11T12:12:00.000-05:00

Here's 1st qtr action between North Hall and Chestatee....

North Hall scores their 1st TD vs Chestatee to go up 7-0 en route to a victory....

Chestatee scores their only TD of the game to close within 1 pt of North Hall 7-6....

North Hall Game Pics vs. Chestatee - 11-10-06

2006-11-11T11:57:00.000-05:00

Senior Night as NH preps to run thru the banner...

Seth Satterfield with his parents on Senior Night festivities...

Tyler Jackson on Senior Night festivities...

The NH Seniors lined up during pre-game festivities..

NH during pre-game...

NH Senior Drayton Pressler on Senior Night festivities...

Videos of Game action will be posted soon....

Chestatee Game Pics vs. North Hall - 11-10-2006

2006-11-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

Ethan Souther warming up before the big game...

Souther and the offense in pre-game action...

Chestatee fans came in bunches and filled the bleachers early...

7-AAA Game Recaps

2006-11-11T10:48:00.000-05:00

East Hall - 29, Gilmer - 20
What Happened: It was all Walter Hill on this night as EH came to play and evened their record at 5-5. Hill had 236 yds rushing and 172 yds passing in a dominating performance on Senior Night. EH scored all of their points in 1st half and held Gilmer to only 6 pts in the 2nd half. EH will lose several key players including Hill and all-area lineman Korentheus Bailey so they will have to find some youngsters to step up next year. Look for our season recap of every 7-AAA team to come in a few weeks...
Player of the Game: UGA football commitment Walter Hill
What lies ahead: Basketball season for both teams.

Flowery Branch - 34, West Hall - 20
What Happened: The offense was lights out(literally) in the 1st qtr as they put up 27 pts and added a quick score early in the 2nd qtr for a 34-0 lead. The lights at the Branch went out late in the 2nd qtr and the teams went to an early halftime as a result. After the lights came back on, WH played some good football even though it was against the 2nd and 3rd string of FB. Coach Shaw played the starters for the 1st qtr and the young guys played the rest of the way. Jaybo looked awesome while in the game and finished 7-8, 205 yds, 3 tds passing and 1 td rushing before giving way to Conner Shaw for the remainder of the game. This was a great tune-up as FB will host Sandy Creek next week at the Branch.
Player of the Game: Jaybo Shaw
What lies ahead: FB hosts Sandy Creek from 6-AAA. WH will get ready for basketball.

White Co - 13, Lumpkin - 10
What happened: Senior Quint Moss returned a punt 65 yds for a TD and RB Jesse Brown added a 2nd half score to hold on to a tight win vs a young Lumpkin squad that was looking for its first win of the year. WC got their 2nd win in a row thanks to their Seniors. They'll have to re-load as they lose several key players on offense and defense. Lumpkin will try to get back in the win column next year as they went 0-10.
Player of the Game: White Co. Seniors
What lies ahead: Basketball season for both teams

Pickens - 17, Johnson - 7
What happened: Johnson came into this game looking to win and make the playoffs but they left Dragon stadium without that elusive win. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the 1st half, however Pickens would tie the game up before halftime on a Senior QB Jamie Chesire 4 yd run. In the 2nd half, Pickens would add 10 more points to seal the victory and the Pickens defense would shut down the Knights as the season now ends for both teams. In the end, the Knights had 9 penalties, 4 punts, 1 INT, and only 28 yds rushing which would be too much to overcome on this night for JHS.
Player of the Game: Pickens Seniors as they left the field as winners on what will be the last football game ever for some.
What lies ahead: Basketball season.

Kenny and I will try to give our season recap of every team in a few weeks and a possible look ahead to next year. We'll also be moving on to basketball season in a few weeks so keep stopping by!

Coming up: Playoff look-ahead, Recap of the Game of the week along with our pics and videos.

Weekly Predictions - Nov 10th

2006-11-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

Another great week of football is lined up for this weekend. Should be a good weekend to stock up on Doritos and Root Beer...now onto the picks

Daniel - Overall 24-21
High School
East Hall over Gilmer
Flowery Branch over West Hall
White Co. over Lumpkin
Johnson over Pickens
Game of the Week - North Hall over Chestatee
College
Georgia Tech over North Carolina
Auburn over Georgia (It hurt me to make this pick)
Florida over South Carolina
Arkansas over Tennessee
LSU over Alabama
Wake Forest over Florida State
NFL
Atlanta over Cleveland
Philly over Washington
San Diego over Cincinnati
Pittsburgh over New Orleans
NY Giants over Chicago
Carolina over Tampa Bay

Kenny - 26-19
High School
Gilmer over East Hall
Flowery Branch over West Hall
White Co. over Lumpkin
Johnson over Pickens
Game of the Week - North Hall over Chestatee (will be close though)
College
Georgia Tech over North Carolina
Auburn over Georgia
Florida over South Carolina
Arkansas over Tennessee
LSU over Alabama
Wake Forest over Florida State
NFL
Atlanta over Cleveland
Washington over Philly
Cincinnati over San Diego
New Orleans over Pittsburgh
Chicago over NY Giants
Carolina over Tampa Bay

Think U can do better than us? Post a comment with your picks and we'll just find out....

Weekly Predictions revisted...

2006-11-08T20:42:00.000-05:00

Daniel
HS 6-2 (NH, GHS, CHS, Stephens, Sandy Creek, FB)
College 4-2 (Louisville, VT, GT, WF)
NFL 2-3 (NO, Indy)
This week: 12-7
Previously 12-14, Now 24-21

Kenny
HS 5-3 (NH, GHS, CHS, Stephens, FB)
College 2-4 (VT, GT)
NFL 1-4 (NO)
This week: 8-11
Previously 18-8, Now 26-19

So a much better week for Daniel and he only trails Kenny by 2 games...If you think you can do better, then on the Weekly Prediction blog you can see how you would do by posting a comment with your picks and I'll keep a tally of how everyone is doing.

Have a thought or suggestion, then email us at hallcosports@yahoo.com

7-AAA Game Previews Nov 10

2006-11-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

Gilmer at East Hall
Series History: EH leads 13-2.
Looking Back: The only wins by Gilmer in this series were in 1971 and 1969 and since that time EH has won 11 in a row. This has been a one-sided affair in the favor of the Vikings. The last meeting was in 2003 in which EH won 32-14.
Why should I go? If you want 1 more chance to see Walter Hill play football before he takes the field next year in Athens then this will be a good game to go 2. Gilmer is a scrappy team and if EH doesn't show up to play then the EH fans will leave Senior Night sad. It should come down to who can run the ball and stop the run on defense.

West Hall at Flowery Branch
Series History: Series is tied at 2 games a piece
Looking Back: Flowery Branch won their 1st game in the school history by defeating WH 20-19 on 9-19-2003. This series has gone back and forth with one team winning in alternate years. Last year, FB won 28-0
Why should I go? This should be an ok game to attend as former FB coach, now defensive coordinator for WH, Mike Newton returns to the Branch to face a high-powered offense. Look for FB to run the ball against a very bad defense and if they need to, they might even pass. My guess is that Christian Earls will have a huge night as FB preps for the 1st round of the playoffs. WH will look to run the ball(as they always do) and try and play with that same fight and spirit that they did against Johnson. If they can create some turnovers on defense then they just might have a chance for a upset win.

Lumpkin at White Co
Series History: White Co. leads 27-10-1
Looking Back: White Co dominated this series for the longest time until the mid-90’s as Lumpkin has won 5 of the last 8 meetings. These teams last met in 2001 with Lumpkin winning 49-21 in Dahlonega.
Why should I go? WC will look to build some momentum for 2007 and LC will look to just get in the win column. On Senior night, it should be an ok match-up between 2 mediocre teams. WC should be able to put this one away early but ya’ never know.

Johnson at Pickens
Series History: Series is tied at 3-3
Looking Back: These 2 teams have met in each of the last 6 years and they’ve split the games, but Pickens has won the last 2 in this match-up by a score of 28-0 and 26-3.
Why should I go? This game will set-up who is going to the play-offs from Region 7-AAA. If Johnson wins, they are in the playoffs (with a little help). Lose and they will be sitting at home while Gainesville is in the playoffs. This game will also feature 2 great running attacks. Pickens has had a week off to heal up and rest up and they should come out on fire. Johnson had a tough game vs. FB and they will have to travel up to Jasper to take on a good Dragons team. Johnson will have to take care of the ball and not make silly mistakes that doomed them vs. FB. It should be worth the trip over the mountains if you get a chance to go.

Our game of the week this week is North Hall vs. Chestatee. Kenny should be breaking down that game here shortly. Look for our predictions sometime tomorrow...

7-AAA Game Recaps - Nov 3rd

2006-11-08T20:22:00.000-05:00

North Hall – 54, East Hall – 3
What Happened: The NH offense once again rolled up big yards and points in a dominating win over the Vikings. NH is now just one win away from clinching the Region championship. With the win over EH, they did clinch a playoff berth, but the seeding is still up in the air. The stats are just unbelievable for this NH team. The Times had a good article on this. Dare I say that this is the best NH team ever? Well, I think only time will tell. The competition has certainly not been that great over the past few weeks. However, it still says something for Coach Christmas and his staff for this NH team to come out and put on such an incredible offensive performance as they did on Friday. I thought this might have been a closer game...maybe Micah can give us his views from on the game since he was there.
What lies ahead: NH will try and lock up the Region championship and the # 1 seed in the playoffs on Friday at home against rival Chestatee. EH will wrap up their season at home against the Gilmer Bobcats with a chance to even their record.

Gainesville – 56, West Hall – 7
What Happened: Only if this Gainesville team had shown up the previous week then we might be talking for certain about the Red Elephants making the playoffs. Instead, GHS has to hope for Johnson to lose so they’ll be in. The offense continued it’s excellent work in piling up points. WH had 79 plays on offense and GHS only 29 but in those 29 plays were some huge game-changing plays. Kendrick Harris, Justin Fordham, and Tyler Adetona led the offense as they scored 35 1st half points en route to a blowout win.
What lies ahead: For GHS, you’re pulling for a Pickens win which will send them to the playoffs but they will have to travel in the 1st round if they do make it. For West Hall, they will look to build some momentum for next year as they travel up the road to take on Flowery Branch

White Co – 36, Gilmer – 29
What happened: Who cares? Am I right? Of course, if you’re a Warrior or Bobcat fan, you just might. This was a game between two bottom feeders that I suppose turned out to be a good game if you happened to be one of the lucky ones in attendance. Not much to report on from this game as neither the Times nor Accessnorthga.com gave a recap of this game.
What lies ahead: White Co will look to finish the season with a 2 game winning streak when they take on Lumpkin on Senior Night in Cleveland. While, Gilmer will be on the road to take on Walter Hill and East Hall on Friday.

Chestatee – 35, Lumpkin – 0
What Happened: The Chestatee defense showed up and shut down the Indian offense. Of course, the JV probably could have shut down the power-less Indian offense. LC has scored only 24 points in the last 4 games so Chestatee did what they had to do to set-up the monumental showdown with NH this Friday.
What lies ahead: The Chestatee/NH game will decide not only the ‘A’ sub-region but it will determine the seedings for the playoffs as well. It should be an exciting atmosphere in the Brickyard come Friday.

So this is really late but i'm having major computer issues....hopefully i'll make it thru a few more posts...Don't buy a Dell, ever!

R.I.P Georgia Bulldogs

2006-11-04T17:03:00.000-05:00

REST IN PEACE GEORGIA!!

Last Sunday I wore a red shirt in memory of the Georgia Bulldogs season because they are dying. After playing a bunch of very weak teams in the beginning like Western Kentucky, South Carolina, UAB, Colorado and Mississippi all the dawg fans thought that we are going to have a great year this year.Georgia had sights of a national championship after starting 5-0 until they started playing the likes of Tennessee, Vandy, Florida and even Kentucky. Now all i hear is that Georgia is in a rebuliding year. Whatever is all i have to say to that. The only win they have had in the last 5 games has been against a lowly Mississippi State team and they barely beat them 27-24. It is just an excuse because dawg fans just don't want to realize that they are not having a great year and face reality. Yes you may lose some games somtimes, you can't go undefeated or lose 1 game every year. They still have to play #6 Auburn and an improved #20 Georgia Tech team. I thought the defense was supposed to be the strength of this team, that's all i've heard. Even Milner played a good game today by learning to catch the ball and Georgia even had a chance to win. The Bulldogs just don't have that big time player to take over a game. I know some Georgia fans who are not even watching their beloved Bulldogs because they have been losing. That's not a fan to me. You watch your team when they are winning or losing. No doubt Mark Richt is a great coach and i like him very much because of his beliefs and the heart for his players, but there is only so much he can do for this team. The players have to step up and make plays and they are just not doing that. Better luck next year 'Dawgs!!

Game of the Week Recap!!

2006-11-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

Another upset......................?
This game had alot riding on it, if you are Johnson. They had to win this game or next week to knock the mighty Gainesville Elephants out of the playoffs. Even though it was a clear and cold night in The Dungeon at Johnson and the emotions running high for the Knights, Flowery Branch proved once again why they are one of the best overall teams in the state. Johnson came out with a bang and getting off to an early 7-0 lead in the 1st quarter and i thought that we might be seeing another huge upset, but like the Flowery Branch students chanted in the 2nd half clearly stated "We're not Gainesville" proved to be right. Here's a breakdown of this Friday's game.

Johnson Knights

1.) #34 Seth Evans was physically tired after the game. He ran for about 65 yds this game and he earned everyone of them. He did all he could for this Johnson team, but it just wasn't enough.

2.) I had said in the preview that i believed that the Knights needed to make some big plays on special teams to make a difference, well they did, just not what they wanted. Johnson had 1 blocked punt, 1 bad snap on a punt, 1 fumbled kickoff that gave Flowery Branch the momentum for the rest of the game. Just like Coach Friel said in the gainesville times: "We were just making mistakes that you can't make against a good team," Friel said. " There were times when we could stop them, but then we miss tackles in the backfield. Then we made mistakes offensively, and you can't beat good teams that way"

3.) Johnson's defensive really impressed me with their aggresive play. They were playing a 3-4 defense which is primarily used for the pass and that is something you don't see in high school. They put pressure on Jaybo Shaw all night trying to frustrate the Falcon QB. Their defense just was on the field too much because the Johnson offensive could'nt really do much.

Player of the Game: #34 Seth Evans

Flowery Branch

1.) QB #10 Jaybo Shaw proved once again his leadership on this team. The Johnson defense was doing there best to disrupt the rythmn of this potent offense, but it only lasted about 1 and half quarters in the 1st half. The Falcons were held to a mere 9 yards on 6 plays in the 1st quarter. After a fumbled kickoff by #34 Seth Evans, Jaybo took charge and never looked back as the Falcons scored 28 unanswered points.

2.) Smash mouth Football!! Flowery Branch didn't pass the ball as much as they would have liked considering Johnson was playing the pass with a 3-4 defense so they decided to put on the chinstraps and just run it down Johnson's throat. Jaybo Shaw had 81 yds rushing (121 passing),
#46 RB Christian Earls had about 101 yds and #9 Matt Smith along with #12 Devin Reed also racked up some yards while the Falcons were running the option. They finished with 323 total yards, 202 on the ground with 42 carries.

3.)The Falcon defense played huge, stopping Johnson's momentum on several 3rd and 4th down plays. Flowery Branch was lead by # 77 DL McKenzy Opio and #20 LB Steel Todd who made several open tackles against #34 Seth Evans and when Johnson tried to throw the ball down the field once they realized that it was desperation time.

Player of the Game: The Falcon Rushing attack, even later on they opened up the field a little, was so dominant. The Falcons had 323 total yards (202 yds on the ground with 43 carries)

pics and stats: www.gainesvilletimes.com

Pics from Johnson vs.Flowery Branch

2006-11-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

Senior Night @ Johnson

Predictions for Nov. 3rd

2006-11-02T14:07:00.000-05:00

Daniel's Predictions (Overall 12-14)
High School
North Hall over East Hall
Gainesville over West Hall
Gilmer over White Co.
Chestatee over Lumpkin
Stephens over Hart
Carrollton over Cartersville
Sandy Creek over Cass
Game of the Week - Flowery Branch over Johnson
College
Louisville over West Virginia
Virginia Tech over Miami
Georgia Tech over NC State
Georgia over Kentucky
Wake Forest over Boston College
Tennessee over LSU
NFL
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Atlanta over Detroit
Cincinnati over Baltimore
Indy over New England
Oakland over Seattle

Kenny's predictions (Overall 18-8)
High School
North Hall over East Hall
Gainesville over West Hall
Gilmer over White Co.
Chestatee over Lumpkin
Stephens over Hart
Carrollton over Cartersville
Cass over Sandy Creek
Game of the Week - Flowery Branch over Johnson (closer than the experts think)
College
West Virginia over Louisville
Virginia Tech over Miami
Georgia Tech over NC State
Georgia over Kentucky
Boston College over Wake Forest
Tennessee over LSU
NFL
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Atlanta over Detroit
Cincinnati over Baltimore
New England over Indy
Oakland over Seattle

So those are our picks, let us know how you would pick, either post a comment or email us at hallcosports@yahoo.com

Daily Links

2006-11-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

It's a great Thursday and Friday is looking even better especially for some High School football. Here are some links that you might like:

More on Walter Hill committing to UGA in football
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=rivals-63091&prov=rivals&type=story_recruiting

Flowery Branch climbs back into the AP rankings
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/hfullstory.asp?ID=108435

Coach Chuck Clausen gives his power rankings for Hall Co. football
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20061102/localsports/134862.shtml

Flowery Branch Black Swarm 'D' article
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20061101/localsports/134564.shtml

Under-rated EH star, Korentheus Bailey article
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20061031/localsports/134458.shtml

Commentary on the Johnson upset of Gainesville
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20061030/localsports/134339.shtml

6-AAA preview of Cass vs. Sandy Creek
http://www.daily-tribune.com/NF/omf/daily_tribune/sports_story.html?[rkey=0040177+[cr=

That's all for now....predictions coming soon...

Predictions Revisited...

2006-10-31T21:11:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-31T19:51:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-29T11:53:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

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!!

2006-10-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

A foggy nite at Chestatee!!

Homecoming at Chestatee!!

The War Eagle Walk!!!!

Gilmer and Chestatee, The Game of the Week!!

2006-10-28T13:54:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-27T22:59:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-26T20:06:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-10-26T19:42:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-24T20:41:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-24T19:38:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-23T19:30:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-10-23T16:36:00.000-04:00

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....

2006-10-23T16:20:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-21T18:28:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-21T17:06:00.000-04:00

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!!

2006-10-21T15:01:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-21T13:52:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-10-21T09:45:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-19T20:14:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-19T19:30:00.000-04:00

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!!

2006-10-17T21:24:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-16T20:57:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-16T20:35:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-16T20:18:00.000-04:00

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...

2006-10-15T20:28:00.000-04:00

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...

Big Man on Campus for Oct 13th

2006-10-14T23:15:00.000-04:00

Big Man On Campus - Jaybo Shaw #10
The Junior QB directed the FB offense to 433 yds of total offense. Of those yds, Jaybo accounted for 122 yds on the ground and 249 yds in the air with 2 TDs. This game looked like it was Gainesville's for the taking early on as they were up 14-0 at one point. FB rallied behind Jaybo's methodical and precise passing. He was on target with most of his passes and made the game-clinching throw as FB came out of a timeout with Trips right (3 WR to the right) and Gainesville's defense failed to cover Devin Reed and he took the perfectly thrown pass down the field that would eventually close the game out. Jaybo's done an outstanding job all year putting the offense in a position to be successfull. He's grown up so much in coming from a ball-boy when I was playing to directing a high-powered offense. This team will go as far as Jaybo leads them and I for one believe that it will be deep into the playoffs.
Kudos to also go to Coach Shaw, a man who I have a tremendous amount of respect for. I played for Coach Shaw and worked with him for several years as a coach. He always does an excellent job at preparing his teams to play hard and to play with HEARTspeed.

Honorable mention-
Kendrick Harris - Tough runner between the tackles and finished with 127 yds on 22 carries
Daniel Drummond - rushed 189 yds on 34 carries. A bright spot for WH
NH's defense - Great debate as to which defense is better, NH or FB. They are both really good and I'm not sure if NH's is just a little bit better.
Jo Jo Sweet - stepped in for Lane Vasser and rushed for 127 yds on 21 attempts
FB fans - They were into the game all night and made for an exciting atmosphere at Falcon Field.

More coming on the Walter Hill story tomorrow along with pics from the big game. This will probably be posted late tomorrow as I've got some commitments during the day. Check back tomorrow night...

7-AAA Game Recaps

2006-10-14T22:33:00.000-04:00

Chestatee -22, East Hall - 14
What happened - Chestatee won this game on the ground. As a team they rushed for 267 yds on 41 carries. Jo Jo Sweet ran the ball 21 times for 127 yds and 2 tds. EH couldn't establish the ground game as they did last week and the recievers didn't help Walter Hill out. Chestatee's defense stepped up to the challenge and was able to stop the speedy EH offense.
Who made a difference in the game - Chestatee Running Backs.
Early in the game, Star running back, Lane Vasser got hurt and Jo Jo Sweet stepped up and made plays and so did QB Ethan Souther. To close the game out, though, Vasser returned and took an option pitch 58 yds to paydirt to seal the game.
What lies ahead - War Eagles will look to win their 2nd in a row against a very bad White Co. team. The Vikings will travel to Dahlonega to take on Lumpkin Co.

Gilmer - 40, Lumpkin - 17
What happened - The Gilmer triple option attack was hitting on all cylinders against the hapless Indian defense. They tallied 288 yds rushing and 88 yds thru the air for a total of 376 yds and a big win on the road.
Who made a difference in the game - Rodney Berry and Ethan Watkins scored two tds on the ground to spark a very good ground game.
What lies ahead - Gilmer plays their biggest game in a while when they play host to a very,very,very,very good North Hall team. Lumpkin will try get in the win column against East Hall at home.

White Co - 0, North Hall - 50
What happened - This one was over before it even started. WC turned the ball over 6 times which NH turned into 29 pts. NH again controlled the ball by rushing 51 times for 338 yds. Kudos to WC for making Kenny and I look like fools. I'm embarrased as an alumni of such a pitiful effort especially after a bye week. I will not pick against NH for the rest of the regular season. They are just too good and showed it on Friday night.
Who made a difference in the game - The NH defense
They forced WC into 6 turnovers which as mentioned above was turned into lots of points. They also held WC's offense to 190 total yds and only 56 yds rushing.
What lies ahead - A very bad WC team, which has allowed half a hundred 4 times this year will try to rebound at home against Chestatee. North Hall will hit the road and travel up to Ellijay to take on a decent Gilmer team

Pickens - 35, West Hall - 7
What happened - If you like lots of rushing yards and attempts then this was the game to go to. Only 14 passes were attempted and by comparision, Jaybo Shaw for FB completed 14 passes. The ground game was won by Pickens as they ran for 260 yds, 144 coming from Senior Kevin Kinsey. WH did have an effective game on the ground as they rushed for 236 yds but couldn't punch the ball in the endzone.
Who made a difference in the game - RB, George Weaver
This playmaker finished with 45 yds rushing but 2 tds and caught a TD pass.
What lies ahead - Pickens will take on Gainesville in a HUGE matchup that will go a long way in determining who gets the 2nd seed in the South sub-region. West Hall will play host to Johnson in the Battle of Oakwood.

My thoughts on the GHS/FB game....
This was very hard fought game that came down to a defensive stand with FB holding off the stout GHS offense at the 4 yd line with about 2:30 minutes to go in the game. Jaybo was the difference in the game as he showed his leadership, talent, and heartspeed as he led the comeback and eventually made enough plays to pull out the win. It was an exciting atmosphere, as always, at the Branch. It was a standing room only crowd as they saw the biggest win in school history for FB. I'll have some pics downloaded tomorrow and I'll hand out our BMOC for Oct 13th here in a few...thx for stopping by and let us know your comments.

Stats are courtesy of Gainesville Times.

Pics for the Game of the Week

2006-10-14T01:43:00.000-04:00

Gainesville Marching Band(top) Flowery Branch Marching Band (bottom)

Pic of Flowery Branch fans after
beating Gainesville 35-28

More celebration by fans and players!!

1st play of 2nd quarter!!!

Look for more pics from Daniel!!!!

Big Game of the Week FB vs.Gainesville

2006-10-13T23:25:00.000-04:00

The Battle at the Branch

Wow, i say wow, that was all i could say after this game. This was one for the ages, folks. The undefeated powerhouse of Gainesville versus the up and coming Flowery Branch Falcons. If you were not at this game it was your loss. It had to be one of the best played high school games i have ever seen. This game was back and forth, but with 7 minutes left to go in the 4th quarter, Zach Veatch caught a 19 yard touchdown pass that turned out to be the game winner. Finally for the first time in school history, Flowery Branch has knocked off Gainesville 35-28 in the 1st game of the subregion. This had to be the biggest win in their five years of existence!! Here is what Coach Lee Shaw had to say to the Gainesville Times: "The entire team responded tonight and finished the drill, this is really a remarkable feat for our program"

Kenny's Key's
Flowery Branch

1.) Shawshank Redemption:
Jaybo Shaw showed no signs of slowing down and he did lead this team up and down the field. The Falcons definitely got some redemption and showed alot of heart and courage. I believe that this was one of his best overall games of the season, not only stats but just the will to win.

2.)Flowery Branch mixed up the plays beautifully and stayed patient. They kept Gainesville on their heels especially in the 2nd half. The Falcons were able to stretch the field with the pass and were able to run the ball. Jaybo Shaw had 249 passing yds (2tds) to 5 different receivers plus 122 rushing yards (1td)

3.)The Flowery Branch defense at times couldn't stop the running game of Gainesville, but they made some game changing plays, especially on a couple of 4th down and short plays. The Falcon defense stepped up to the challenge and lived up to their name as the most dominant defense in the region.

Kenny's Keys
Gainesville

1.) The Falcons held QB Justin Fordham to 9-18 passing for 104 yds 1 passing td, 1 rush td and
1 interception. He was not very effective at all.
Note: Gainesville also had 5 fumbles, but only lost one of them.

2.) Tyler Adetona had 4 catches 68 yds. and 1 td. Javohn Hutchins had 1 interception return for a touchdown. The only sparkplug for Gainesville on Friday, Kendrick Harris, had 22 carries
127 yards 1 td. Flowery Branch, at times, had a hard time stopping this elusive back.

3.) Gainesville, simply could not stop the balance attack, especially in the 2nd half. The Gainesville secondary were torched, time after time. They really didn't make a big play except for the fumble recovery and the interception in the 1st half.

Gainesville needs to recover as they play a strong Pickens County team as Flowery Branch has the week off.

Stay tuned because Daniel will be breaking down the rest of the region games and the Big Man on Campus along with some Honorable Mention. Look for pics from this game as well!!

stats provided by www.gainesvilletimes.com

2006-10-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

Game of the Week
History Gainesville leads 4-0 (21-12 2005)
Gainesville 6-0 vs. Flowery Branch (5-1)

Flowery Branch
Lee Shaw 5th year overall (33-60)

Flowery Branch needs to rebound this week after a heartbreaking loss to North Hall this past friday. Now comes the real test for Flowery Branch, the Undefeated Gainesville Elephants. Flowery Branch needs to come to Falcon Field ready to play and here are 3 things that could help them to win this huge sub-region game.

Kenny Keys to a Flowery Branch Win:

1.) Shawshank Redemption. Regardless of which Shaw, if it is Jaybo or his little brother Conner, he would need to forget about last week and prepare this team mentally and physically for this huge battle against Gainesville.
2.) Flowery Branch needs to continue to mix up the run and the pass against this athletic defense and stay patient because Gainesville's defense is vunerable to the big play.
3.)The Defense needs to "Hunker Down" and show Gainesville what they are about. This defense is led by huge DT #77 Makenzie Opio, and playmakers #31 Josh Wilson, #19 JImmy Smith.

Key Players: #10 Jaybo or #14 Conner Shaw at QB, WR #12 Devin Reed, and the Flowery Branch Defensive line.

www.footballatthebranch.com

Gainesville
Bruce Miller 5th year overall (43-8)

Gainesville has had a great year so far dominating led by their athletic quarterback Justin Fordham. Once again nobody has been able to beat this powerhouse Gainesville team in this region and they look to continue their dominance against Flowery Branch. Here are a few ways in which i think Gainesville can win this game.

Kenny's Keys to a Gainesville Win
1.) Justin Fordham, 'nuff said. 63-81 att. 981 yards 13tds. 1 int.
2.) Gainesville must get the ball to their playmakers. Ladies and Gentlemen here are your playmakers. WR #5 Tyler Adetona 34rec. 529 yds 6tds, WR #3 Javohn Hutchins 11rec. 204 yds. 4tds. and a host of running backs!!
3.)The Red Elepahant defense needs to put pressure on the Quarterback because the Falcons like to stretch the field with their speedy recievers and backs.

Key Players: QB Justin Fordham, Tyler Adetona, and the Gainesville offensive line.

www.gcssk12.net

Predictions for Oct 13th

2006-10-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

Chestatee vs. East Hall
Kenny - East Hall
Woody - East Hall
Differencemaker: Speed never goes in a slump and EH has plenty of team speed. They'll win but it will be close for the 1st half.

Gilmer vs. Lumpkin
Kenny - Gilmer
Woody - Gilmer
Differencemaker: Bobcat Defense is just too good and will dominate. Should be a good game if you have nothing to do, bored, and aren't within driving distance of another game.

White Co. vs. North Hall (UPSET Pick of the Week)
Kenny - White Co
Woody - White Co
Differencemaker: This seems like a trap game for NH. They've had 2 straight intense, close games. White Co has had 2 weeks to prepare. The rest will help WC start strong and finish strong against a very good NH team. Expect a close 4 qtr game. White Co wins in a HUGE upset for the 1st time in this series since 1987!

Pickens vs West Hall
Kenny - Pickens
Woody - Pickens
Differencemaker: Pickens is just too good and West Hall's defense is just too bad. Huge night for Pickens on the ground as they roll in Oakwood and make the long trip back to Jasper a pleasant one.

Big Game of the Week:
Gainesville vs. Flowery Branch
Kenny - Flowery Branch
Woody - Flowery Branch
Differencemaker: This one will come down to which offense can throw the ball and avoid the silly mistakes and turnovers. Last week, FB had an extra point blocked which cost them dearly in the end. They also had untimely penalties that killed potential scoring drives. For the Red Elephants, it appeared as if their defense was starting to hit it's stride after a very good game against Chestatee. That was last week against a mediocre offense and this week whichever Shaw is behind center the FB offense will be hitting on all cylinders. FB should pull out the win in a close, intense battle at the Branch.

Kenny and I will once again be tailgating in the parking lot across from the soccer field between 5pm and 6pm. We'll post our recap and commentaries on Sat and name our Big Man on Campus on Sunday...thanks for stopping by and tell your friends about us...

As of last check, Kenny was still experiencing some computer troubles. We apologize for this and he'll have the Big Game preview up shortly....

Breaking News!!! Walter Hill to play football for UGA

2006-10-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

As reported in the AJC, 2-sport star Walter Hill is still committed to UGA but he's going to play for Coach Mark Richt instead of Coach Dennis Felton. Apparently, he felt that his chances long-term would be better in football. Over the next couple of days, we'll try to give some more insight into this story. For right now, enjoy the article from the AJC.

Felton's loss is Richt's gainEast Hall's Hill de-commits from UGA hoops to play UGA football
By CARTER STRICKLANDThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 10/12/06
Athens — Georgia basketball's loss is Georgia football's gain.
Two-sport high school star Walter Hill, who had committed to the Bulldogs' basketball team, changed his mind Thursday and has decided he'd rather play wide receiver for Mark Richt?s football team. "He believed, for his future, he would see more success there," said Hill?s football coach at Gainesville's East Hall High, Bryan Gray. "And playing two sports is something he just did not want to do."
But Hill, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver, decided he still wanted to stay at Georgia.
"He is firmly committed now," Gray said. "He will not be wavering."
When word leaked out the past week that Hill was mulling the decision to change from basketball to football, Gray said his star player heard from football coaches at Florida, Tennessee and Auburn, among others. Hill may still take visits to those schools, but Gray emphasized he'd remain committed to Georgia.
"This is it," he said.
Hill plays quarterback for East Hall this season simply because there's no one else on the team with his athletic skill. Last year, as a receiver, he had 15 touchdown catches and averaged 30 yards a reception.
"He is a freakish athlete," Gray said, "one of those that comes along and you [say], 'Why couldn't I have had that kind of talent?' If Walter doesn't compete as a true freshman, I would be surprised."

This article was provided via the AJC. It's a very cool site. You have to subscribe to the site before you can view the articles. But I like it so much that i stopped buying the paper from the store and I read the online articles. Stay tuned for more on this story, Kenny's previews, & our predictions for this week.

2006-10-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

Due to some technical difficulities i will have to post the GAME OF THE WEEK on Thursday!
Stay tuned for futher details.

7-AAA Game Previews for Oct 13th.

2006-10-09T20:27:00.000-04:00

1st-step Friday kicks off the subregion schedule and there should some exciting action all around NE Georgia. Here are the game previews.

Chestatee (3-2) at East Hall (2-3)
Series History: East Hall leads 2-0 (2002, 67-0; 2003, 13-9)
Chestaee - Coach Stan Lutrell (1st year - 3-2; Overall - 3rd year - 7-18)
Key Players: Lane Vasser, Ethan Souther, JoJo Sweet
Keys to a War Eagle Win: The War Eagles hit the road to try and get back on the win column against the Vikings. They haven't met since 2003 because of East Hall's switch to AA. This year, Chestatee will look to right the ship after back-to-back losses and get their star running back, Lane Vasser involved in the offensive game plan. The past several weeks, defenses have slowed this stud down and it's allowed for other players to step up and make plays. For Chestatee to win this game, Ethan Souther will have to make plays in the passing game to take the pressure off of Vasser.
East Hall - Coach Tim Marchman (4th year - 19-18; 25th year 135-120-3)
Key Players: Jonathan Osborne, Walter Hill, Korentheus Bailey
Keys to a Viking win: For East Hall, they have to continue to run the ball successfully with Jonathan Osborne in order to open up the passing game for Walter Hill and Quan Banks. Last week against West Hall, they were able to run the ball which brought the West hall LBs and DBs closer to the line of scrimmage and allowed for Hill, Banks, Footman, & Bailey to make some plays. Look for more of the same on Friday.
Look for our predictions on Thursday.

Gilmer (1-4) at Lumpkin (0-5)
Series History: Gilmer leads 22-5-3
Gilmer: Coach Rob Stowe (4th year - 6-29)
Key Players: Rod Newberry, Josh Snider, Ethan Watkins
Keys to a Bobcat win: These two teams have split their last four meetings and Coach Stowe will look to guide the Bobcats to their 2nd win of the season. Look for Gilmer to run the triple option to get their swift running backs to the edge and in the open field. Gilmer's defense has been pretty good at slowing teams down as they held Gainesville to 28, Pickens to 17, and Flowery Branch scoreless for 1 qtr.
Lumpkin Co - Coach Tommy Jones (1st year - 0-5)
Key Players: Ken Jackson, Lance Copeland, Cam Jackson
Keys to an Indian win: The Indians are still looking for their first win with a fairly young squad. They have improved each game but they will have play their best football to beat the Bobcats in Dahlonega. This might be Lumpkin's best shot a victory this year because the schedule doesn't get any easier. Look for our predictions on Thursday.

White Co (1-4) at North Hall (4-1)
Series History: White Co. leads (19-15)
White Co - Coach Gregg Seagraves (1st year - 1-4; 3rd year - 18-10)
Key Players:Tyler Norman, Jesse Brown, Quint Moss
Keys to a Warrior win: After White Co dominated this series in the 60's, 70's, & 80's, they haven't beaten North Hall since Sept. 11, 1987. North Hall has won 12 straight in the series with the closest game being 13-12 in 1995(a game in which I got my 1st start at linebacker) and the largest margin coming in 2004, 57-33. White Co. has had two weeks to prepare for a very, very good North Hall team and White Co. will need to play a perfect game in order to have a chance at victory. Tyler Norman will have to be sharp on offense and create some scoring opportunities with his arm and legs. The Offensive line will be a key here as they have to be able to give Norman some time to throw and Brown some running room. Quint Moss and the rest of the defense will need to slow down the ball-controlled NH running game in order to have a chance at victory. Look for the Warrior defense to crowd the line of scrimmage and force the Trojans to throw the ball.
North Hall - Coach Bob Christmas (6th year 40-20; Overall - 10th year - 52-49)
Key Players: Hunter Wolf, Fabian Jackson, Jackson Griffeth
Keys to a Trojan Win: North Hall will look to build off of the momentum gained in a big victory over Flowery Branch last week. Hunter Wolf did an excellent job finding some running room last week and the offensive line will look to open up some running room for Epps, Sosebee, Wolf, and Jackson. North Hall will stick to their game plan of controlling the clock with the run. On defense, look for the NH linebackers to be very active and wreck havoc in the WC backfield. It should be an electric atmosphere at the Brickyard between these two bitter rivals. Look for our prediction on this game on Thursday.

Pickens(5-1) at West Hall (1-5)
Series History: West Hall leads 4-2
Pickens - Coach Steve Sewell (12th year 61-56-3)
Key Players: Amario Jones, George Weaver, Kevin Kinsey
Keys to a Dragon win: West Hall won the 1st 4 games in this series (94, 95, 02,03) but Pickens has won the past two years. The Dragons come to Oakwood with a speedy offense and a very aggressive defense. In spite of being slowed down in Ellijay last week, the Dragons should be able to run at will against a very porous West Hall defense.
West Hall - Coach Dave Dirkson (1st year 1-5)
Key Players: Marquise Stephens, Clay Smith, Daniel Drummond
Keys to a Spartan win: West Hall will try to keep the ball on the ground to control the clock and try to create some turnovers on defense. They are looking to rebound after a close loss to Gilmer and a blowout loss against East Hall. Look for our predictions on Thursday.

Johnson is off this week before returning to action against West Hall on Oct 20th.

Kenny will be breaking down the Big Game of the Week between Gainesville and Flowery Branch by Wednesday. Look for all of our predictions on Thursday. Also, check back on Saturday as we post some of our photos from the big game and also give our commentary and recaps of all the games.

Coaches stats were gathered from http://ghsfha.org/index.php

Big Game of the Week for Oct 13

2006-10-09T18:28:00.000-04:00

vs

It's that time again....this Friday, Kenny and I will be back at Flowery Branch for the matchup between the Red Elephants and the Falcons. As sub-region play starts, this will be the first step for those teams looking to make it to the postseason so we're calling this Friday.....1st-step Friday.

Check in tomorrow for the other 7AAA game previews and on Wednesday for a preview of the Big game by Kenny.

This week's schedule:
BGOTW - Gainesville(6-0) at Flowery Branch (5-1)
Chestatee(3-2) at East Hall(2-3)
Gilmer(1-4) at Lumpkin(0-5)
White(1-4) at North Hall(4-1)
Pickens(5-1) at West Hall(1-5)
Johnson(2-3-1) is off this week

For those wondering, if you want to post a reply to any of our posts simply click on the "comments" link at the bottom of each post.

7-AAA Game Recaps

2006-10-07T16:47:00.000-04:00

Chestatee - 6, Gainesville - 63
This game was decided in the 2nd qtr. After 1 qtr of play, it was 7-6 Gainesville, however, they put up 42 points in the 2nd qtr alone. They scored 2 TDs in the air, 2 TDs on the ground, a blocked punt for a TD, and a fumble return for a TD. Needless to say, the 2nd half was a chance to get the JV guys game experience. For Gainesville, it was a great warm-up for what should be a great matchup with Flowery Branch next Friday. Chestatee will look to bounce back next week as they travel to East Hall.
Player of the Game - Justin Fordham
Stats: 8-8, 158 yds, 4 TDs passing, 1 TD rushing

Pickens - 17, Gilmer - 14
It appears from the score that Gilmer played hard for 4 qtrs. Although it's tough to determine if Pickens may have taken Gilmer for granted. I can't wait to actually get to see this Pickens team in person. It's a shame that either FB, Gainesville, or Pickens won't make the playoffs b/c these are three really good teams. Pickens will now travel down to Oakwood to take on West Hall and Gilmer will travel to Lumpkin
Player of the game - N/A

Lumpkin - 17, Johnson - 28
The ejection of the Johnson coach on a questionable call by the referees overshadows what was a spectacular performance by Seth Evans. According to the Times, Evans carried the rock 22 times for 214 yds and 3 TDs. Johnson will have an off week before they will try to keep Big Mo' on their side when they travel down the road to take on West Hall. Lumpkin will play host to Gilmer as they try to get their 1st win of the season.
Player of the Game - Seth Evans
Stats: 22 carries, 214 yds, 3 TDs

East Hall - 34, West Hall - 14
It seems as if the Vikings made an effort to run the ball and it worked as the offense became more balanced and they take down the home Spartans. The Vikings will now host Chestatee as they look to win their 3rd game of the year and start sub-region play in a winning manner. West Hall plays host to Pickens in what should be a very good game.
Player of the Game - Walter Hill
Stats: 13-19, 247 yds passing, 1 TD, 7 carries for 15 yds rushing

Next week should be just as exciting as sub-region play begins and everyone will try to take that first step to making the playoffs....Check back throughout the week for more thoughts from Kenny and myself....

NH vs FB photos

2006-10-07T16:32:00.000-04:00

FB cheerleaders and football team before they run thru the banner

View of Falcon Field before the game...

Running thru the banner...

Just minutes before kick-off...

Royal Rumble at the Branch

2006-10-07T15:51:00.000-04:00

First, I totally underestimated this North Hall team. Their defense was very good and they controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Even with NH having a huge edge in time of possession, FB still had a chance to pull out a victory. They just couldn't stop #31 as he ran over and around FB for 156 yds and 1 TD. Now for my thoughts on North Hall

I originally had some harsh thoughts in regards to the North Hall football team and coaching staff. Since Friday, I've softened my stance on the subject. Simply put, North Hall tried to hit Jaybo everytime he had the ball, which is not that bad of a game plan. Jaybo has shredded other defenses for tons of yards and points all year long so why not try and punish the QB. The problem that I have is the way North Hall approached this. #37 hit Jaybo late several times as he was carrying out the fake. As a defender he would have been able to tell that Jaybo didn't have the ball. These were cheap shots with the intent to harm. Another concern of mine is that each time that #37 took these cheap shots, he would immediately come out of the game. It would seem as if Coach Christmas was simply protecting his player from any retaliation that might come from the FB players however my belief is that #37's only purpose was to punish the QB with the intent to harm. All of the cheap shots set-up the play in which Jaybo was hurt. It appeared that #30 for NH had grabbed the facemask as the QB tried to dodge the defender. #30 may or may not have grabbed his face mask. It was tough to tell from my vantage point. What is certain is that it was a blow to the head which is a penaty in the game of football at any level. I had the same discussion with a couple of the parents of North Hall players as Kenny and I exited the stadium. Their comments were that it shouldn't have been a penalty. Of course, they are wrong and I'm right b/c I'm always right. Actually, I'm right b/c of the aforementioned penalty for hitting any QB in the head. My opinion is that if the cheap shots hadn't occurred earlier in the game then the play by #30 would have been viewed as just a vicious closeline tackle. Instead, everyone is talking about the play along with the cheap shots as dirty plays by North Hall. From all reports that I've read, Jaybo is doing ok and should return sometime this season. There are differing reports as to whether or not he'll try to play this Friday against Gainesville. Our prayers are certainly with Jaybo as he recovers and we wish him a speedy recovery.

This was a hard fought game in which two rivals battled toe to toe for 4 qtrs. In the end, it was another great high school football game which was marred by the dirty play of North Hall. I'll break down the other 7AAA games in a few....check back on Monday as we announce our Big Game of the Week.

Game of the Week review!!!

2006-10-07T13:44:00.000-04:00

Pro Wrestling or Football?

There were times in this clash of two undefeated teams to where it looked more like a wrestling match than a football game. As a North Hall alumni i was appalled at some of the plays made by the North Hall defense. It looked to me like they were trying to "take out" Flowery Branch's QB Jaybo Shaw along with other late hits and pass interference calls in the game. They were successful in "taking out" Jaybo late in the 4th quarter after what looked like a closeline to the neck or head after the play was over. Bill Goldberg a wwe,wcw superstar wrestler and a dawsonville native would have been proud of the North Hall defense because of their wrestler type hits and closelines. Granted North Hall's offense looked good but in all reality except for a couple of plays, the Flowery Branch offense just stopped themselves.
After a very emotional game both teams, coaches, and some fans, were face to face at the 50 yard line probably with some parting words and you can tell there is no love lost between these two cross county rivals. We will keep you updated on Jaybo Shaw's condition as the information is given to us.

Kenny's Keys in Review

1.) The Big 3 for North Hall: Hunter Wolf (23-156yds 1td ) Bobby Epps (5-3yds 0td), and i believe that even though his stats were not spectatular, Fabian Jackson (8-28yds rushing, 1-4 13yds passing) still was in control of this punshing running attack that dominated the game for the Trojans.
2.)Ball Control, ball control, ball control. The North Hall grinded out many drives that took big chunks of time throughout the game . It kept the powerful Flowery Branch offense off the field.
3.) Defense, though made some controversial hits, had 2 intercetions and a fumble recovery that gave North Hall hope of a victory and kept Jaybo Shaw to only 1 passing touchdown.

Flowery Branch actually outgained North Hall in yardage: 337 total yds (201 passing, 136 rushing) North Hall had (13 passing yds, 274 rushing yds.) 289 total yards, but once again where it counted, North Hall controlled the clock the entire game.

Turning Point of the Game:

North Hall had a 4th and 6 around the Falcon 26 yard line with the score 12-7 FB. North Hall made a gutsy call and gave the ball to the speedster #3 Seth Satterfield (3 rush 41yds 1td) on what looked like some kind of misdirection play, just squirted right up the middle untouched and scored the go ahead touchdown and with the extra point it was 14-12 and North Hall never looked back. Final score: North Hall 21 (#7)Flowery Branch 18

Big Man on Campus
North Hall running back Hunter Wolf deserves our first Big Man on Campus award with an outstanding performance with 23 rushes and 156yds and a touchdown. Flowery Branch really didn't have an answer for this bulldozer.

Honarable mention:
Justin Fordham Gainesville 8-8 151yds 4tds. 1 rush td
Walter Hill East Hall 13-19 247yds, 7rush 15yds.

stats: Gainesville Times (Saturday editon)

Time to eat crow....

2006-10-06T23:24:00.000-04:00

NTH - 21, FB - 18...it was certainly an interesting game. Not exactly what we expected but Kenny and I will have the recap and breakdown tomorrow.....check back 4 updates...

Game of the Week - Oct 6 - NHHS vs. FB

2006-10-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

Our Game of the Week is NHHS vs FB. Preview of the game is forthcoming..

Now for Kenny's Preview for the Game of the Week:

I believe that after a heartbreaking loss to Gainesville 29-28, North Hall looks to rebound against the powerful and proven Flowery Branch Falcon team. The Trojans must continue to play with passion and heart in hopes of pulling a monumentual upset this year. North Hall has proven that they can score against the Falcons (42-21 in 2005), but they will have to make some big plays against the stout defense of Flowery Branch. I will tell you how North Hall could pull the upset in........

Kenny's Keys
1.) North Hall must depend on the BIG 3 :
Hunter Wolf (50 carries 378 yds 5tds) and Bobby Epps (27 carries 155yds 2 tds)
I believe they are the cornerstone to the offense along with their quarterback
Fabian Jackson (35 carries 120yds 1td, 9-23 passing 162 yds 2 tds.)
2.)Ball control, ball control, ball control.....
3) Defense must make big plays led by Senior DB Tyler Jackson (39 tackles) and Junior DL Seth Hewell (5 sacks)

Player of the Game for North Hall: Quarterback Fabian Jackson
I believe that North Hall will put up a fight, but Flowery Branch will continue to roll.

Flowery Branch 37
North Hall 14

For North Hall Statistics: www.nthfootball.com

Great Job Kenny! Here's the view from da Branch

Through 4 games Flowery Branch has outscored their opponent 183-23. They certainly have the ability to put alot of points on the board. Their defense has also been very stingy in allowing opponents points or even yards. Here's my keys to a Flowery Branch win:

Daniel's Keys
1)Get the ball to your playmakers....#10 & #12.
Jaybo Shaw has shredded defenses this year for 446 yds rushing, 7 TD's and 41-58 thru the air with 10 TDs and 2 INTs. Jaybo has been sound in his decision-making and it's evident in the stat column, scoreboard, and win column. He's the fuel to this high-octane offense.
If Jaybo is the fuel then Devin Reed is the spark plug of the offense. When FB needs a big play, they go to their big play WR. Thru 4 games, he's caught 19 passes for 400 yds and 8 TDs. He's also a part of the Falcons speedy secondary.
2) Stuff the Run!
From watching the NH game last week, they love to line up and run the ball (as Kenny mentioned their stats above). Look for FB to keep their safeties up in the box and play man coverage on the outside (*note i have no inside info on this, it's just what i would do*) Look for the FB linebackers, # 31 Josh Wilson, # 19 Jimmy Smith & the DL, #77 McKenzie Opio & # 57 Chris Earls to have huge nights in stuffing those NH backs in their tracks. Smith actually leads the Falcon defense in total tackles (34) and tackles for loss (10)
3) Win the Special Teams & Turnover battle.
For the past 5 years that i've watched the Falcons (especially the past 2 years) the Falcons have been sound in this area. This year is no different as they have been very opportunistic on defense. The turning point to last year's game was the blocked punt and look for Coach Shaw to try and turn the momentum this year with another blocked kick.

Player of the Game for Flowery Branch....Jaybo Shaw - he's gonna have a huge night and set-up a matchup of undefeated's next week at da Branch.

Flowery Branch - 49
North Hall - 17

For those getting to the game early Kenny and I will be hanging out at the parking lot across from the soccer fields around 5:15 before we head up the stadium. Tune in over the weekend for our post-game blog where we'll discuss what happened and why....

Note that the stats for Flowery Branch are the from the Flowery Branch's TD Club website www.footballatthebranch.com

7AAA Game Previews - Oct 6th

2006-10-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

Chestatee(3-1) vs. Gainesville(5-0)
Series History: GHS leads 4-0. The War Eagles look to rebound after a blowout loss vs. Flowery Branch. Chestatee comes into City Park with a 3-1 record on the season. Gainesville has played extremely well on offense this year and I look for them to continue that trend on Friday. Gainesville has started slow in most of their games this year and Friday will be no different. Chestatee will play tough and hard for the 1st half but I expect the Red Elephants to pull away in the 2nd half.
Final Score.....GHS - 35, CHS - 17. Player of the Game - Justin Fordham

Pickens(4-1) at Gilmer(1-3)
Series History: GHS leads 26-18-1. Last GHS win: 2001 (51-6) Last PHS win: 2005 (24-14)
I haven't seen Pickens play to date so this preview is going on what I've read and heard. Pickens has a balanced offense and a very fast defense. Gilmer played Flowery Branch to a 0-0 1st quarter. This one is up in Ellijay so expect Gilmer to play well for the 1st qtr. Pickens will pull away though...too much talent for Gilmer. Final Score....PHS - 42, GHS - 12. Player of the Game - Amario Jones

Lumpkin(0-4) at Johnson-Gainesville(1-3-1)
Series History: 2006 - 1st meeting
Johnson looks to build off their first win of the season last week when they play host to the Indians. I expect the Dungeon to be rocking and for the Knights to get their 2nd victory of the year....
Final Score....JHS - 28, LHS - 14. Player of the game - Seth Evans

East Hall(1-3) at West Hall(1-4)
Series History: EHS leads 6-5. Last EHS win: 2005 (27-14). Last WHS win: 2002 (41-16)
Walter Hill & company look to get back on track this week vs. West Hall while the Spartans look to rebound from a close loss to Gilmer. My feeling is that East Hall showcase their star player this week as Mr. Hill should pass for close to 300 yards and a couple of scores....
Final score EHS - 49, WHS - 14. Player of the game - Walter Hill

White County(1-4) is off this week before they travel to the Brickyard on Oct 13.

Please note that records were found at www.gasports.com and historical records were found at www.ghsfha.org

Coming soon will be our preview of the Game of the Week - North Hall vs. Flowery Branch