Prep Football Games Of The Week: Two Of Georgia's Best Set To Collide
Prep Football Games Of The Week: Two Of Georgia's Best Set To Collide
As the high school football season rolls on, the hits just keep on coming, and September marks the first full month of the season for most schools.
As the high school football season rolls on, the hits just keep on coming - literally and figuratively.
September marks the first full month of the season for most schools, and as it comes in full force for prep teams on gridirons across the country, it'll be a time to shake out the early-season jitters and really take games up a couple notches deep into the fall.
It's also a good time for many schools to test their might against some formidable opposition, especially as the grind of the state playoff season looms sooner rather than later. The season isn't won in September, after all, but it certainly can be lost.
What are the high school football games to check out this week?
Here's a look at three across America to keep an eye on. All three matchups of will be streamed live on FloFootball.
NOTE: All kickoff times are listed in Eastern Time and are subject to change.
Colquitt County (Norman Park, Georgia) Vs. Lee County (Leesburg, Georgia)
Two of Georgia's top prep programs over the course of the past decade - Colquitt County won back-to-back Class 6A titles in 2014 and 2015 in a six-class system, and Lee County did the same in 2017 and 2018 in a seven-class system - will collide in what could be a showdown of future state-title contenders in each of their respective divisions, with the Packers being 7A and the Trojans being 6A.
Both teams have near-identical point differentials and high-powered offenses through three games, with both sitting at 3-0 and having already eclipsed the 100-point mark in that timeframe.
However, either Colquitt County or Lee County is going to end up with a blemish on their record after their upcoming meeting in Leesburg, located about 10 miles north of the southwestern Georgia city of Albany.
On each side, there's plenty of star power college football fans likely are to see playing on Saturdays in the coming years, as well, but the matchup to watch likely is a classic elite wideout versus elite safety showdown in the class of 2023.
Uncommitted Trojans receiver Jevell Fugerson - offered by Ole Miss, Michigan State and Nebraska, among others - likely will see a lot of Colquitt County safety Jack Luttrell, a Tennessee commit, downfield.
The Colquitt County receiving corps, meanwhile, is full of rising juniors with big commitments to their names.
CC Packers go to 3-0 with win over Tift County. Go Pack Go! @AthleticsPacker @CCPackersFball @HughstonOrtho @SoGaFootball @swganetwork pic.twitter.com/gDge9zWL4A
— Kevin J. Collins MD (@coll_66) September 3, 2022
None are ranked higher in America than 2024 tight end (per 247 Sports) than the Packers' Landen Thomas, a 6-foot-4 Georgia commit who pairs with wideout Ny Carr - also a Dawgs pledge - to make up one of the scariest pass-catching duos in the southeast and maybe the nation.
With first-team All-Region quarterback and 2024 prospect Neko Fann throwing the passes, how he gels against his team's toughest opponent yet will be something to monitor as the game goes along.
Our Lady Of Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland) Vs. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 2 p.m. Saturday
Following a big win over Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Catholic (in Louisiana, no less) Good Counsel, the alma mater of All-Pro Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, appears to be ready for another deep run at a league title in in the loaded Washington (D.C.) Catholic Athletic Conference.
Before the Falcons can return home to take on Baltimore's Mount St. Joseph in two weeks, they first must make a pit stop in Ohio to take on Archbishop Moeller, an all-male school perhaps best known for its baseball alums (including hall of famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin) but with plenty of gridiron pedigree to go about, too, having won nine state titles.
Though there will be some talented seniors taking the field in Cincinnati this weekend - Good Counsel's 2023 edge pairing of Neeo Avery (Ole Miss) and Dylan Gooden (uncommitted) should wreak havoc on the defensive line - it's all about the blue-chip juniors in this matchup.
The Falcons have four of Maryland's top 15-ranked recruits (per 247 Sports) in the 2024 class, including the nation's No. 9 overall linebacker, Aaron Chiles, who has college-ready size at 6-foot-3 and has his pick of essentially anywhere he wants for college football. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and many others have already offered scholarships.
He'll likely often be faced with tackling 2024 Moeller running back Jordan Marshall, a four-star uncommitted recruit who has a Big Ten-heavy offer sheet, including with his home-state Buckeyes.
Highlights from Moeller Victory Over East Central (7 tackles/1 fumble recovery) @BigMoeFootball @CoachMarkElder https://t.co/2GzWcBzLag
— Ethan Sweat (@EthanSweat) September 6, 2022
Throw in cornerback, classmate and South Carolina pledge Karson Hobbs' patrolling of downfield, and Good Counsel is in for a tough test on the road that should prepare the Falcons well for a tough remainder of the regular season.
Calvert Hall (Baltimore) Vs. Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tennessee)
Remember Lipscomb Academy? The Mustangs probably were the most eye-opening team at the season-opening Freedom Bowl last month, taking care of Milton (Georgia) and Alabaster (Alabama) in successive fashion to immediately notch two impressive wins.
A 52-0 drubbing of an in-state foe followed, but the competition kicks up a notch once again with a visit from Calvert Hall, which dropped a game against Virginia's Life Christian Academy last weekend.
The Tennessee-based team should be favored with high-major college recruits scattered all over the field, including the state's top two 2024 prospects (per 247 Sports) in linebacker Edwin Spillman and cornerback Kaleb Beasley, both of whom are uncommitted.
Many of the Mustangs' top offensive threats, meanwhile, are seniors with their college destinations pinned, such as the cases with quarterback Hank Brown (Liberty) and wideouts Junior Sherrill (Vanderbilt) and Nate Spillman (Tennessee), the latter of whom is an intriguing case for recruitment purposes, being Edwin's brother.
Still, Calvert Hall has the personnel to put up a fight and will be a team worth following due to having a mix of experienced and young playmakers.
Quarterback Noah Brannock is especially worth following for Colonial Athletic Association football fans, as a William & Mary commit, but how leading wideout Kaden Barmer - only a sophomore - handles big-game stakes throughout the year (and against Lipscomb) could make him a prospect to watch in years to come.