It was another week between Fridays where the action off the field — in this case, triggered by unfortunate actions on the field — dominated the storylines.
One area team — Cross Creek — won’t see the football field in a game setting this Friday, thanks to sanctions handed down by the Georgia High School Association that forced both Cross Creek and last Friday’s opponent Savannah to forfeit this week’s games due to a fight between players on the field last Friday that forced a third quarter cancelation of the game.
Last week’s game was counted as win for the Razorbacks. They led 28-0 at the point of cancelation. This week’s originally scheduled game against Hart County would have been their last non-region tune up. Instead, they’ll wait to open region 4-AAA play at home against Harlem next Friday.
That said, plenty of Augusta-area squads will take the field as the 2023 football season begins to turn toward the kind of action that has postseason implications. Here are five games we’re watching this week.
Evans (1-3) at Grovetown (2-2): Not only is this an in-county, rivalry game, it’s also the Region 2-AAAAAA opener for both. And both teams are going to find out a lot more about each other through this game. Evans stacked up a solid non-region slate of games that coach Barrett Davis feels has prepared his team for the region gauntlet. Meanwhile, Grovetown’s non-region production has been a bit of a hodgepodge. The Warriors performed admirably, albeit in a loss, in the season opener against a Midland Valley team that’s proving to be one of South Carolina’s best. They got past a winless Greenbrier, got shutout to Class AA defending state champion Thomson, then hung 63 points on Jefferson County in a win. This looks to be a matchup pitting Grovetown’s potentially explosive offense against a potentially stingy Evans defense. Prediction: Grovetown 27, Evans 21.
Thurmond (3-1) at North Augusta (3-2): North Augusta’s final non-region test will be a test indeed as it hosts a stout Thurmond bunch that has won its last two games against Aiken and Evans by a combined score of 81-19. These wins came after the Rebels’ lone setback — a 21-16 loss to undefeated Midland Valley. And with each Valley win, that loss looks better and better all the time. Thurmond’s offense is also looking better each time out, as 4-star wide receiver prospect and Tennessee commit Braylon Staley with his 377 receiving yards a four touchdowns rounds into midseason form. North Augusta’s offense has looked more crisp since producing just 14 points in a season-opening win against Evans. The Yellow Jackets will be looking to quickly put last week’s 41-12 thumping at the hands of Dutch Fork (SC) behind them. Prediction: Thurmond 34, North Augusta 20.
Thomson (3-1) at Washington County (2-2): No disrespect intended to the rest of Region 4-AA, but the Bulldogs are getting their biggest threats to a third straight region crown out of the way early. Last week, Thomson spurned our prediction by knocking off what coach Michael Youngblood lauded as a “dynamic” Laney team — one he regarded as among the best in the region. This week’s task is traveling to Sandersville to play arguably the next best team in the region. Like Thomson, WACO got off to a winning start in region play by blanking Glenn Hills 50-0. The Golden Hawks no longer have standout players like graduated running back DJ Braswell (now a South Carolina Gamecock), but the Golden Hawks have been getting it done with more of a communal approach offensively. It’s two losses to Swainsboro and Baldwin were against region and state champion contenders. It’ll be a stiff test for Thomson, especially early, but one that it should be able to pass. Prediction: Thomson 41, WACO 20.
Richmond Academy (2-2) at Lincoln County (2-2): This should be a great barometer game for Musketeers for a number of reasons. First, it’ll be ARC’s first time back on the field since its 21-17 loss to East Laurens the same week coach Keenan Grissett’s team mourned the loss of teammate Se’Vonn Small. Also, it’ll be a chance to compare itself to one of the more storied programs in Georgia high school football history. Lincoln County is one of those household names in the state with a crazy 33 region championships and 11 state titles to its credit from 1974 through 2012 while Georgia coaching legend Larry Campbell was at the helm. The Red Devils took a step back over the last decade, though, until current coach Lee Chomskis led them to their first region crown last year since 2012. It’ll be just the second ever meeting between the two programs. Lincoln County won last year’s game 41-20. Prediction: Lincoln County 38 Richmond Academy 20.
Hephzibah (3-1) at Southeast Bulloch (3-1): After its 16-13 setback to Laney on Aug. 25, Hephzibah has quietly put together two impressive bounce-back wins against Augusta Christian (42-7) and Tattnall County (26-13). Now the Rebels will travel to Brooklet to face what seems to be an evenly matched foe. In fact, the Yellow Jackets have a common opponent in Tattnall County. SE Bulloch defeated Tattnall 17-0 last Friday on the road. Hephzibah’s defense will need to be up to the task of limiting a balanced rushing attack that’s averaging 204 yards per game through its first four contests. Meanwhile, SE Bulloch will try its hand at corralling Hephzibah tailback Teddy Johnson. Johnson has rushed for 573 yards and nine scores so far this season and is averaging 11 yards per carry. A win for either team here could really provide a momentum boost in region play. Prediction: Hephizbah 35, SE Bulloch 31.
