The Week 9 schedule has no larger match-up than the behemoth Class 7A battle between No. 1 Buford and No. 2 Mill Creek. The two Region 7-8A foes will tee it up at Mill Creek on Friday for the region title. If you want to see this one, get your tickets now.
But it's not the only game on the Week 9 slate with region title and state playoff implications.
We'll start in Region 8-A Division 1. Three teams are good enough to win the region championship, and two play each other on Friday. Elbert County travels to Rabun County, hoping to steal a win in Tiger.
In Region 8-2A, Union County faces its toughest region test yet when the Panthers travel to Lilburn to take on Providence Christion.
In Region 7-3A, does Dawson County have enough to knock off Wesleyan at home to stay in the region title hunt?
In Region 8-4A, Cherokee Bluff will try to keep it going at Walnut Grove. East Forsyth battles No. 2 North Oconee at home, and North Hall will look to fend off Chestatee in the annual Battle of Highway 60 at The Brickyard.
Over in Region 8-5A, Flowery Branch will roll into Jefferson with hopes of pushing the winning streak to three games, and in Region 8-6A, Gainesville travels to Habersham Central.
With all the key region match-ups this week, we've sorted through the 14 games on the schedule and found three games with big region standings implications that we think could be Games2Watch.
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ELBERT COUNTY at RABUN COUNTY
Records: Blue Devils (6-1, 0-0 Region 8-A Division 1), ranked 5th in Class A Division 1; Wildcats (6-1, 0-0 Region 8-A Division 1), ranked 3rd in Class A Division 1
Last week: Elbert County beat Whitefield Academy, 34-16; Rabun County beat St. Francis, 49-13
Where: Frank Snyder Stadium, Tiger
Time: 7:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Rabun County: So. QB Ty Truelove (82-for-133, 1,270 yards, 14 TDs, 3 INT passing, 40-259, 4 TDs rushing), So. RB/DB Reid Giles (57-722 yards, 10 TDs rushing; 9-176 yards, 1 TD rec., 25 tackles, 7 tackles for loss), So. RB/LB Noah English (64-375 yards, 4 TDs rushing, 52 tkls, 3 TFL), Sr. WR Willie Goodwyn (27-647 yards, 10 TDs rec.), Sr. WR Paul Picciotti (15-205 yards, 1 TD rec.), Sr. DB Riley Stewart (31 tkls, 3 TFL), Jr. LB Elvis Hunt (48 tkls, 2 TFL). Elbert County: Sr. QB Braydon Scarborough (93-139, 1,250 yards, 10 TDs passing, 39 yards, 3 TDs rushing), Jr. RB Jacari Barnett (177-855 yards, 12 TDs rushing), Jr. RB Jayvyn Hickman (33-251, 2 TDs rushing), Jr. WR Brady Dickerson (35-455, 5 TDs rec.), So. WR Dakhovin Winn (29-455, 3 TDs rec.), Sr. WR Eli Harris (26-363, 5 TDs rec.), Jr. WR Ty'Rikis Jones (23-355, 2 TDs rec.), Jr. LB Malik Moon (48 tkls), Jr. LB Jermaine Sims (48 tkls, 4 TFL), Sr. DB Terrez Allen (48 tkls).
WHY WATCH IT? Every game is important for state playoff seeding in a region with only four teams. If the Wildcats are to win their 10th straight region title, a victory against Elbert County is a good start. However, it won't be as easy as it seemed last season. Region 8-2A is stacked with outstanding football teams. It'll be a dog fight for Elbert, Commerce and Rabun County, so the next three weeks will be fun, and the fun starts with the region opener in Tiger this week. Elbert County rolls in with a balanced attack led by QB Braydon Scarborough, who has four receivers with 355 yards or more. The Blue Devils' rushing attack is pretty good as well. Jacari Barnett leads the ground game. The Wildcats are very similar, as sophomore QB Ty Truelove has taken the reins of the offense and has more than 1,500 total yards of offense. The Wildcats have weapons on the ground and in the air, with Reid Giles leading the rushing attack and Willie Goodwyn as the top target downfield. With all the offensive weapons, this game could come down to just one stop.
UNION COUNTY at PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN
Records: Panthers (5-1, 1-0 Region 8-2A); Storm (5-1, 0-1 Region 8-2A)
Last week: Union County beat Banks County, 27-7; Providence lost 51-19 to Athens Academy
Where: Lilburn
Time: 7:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Union County: Sr. QB Caiden Tanner (96-for-149, 1,339 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INT passing; 53-307 yards, 5 TDs rushing), Sr. RB Braylen Raider (100-597 yards, 12 TDs rushing), Jr. RB Conner Schuknecht (24-181 yards, 1 TD rushing), Sr. WR Jensen Goble (44-607 yards, 7 TDs rec.), Sr. T Grasty (20-238 yards, 2 TDs rec.), Jr. LB Ethan Lester (54 tkls, 3 TFL), Sr. LB Seth Rutan (52 tkls, 13 TFL), Sr. DL David Heredia (40 tkls, 7 TFL), Sr. LB Kooper Ashcraft (34 tkls, 3 TFL); Providence Christian: Sr. QB Ben Klassan (57-for-84, 1,191 yards, 14 TDs, 3 INT); 14-118 yards, 2 TDs rushing), Sr. RB Quinton Slaughter 85-1,003 yards, 14 TDs rushing), So. TJ Anthony (37-233 yards, 3 TDs rushing), Sr. WR Matthew Miller (21-489 yards, 6 TDs rec.), Sr. WR Caleb Lee (20-450 yards, 5 TDs rec.).
WHY WATCH IT? Region 8-2A is better across the board this season, with all six teams boasting records over .500, and there's no lack of offense in this region. Five of the six teams are scoring 35 points per game or more, and four of the six teams are averaging 40 points or more. Union County and Providence are averaging over 40 ppg, making this game one to watch regarding high-flying offenses. But don't place all your money on offense Friday night in Lilburn because both region foes are pretty good on defense. The Panthers roll in with a slightly better defense, giving up 13 ppg, three points better than the Storm. But this one will be fun to watch because both teams seem balanced with a pretty good rushing and passing attack. The Storm's Quinton Slaughter, who has rushed over 1,000 yards this season, will make it hard on the front seven of the Panthers. As for Union County, QB Caiden Tanner will be tough to tame for the Storm's defense. Union County can stay atop the Region 8-2A standings with a win. It'll also be the start of the region gauntlet for the Panthers, with East Jackson, Athens Academy and Fellowship Christian remaining, so a win on Friday is a must to keep region title hopes alive.
FLOWERY BRANCH at JEFFERSON
Records: Falcons (4-3, 2-1 Region 8-5A); Dragons (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-4A), ranked 4th in Class 5A
Last week: Flowery Branch beat Winder-Barrow, 48-0; Jefferson was off
Where: Memorial Stadium, Jefferson
Radio: WDUN AM 550
Time: 7:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Jefferson: Jr. QB Gavin Markey (43-for-85, 575 yards, 7 TDs, 6 INT, 71 yards, 2 TDs rushing), Sr. RB/LB Sammy Brown (99-797 yards, 14 TDs rushing, 81 yards, 1 TD rec., 67 tkls, 7 TFL), Jr. RB D Russell (53-276 yards rushing), Jr. WR R Hinton (5-138 yards, 1 TD rec.), Jr. LB Jaden Yang (68 tkls, 2 TFL), Jr. Rhett Hemphill (58 tkls, 6 TFL), Skylar Zimmerman (49 tkls, 6 TFL); Flowery Branch: Sr. QB Josh Oliver (105-for-180, 1,457 yards, 13 TDs, 7 INT, 28-127 yards, 6 TDs rushing), Sr. RB Malik Dryden (66-437 yards, 3 TDs, Sr. WR Seth Larson (41-468 yards, 4 TDs rec.), Jr. WR Jeremiah Ware (35-716 yards, 9 TDs rec.), Sr. LB Cam Haynes, Sr. LB Frank Perez.
WHY WATCH IT? It's hard to tell in this one. The resurging Falcons have corrected their path after losing to Eastside in double overtime last month. Since then, they've rallied past Clarke Central and hammered Winder-Barrow last week to take over the third spot in Region 8-5A. Flowery Branch QB Josh Oliiver has found a rhythm in the previous three weeks, and Seth Larson and Jeremiah Ware have been a big reason for the passing game success. The Falcons have a puncher's chance in this one, but it will go away quickly if Jefferson's Sammy Brown has a big night. The Clemson commit does it all. He's the leading rusher and second-leading tackler, leads the team in tackles for a loss, and is averaging close to 50 yards a punt. He also can take over the game behind Jefferson's big offensive line play. If you want to make a comparison to the Clarke Central game for both programs, go for it. Could those comparisons mean anything to either team? Possibly. Flowery Branch has proven they won't back down to a bigger team. They've also proved they are a pesky group. It won't be a pushover game for the No. 4 Dragons. Clarke Central had some success downfield against the Dragons, which is good news for the Falcons. They big-played Winder-Barrow all night last week. If there's an opening Friday night, the Falcons will take the shot. However, those downfield attempts will be far less against a defense like Jefferson. Nevertheless, keep an eye on this one. It could be a good one.
WEEK 9 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
All games start at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Athens Christian at Commerce*
Buford at Mill Creek*, 7 p.m. ESPN2
Cherokee Bluff at Walnut Grove*
Chestatee at North Hall* – WDUN FM 102.9
Elbert County at Rabun County*
Flowery Branch at Jefferson* – WDUN AM 550
Gainesville at Habersham Central* – 94.5 FM The Lake
Johnson at Towns County
Lanier Christian at Lakeview Academy
North Oconee at East Forsyth*
Riverside Prep at Bethlehem Christian*
Union County at Providence Christian*
Wesleyan at Dawson County*
West Hall at White County
