5 things: What we learned from Week 5 of high school football

Here's a look at five things we learned from Week 5 of the high school football season...<br /> <br /> <b>1. There is no more explosive offense in the state than North Gwinnett's</b><br /> <br /> The best option for any defense getting ready to face the Bulldogs may be to pray for a monsoon or some sort of natural disaster. We jest, of course, but it looks like it might take something fantastical to stop North Gwinnett's attack right now. Granted it's been that way for many seasons for the Bulldogs -- whose Bob Sphire-coached spread attack has riddled the opposition. But this year's team may have the most awe-inspiring array of weapons yet. For proof look no further than Friday's 51-41 comeback victory at Mill Creek. Four different receivers accounted for touchdowns in the victory, while quarterback John Urzua completed passes to seven different teammates. How can any defense cover that many standouts? The only real option may to be to get to Urzua, but the signal caller has proven near unflappable in big games, and did so again this past weekend, completing 14 passes for 369 yards -- that's 26 yards per completion, by the way. The Bulldogs had scoring plays of 76 yards, 82 yards and 62 yards during the win -- to three different players (Daniel Imatorbhebhe, Kenneth Hancock and Kyler Knudsen, respectively). That's just not fair. If you're looking for offense on a Friday night, head to Suwanee.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>2. Lumpkin County offensive line is in beast mode</b><br /> <br /> Even through an 0-2 start to the season, you could see the Indians offense gaining traction. This past Friday it hit full throttle, putting up a season-high 38 points behind a jaw-dropping 472 yards rushing. Lumpkin County needed every yard in a 38-35 shootout over East Hall, and its stable of backs proved key, as four rushers put up big numbers -- led by Gunnar Wood's 188 yards and 3 TDs and Bradley Womack's 173 yards and 1 TD. Yet even bigger might have been the play of the Indians' offensive line. Lumpkin's men in the trenches had to be at the top of their game to help the Indians produce numbers like that, and those backs will love taking handoffs behind a unit so capable. New head coach Ty Maxwell came from a Chestatee program that relied on offensive line play to make big strides in recent seasons, and he's showing that he will bring that same focus to Dahlonega. <br /> <br /> <br /> <b>3. The Region 8-AAAAA title will be decided in next couple of weeks</b><br /> <br /> Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said that his Red Elephants' season will largely be decided over a three-game period starting with this past week's showdown with Heritage, Conyers (a game GHS won 47-13). We'll go one further, however, and say that the entirety of 8-AAAAA will play out in a similar time-span. That's because the three teams currently undefeated in region play will all face off in the coming weeks. Gainesville, Lanier and Salem are all out front at the midway point of the 2014 campaign, all undefeated in 8-AAAAA, while every other team in the league already has at least two region losses. The Red Elephants and Seminoles will face off this Friday at City Park, before Gainesville travels to Lanier on Oct. 10. The Longhorns will play host to Salem on Oct. 24. Those three games will determine the 8-AAAAA crown.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>4. Stephens County is a player in the 8-AAAA race</b><br /> <br /> New coach Frank Barden hoped to inject some more explosiveness into the Indians' offense when he joined the program. Judging by the results so far, he is well on his way. The Indians (3-1, 1-0 Region 8-AAAA) are averaging almost 36 points per game on offense -- about six points more per game through four contests than at the same point last season. Quarterback Mason Long has been a big part of that success. This past week, the signal caller compiled five total touchdowns in a 48-19 defeat of North Hall -- including four scoring passes, while completing 15 of 19 attempts. It also helps that dominant offensive lineman Ben Cleveland is back on the field after missing some games through injury. The Indians now have a great chance to move to 2-0 in league play, facing a winless Monroe Area squad this week. Keep winning and Stephens will build the kind of confidence that could prove huge down the stretch when games against White County, North Oconee and Buford loom large and decide just how high the Indians' ceiling is.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>5. Lakeview Academy has a difference-maker in Turner</b><br /> <br /> Every team needs a go-to player, and it looks as if the Lions may have found one last week, as junior Tae Turner ran for 240 yards and five touchdowns in a 38-3 win over Providence Christian -- sparking Lakeview's first-ever region victory. The Lions rushed for 300 total yards in the win, and Turner was the catalyst for many of them. It is the kind of performance that will only help boost a young program still looking for traction -- the kind of game that could inspire more young athletes to make Lakeview football a part of their future, and coach Matthew Gruhn had to be a happy man on Friday night watching Turner make his mark.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>AREA PREP FOOTBALL FINALS FOR SEPT. 26</b><br /> Alpharetta 45, Habersham Central 3<br /> Clarke Central 35, Apalachee 21<br /> Commerce 10, Athens Christian 7<br /> Flowery Branch 17, Cedar Shoals 7<br /> Franklin County 22, Banks County 21<br /> Gainesville 47, Heritage, Conyers 13<br /> George Walton 48, Towns County 28<br /> Jefferson 34, Jackson County 7<br /> Johnson 26, Riverside 7<br /> Lakeview Academy 38, Providence Christian 3<br /> Lambert 31, North Forsyth 6<br /> Lanier 28, Loganville 14<br /> Lumpkin County 38, East Hall 35<br /> North Gwinnett 51, Mill Creek 41<br /> North Oconee 51, Chestatee 7<br /> Oconee County 42, East Jackson 8<br /> Salem 31, Winder-Barrow 24<br /> Stephens County 48, North Hall 19 <br /> Union County 52, Social Circle 19<br /> West Hall 26, Dawson County 3<br /> <br /> <b>WEEK 6 PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, OCT. 3</b><br /> Apalachee at Loganville<br /> Athens Academy at Towns County<br /> Banks County at Fannin County<br /> Buford at Chestatee<br /> Commerce at Prince Avenue<br /> East Hall at Dawson County<br /> East Jackson Morgan County<br /> Elbert County at Jefferson<br /> Franklin County at Lumpkin County<br /> Hebron Christian at Lakeview Academy<br /> Jackson County at Oconee County<br /> Madison County at White County<br /> Mill Creek at Meadowcreek<br /> Norcross at North Gwinnett<br /> North Oconee at North Hall<br /> Rabun County at Social Circle<br /> Riverside Military at Strong Rock Christian<br /> Salem at Gainesville<br /> Stephens County at Monroe Area<br /> Union County at Oglethorpe County<br /> Winder-Barrow at Flowery Branch

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