Friday's Prep Football Picks
From The Newnan Times-Herald Sports Staffsports@newnan.com
As the final stretch of the 2012 prep football season approaches, our overall mark now stands at 28-9 for the season or a 75 percent correct percentage.
Last week, our record was 3-1.
Tonight’s Games (All at 7:30 p.m.)
East Coweta (3-4, 2-0 in Region 3-AAAAAA) at Langston Hughes (6-1, 2-0): If you had asked us to pick this game at the end of last season or maybe even late August, we wouldn’t have thought twice. Today it’s a head scratcher, especially after Hughes’ huge victory over Newnan, which suddenly is rooting for its closest rival much like Georgia for the Florida Gators last weekend. East Coweta’s young lineup seems to have turned the corner over two straight region victories. But tonight, the shoe’s on the other foot being the underdog. Let’s see how Hughes likes being the favorite now that it has grown up. PANTHERS 19, INDIANS 16.
Douglas County (2-5, 1-1 in Region 3-AAAAAA) at Newnan (5-2, 1-1): Only the Cougars know whether they chose to overlook last week’s opponent during a loss to Langston Hughes, which was as much a credit to the way the Panthers have played in a turnaround season. But Newnan hasn’t lost to a team that finished under .500 since the 2006 season either. Unless Douglas County quarterback Ellis Richardson can create the same magic that Langston duo Kenny Moxie and Keion Davis did last week, that trend’s not about to change. COUGARS 28, TIGERS 14.
Northgate (2-5, 0-2 in Region 4B-AAAAA) at Starr’s Mill (2-5, 0-2): Two somewhat identical paths in subregion play are about to head in different directions after tonight’s game. Both have lost previous 1,000-yard rushers during the offseason either to graduation or injury. But their most recent losses haven’t been near as similar. The Vikings took halftime leads into their last two games and simply couldn’t hang on at the finish partly due to their own lack of execution. As for the Panthers, last week’s first-ever loss to McIntosh may have been the biggest sign that the playoff Starr’s are out of alignment for a young, rebuilding lineup. VIKINGS 35, PANTHERS 13.
The Heritage School (7-0, 2-0 in GISA Region 2-AAA) at Westminster-Augusta Wildcats (6-2, 0-2): Even amidst the longest winning streak in school history and a week after arguably the program’s finest football victory, Heritage head coach Kevin Prisant felt his team needed to be cautious of a Westminster lineup with “nothing to lose” and on the verge of state playoff elimination. That’s the sign of a leader who wants to keep his team grounded emotionally. Only problem is, these soaring Hawks show no signs of coming down from atop their first-place perch in Region 2-AAA anytime soon. HAWKS 47, WILDCATS 20.
Note: Trinity Christian’s pick for its game against Mount de Sales on Saturday will be included in a preview story in Saturday’s edition.
