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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | ForsythNews.com
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Photos by Paul Ward and Ben Hendren for the Forsyth County News
South Forsyth and West Forsyth will try to improve on last year’s playoff performances, while Central is in the postseason for the first time since 2000.
‘West Forsyth vs.
‘Newton
When, where: Friday, 7:30
p.m. at_lhe I?e[\._ : .
“
Records, rankings: West is 5-5 and unranked
in Class 7A; Newton is 4-6 and unranked in
Class 7A. :
Series history: This is the teams’ first-ever
matchup.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first-ever
matchup.
What to know: The Wolverines certainly had
the most notable turnaround from the non
region schedule to region play of any county
team this year, finishing on a 4-1 run after start
ing 1-4. But it wasn't quite a surprise for those
around West, and that latter mark looks much
better upon closer examination, which single
score losses to strong programs like Roswell
and Hewitt-Trussville. And now the Wolverines
have an eminently winnable home game
against Newton.
The Rams have been very competitive in
flashes this year, like when they put up 27
points on Buford and came within three points
of beating a now-ranked Westlake team, but
they’ve also shown a propensity for leaky
defense, and last week's loss to a Rockdale
County squad that finished 3-7 was a bad one.
Plus, Newton’s head coaching situation was
very recently in flux, with Camiel Grant now
taking head coaching duties after Terrance
Banks resigned on Monday. This is all to say
that the Wolverines can.definitely be looked at
as the favorite in this matchup.
FROM 1B
little bit more cerebral in
his first season at
Central. The Bulldogs
haven’t quite had the
sack total as the other
two Forsyth teams in the
playoffs, with just nine.
It’s been more of a care
ful examination of the
personnel and how to uti
lize it.
“We're trying to be
creative with the differ
ent things that we send at
you,” Central coach
Frank Hepler said. “With
David’s experience, he
knows kind of how to do
that. He does a great job
of looking at other teams
and seeing where a
weakness might be, and
trying to expose that.”
Getting pressure has
still been a big part,
though, with Central
totaling 33 quarterback
hurries, eclipsing West’s
27. When Central’s
defensive line plays well,
they count on secondary
players like Tristen Rose
(six interceptions) to
make plays. The
Bulldogs usually see the
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Michael Chung for the Forsyth County News
Stephon Bland’s three-sack performance against Lambert equaled the total that West’s entire team
had accrued up to that point.
most success when they
can get that pressure up
front, even if the sacks
don’t always come.
“I think the stat of
sacks can be miscon
strued - I don’t want to
Giving you the best coverage of Forsyth County high school football
anywhere with notes, previews and predictions on all the action. Follow
us on Twitter @ForsythSports for scoring updates throughout the night.
Forsyth Central at
Archer
When, where: Friday, 7:30
p.m. in Lawrenceville.
‘ ’.': o‘ul‘" F
Records, rankings: Central is 7-3 and
unranked in Class 7A; Archer is 7-3 and ranked
No. 8 in Class 7A.
Series history: This is the teams’ first-ever
matchup.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first-ever
matchup.
What to know: No matter how this game
turns out, 2018 will be looked at as an unequiv
ocal success for Forsyth Central. In the third
year of head coach Frank Hepler’s tenure, the
Bulldogs got their first win over a county oppo
nent in 11 years, beat South Forsyth for the
first time since 2001, made the playoffs for the
first time since 2000, and did it all a year after
going 0-10. Their methodical option offense
reliably racks up yardage, and coordinator
David Rooney has made Central’s defense into
a very reliable unit. ,
Unfortunately, this breakthrough comes in a
year in which Region 5 is matched with Region
8, home to two of the best overall programs in
the state. Archer isn’t quite the power some
expected them to be at the beginning of the
season, but the Tigers are still very, very good.
They reeled off a string of three impressive
wins over Mill Creek, Norcross and Buford to
close non-region play, and apart from a loss to
Grayson, they rolled through the region sched
ule. Clemson commit Andrew Booth is one of
the most dangerous athletes in the state, and
fellow safety Jalyn Phillips had also pledged to
the Tigers.
say overrated, because a
sack is a great play — but
if you can hurry that
quarterback and if you
can disrupt his passing
lane or his timing, we're
trying to do that as much
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as we can,” Hepler said.
On the flipside, South
has been all about being
as aggressive as possible,
with a focus on getting
negative plays by sending
tons of blitzes. It’s
South Forsyth at
Grayson
When, where: Friday, 7:30
p.m. in Loganville.
Records, rankings: South is 5-5 and
unranked in Class 7A; Grayson is 8-2 and
ranked No. 3 in Class 7A.
Series history: This is the teams’ first-ever
matchup.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first-ever
matchup. :
What to know: The War Eagles’ postseason
luck has been pretty rotten lately. The went
undefeated in regulation through last year’s
regular season and won the region title, but
then they got matched up with Mountain View,
perhaps the best No. 4 seed in the state, and
lost.
Now the War Eagles and their region playoff
counterparts are matched up with one of the
most top-loaded regions in the state, and
South is bearing the brunt of it. Grayson has
just two losses this year, against national
power Bergen Catholic (N.J.) and Colquitt
County, the top-ranked team in the state.
Grayson is the only team to hold the Packers to
less than 38 points this year. The Rams have
three seniors ranked among the top 100
recruits in this class by 247 sports, including
Tennessee commit Wanya Morris, the top
ranked offensive lineman in the country, and
Auburn commit Owen Pappoe, the nation’s
top-ranked linebacker. .
worked well for the War
Eagles, as they lead
county playoff teams by
a wide margin on the stat
sheet, with 29.5 sacks
and 110 hurries.
Having playmakers
Friday, November 9, 2018
like Georgia Tech com
mit Jamal Camp on the
line certainly contribute
to that. Head coach Jeff
Arnette says the War
Eagles’ style sometimes
means they’ll get beat in
man-to man coverage,
but it’s worth the risk.
“Teams are getting so
good offensively and the
quarterbacks are getting
so good that if you just
let them sit back there
and haye time to throw
it, they’re going to pick
you apart,” Arnette said.
“It’s hard enough to stop
offenses now when you
get pressure on them. |
think the fact that it is so
hard to stop offenses,
you've got to be aggres
sive in that way.”
For at least two of
Forsyth’s squads, their
first round challenge will
be daunting. But for all
of them, they hope they
can stick to the respec
tive formulas that have
taken them to the post
season. '
“I think they’re start
ing to go where we’re
asking them to go,”
Cahill said. “Everything
is filled in across the
board, and I think it’s
starting to show.”