Week 8 Top Games/Falcons Coach of the Week

WEEK 8 TOP GAMES

Today, we preview the top matchups on the Week 8 slate and announce the latest recipient of Atlanta Falcons HS Coach of the Week. This weekend's schedule can be found in the lefthand column. Visit ScoreATL.com for more fall sports coverage and follow tonight's live statewide scoreboard HERE .

Friday, October 5, 2018

IN THIS ISSUE

WEEK 8 TOP GAMES

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WEEK 8 SCHEDULE

Thursday, Oct. 4

Archer 40, Newton 14

Brookwood 47, Meadowcreek 27

Central Gwinnett 49, Berkmar 3

Grayson 59, Shiloh 3

Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 35, Drew 33

Northside-Columbus 38, Dougherty 7

Friday, Oct. 5

Academy For Classical Education at Glascock County

Alcovy at Grovetown

Allatoona at Harrison

Alpharetta at North Atlanta

Americus-Sumter at Columbus

Apalachee at Dacula

Appling County at Long County

Aquinas at Washington-Wilkes

Athens Academy at George Walton Academy

Baconton Charter at Miller County

Baldwin at Richmond Academy

Beach at Groves

Berrien at Fitzgerald

Bleckley County at Washington County

Blessed Trinity at Denmark

Bowdon at Mt. Zion, Carroll

Bradwell Institute at Effingham County

Brookstone at Marion County

Buford at Cedar Shoals

Calhoun at Adairsville

Callaway at Lamar County

Cambridge at Northview

Carrollton at Woodland-Cartersville

Carver-Columbus at Cairo

Cass at Hiram

Centennial at Chattahoochee

Central-Carroll at Cedartown

Chattahoochee County at Randolph-Clay

Cherokee at Roswell

Chestatee at Flowery Branch

Christian Heritage at Trion

Clarkston at Social Circle

Coffee at Northside-Warner Robins

Colleton, S.C. at Camden County

Collins Hill at Peachtree Ridge

Coosa at Dade County

Cross Creek at Burke County

Cross Creek at Ridgeland

Dalton at South Cobb

Dawson County at Greater Atlanta Christian

Dodge County at Dublin

Dooly County at Hawkinsville

Druid Hills at Salem

Dutchtown at Jones County

East Coweta at Westlake

East Hall at Fannin County

East Paulding at Rome

Eastside at Woodward Academy

Etowah at Woodstock

Evans at Lakeside-Evans

Fayette County at McIntosh

Forsyth Central at North Forsyth

Gainesville at Habersham Central

Gordon Lee at North Cobb Christian

Greenbrier at Heritage-Conyers

Greenville at Central-Talbotton

Hampton at Luella

Hancock Central at Greene County

Hart County at Jefferson

Heard County at Temple

Hebron Christian at Towns County

Henry County at North Clayton

Hephzibah at Harlem

Heritage-Catoosa at Pickens

Howard at Perry

Islands at Johnson-Savannah

Jackson County at Monroe Area

Jeff Davis at Vidalia

Johnson County at Jenkins County

Johnson-Gainesville at Walnut Grove

Jonesboro at Griffin

Jordan at Bremen

Josey at Glenn Hills

Kendrick at Central-Macon

Kennesaw Mountain at North Cobb

King's Ridge at Walker

KIPP Atlanta Charter at Therrell

LaGrange at Cartersville

Lakeview Academy at Commerce

Laney at Jefferson County

Langston Hughes at South Paulding

Lanier at Winder-Barrow

Lassiter at Walton

Liberty County at Tattnall County

Locust Grove at Eagles Landing

Loganville at Clarke Central

Lovett at Stone Mountain

Lumpkin County at Cherokee Bluff

M. L. King at Lovejoy

Macon County at Crawford County

Madison County at North Oconee

Mary Persons at Upson-Lee

Mays at Douglas County

McEachern at Hillgrove

McNair at Douglass

Mill Creek at North Gwinnett

Miller Grove at Tift County

Mitchell County at Calhoun County

Model at Chattooga

Montgomery County at Wheeler County

Morgan County at Franklin County

Morrow at Tucker

Mountain View at Discovery

Mt. Paran Christian at Whitefield Academy

Mt. Pisgah Christian at Pinecrest Academy

Mt. Vernon Presbyterian at Wesleyan

New Hampstead at South Effingham

New Manchester at Northgate

Newnan at Wheeler

North Murray at Coahulla Creek

North Paulding at Marietta

North Springs at Decatur

Northwest Whitfield at LaFayette

Ola at Woodland-Stockbridge

Osborne at Sprayberry

Our Lady of Mercy at Eagles Landing Christian

Parkview at Lakeside-DeKalb

Pataula Charter at Munroe, Fla.

Pebblebrook at Campbell

Pierce County at Brantley County

Pike County at Rutland

Pope at Johns Creek

Portal at Claxton

Prince Avenue at Athens Christian

Richmond Hill at Brunswick

Ringgold at Murray County

River Ridge at Sequoyah

Riverside Military at Providence Christian

Rockmart at Pepperell

Sandy Creek at Chapel Hill

Savannah Christian at Calvary Day

Savannah Country Day at McIntosh County Academy

Schley County at Taylor County

Shaw at Westover

Sonoraville at Haralson County

South Atlanta at Hapeville Charter

South Forsyth at Lambert

Southeast Whitfield at Gilmer

Southwest at Northeast-Macon

Spalding at West Laurens

St. Anne Pacelli at Manchester

St. Francis at Fellowship Christian

St. Pius X at Oconee County

Starr's Mill at Whitewater

Stephenson at Forest Park

Strong Rock Christian at Holy Innocents'

Swainsboro at Bacon County

Tattnall Square at Stratford Academy

Thomas County Central at Worth County

Thomasville at Brooks County

Toombs County at Bryan County

Towers at Cedar Grove

Treutlen at Emanuel County Institute

Tri-Cities at Alexander

Trinity Christian at Landmark Christian

Twiggs County at Mt. de Sales

Union Grove at Stockbridge

Valdosta at Houston County

Veterans at Bainbridge

Villa Rica at Kell

Warner Robins at Harris County

Warren County at Georgia Military

Washington at B.E.S.T. Academy

Wayne County at Statesboro

West Forsyth at Milton

West Hall at Marist

Westminster at Pace Academy

Westside-Augusta at Butler

Westside-Macon at Jackson

Wilkinson County at First Presbyterian

Windsor Forest at Benedictine

Saturday, Oct. 6

Southeast Bulloch at Jenkins

WEEK 8 TOP GAMES

In Class AAAA: Carver-Columbus and Cairo get set for a massive Region 1 matchup this Friday as both teams have tallied 4-0 region starts. Cairo head coach Steven Devoursney is 2-0 all-time against Carver-Columbus including last year’s 24-13 win, but he is yet to face Carver with first-year head coach Corey Joyner at the helm. Undefeated Carver-Columbus (6-0) comes off a 64-28 win over Northside-Columbus and Cairo (4-2) is fresh off a 46-7 win over Columbus, its fourth-straight victory.

Richmond Academy at Baldwin

Richmond Academy (6-0) has lost its last four meetings with Baldwin and puts an undefeated start on the line this Friday against the Braves in a Region 3-AAAA opener for both squads. Baldwin took on a grueling non-region slate before picking up its first win of the season last week against Greenbrier (14-0). Richmond Academy head coach Lyle Burnes and his Musketeers have been led by senior quarterback Marcus Cobb and senior running back Torri Taylor, who have sparked the offensive production and provided a potent balance that the playbook hasn’t seen in recent years.

Eastside at Woodward Academy

Undefeated Eastside and Woodward Academy faceoff for what very well could determine this year’s Region 4 champion. Eastside is led by quarterback Noah Cook and will have to out duel a Woodward team that is posted 42.2 ppg.

Sandy Creek at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill took a bye last week after suffering its first loss of the year in a region opener against Troup (56-24). Sandy Creek was topped by Troup this past weekend 35-21 and the story is the same. For both of these teams, this game will be about avoiding a 0-2 start in one of the classifications more competitive regions.

Oconee County at St. Pius

Oconee County has struggled at times during its 4-2 start, but last weekend’s 27-0 win over Winder-Barrow was without question the Warriors’ most impressive outing this season. St. Pius is off to a blazing start and has only gotten better week-to-week. The Golden Lions followed a season opening loss to Blessed Trinity with five straight victories, including a 17-0 win over Marist. This is a big-time region opener for both schools and the stakes are especially high with Region 8 inhabitant North Oconee on its own upward trend at 5-1.

In Class AAA , Dawson County will travel to Greater Atlanta Christian on Friday searching for its first-ever victory against a ranked opponent from the same classification. The 10th-ranked Tigers are 6-0 for the first time in school history as they turn their focus toward the sixth-ranked Spartans.

At this time last season, Dawson County was 3-2, and although went on a 5-1 run through region play, it lost to GAC in the final game of the regular season before losing to Cedar Grove in the second round of the playoffs. This year, Dawson County is eyeing the upset.

The programs have met eight times, and Dawson has just one victory to its credit (in 2000 under head coach Jeff Fleming). They played each year until 2005 before rekindling the rivalry in 2016 under head coaches Tim Hardy (GAC) and Sid Maxwell (Dawson County).

The Tigers are a run-heavy team featuring five players with more than 200 yards. Two of the backs have run for more than 400 yards; Ahmad Kamara leads the way with 669 yards. Dawson has rushed for 2,313 yards this season with 553 total passing yards. Dawson averages 385.5 rushing yards per game, 92.2 passing.

Kamara, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior, averages 10.1 yards per carry and has scored nine touchdowns. Quarterback Sevaughn Clark, a 6-1, 200-pound senior, has rushed for 479 yards and 10 touchdowns on 75 carries. Sophomore Dakhota Sonnichsen, a 5-7, 150-pound back, has two touchdowns and 235 yards on 18 carries. Shawn Thomas, a 5-11, 168-pound junior running back, has three touchdowns and 232 yards on 21 carries. Evan Abernathy, a 5-7. 165-pound senior, has rushed for two touchdowns and 220 yards on 25 carries. Senior Ethan Cameron has been efficient with three rushing touchdowns on six carries.

The Tigers have attempted 76 passes, with Clark throwing for each of Dawson’s five touchdown passes. He is 40-of-71 passing for 481 yards.

On the other side of the field, GAC awaits.

The Spartans have featured a balanced attack, averaging 218 yards passing and 173 rushing yards. Quarterbacks Josh Rose (54-of-104 passing for 933 yards and nine touchdowns) and Jackson Hardy (26-of-45 passing for 351 yards and three touchdowns) split duties leading GAC. Rose Has run for 383 yards on 47 carries with five rushing touchdowns.

Montae Bailey leads in rush yardage with 386 yards on 74 carries and three touchdowns. Tyler Bride, Jake Floyd and Nick Papadakis each have rushed for one touchdown.

Another top game involves two ranked teams from Region 5. No. 5 Westminster travels to No. 9 Pace Academy for the third installment of the newly minted rivalry. Westminster has won both previous meetings, including a 15-14 victory last year.

Although it lost to higher-classed opponents in consecutive weeks before entering region play, Westminster has impressed with victories against Woodward Academy (56-31) and at GAC (22-21) in the first two weeks of the season.

Pace, since entering region play, has flourished with victories against Redan (35-14) Stone Mountain (61-18) last week. The 61-point effort against Stone Mountain marked the second-highest scoring performance in school history behind the 62-point victory over Mount Vernon Presbyterian. The highlight of the season was a victory over Eagle’s Landing Christian (17-16) in Week 2 which snapped ELCA’s 37-game winning-streak.

FALCONS HS COACH OF THE WEEK

The Atlanta Falcons Coach of the Week program recognizes high school football coaches across the state of Georgia for their hard work and dedication to making a difference in student-athletes’ lives on and off the field. North Oconee head coach Tyler Aurandt is the fifth winner of the 2018 season as he has been influential in the Titans’ rebounding season.

Aurandt has a history of football in the state as a 2002 graduate and playing for Greater Atlanta Christian. He carried his football talents into college and won a national championship as a wide-receiver at Valdosta State in 2004. Following a suggestion and offer from Chris Hatcher, the Valdosta State head coach at the time, Aurandt took a job on the Valdosta staff and in 2007 he won a state title as an assistant coach. It was clear that coaching was his calling and in two seasons with North Oconee, Aurandt has turned the team into a winning one.

If you were looking for a phrase to describe North Oconee’s current football program versus previous few seasons, “absolute and complete turnaround” would not even come close to grasping what is taking place in Bogart.

“Coach Aurandt took over a program that did not win a game in 2016,” said North Oconee booster Adam Wilson. “This year we are 5-1.”

“In one year, he has turned the football program around,” said assistant principal Cassy Moon. “Although I do not know all of his coaching achievements I can tell you that I have worked with coach Aurandt at both Grayson High School and North Oconee and he is not only an outstanding coach but an even better teacher.”

In 2017, Aurandt’s first year at North Oconee, the Titans opened with a 35-14 victory over Grovetown before losing nine consecutive games. It was a painful first-year for Aurandt as well as the fanbase which was welcoming a first-year coach. But out of that pain grew the desire for a culture change within the football program and it’s reaping benefits on the field this year.

“His vision for the football program at North Oconee goes well beyond the field,” said Moon. “His biggest goal is to nurture and cultivate character in each and every player in his program. He brings in speakers each week as part of his character-building program so that the students leave North Oconee equipped to impact the world in a positive manner.”

Aurandt is also aware of the importance of instilling proper form and football knowledge into young generations that will eventually fill his team’s ranks. With that in mind, Aurandt turned to the youth program and its coaches with a goal.

“He invests his personal time into the youth program,” said Wilson. “Spending time with the youth coaches hosting camps and clinics to get the youth program right. He constantly promotes proper hitting drills, tackling techniques so that the youngsters learn it the right way and learn to love the game of football.”

For North Oconee, the strong start at the beginning of October is welcomed and, according to the fanbase, the success started at the top.

“He deserves it,” said Wilson. “He has worked countless hours and invested a lot of personal time to get the program headed in the right direction,” said. Wilson. “He cares about these players as men, future husbands and dads.”

“Coach Aurant is a young coach who spends so much of his time impacting the boys he coaches,” Moon added. “Sure, he wants to win football games but more importantly, he wants these boys to win at life. He is going above and beyond to provide them with a positive role model in the classroom, on the field and in the community.”

Each week, one coach will be selected to be the Atlanta Falcons Coach of the Week based on his commitment to his team, community and player safety. The winning coach will receive a $1,000 equipment grant, a commemorative football and tickets to an Atlanta Falcons home game.

To nominate a varsity football coach: Click Here

Rolling nominations will be accepted until Nov. 1.

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