Rockmart is hopping the bus for a long ride for their latest region matchup, and the time on the field won’t be too long with the latest opponent on the schedule have yet to win a game this season.
Jacket Nation has an opportunity this week to watch the gold and black don their travel whites for a real touchdown clinic. Here’s a breakdown of what Rockmart has in store this Friday night on the gridiron.
This one is the PSW Video Game of the Week (no choice since Cedartown is off…) but we’ll be back with the Bulldogs on October 21.
Murray County at Rockmart
This one is a no-brainer. An 0-6 Indians hosting a 4-2 Rockmart who are 2-wins into another region title seems like an easy win considering that for the past two seasons, Rockmart has cleaned their clock.
In 2020, the Jackets hosted for a 49-0 drubbing, and last season Rockmart waltzed into Chatsworth and put up a 72-0 win. Both were region games.
Murray County faced Rockmart in 1956 and 1957 (both teams in 57 were ranked) but they have never gotten a win over the Jackets.
Let’s be honest, this year isn’t going to change anything. Especially after a rival region game between the Indians and North Murray ended with the Mountaineers going on a 49-0 run.
After Rockmart put up a 56-0 win on Haralson County in region play, there’s not much to say about the Jackets that would change things this week either. JD Davis and the first team offense will probably get some playing time in the first half, but look for Calliyon Thompson to take over sometime in the second quarter (unless he just has a bad night) and the second team kids play through the rest of the game. Brent Washington should put up at least two touchdowns in the game as well, maybe more.
Why am I so optimistic?
The Indians have scored only three touchdowns this year. Without team stats to look at immediately, and the Chatsworth Times being a paywall site like this one, we’re going to make some assumptions here.
- Coahulla Creek likely put in their second team kids to allow a fourth quarter score with a running clock in the second half, which is how the Indians got their first touchdown of the year.
- LFO and Murray County in their second game of the season were about equally matched, but ultimately the Warriors outlasted the Indians in OT after both teams scored first quarter touchdowns.
- Chattooga’s defense let one get by them with a TD in the third quarter during their Week 5 game, but by then it was way too late for a Murray comeback by that point.
Those 21 points are in comparison to the 195 points put up by Rockmart’s offense throughout the season so far. Heading into the seventh game of the year, the Jackets could go from 27 touchdowns on the year (19 is the national average up to this point in the season) and increase to… 35? 40?
Murray hasn’t scored a point in their past two outings, had last week off, and have three of their six losses as goose eggs. (At this point, I’m just beating a dead horse.)
Jackets win by at least 49. I’m hoping more.
Cedartown off
How does Cedartown win the bye week? They stay healthy, they work out any minor issues on the field, and they press down on the gas hard during practice. This isn’t a slack week, because another big game is on the horizon for October 21, when the Sonoraville Phoenix host the Bulldogs and is (at least next week) the de facto Region 7-4A title game.
All of the region teams are off this week, so the standings won’t change in 7-4A for the time being.
Keep the faith, Bulldog fans. We’re in this one with ya. More on Cedartown-Sonoraville next week.
Other area games of note
This week we’ve got some 7-AA games that could end up being doozies, some 7-A matchups that are going to determine what happens from here on out, and the wheel continues to grind in 7-5A.
A lot of the area is off this week on a bye, but here’s a rundown of where things are going in Region 7-AA, and more.
North Murray at Fannin County
North Murray is traveling to Fannin County as the Mountaineers look to retain their spot in 7-AA in the race with Rockmart for the No. 1 spot in the region. The Jackets are just a game behind right now as both teams are undefeated in region play, but Rockmart will have a chance to catch up in two weeks when the Mountaineers take a bye week.
North Murray on paper looks like they’ve got this one in the bag, especially after Fannin County took a 24-0 loss to Model last week. But don’t count the Rebels out.
Carson Callihan is averaging 61 yards per game, Elijah Weaver has 11 passing TDs this season, and Corbin Davenport is a threat all over the field for Fannin County this season.
Look for Seth Griffin to keep up the pressure under center for the Mountaineers, and have a group of seniors who are capable on both sides of the ball playing for North Murray this season.
Neither team is exactly blowing the doors off of teams. North Murray has losses to Dalton and Northwest Whitfield, and survived Pickens 54-50 (a Dragons team that is 1-5 overall with their only win over Christian Heritage this year.) Who gave up 19 pts to Ridgeland (really?) and 29 to Haralson County (oof.)
Fannin’s in no better spot. Their 3-3 record has a shining shutout of Gordon Central, but their defense have given up 129 points this season to everyone on their schedule but the Warriors in region play.
This is going to be a bout. Watch out North Murray, it’s a trap game. Mountaineers by 7.
Model at Haralson County
Based on how the Blue Devils bounced back after a loss to Rockmart against Fannin County, and how the Rebels just took a beating to Rockmart on Homecoming night, I’m betting both teams will be ready for this one.
Model makes the drive down from Shannon to Tallapoosa in this latest region showdown, and there’s a lot at stake: Haralson needs a win for potential playoff contention on the road, Model wants to keep their third-place spot intact.
Following the first two losses to open the season, Model had a good run against Woodland, Trion and Murray County. They fell hard to Rockmart, but bounced back with a shutout over Fannin.
Haralson at 2-5 have a 1-2 record in 7-AA right now, and with ugly loses to Rabun County, Mary Persons and Upson-Lee to join a region opener against North Murray that went the wrong way, and the loss at Rockmart’s Homecoming, they’ve got a lot of work to do to get that playoff spot. Right now they’ve got a close win over Bremen and a Gordon Central rout to build upon, but they’ve got to win out on the schedule against Model, Murray and Fannin counties in their next three games to get a fourth place spot.
Expect a Model win by at least +14. Haralson, better luck next year.
Pepperell at Darlington
This matchup in 7-A is interesting. Well, probably only on paper, because my gut tells me the outcome is predetermined.
The Pepperell Dragons at 4-2 head up the road to Darlington to face a 6-0 Tigers as this one will likely determine where the Dragons are in a race for a playoff spot with the Trion Bulldogs, who are at 2-0. It could be a trap game, since these teams have history with each other.
More likely? The undefeated Darlington Tigers are on their way to the dance, and they know it. Pepperell wants to spoil, but based on their track record this season are going to get bounced back in the standings by taking an L.
The other 7-A matchup that could shake things up is next.
Coosa at Dade County
No trip to Trenton is easy, because Dade County is that hidden spot in Georgia that is just hard to get to from anywhere else.
Coosa has the hardest trip of all, having just taken an L against the Trion Bulldogs last week and now have to come into this one against a Dade County squad who knows how to win, and wants to break their two-game losing streak as well.
Look for the Wolverines to have a field day against the Eagles.
The 7-5A wheel
This is going to be an ugly week in 7-5A. Dalton looks to hold onto their spot atop the mountain (who expected this?) against a Cass team who needs a win. Cartersville wants their dominating spot back, but they’ve got to face a Hiram team coming off a Calhoun win.
Does anyone expect the Wildcats to come up big against Calhoun? Probably not. But the Jackets have chinks in the armor, and teams are smelling blood against a traditional powerhouse. Marquee wins matter, and Woodland with a Rockmart guy as head coach knows there’s opportunities to be had against a Calhoun squad that seems to be losing their normal direction.
Shakeup week for the region will continue, you watch. But who is the best? We’ll see after Friday night.
