GHSA Football Week 5 Top 5 Preview - Game of the Week Douglas County vs Alexander

1. Throw the records out the window for this one as county rivals, the Douglas County Tigers and the Alexander Cougars, will face off in the region opener for both teams. The Cougars got off on the right track, opening the season with an impressive 48-0 win over Riverwood, but have since lost their last two games, scoring just 14 points in each contest while giving up an average 34.5 ppg in the two loss. Meanwhile, the Tigers came out the gate red hot with a 52-13 season opening win over Lithia Springs followed by a 49-41 win in a thriller over Mays but hit a snag in the road two weeks ago when they were edged out 35-31 by McEachern.

Now, looking to get right back on track, Douglas County head coach Johnny White, knows that the task will not be an easy one as all bets are off when these two rivals meet up. “It’s Alexander. That’s our in county rival so in the six years that we’ve been here, it’s always been tough games so you can throw the records out of the window, you know it’s bragging rights so we have to get ready to face the best Alexander team that we know we’re going to see on Friday night,” White said of preparing for Friday’s matchup with the Cougars. And as the Tigers look to bounce back, White says that the message this week for his players is to “get better fundamentally, stressing being better on our offensive and defensive lines, make plays and don’t make mistakes”.

2. The Maynard-Jackson will take on Banneker in their region opener and with both teams coming in at 2-1. After opening the season with back to back wins, each ending in a final of 14-12, Banneker looks to bounce back from their loss last week to Valdosta, in which they fell 42-2. Meanwhile, on the other side, after opening their season with a win over Arabia Mountain, Maynard-Jackson dropped their week two contest to Miller Grove 24-7, but bounced back last week after defeating Lithonia 36-8. This is the first meeting between the two since 2019, when they were last in the same region, and Maynard-Jackson walked away with the 30-27 double overtime win.

3. It took four tries and after a big win over Miller Grove, the Campbell Spartans picked up their first win of the season as they knocked off the Wolverines 34-30. Now looking to keep the momentum going, the Spartans will take on Hillgrove, who has also struggled through their first four games as they sit at 1-3 and look to avoid a three game losing streak. Both teams have struggled offensively as the Spartans averaged 10.1 points per game through their first three games while the Hawks have averaged 12.5 ppg so while defensively, they will both look to set the tone early, there will still be a level of importance for both teams to get their offenses going in the right direction.

4. It has been over 19 years since the Therrell Panthers began a season with three straight wins and they look to extend to 4-0 when they face the North Cobb Christian Eagles on Friday in the region opener for both teams. The Panthers’ defense has made the biggest statement thus far for the team as they have not allowed any points, shutting out all three opponents. The Eagles themselves are having quite the turnaround season as they are off to a 4-0 start after the 2021 season saw them lose four straight after winning their first two games that season and eventually finishing 3-8 overall. After averaging 20 ppg through their first three games, the Eagles exploded for 50 points, with five rushing touchdowns, while their defense held Copper Basin (TN) to just six points.

5. After a slow start in which they dropped their first two games of the season, the McEachern Indians have appeared to have found their stride winning their last two games and will try to make it three in a row when they take on the Tucker Tigers on Friday. The meeting will also mark the first time that McEachern head coach, Franklin Stephens, has faced his former team since becoming head coach of the Indians. McEachern’s biggest struggles have been primarily on the defensive side of the ball as they have allowed almost 33 ppg through their first for contest and they will be facing a Tucker team, that prior to last week, when they were shut out by Dacula, averaged 38 ppg in their first two wins.