A full slate of Newton County football is on the cards this week, with playoffs just weeks away.

Social Circle looks to stay alive in region championship race

A true neck-and-neck matchup with the Monticello Hurricanes last Friday ended in a heartbreaking loss for Social Circle. The Redskins lost 31-29 in triple overtime at Redskin Stadium last friday, dropping their season record to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in region play.

This week is a must-win for the Redskins if they wish to keep up in the Region 4-A race. They will play the top-seeded Lamar County Trojans, who sit at 7-1 overall and 4-0 in region play.

Lamar County is coming off of a decisive win against Putnam County and are marching toward their aspirations of becoming region champs. The Trojans have scored 263 points this season and have only allowed 82. 

While the Trojans have looked good this season, the idea of a Redskin win is not insurmountable.

After a productive game from Jaylen Victor and Jude Nelson, the Redskins were oh-so-close in a game that came down to a two-point conversion shootout. It is the first time all season that the Skins lost a game while scoring more than 20 points. Maintaining the offensive momentum will be critical for Social Circle if they hope to compete in this game. 

In recent years, the teams have been split. Social Circle won its contest in 2022 with a convincing 39-7 at home. However, they dropped their road contest last season in a 19-7 loss.

With a loss to Lamar County, Social Circle will be eliminated from a shot at the region championship, but will still likely make the postseason.

Kickoff will take place at Redskin Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday Oct. 25.

Newton hoping to build momentum in late season surge

One month off? No problem. The Rams handled business at Sharp Stadium, taking down the Heritage Patriots 46-6 in Saturday’s contest. The Rams improved to 3-3 on the year and 2-0 in region play, as they returned to action for the first time in 30 days.

This week Newton will face Rockdale County, who sits at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in region play. 

The Bulldogs are an interesting case in a number of facets. On one hand, the Bulldogs are fighting for a playoff spot despite the 1-2 region start. They are coming off of their first region victory against the winless Grovetown, winning in a one-score 26-21 result. 

However, Rockdale County has faced some tough losses this year as well. One of those includes a loss to the Alcovy Tigers, who won in overtime back in September to notch their first win of the season. In August, Newton defeated Alcovy in a dominant fashion, dropping 70 points against the Tigers.

With the rushing duo of Zion Johnson and Kevin Hartsfield back in full effect, the Rams should be considered favorites in this game, as they look to build momentum toward another postseason run. 

Friday’s contest will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Rockdale County.

One more to go for historic Eagles regular season

Eastside scored a huge bounce back victory on Friday against the East Forsyth Broncos with an end result of 42-7.

Both teams entered the game at 7-1 and was expected to be a close contest between region foes. But it was the arm of junior quarterback Payton Shaw that made the difference in Friday’s game. Shaw had a breakout performance going 13/17 for 256 yards and four touchdowns.

While the majority of the team’s offensive production has gone through senior running back Jayden Barr, it was Shaw who proved he can step up when it matters the most.

With the win the Eagles improved to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in region play. As they play their last regular season matchup, the Eagles will be considered heavy favorites against the winless Cedar Shoals Jaguars.

The Jaguars have struggled all season, only scoring 75 points on the year. Perhaps the one component going in their favor for Friday’s contest is that they are playing at home in Athens.

After this contest, the Eagles will be done until the postseason, which will take place one week later than expected due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Regardless, the Eagles are deadlocked in the No. 2 seed following the loss to North Oconee two weeks ago and last week’s victory against East Forsyth.

The Eagles’ contest in Athens will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Alcovy looks to make it two in a row on the road

Alcovy got back in the win column last Friday, defeating Apalachee 21-10 on the road.

The Tigers looked the best they had all season long, scoring 20-plus points for the first time since week 1.

But this week will be far from easy if they want to make it two in a row, as they face the Clarke Central Gladiators. The Gladiators are 4-0 in region play and 6-2 overall. 

In order to make the postseason, the Tigers will need to upset the Gladiators and get some help from a Habersham Central loss. Habersham Central will face Apalachee this week in order to bolster their postseason hopes.

While a postseason run may seem unlikely, the Tigers will still look to build some additional momentum on the season in this road matchup. Kickoff will take place in Athens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.