COVINGTON, Ga. – As the football season takes the turn into Fall, Newton County football teams will look to hit their midseason form in their respective week 9 matchups.
Eastside matches up against North Oconee in the battle of the unbeaten
It’s a battle of the “titans” in Region 8-AAAA, as the Eagles will travel to Bogart to face the North Oconee Titans. Both teams sit atop the region at 3-0 in region play and 7-0 overall.
Last week, the Eagles kept their perfect season alive at Sharp Stadium, defeating the Walnut Grove Warriors 41-7.
The offense continued its stellar season during last Saturday’s contest. The three-headed rushing trio of Jayden Barr, Myles Mims and Tyler Solomon each had a score against Walnut Grove.
But it was the defense who stood out the most last Saturday, with two pick sixes on the night from Marion Eubanks Jr. and Elijah Davis, respectively.
The Eagles will need every bit of that power on both sides of the ball, as they face the unbeaten Titans.
Last week, the Titans defeated Madison County in a 56-14 contest on the road. It marked the fifth contest this season that the Titans scored 35 points or higher. Their point differential currently sits at 263 points scored to 50 points allowed on the season.
But the momentum runs deeper than what is on the surface level for North Oconee. The Titans have been lights out during the regular season for the past several seasons. The last time they lost a regular season game was all the way back on Sept. 10, 2021 against Benedictine, who the Titans later lost the state championship game to.
It may seem like a daunting task for the Eagles, but overall, they do have more total points scored at 291 on the season.
The Eagles’ road contest will take place on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Social Circle continues march to region crown
The Social Circle Redskins (4-2; 2-0) are in the midst of a three-way battle for the Region 4-A championship, as they return to the gridiron on the road Friday against the McNair Mustangs (2-5; 0-3).
A third region win against McNair could be in the cards, as McNair has yet to tally a region victory this season. The Mustangs fell short on the road last week against the Monticello Hurricanes, who are one of the three teams that sit undefeated in region play. It was also their fourth consecutive loss.
The last time we saw the Redskins was on Sept. 28 where they defeated Putnam County on the road with a 29-22 final score. It was the sophomore running back Deven Usand who had the breakout game for the Redskins, totaling 118 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Overall, the Redskins sit at 188 points scored against 126 points allowed, substantially better than McNair’s 127 points scored against 146 points allowed.
However, the Mustangs have been in close games all season, with their last three defeats coming by single digits. Two of those single-digit losses came against the other top two teams in the region, the Lamar County Trojans and the aforementioned Hurricanes, who sit at 5-1; 2-0.
The Redskins will look to win their favored matchup as they kickoff on Friday, Oct. 11 in Atlanta at 7:30 p.m.
Alcovy looks to shake off decisive loss
Like the Redskins, the Alcovy Tigers (1-5; 0-2) return to action as they face the Habersham Central Raiders (2-5; 0-2) at home on Friday.
The Tigers probably want to forget their last contest, as they lost on the road 48-10 against theJackson County Panthers. Outside of an Ashton Hawkins touchdown from backup quarterback Cam Scott – who took over for the benched Kavion Sutton in the second half – it was a one-sided affair for the Panthers.
Two offensive questions remain for the Tigers. First, will it be Sutton or Scott at quarterback this week? The second: Will Nick Slidell – the team’s leader in all-purpose yards – be available?
The senior running back has been out the last two games due to injury, but could provide a spark for the Tigers should he return to the field. He leads the team with 553 rushing yards on 89 carries.
While the Tigers have struggled this season, the Central Raiders have not had much success either. Sitting at 2-5, they have allowed 230 points opposed to 205 points scored. That, however, is significantly better than Alcovy, who have allowed 284 points opposed to 71 points scored.
The Central Raiders have also relied on Zeke Whittington, who averages 100 receiving yards per game, according to MaxPreps.
Ultimately, it will be up to the Tigers to generate momentum on both sides of the ball to top the Central Raiders. The Tigers will kick off at home at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11.
Rams continue “long-bye”
The Newton Rams (2-3; 1-0) will remain off this week, as they have been on a “long bye.”
Their game against Grayson was postponed due to Hurricane Helene and later postponed again due to the aftermath of the BioLab fire in Rockdale County. The next week, the Rams were supposed to play Grovetown. That, too, got postponed due to the aftermath of Helene. Both games will now play in November.
The Rams will return for their homecoming game on Oct. 19 against the Heritage Panthers (2-2; 0-0).
