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Yes... This was the second year in a row that Parkview had won at least 10 games and a region title after not having won 10 games in a season since 2005 and after not having won a region title since 2004.
Yep... Lowndes is really strong and dominant again this year.
But even with as strong of a program as Lowndes has had over the last roughly 25 years or so during the Milt Miller-Randy McPherson eras, believe it or not, this is the first time that Lowndes has advanced to the state championship game since 2007 when they beat a Bob Sphire-led North Gwinnett team on Lowndes' own home field in the last year before the GHSA moved the state championship games to the Georgia Dome in 2008.
Lowndes (not unlike crosstown arch-rival Valdosta and other South Georgia high school football powers) appears to have struggled somewhat with the continuing accelerating shift of population, resources and football-playing TALENT to North Georgia.
… That continuing accelerating shift of population, resources and talent from South Georgia to North Georgia has been most apparent in the highest classifications of the GHSA where continued explosive population growth in the greater Atlanta metropolitan region and North Georgia mountains and foothills regions means that most of the schools in the five largest classifications (classes 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A) are located in the northern half of the state above the Gnat Line.
Not a problem at all. The problem for Lowndes has been Colquitt County a few counties over. Colquitt lost in the semis to state champ Norcross in 2012 and 2013. They won the title in 2014 and 2015 over Archer and Roswell. They lost in the quarters to state champ Grayson in 2016 and they lost in the finals in 2017 and 2018 to N. Gwinnett by 2 and Milton by 1. Those districts in South Georgia have done very, very well over the last decade in the top 2 classes. Lee County won 6A last year over another south of the gnat line school.
Not a problem at all. The problem for Lowndes has been Colquitt County a few counties over. Colquitt lost in the semis to state champ Norcross in 2012 and 2013. They won the title in 2014 and 2015 over Archer and Roswell. They lost in the quarters to state champ Grayson in 2016 and they lost in the finals in 2017 and 2018 to N. Gwinnett by 2 and Milton by 1.
Yes...
The relative (very relative) pull back (or dip) in the Lowndes Vikings football program does indeed seem to correspond with the rise/resurgence of the Colquitt County Packers football program in 2009.
Colquitt County really turned around after Rush Probst (the controversial head coach of MTV "Two-A-Days" fame back in the mid-late 2000's) got there in 2008 after coming over from Hoover High School outside of Birmingham, Alabama (where he departed after some notable scandals).
After a 4-6 record in his first season at Colquitt County, Probst guided the Packers to an 11-3 record and a trip to the state semifinal game in 2009 where they lost to a powerful Camden County team that went on to repeat as state champions in the state's largest classification (then-Class 5A) that year.
That 2009 season was the first of many deep playoff and state title runs under Probst who guided the Packers to no less than the state semifinals in 9 out of 10 seasons from 2009 to 2018.
That's including the back-to-back state titles in the state's largest classification (then-Class 6A) in 2014 and 2015 that you mentioned, along with being a state semifinalist in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and the state runner-up in 2010, 2017 and 2018 (as you noted in your comments).
Before winning back-to-back state titles in 2013 and 2014, Rush Probst's Colquitt County Packers were pretty much almost like a traveling football program, with only five of their 14-plus games being played at home and the other 9-plus games being played on the road each season.
Of the 21 playoff games that the Packers played in between 2009 and 2013, only 3 were played at home in Mack Tharpe Stadium, and the other 18 were played on the road... With 3 of those road games being played in South Georgia and the other 15 road games being played over 200 miles to the north at the home stadiums of the suburban metro Atlanta schools that dominate the state's largest classification.
For sure, Probst was a controversial figure, to say the least... But I do admire how Probst built the program to play, compete at the highest level and win on the road against tough competition in an era when the highest classifications of Georgia high school football are increasingly dominated by metro Atlanta and North Georgia.
Probst knew that if he was going to have a shot at winning state titles in Georgia high school football, he would have to win on the road (pretty much always during 100-200+ mile long road trips to metro Atlanta/North Georgia and occasionally the Georgia Coast).
Probst's Colquitt County teams were the ultimate road warriors who played metro Atlanta teams so much and so often that many casual metro Atlanta high school football fans and onlookers often mistakenly thought that Colquitt County was located in metro Atlanta.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bu2
Those districts in South Georgia have done very, very well over the last decade in the top 2 classes. Lee County won 6A last year over another south of the gnat line school.
Not only has South Georgia done very well in the top 2 classes over the last decade, but South Georgia has pretty much dominated the sport of high school football in Georgia (example: Valdosta High School is the winningest football program in the country with 24 state titles and 6 national titles), including in the state's largest classification, until about the 1990's... That's when metro Atlanta/North Georgia teams won 3 state titles in a row in the state's largest classification for the first time in the modern history of the sport in the state, when Southwest DeKalb, Brookwood and Parkview won state titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997, respectively.
This was during a stretch when metro Atlanta/North Georgia teams seemed to be breaking South Georgia's traditional dominance over the sport in the state of Georgia by winning 8 out of 12 state titles in the state's largest classification from 1991 until 2002.
(… South Georgia would return to dominance for a stretch in the 2000's when both Camden County and Lowndes won 3 state titles each in 6 out of 7 years between 2003 and 2009 in the state's largest classification (then-Class 5A) before metro Atlanta/North Georgia seemingly resumed its rise in Georgia high school football by winning state titles in the largest classification (6A and 7A) in 7 out of 9 years between 2010 and 2018 during the decade of the 2010's.)
Last edited by Born 2 Roll; 12-09-2019 at 10:19 PM..
HS football championship games at Georgia State Stadium
Eight GHSA (Georgia High School Association) football championship games will be played on Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14 at Georgia State Stadium (formerly Turner Field baseball stadium).
Here is a link to a schedule and brief breakdown of each of the high school football championship games in classes A-Public, A-Private, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAA, AAAAAA and AAAAAAA:
"State championship game previews" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
The Class 7A (AAAAAAA) Championship game between the Marietta Blue Devils and the Lowndes Vikings (Saturday at 8pm) is the marquee game that is the most anticipated, just simply because of the seemingly overwhelming amount of college-bound talent that will playing in the game. Though, all of the championship games from classes 1A through 7A will be worth at least a look.
Three #1-ranked HS basketball teams to play in Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic at Norcross HS
Quote:
Three No. 1-ranked basketball teams and four of the top five boys teams in Class AAAAAAA are playing this weekend in the 12-game Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic at Norcross.
The No. 1 teams participating are Lovejoy’s girls (Class AAAAAA), Buford’s girls (AAAAA) and McEachern’s boys (AAAAAAA).
While the state high school football championship games are being played at Georgia State Stadium (formerly Turner Field) on Friday and Saturday, 24 teams (16 boys' teams and 8 girls' teams) will be participating in the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic at Norcross High School in Gwinnett County.
There will be 4 games starting at about 3pm on Friday afternoon and running until about Midnight on Friday night, and there will be 8 games starting at about 10am on Saturday morning and running until about Midnight on Saturday night.
All games in the event feature competitive matchups, but the marquee matchup of the weekend will be the Class 7A Defending champion #1 McEachern boys (who feature the top-2 ranked point guard in the nation in Sharife Cooper) vs. the Class 7A #4 Grayson boys (who feature a trio of highly-rated perimeter recruits in point guard Deivon Smith, shooting guard Caleb Murphy and wing player Toneari Lane) on Saturday evening at 7:15pm.
The McEachern boys (ranked #10 nationally) and the Grayson boys (ranked #18 nationally) also currently feature high national rankings.
Also, continuing the experiment that it started during the Hawks-Naismith Tipoff Classic at Pace Academy back in November, the GHSA (Georgia High School Association) will use a 30-second shot clock to limit the time of offensive possessions in 11 of the 12 games during the event.
Last edited by Born 2 Roll; 12-13-2019 at 04:25 AM..
Well.. Right now there is a kid (Sharife Cooper at McEachern High School in Powder Springs/Cobb County) who is regarded by many as being the top high school point guard in the entire nation. He helped lead the McEachern boys to a #2 national ranking, an undefeated record (32-0), a state title in 7A in 2019 and the claim of being one of the absolute best boys basketball teams in the history of the state of Georgia.
Cooper was able to gain a lot national buzz because people were putting videos of his team's basketball games up all over YouTube and other social media in earnest starting with his sophomore season (2017-2018). Cooper also had a few teammates that gained a lot of buzz for their above-the-rim and outside play.
Cooper (who scored 52 points in a game the other night) is currently a senior who is ranked by many college recruiting and scouting outlets as being the top high school point guard in the nation and has reportedly committed to Auburn to join a couple of highly-regarded teammates (YouTube dunking sensation Issac Okoro and shot blocker/rebounder Babatunde
Akingbola) that are already there as freshmen under Bruce Pearl. https://247sports.com/Player/Sharife-Cooper-45573352/
There is also Anthony Edwards a.k.a. "Ant Man" who was also one of the top high school players in the country (was regarded by many as the #2 high school player in the country in his senior year) at Holy Spirit Prep in Buckhead/Northwest Atlanta and is currently a freshman at Georgia under Tom Crean. Ant Man is expected by many to declare for the NBA draft after only one season at Georgia.
"BREAKING NEWS: Top-ranked prospect Anthony ‘Ant Man’ Edwards has made his college decision" (DawgNation)
There is also Brandon Boston who was a rising national superstar in his first 3 seasons at Norcross High School, but moved to California to play on a high school basketball 'superteam' with the likes of the sons of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade at Sierra Canyon High School in the Los Angeles area.
Boston (whose teams clashed twice with Cooper's McEachern teams in the GHSA basketball playoffs the last two seasons) appears to currently be the leading scorer on that loaded high school basketball superteam at Sierra Canyon. Boston is also reportedly committed to play college basketball at the University of Kentucky in 2020. https://247sports.com/player/brandon-boston-jr-22628/
There is also Ashton Hagans, who was a highly-recruited point guard who starred at Newton High School in east metro Atlanta and is currently a sophomore at the University of Kentucky. https://247sports.com/Player/Ashton-...school-179465/
And there was Collin Sexton who was one of the top high school basketball players in the nation during his senior year (2016-17) at Pebblebrook High School before graduating and going on to play college basketball at the University of Alabama. https://247sports.com/Player/Collin-...school-170860/
And even though she seemingly flamed out in college, Diamond Deshields (daughter of retired Major League Baseball player Delino Deshields) was a national superstar in high school (and was regarded as the best girls hs player since Maya Moore of Collins Hill HS) when she helped to lead the Norcross High School girls team to 3 state titles in 4 years from 2010-2013. Diamond DeShields 2013 High School Girls' Basketball Profile - ESPN
By the way, all of the basketball players that I mentioned are/were five-star college prospects while playing basketball and attending high school in the Atlanta metro area... And those players are just a small sampling of the basketball talent that is found in the Atlanta metro area/region at the high school/prep level.
I am by no means doubting that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is a great (if not excellent) area for high school athletics in the Sun Belt, along with other major Sun Belt metros like Los Angeles, Houston, South Florida and even Charlotte.
But Atlanta/North Georgia clearly holds it own as a standout high school/prep sports and college athletic recruiting scene, both in the Sun Belt and nationally.
Excellent post with FACTS. That Boston kid's team, Sierra Canyon, was in a big Holiday tourney in Dallas/FW. They competed well, defeating Duncanville, TX in a close game. I see Sexton actually in on Cleveland Cavs roster.
Congrats to the state high school football champs!
Congratulations to all of the 2019 GHSA (Georgia High School Association) state football champions.
Congratulations to the 6 programs from metro Atlanta that won GHSA state football championships on Friday, December 13, 2019 and on Saturday, December 14, 2019:
ELCA/Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (Class A Private)
Buford (Class AAAAA)
Harrison (Class AAAAAA)
Cedar Grove (Class AAA)
Blessed Trinity (Class AAAA)
Marietta (Class AAAAAAA)
Also, congratulations to the non-metro Atlanta GHSA state football champions, Irwin County (Class A Public) and Dublin (Class AA).
Metro Atlanta teams won football state championships in six of the eight GHSA playoff classifications, which is something that signals a continued shift in the domination of the sport from south Georgia to metro Atlanta and north Georgia.
Some other developments of note during the 2019 GHSA football state championship round:
- Eagle's Landing Christian Academy set a new state record by becoming the first team in Georgia history to win 5 straight state championships in its 33-13 victory over Wesleyan.
- Buford won its 12th state championship and became the first team in GHSA history to win a state football championship in 5 different classifications with its 17-14 victory over Warner Robins. Buford has won state titles in classes A, AA, AAA, AAAA and AAAAA. The Wolves will move up to Class AAAAAA next season.
- Harrison won its first ever state title with its 20-7 victory over Region 6AAAAAA foe Allatoona.
- Cedar Grove won its 3rd-straight state title with its 21-14 victory over Crisp County.
- Blessed Trinity also won its 3rd-straight state title with its 17-14 victory over Oconee County.
- Marietta won its first state title since 1967 with its stunning 17-9 victory over heavily-favored and top-ranked Lowndes. Marietta's title win brings the number of state titles won by Cobb County schools to 5 (by comparison, Gwinnett County schools have won 24 state titles in football). Marietta's state championship win also makes it the first Cobb County school to win a state title in the state's largest classification since 1967.
Congratulations to all of the 2019 GHSA (Georgia High School Association) state football champions.
Congratulations to the 6 programs from metro Atlanta that won GHSA state football championships on Friday, December 13, 2019 and on Saturday, December 14, 2019:
ELCA/Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (Class A Private)
Buford (Class AAAAA)
Harrison (Class AAAAAA)
Cedar Grove (Class AAA)
Blessed Trinity (Class AAAA)
Marietta (Class AAAAAAA)
Also, congratulations to the non-metro Atlanta GHSA state football champions, Irwin County (Class A Public) and Dublin (Class AA).
Metro Atlanta teams won football state championships in six of the eight GHSA playoff classifications, which is something that signals a continued shift in the domination of the sport from south Georgia to metro Atlanta and north Georgia.
Some other developments of note during the 2019 GHSA football state championship round:
- Eagle's Landing Christian Academy set a new state record by becoming the first team in Georgia history to win 5 straight state championships in its 33-13 victory over Wesleyan.
- Buford won its 12th state championship and became the first team in GHSA history to win a state football championship in 5 different classifications with its 17-14 victory over Warner Robins. Buford has won state titles in classes A, AA, AAA, AAAA and AAAAA. The Wolves will move up to Class AAAAAA next season.
- Harrison won its first ever state title with its 20-7 victory over Region 6AAAAAA foe Allatoona.
- Cedar Grove won its 3rd-straight state title with its 21-14 victory over Crisp County.
- Blessed Trinity also won its 3rd-straight state title with its 17-14 victory over Oconee County.
- Marietta won its first state title since 1967 with its stunning 17-9 victory over heavily-favored and top-ranked Lowndes. Marietta's title win brings the number of state titles won by Cobb County schools to 5 (by comparison, Gwinnett County schools have won 24 state titles in football). Marietta's state championship win also makes it the first Cobb County school to win a state title in the state's largest classification since 1967.
Sandy Creek HS in Tyrone, GA has always been a football powerhouse with 3 state titles and a few National ranking appearances, they produce a ton of NFL talent too with the most popular being Calvin Johnson.
In the same county you have McIntosh and Starr's Mill (both in Peachtree City) which both consistently have great soccer programs. McIntosh has won a few national titles for both boys and girls and Starr's Mill has lots of state titles as well. Back to football, pretty much every team that just won state is from Atlanta or metro Atlanta.
Congratulations to all of the 2019 GHSA (Georgia High School Association) state football champions.
Congratulations to the 6 programs from metro Atlanta that won GHSA state football championships on Friday, December 13, 2019 and on Saturday, December 14, 2019:
ELCA/Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (Class A Private)
Buford (Class AAAAA)
Harrison (Class AAAAAA)
Cedar Grove (Class AAA)
Blessed Trinity (Class AAAA)
Marietta (Class AAAAAAA)
Also, congratulations to the non-metro Atlanta GHSA state football champions, Irwin County (Class A Public) and Dublin (Class AA).
Metro Atlanta teams won football state championships in six of the eight GHSA playoff classifications, which is something that signals a continued shift in the domination of the sport from south Georgia to metro Atlanta and north Georgia.
Some other developments of note during the 2019 GHSA football state championship round:
- Eagle's Landing Christian Academy set a new state record by becoming the first team in Georgia history to win 5 straight state championships in its 33-13 victory over Wesleyan.
- Buford won its 12th state championship and became the first team in GHSA history to win a state football championship in 5 different classifications with its 17-14 victory over Warner Robins. Buford has won state titles in classes A, AA, AAA, AAAA and AAAAA. The Wolves will move up to Class AAAAAA next season.
- Harrison won its first ever state title with its 20-7 victory over Region 6AAAAAA foe Allatoona.
- Cedar Grove won its 3rd-straight state title with its 21-14 victory over Crisp County.
- Blessed Trinity also won its 3rd-straight state title with its 17-14 victory over Oconee County.
- Marietta won its first state title since 1967 with its stunning 17-9 victory over heavily-favored and top-ranked Lowndes. Marietta's title win brings the number of state titles won by Cobb County schools to 5 (by comparison, Gwinnett County schools have won 24 state titles in football). Marietta's state championship win also makes it the first Cobb County school to win a state title in the state's largest classification since 1967.
It was interesting how much the top teams played each other (different than college football). Marietta lost to McEachern and Grayson. Grayson lost to Colquitt and in the playoffs to Lowdnes. Colquitt lost to Lowndes, Valdosta (6A) and in the playoffs to Parkview. Parkview lost to Lowndes and in the playoffs to Marietta. McEachern lost in the playoffs to North Gwinnet. North Gwinnett lost to Colquitt and in the playoffs to Lowndes.
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HS football championship games at Georgia State Stadium
