Preview: Lions and #2 Dogs battle it out for Region 7-AAAAA Crown.
As Yogi Berra used to say, it’s déjà vu all over again this Friday night in Suwanee. The Lions of Peachtree Ridge (8-1, 7-0) will look to lockup their second consecutive Region Championship but will have Bob Sphire’s undefeated (9-0, 7-0) #2 North Gwinnett Bulldogs standing in their way just as they did last year on Sports Radio 680 the Fan’s Friday Night Football Game of the Week.
Peachtree Ridge came out on top of that match-up at home to win their first Football Region Championship which helped propel them to the state finals where they lost to Camden County. Friday night they will look to repeat behind a huge offensive line and their senior signal caller Nick Lombardo the only two year starter in school history. Lombardo will be complemented by senior running backs Chris Sawdey, who leads the team in carries and yards, Brandon Stanley, who leads the team in rushing touchdowns, and Steve Atwater. Peachtree Ridge’s Coach Bill Ballard says the move to the Triple Option was due to the fact “I felt like that was going to be the best thing to make us successful.”
Trying to stop that successful rushing attack will be a very stingy North Gwinnett defense, which allows just under ten points per game this season, led by senior MLB David Park the Bulldogs use a 3-3-5 scheme which uses the athleticism of their players to fly to the ball and create havoc. Park along with Brandon McGowan, and Carl Rider have come together to form a formidable line backing corps for Defensive Coordinator Mo Dixon’s defense. The defense started out the year very young as it returned only 5 starters from last year but grew up in a hurry and gained a lot of confidence holding the #5 team in the country at the time Prattville Lions to just 11 points in the season opener. Since that game they have allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points just once in a game.
North Gwinnett has not only been stellar defensively but their Spread Offense attack paced by junior QB C.J. Uzomah has been lights out as well. Uzomah, who as a junior already has offers from several BCS schools, leads the Bulldogs in just about every statistical category but he did not play in last Friday’s game and is questionable for this week’s game.
If Uzomah can’t go then sophomore Scott Hosch will get the nod. If that is the case look for junior tailbacks Joe Jones, and Raahmil Brantley to get even more carries than usual. Jones and Brantley will try to pound the 3 man front of Angelo Watley, Twon Sandridge, and Eric Mitchell, in order to open the outside for strikes to senior WR’s Cordero Dixon and Justin Dickens and TE Cody Gower over the middle.Whoever is at quarterback will have to keep a watchful eye out for the ever lurking Brad Roby who has five interceptions on the year and SLB Tanner Botts the team leader in tackles.
North Gwinnet is looking for their first ever Region title so something will have to give this Friday night when two of the top teams in Gwinnett and the State tee it up at 7:30. You can hear it live on your High School Football “Voice of the South” Sports Radio 680 the Fan and 680thefan.com with pre-game coverage starting at 7 PM.
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