Two the nation’s top high school quarterbacks and two of the country’s biggest and best linemen will be on display for this week’s GPB Football Fridays in Georgia as the North Cobb Warriors play host to the McEachern Indians in GHSA Region 4-6A action. Ranked pre-season number one in the state, McEachern has rebounded from the loss of Taj Griffin, one of the nation’s top running backs, to win three straight after a tough 0-2 start. North Cobb had won four in a row until falling to Hillgrove 28-7 last Friday night.

Warriors quarterback Tyler Queen, the son of Head Coach Shane Queen, committed to the Auburn Tigers more than a year ago and the 4-star is ranked as the country’s #10 pro style quarterback in the 247 Sports Composite rankings. Indians 4-star quarterback Bailey Hockman is the son of Head Coach Kyle Hockman and rated the #3 sophomore quarterback in the nation.

McEachern is also led by two of the highest ranked linemen in the country. Five-star tackle Chuma Edoga is committed to Southern Cal and rated the #3 offensive tackle in the nation. Four-star Julian Rochester is the nation’s No. 5 junior defensive tackle and has Auburn and Georgia among his top 16 offers.

Unfortunately, the game will be missing the country’s #1 ranked all-purpose back Taj Griffin. The four-star RB committed to Oregon is out from the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury.

After reaching the state semi-finals last season, the Indians began the season pre-season No. 1. But after losing Griffin, McEachern dropped their first two games of the season to North Gwinnett and Lovejoy by a combined 10 points. McEachern has now won three straight including a 37-23 win vs. Marietta in last Friday’s region opener. Last season’s semi-final run was McEachern’s best season since reaching the state finals in 1998. The Indians are led by Coach Hockman who is now in his 7th season at the Powder Springs School with a record of 57-18.

North Cobb reached the state semi-finals for the first time in school history in 2012 and have started this season 4-2, 1-1 in Region 4-6A. Led by Coach Queen (9th season, 59-31), the Warriors have won four playoff games the last two years. Prior to that, North Cobb had only two playoff wins (both in 1979) in the first 53 years of the program.

Other players to watch for McEachern: sophomore WR Tyler Smith, 247 Sports 4-star and #8 athlete in the Class of 2017; senior 3-star WR T.J. Rahming, who is committed to Duke; senior 3-star OG Chandler Jones, who is committed to Louisville; and DB Tyler Woodley who has been offered by Georgia State. For North Cobb, senior WR Devin Granville has been offered by Marshall.

This will be the 47th all-time meeting between the two Cobb County programs dating back to 1961. The Warriors lead 24-20-2 and were a 28-26 winner last season in Acworth snapping a four-game losing streak in the series. North Cobb was 18-3-2 in the first 23 match-ups in the series through 1983 but McEachern has gone 17-6 in the 23 meetings since.

It will be another great GPB Football Friday in Georgia live from Emory Sewell Stadium in Acworth. It all starts at 7:00 p.m. with our GPB All Access Pass show hosted by Mark Harmon and Claire Simms and then join me, Larry Smith, Jon Nelson and Grace Olson on the game call starting at 7:30 pm. It’ll be fun. Be sure to tune in.