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Recruiting 2023: Parkview at Newton
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For the second straight week on GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia we have a case of the historical haves vs. the have nots. Much like last week when Class 5A No. 1 Cartersville held off No. 9 Hiram’s upset bid 35-34, tonight’s game between the No. 6-ranked Newton Rams and Parkview Panthers is a historical mismatch but in the here-and-now promises to be a great GHSA Region 4-7A showdown.
Our coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. on GPB-TV in Georgia Public Broadcasting’s first-ever broadcast from Homer Sharp Stadium in Covington.
The undefeated Rams have already put together an incredible season. But as their first-year coach Josh Skelton said, “our goal is to win every game.” Skelton is hardly new to Newton’s team. This is his 12th season with the program having served as an assistant coach for three different head coaches including Cortez Allen who is now the athletics director and the man who promoted him from defensive coordinator to the top job.
So just how have-not has the Newton program been? This is the first time in the program’s 75-year history that the Rams have ever started a season 7-0. To contrast that, they’ll be facing a Parkview program that once won a then-state record 46 games in a row.
The Rams are gunning for just their third region title in program history. Tonight, they are facing a Panthers program that once won three state championships in a row and has won four total.
But none of that matters tonight nor here in 2023. What Newton has done this season is no fluke, although it was predicted by maybe no one outside the Rams program before the season started. The Rams obliterated their first three opponents Hapeville Charter and county rivals Alcovy and Eastside a combined 145-7 to start the season.
Since then, the Rams have beaten a who’s who of 7A football knocking off Top 10 teams Westlake and Grayson and true highest-class bluebloods McEachern and Brookwood. Now they face another in Parkview that fell into both categories until last week when the Panthers dropped out of the Top 10 after a 28-27 upset loss to Archer.
Parkview has had to endure the loss of two great RB to knee injuries. The Panthers lost Khyair Spain in their season-opening win at Kell and then lost Trelain Maddox two games ago in a win over South Gwinnett. You might remember Maddox was our Georgia Cotton Commissioner Player of the Game when we televised Parkview’s 35-32 win over North Gwinnett September 8th.
The game has big region race implications. Newton controls its own destiny. Win out and the Rams will be region champs for the first time since 2015. A Panthers loss tonight will likely relegate them to a third-place finish at best and even put them in jeopardy of not making the state playoffs at all. However, a Parkview win would put them right back in the region championship race and possibly create a scenario where the No. 1 seed would be determined by tiebreakers. So, as you can see there’s a lot riding on the game tonight … historically … and in the present.
That’s the game story. Let’s take a look at the top prospects for these two teams.
Parkview Panthers
Mike Matthews – 6-2, 190, Senior – Committed to Tennessee over 34 others offers including Georgia and Clemson – Highest Ranking: 2024 Rivals 5-Star – No. 3 WR in the country 2024 – No. 2 prospect in Georgia – No. 7 overall national prospect
Cortez Smith – 6-4, 285, Junior – 20-plus offers including Georgia, South Carolina and Georgia Tech – Consensus 4-Star – Highest Ranking: ESPN No. 2 IOL in the country 2025
Zelus Hicks – 6-3, 190, Sophomore – 20-plus offers including Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida – Highest Ranking: 247 Sports 4-Star – No. 3 SAF in the country 2026 and No. 8 sophomore prospect in Georgia
Jalyn Crawford – 6-1, 185, Senior – Committed to Auburn over 35 other offers including LSU and Georgia – Highest Ranking: 2024 Rivals 4-Star – No. 10 CB in the country 2024
Antonio White – 6-3, 190, Senior – Committed to Rutgers over 21 other offers including Vanderbilt from whom he decommitted June 3rd – Highest Ranking: 247 Sports 4-Star and No. 20 SAF in the country 2024
Jordan Floyd – 6-7, 300, Senior – Committed to Georgia Tech over 10 other offers including UCF and South Carolina – Consensus 3-Star OT 2024
Terrence Curtis – 6-0, 185, Senior – Nine offers including Ole Miss and UCF – Highest Ranking: ESPN 3-Star CB 2024
Trelain Maddox – 6-3. 210, Senior – Committed to Georgia Tech over 18 other offers including Kentucky – Consensus 3-Star ATH 2024. Out for the season with knee injury.
Ira Singleton – 6-5, 220, Senior – Committed to Miami-Ohio over 10 other overs including Georgia State and Charlotte – Highest Ranking: On3 3-Star Edge 2024
Khyair Spain – 5-10, 215, Senior – Nine offers including UAB, Troy and ETSU – Highest Ranking: On3 Recruits 3-Star RB 2024. Our for the season with knee injury.
Carson Wilson – 6-0, 185, Senior WR – Committed to East Tennessee State over 10-plus offers including Middle Tennessee and Charlotte
Sean Ferguson – 5-11, 175, Junior – 5-plus offers including Indiana and App State
Bryce Coulson – 6-0, 175, Senior ATH – 5-plus offers including BYU
Bryan Stokes – 5-9, 175, Sophomore RB – Offered by Marshall
Abdul Mohammed – 6-2, 255, Senior DL – Offered by Western Carolina and Sewanee
Jamariez Robinson – 5-10, 205, Senior SAF – Offered by Campbell
Josh Haynes – 6-4, 265, Senior OL – 5-plus offers including Sewanee and Georgetown
Newton Rams
Zion Johnson – 5-9, 180, Junior – 11 Offers including Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida – Highest Ranking: ESPN 4-Star and No. 20 RB in the country 2025
Keon Davis – 6-1, 185, Senior – Committed to Georgia Southern over three other offers including Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky and Michigan State – Consensus 3-Star WR
Marcus Calwise – 5-10, 190, Senior Athlete – Nine offers including Liberty, Western Kentucky and UAB
Ryshawn Perry – 6-3, 275, Junior DT – 11 offers including NC State, Liberty and Houston
Jamarcus Presley – 6-0, 190, Senior NB – Six offers including James Madison, App State and Buffalo
Zack Harden – 6-2, 185, Junior CB – Offered by Georgia Tech and Bowling Green
Wayne Patterson – 6-2, 255, Junior DE – Offered by FAU
Chris Brown – 5-10, 170, Junior CB – Offered by UAB
Russell Davis – 6-3, 295, Senior NG – Offered by ULM
Deron Benson – 6-0, 170, Sophomore QB – Offered by Morehouse. Receiving Interest from Georgia Tech and Coastal Carolina.
Adryan Cole – 6-2, 190, Freshman SAF – Receiving interest from Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky
Quinn Norman – 6-3, 205, Senior LB – Receiving interest from Indiana and Georgia State.
Ephraim Wright – 5-11, 175, Senior DB – Receiving Interest from Murray State, Furman, Air Force and Mercer
Jayden Ford – 5-11, 180, Senior SAF – Receiving Interest from Tennessee State, UT-Martin and Tennessee Tech
M.J. Harrell – 6-2, 175, Senior CB – Receiving Interest from UT-Martin and Wofford
So, join Wayne Gandy, Jon Nelson, Hannah Goodin, and me for our Emmy Award-winning Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week as the Newton Rams host the Parkview Panthers starting at 7:30 p.m. Remember at halftime Hannah will highlight this week’s Make That Kid an Offer nominees.
You can watch Football Fridays in Georgia in so many ways. You have traditional TV (GPB), online at GPB.org, GPB Sports app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch.
Now if somehow, you miss it live or just want to watch it again, don’t worry, we replay the entire Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week at 11:30 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org.
Enjoy your Football Friday in Georgia!
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