It’s Week 13. The final week of the GHSA regular season and nearly two months after Carver-Atlanta and Hapeville Charter started the season a combined 2-5 they will play for the Region 5-2A championship. Neither team has lost over the last seven weeks and bring a combined 11-game winning streak into tonight’s GPB Sports Football Friday in Georgia.

Now it isn’t that the Panthers and Hornets weren’t good at the start of the season, all five of the losses came against opponents playing in higher classifications. So, another way to look at it is, neither team has lost a game in 2A football this season.

That of course will change tonight. This game was originally scheduled to be played Sept. 27 but was postponed as Hurricane Helene moved through the state of Georgia. So this evening Carver Atlanta and Hapeville Charter is one of the 48 games that will be played this weekend to close out the regular season one week later than originally scheduled.

Ironically, this will be the first regular season meeting between these two teams but they are hardly strangers. Panthers Coach Darren Myles and Hornets Coach Winston Gordon are close colleagues, often collaborate on off-season fund-raising projects and the two teams scrimmage in the preseason on a regular basis.

Our Football Fridays coverage from Trojan Stadium in College Park starts at 7:30 p.m. on statewide GPB-TV Georgia Public Broadcasting and world-wide on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, the GPB Sports app and online at GPB.org/sports.

Hapeville

Among Hapeville Charter's top players are (76) Kenny Fairley, (1) Zach Smith and (4) Jaseem Williams.

The Teams

The Carver Atlanta Panthers (7-2, 5-0 Region 5-2A) are a team very familiar with success under Head Coach Darren Myles. In the last four seasons the Panthers played for the state championship in 2021 and finished their seasons in the state semifinals in 2022 and quarterfinals in 2020.

But even with all that success, Carver has won only two region championships in Myles’ previous 19 seasons with the Panthers and not since 2017. He says that just goes to show how hard region championships are to win.

This has been a nice bounce back season for Carver. The team slipped to 2-8 last season in a year in which both of the program’s coordinators passed away. OC Keevin Bell died in January before the 2023 season and DC Ozzie Harrell died during the season the week before their Buford game on GPB. The two wins were the program’s fewest since 2011 but the Panthers have rebounded here in 2024. Coach Myles says the returning players were not happy with the way last season turned out and got to work in January to change the culture.

Since starting the season 1-2, Carver has won six straight and not one of the wins has been by less than 30 points. The Panthers have given up only 24 points during the six-game winning streak and at one point shutout four opponents in a row. An eighth win tonight would also be the 144th of Coach Myles career, moving him to sole possession of third place in total career coaching wins among Atlanta Public School programs.

Now the Hapeville Charter Hornets’ (6-3, 5-0) story is nothing short of extraordinary. There might not be a program in the state that does more with less. They don’t have a home stadium and tonight’s “home” game will be played at nearby Banneker High School. Their practice field is a mostly-dirt field that sits adjacent to the school. It is not lined and it does not have goalposts. It’s not wide enough to really spread out on offense like they will in games and sometimes passing traffic has to stop when the football bounces into the street.

Opening in 2011, the Hornets program is just in its 14th year of existence with the no-nonsense, “my-way-or-the-highway” Winston Gordon as the head coach. In just their fifth full season of football Gordon got the Hornets to the state semifinals and by season six Hapeville Charter won the 2017 State Championship.

The program has already put five players in the NFL in a little more than a decade and four of them are still playing in the league: WR Jermaine Burton (UGA/ALA) with the Bengals, DL Kingsley Enagbare (SC) Packers, OLB Arden Key (LSU) Titans and SAF Chris Smith (UGA) with the Raiders.

With reclassification, the Hornets returned to 2A this season after four seasons playing “up” in 4A. While Coach Gordon says he didn’t mind playing up, the numbers suggest that 2A is a much better competitive fit for the program. In the last four seasons (2020-23) competing in 4A, the Hornets went 19-25 and never advanced beyond the second round. In the four years prior to that in 2A (2016-19), Hapeville Charter went 44-9-1 and won the 2017 State Championship and finished in the semifinals in 2016 and quarterfinals in 2019.

So now they’re back. After starting this season 1-3 with losses to perennial state powers all on the road, Lee County (5A), Cartersville (4A) and Westlake (6A), the Hornets have reeled off five straight wins to put themselves in position to win their first region championship since 2019. This one should be fun.

The Match-Up

Montavious Banks, Carver

Montavious Banks, Carver

Credit: Hudl

Carver Offense – Led by QB Montavious Banks who has had an extraordinary senior season. With one offer from Morehouse, Banks has completed 73% of his passes for 184 passing YPG with 20 TD and 0 INT. That’s right zero interceptions. The ground game produces 194 YPG and operates on a committee of Lataious Stepp (475 yards, 6 TD) who also has a Morehouse offer. Nas Scott (280 yards) and 5-11, 240-pound bulldozer Ja’Quavious Bryant Brown (10 TD) who also doubles as the Panthers NT with 14 TFL and 6 QB sacks. Terrious Favors who has seven offers including Marshall, Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky is the top receiver (33-737 yards, 10 TD) and also leads the secondary with 6 INT. The offensive line is led by the Thomas twins (Jacob and Jabari) at the tackles. Jacob has an offer from Morehouse.

Carver Defense – Three-year DE starter Michael Johnson is the leader and has an offer from Morehouse. Johnson has a team-leading 55 total tackles, 48 solo, with 27 TFL and 12 QB sacks. Jaiden Dowdell is another three-year starter playing the Mike linebacker position with 42 total tackles, 31 solo with 5 TFL. DE Arlando Crafton who also starts at TE, has adapted well to playing on defense this season and has recorded 9 TFL with 6 QB sacks. Crafton has the most offers on the team with eight including Mississippi State, Marshall, and Georgia Southern. No. 1 RB Stepp also starts both ways and has 11 TFL playing LB.

Hapeville Charter Offense – Injuries have created quite a challenge for the Hornets late in the season. Starting QB K.J. Pope might not be able to go tonight. He’s a tremendous athlete who has five offers including Missouri and Houston. If he can’t play Coach Gordon says they are prepared to adapt. The Hornets have also been hit hard at the RB position with the dynamic Robert Henderson is out for the season with a fractured heel. He has nine offers including UConn, Liberty and FAU. Junior Omari Harris has taken over the No. 1 RB role in his absence. The WR corps is led by Jaseem Williams and Jah’nai Weaver. Williams has an offer from Clark Atlanta. The strength of the offense is quite possibly the offensive line led by 6-4, 300-lbs, senior Bruntavious Clark who’s been offered by Alabama A&M and Morehouse

Hapeville Charter Defense – Led on the defensive line by DE Mahkeil Shuler who’s been offered by Alabama State and Clark Atlanta, and two-way sophomore starter DT (RT) Kenny Fairley who already has an offer from Western Michigan. Linebackers Ke’Sean Wooten and Kaleb Jackson are DB-sized backers both with offers from Clark Atlanta and Jackson also has an offer from Morehouse. CB Zach Smith is the highest rated prospect for the Hornets and is a consensus 3-Star who is committed to Indiana. He is joined in the secondary by CB Dylon Henderson (Robert’s brother) who has seven offers including Memphis and Middle Tennessee, and junior SAF Jareq Johnson who’s been offered by UAB and Middle Tennessee as well.

Recruiting Game Guide

Carver Atlanta Prospects

Terrious Favors, Carver

Terrious Favors, Carver

Credit: Hudl

Seniors

#1 Montavious Banks – 6-0, 160, Senior QB – Offered by Morehouse

#7 Jaiden Dowdell – 5-11 190, Senior LB – Offered by Morehouse

#62 Jacob Thomas – 6-3, 278, Senior OL – Offered by Morehouse

#5 Jaquavious Bryant-Brown – 5-11, 237, Senior DL/RB – Receiving interest from Clark Atlanta and Hutchinson CC

Juniors

#8 Arlando Crafton – 6-4, 215, Junior DE/TE – 8 offers including Mississippi State, Marshall, and Georgia Southern. Also receiving interest from Georgia.

#3 Terrious Favors – 5-10, 160, Junior ATH – 7 offers including Marshall, Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky. Also receiving interest from Georgia.

#4 Quinton Moss – 5-9, 180, Junior SS/RB – Offered by Morehouse

#2 Lataious Stepp – 5-9, 190, Junior DB/RB – Offered by Morehouse

#0 Michael Johnson – 6-0, 230, Junior DL – Offered by Morehouse

#60 Jaiden Tyler – 6-3, 271, Junior OL – Offered by Morehouse

Hapeville Charter Prospects

K.J. Pope, Hapeville Charter

K.J. Pope, Hapeville Charter

Seniors

#1 Zach Smith – 5-11, 160, Senior – Committed to Indiana over 14 other offers including Auburn – Consensus 3-Star CB

#11 Robert Henderson – 5-11, 190, Senior RB/DB – 9 offers including UConn, Liberty, and FAU. Out for the season with injury.

#12 Dylon Henderson – 5-11, 180, Senior DB – 7 offers including Memphis, Middle Tennessee, and Alabama State

#2 K.J. Pope – 5-11, 175, Senior ATH – 5 offers including Missouri, Houston, and Austin Peay

#3 Mahkeil Shuler – 6-2, 185, Senior OLB – Offered by Alabama State and Clark Atlanta

#55 Bruntavious Clark – 6-4, 300, Senior OL/DL – Offered by Alabama A&M and Morehouse

#5 Kaleb Jackson – 6-0, 190, Senior DB – Offered by Clark Atlanta and Morehouse

#8 Ke’Sean Wooten – 5-10, 165, Senior DB – Offered by Clark Atlanta and Oberlin

#4 Jaseem Williams – 5-10, 170, Senior Slot WR – Offered by Clark Atlanta

Juniors

#6 Jareq Johnson – 5-9, 160, Junior DB – Offered by UAB and Middle Tennessee

#72 Chris Booker – 6-4, 235, Junior OL/DL – Offered by Western Michigan

Sophomores

#76 Kenny Fairley – 6-1, 255, Sophomore OL/DL – Offered by Western Michigan

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 Carver Atlanta Panthers play the Hapeville Charter Hornets. Remember at halftime we’ll highlight this week’s Make That Kid an Offer nominees from around the state.

You can watch Football Fridays in Georgia so many ways. You have traditional TV (GPB), online at GPB.org, GPB Sports app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch.

Now if you miss the game live or just want to watch it again, don’t worry, we replay the entire Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week at 11:15 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org.

Enjoy your November 8, 2024, Football Friday in Georgia!