A Look at the Friday Games

Buford and Calhoun should plan for this every year. Just put the other team on the schedule for a meeting at the Georgia Dome during state finals weekend. The two have met in the finals the past two seasons and will tee it up again today for the Class AA title.
The Wolves are going for their eighth state title since 2000. They should be “illegalized” as Ron Artest might say, because it almost isn’t fair for them to be this dominant.
The Yellow Jackets have been in the mix for the past 10 years in AA but have not yet broken down the door and won their first state title since the 50’s. But after losing star quarterback Nash Nance and wideout Da’Rick Rogers, Calhoun has seemingly not missed a beat and has returned to where their season ended the past two seasons.
Despite losing the last two finals to the Wolves, Calhoun was able to knock off Carver-Columbus in the semifinals, the only team to defeat Buford this season. A Yellow Jacket win this afternoon would be one of the bigger upsets in state finals games in recent memory.
In the other Friday final, two newcomers will bash heads to see which one will take their first loss of the season. Chattahoochee and Starr’s Mill, both programs born in the 90’s, will try to become state champions of Class AAAA. Neither program has been to the finals before. A win by the Cougars would be a boon for North Fulton football, as Roswell is the only other program in that area of metro Atlanta to really ever be a legitimate power.
Starr’s Mill, on the other hand, represents Fayette County, which is a burgeoning power in the state. Whitewater’s upset of Northside-Warner Robins turned heads, while Sandy Creek is becoming one of the state’s top overall programs. If the Panthers win tonight, they will earn even more respect for this south metro Atlanta county.
However, the Panthers will have to try to contain the lethal passing combination of Timmy Byerly to Kane Whitehurst, which has combined for 17 touchdown passes this year. Byerly has tossed 13 scores to other receivers and has totaled 2,553 passing yards. Byerly also leads the team in rushing with 1,396 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The Starr’s Mill defense, which held powerful Tucker to just 19 points last week, could be the key to the game. If they can slow down the prolific Hooch offense, the Panthers will take home the biggest prize in AAAA football.