In my 28 seasons of calling GHSA Football on television I’ve had the honor to broadcast a lot of great rivalry games. But tonight, for the first time, I have the pleasure to call the game they call “The Fish Bowl” as the two oldest Catholic schools in the state meet for the 59th time as the Class 4A No. 1-ranked Marist War Eagles meet the St. Pius X Golden Lions at legendary George Maloof Stadium in Atlanta.

FFIG-Marist

Our GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia coverage kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on GPB-TV statewide Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Not only is this a huge rivalry game with the War Eagles having won four straight, seven of the last eight meetings and lead the all-time series 37-18-3, the game has huge Region 5-4A implications. A victory tonight would be Marist 25th consecutive region victory and give the War Eagles the inside track to a fifth straight region championship. A Golden Lions victory would give SPX the driver’s seat to win their first region title since 2021.

Of course, a region championship brings more than just a shiny trophy as it guarantees one of eight No. 1 seeds in the state playoffs and the possibility of playing every post-season game at home leading up to the state championships at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Teams

The Marist story cannot be told without telling the story of Coach Alan Chadwick. Now in his 40th season as the War Eagles Head Coach and 49th season in the program, Chadwick is the second winningest coach in state history. With a career record of 437-80, Chadwick is 41 victories away from breaking the GHSA wins record of 477 held by former legendary Lincoln County Coach Larry Campbell.

In a moment of candor that we were not expecting (because coaches don’t usually do that when you ask them something personal), Coach Chadwick admitted that he thinks about the record more than he would like. But that’s not because he’s obsessed with the record but instead because he is constantly asked about it.

His teams reflect his personality. Driven. Disciplined. Married to the routine and the grind. Winning on the precision and timing of their offense and defense. The War Eagles run the traditional triple-option but not exclusively. They’ll mix in some Wing-T and shotgun spread but make no mistake about it, they never venture too far from the scheme that has made them a state power for a half century.

Did I mention the defense? They’ve given up only four touchdowns all season for an average of 4.7 points per game.

Ranked No. 1 in the GPB Sports 4A Top 10, this year’s Marist team is 6-0 and 4-0 in the region and might be the one that brings the War Eagles their fourth state championship. They are winning by an average of 40 points and in a lot of ways it’s very similar to the 2020 team that went 13-0 and won the state title. This year’s team might have a little less recruiting star power, but that’s not to be confused with less talent. While perhaps slight favorites the War Eagles are by no means shoo-ins to win the title in what promises to be a deep and tough 4A playoff bracket in November and December.

Led by a senior class 35-players strong, St. Pius has had a nice bounce-back season in Coach Chad Garrison’s fourth year as head coach. After slipping to 3-8 in 2023, the Golden Lions have won six straight since a season-opening 24-0 loss vs. sixth-ranked Blessed Trinity and stand 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the region heading into tonight’s game.

While he can’t match Chadwick’s longevity (but who can?) Coach Garrison is in his 25th season with the Golden Lions. He spent the first 20 years coaching the offensive line for good friend Paul Standard. When Standard left for Gilmer High School, Garrison got the chance of a lifetime to take over the program. He’s also coached SPX boys and girls track and field leading them to a 2006 state championship. He coached baseball, guiding the Golden Lions to a 2021 state semifinal finish, and coached soccer as well.

The Matchup

Marist head coach Alan Chadwick

Alan Chadwick, Marist

Marist Offense – Directed by third-year starter and senior Jack Euart, who is the son of 28-year defensive coordinator Jef Euart. He is every bit a coach’s son and is absolutely the perfect fit to run the War Eagles offense. Coach Chadwick says he’s in top 5 of all-time Marist QBs, right up there with Sean McVay who is perhaps a little more famous for being the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams and leading them to the Super Bowl Championship three seasons ago. Euart is the War Eagles leading rusher with 431 yards, while also passing for 250 yards, accounting for eight total TDs. He is committed to Wofford but to play baseball as he also doubles as Marist star shortstop. Explosive senior halfback Brayden Lewis will be another to watch. Just returning to full speed from an early season bone bruise on his knee, Lewis is committed to NCAA Division III Washington University in St. Louis. The War Eagles offensive line is led by Chadwick’s “right-hand man,” assistant head coach Dan Perez who Chadwick coached when he was the War Eagles starting QB in the early 80s. That offensive line returned only one starter this season in 6-3, 250, senior LT Austin Sperry but has paved the way for an average of 45 PPG.

Marist Defense – To go along with its absurdly low 4.7 PPG average, the War Eagles are allowing just 42.5 rushing YPG, 127.5 total YPG and less than six first downs per game. I know it doesn’t sound real … but it is. Led by linebackers Max Mraz, Jude Norden and Noah Gerrick, who Coach Chadwick calls a “warrior” and like Euart committed to play baseball at Wofford. Continuing the baseball theme, DE Jack Richerson is the No. 1 rated 3B in the Georgia and No. 13 3B in the country for 2026 with offers including Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame. Richerson gets after the QB as does Spalding High School transfer Anton Haven who with an offer from Arkansas State is the highest rated FBS football prospect on the team. He is the nephew for former Atlanta Falcons five-time Pro Bowler and Ring of Honor inductee Jesse “The Hammer” Tuggle. FS Trace Gaynes leads the secondary, is uber-dangerous in the return game and Coach Chadwick’s Make That Kid an Offer nominee.

Chad Garrison, St. Pius

Chad Garrison, St. Pius

St. Pius Offense – Very similar to the Marist offense. So much so that our running joke this week is that the biggest challenge in this game will be for our Producer Glenn Diamond to get in all our TV breaks (and we don’t even have that many). But with both of these teams running the ball maybe as much as 90-percent of the time, this game could go by fast. The leading pass catchers for both these teams have five receptions … for the entire season! Need I say more. The Golden Lions offense is directed by first-year starter and senior Colin Crosby who’s accounted for nine touchdowns running and passing.  Junior A-back Dexter Mosley and his sophomore teammate Aidan Francois have combined for over 500 yards rushing and fullback Luke Pinson should be back from a high ankle sprain and they will need him. Coach Garrison says if somebody will take a chance on Mosley they’ve be getting a winner. Golden Lions have size at the tackles led by 6-5, 235, Senior RT Charlie Nelson who Garrison says is definitely a MTKAO candidate.

St. Pius Defense – Strong at DE with 6-5, 196, senior Will Klein who leads the team with 7 TFL from his “Anchor” position, Coach Garrison thinks he could be a real playmaker at the next level with another 40 pounds. Senior Edward Van Nort mans the “Rush” end position and has 4.5 TFL. Coach Garrison calls WILL LB (Lion position) Cayden DuBose a ball of fire who plays with a lot of emotion. In the secondary, safety Hudson Taylor was at one time committed to Georgia Southern but has since decommitted but also has offers from Coastal Carolina and New Mexico.

Both teams have really good kicking games and it could come down to the foot of the War Eagles Drew Linnihan or the Golden Lions Ivan Lipscomb.

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 No. 1 Marist War Eagles play at the St. Pius X Golden Eagles. Remember at halftime we’ll 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 11:15 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org. 

Enjoy your October 11, 2024, Football Friday in Georgia!