Photo by Jon Barash

Is this FINALLY the year for Cobb County?

It has been quite some time since Cobb County hoisted a Georgia state football title. Not since Marietta claimed the 1967 Class AAA title has a school representing Cobb County won it all on the girdiron. This season Cobb has two teams on which it will pin its hopes to snap the streak: McEachern in Class AAAAA and Kell in Class AAAA.

The McEachern Indians were undefeated last season but lost in the first round of the state playoffs, despite Rajaan Bennett’s best efforts. This season the team got off to a rocky start, losing on a controversial missed field goal in the Georgia Dome against Peachtree Ridge, but quickly rebounded to beat traditional power Lowndes at home. The Indians seemed to find a leader in its QB rotation in Dondre Purnell, as the signal caller rallied his team from a halftime hole to win the game on a Purnell scramble into the pylon with three seconds left in the game. Since then Purnell has shined, most recently connecting on 11 of 16 passes for 242 yards and four scores against Hillgrove while also racking up 101 rushing yards and a score on five carries in the 64-48 win. Purnell has plenty of options to throw to in TE Rory Anderson and WR Amba Etta-Tawo or hand off to like RB Zander Wilder. The defense for McEachern, though lit up against Hillgrove, has plenty of playmakers including linebackers Chris Okpala and Marcquis Roberts, a member of the Score 44.

McEachern can score in bunches and plays good enough defense to go along with a fabulous kicker in Nicholas St. Germain, but come playoff time will the defense be able to play with the same emotion it did in the victory against Lowndes? Can the offense continue to put up huge numbers when the defenses get harder and harder? And bet that if the Indians meet up with Lowndes, the Vikings will have revenge on the mind.

Meanwhile Kell is undefeated and moving up the Class AAAA rankings in a hurry. This is Kell’s first season at the AAAA level and the Longhorns have dominated their schedule thus far. The Horns got a huge victory over Grayson to start the season and Brian Randolph has put Kell on his back and carried them in seemingly all of their games. Randolph has done it on the offensive side of the ball, rushing for TD after TD, several being game-winners and last week against Osborne, he showed why Tennessee wants him in its defensive secondary as he ballhawked two INTs from his safety spot. Austin Petrik is a cerebral quarterback and Chris Gaines is going to be a star next year at tailback when he breaks out of Randolph’s shadow. This season, Gaines will have to settle for second-billing while he churns out 100 yards-rushing games. Kell will be tested in the playoffs but with head coach Derek Cook calling the plays for Kell, a run to the Georgia Dome isn’t out of the question.