Anither one is gone

The coming and going of sports guys in this town is a fairly common occurrence, because they basically sign a two year contract and then head out the door for brighter pastures.
It has happened so many times in the last 10 years that it really isn't that big of a deal, but when one leaves that we really like, it does take it a minute to really sink in.
That my friends is what is happening this week as WGXA loses Luke Hetrick.
I remember the first time I met Luke. It was at a Stratford Academy basketball game and I saw this goofy looking guy standing in the corner of the gym with a camera. He has this big smile on his face and was filming some basketball. I went over to talk to him at half-time and the rest is history. I am proud to say that we are friends and I will miss him when he leaves Macon.
Luke takes his career very seriously and we all figured he was a two year guy here. All the good ones that aren't from around here usually are. I don't know where he will end up but I do know wherever he goes he will be well liked. He, along with Mason Prince, have turned around the WXGA sports scene and made them legit.
I have not always agreed with Luke and I think that is more me than him. You see, I can be a bit opinionated. The  best example I have of this is when Tennessee beat Georgia on the last play of the game a year ago in football , and I click on twitter and see that big ole smiling Luke talking about this was the greatest thing he had ever covered in his career. Well that smile just rubbed me the wrong way. The people that watch him, UGA fans , were gutted after that loss, and here was a reporter from Macon smiling like he was as happy as he could be about seeing Tenn beat UGA on a miracle play on the last play of the game. Of course I made  a twitter comment about how he doesn't for in Tennessee and he shouldn't be so damn happy about that damn play.
Luke called me on the way home from the game and gave me his side of why he was so happy and I explained my views and it was settled. His youthful enthusiasm was great but it was just painful for me to see.
Luke has the ability to get along with everyone and that is a gift now days. The coaches love him the kids love him and the other media love him. He was possessed to cover as many games as he could get to, and his stories got better and better as he gained experience.
He came to Macon as a green reporter with not much experience, and he leaves as someone who knows what he is doing and is ready for bigger things.
If I needed another son, I would take him, but I am afraid we don't have enough hair products in my house to keep him happy.
Everyone knows of my love for Wes Blankenship, but Luke, you are right up there with him in my book.
Fairwell my friend. You are welcome at my house any time to drink a beer or eat a meal or just to start a conversation about that damn Tennessee touchdown.

what i am thankful for

This is easy but the worst part is I will probably leave people out, which is not done on purpose. It is just what hits my mind as I am writing.
Obviously I m thankful for the family and I wont get into that too much. Suffice to say my wife lets me go as I want which allows me to cover sports in this area and go to games when I am not covering and never complains about when I am gone. My kids have that too and I am so thankful that they are a mix of both parents and not just like me. I have a great mix of sports loving and sports not caring in my kids and they have given me thrills of a lifetime as college athletes.
I am thankful for the 50,000 hits this blog has received and showing me that folks are interested in reading what I say.
I am thankful for my bosses, one at my real job who lets me fly out when I need  to cover sports and my 10 year boss at the telegraph, Daniel Shirley, who let a nobody like me cover virtually everything around here.
I am thankful for the high school athletes who make Friday nights fun. I cant list them all because I don't have enough space. It is impossible not to have favorites and I will mention a few because well, a few just stand out.
I could not write this without mentioning Allie Gordon, my favorite female athlete this year because she is a leader and a nice young lady, who loves sports and leads numerous teams, but at times you can still see that she is a 17 year old kid trying to keep everyone happy. Larson McDaniel and Sammy Martin, two wonderful young men at Stratford, won me over this last week with marvelous interviews, and I cant forget Tobe Umerah, who is a true man who looks you in the eye and shakes your hand like he means it.
I can get the same feeling when I talk about Dalton Cox, who is a great high school quarterback when I interview him and I cant help but mention Brock Baggarley, who looks like he lost his three best friends and his dog after a loss. I love a kid who loves to play.
Quintin Sewell basically led the turnaround at Howard, and Adrian Hardwick was always a great interview.
Ok I have to get away from the kids because I have a 100 more I could talk about.
I am thankful for high school coaches who return texts when I need them for a story. Keith Hatcher, Chance Jones, Joey Hiller, Denny Bryant, Mark Farriba, Chad Campbell, Justin Rogers Barney Hester, Joe Dupree, and a few more, thank you so much for getting back to me in a timely manner and realizing publicity is important for your school and it is a part of your job to answer the press.
If I didn't mention you, then prob are not a football coach lol, or you are one of those I have to beg to talk to.
I am thankful for all the college kids who didn't get the playing time they wanted as freshmen but are sticking with it for another year. I know I had to beg a certain one to stay and basically had to threaten him to get him to stay during those first few weeks. Well he stayed and he didn't play but I feel like he will start next year.
I am thankful for getting the opportunity to broadcast games on live stream for Tattnall Square, and to me it doesn't matter if 10 or 200 people are listening.
I could go on and on but it is thanksgiving.
I have considered putting this blog to rest many times but as long as I have readers I will continue to write.
Happy Thanksgiving

my winners

I will go ahead and make all of my picks stone cold lock winners because after writing 462 stories over the last few weeks I feel as if I am an expert.
I welcome all the emails and texts asking why the hell wont you write something on us this week. Hello Kosater we are still playing football here why no coverage in the paper?
Hey Kosater why are you already writing Tattnall basketball stories and not covering our football team?
Yes all of those are accurate texts that I received this week, and right now I will address your concerns.
1. I am a freelancer for the Telegraph. I have no say about what or when I write, but I thank all of you for thinking I am more important than that,
2. Sometime we have stories planned but coaches wont answer texts when I try and set up a story. So before getting in touch with me, ask your coach to see if he responded to me. If you ask me I will be glad to tell you who they are.
3. no sports editor, 2 freelancer and a partridge in a pear tree are handling the sports right now for the Telegraph.




Lets check out the games
Stratford and Fellowship Christian
I finally get to cover Stratford and I am excited about it. Can Stratford win ? Sure they can , even though they are playing a team that scared the socks off of Eagles Landing a year ago. Fellowship lost four games this year but all of those teams are still in the playoffs so they are used to playing hard teams.
Stratford ? I don't know. The strength of schedule is underwhelming for sure and they lost to Aquinas, who lost earlier to Mount de Sales. I believe that this game will be much tougher than people think, and that it may come down to the end. Tobe Umerah is back after an injury and I think the Eagles will win because of the homefield advantage and a good kicker.
Jamison wins it near the end
Stratford  24    Fellowship  21


FPD and Athens
The Vikings can pass but they cant run and they cant play defense. I believe in all honesty it will take a miracle for them to win. Do I know anything about Athens ?
Nope
But I know a lot about FPD. They had a great year but it runs out this week
Athens 40  FPD   24


Jones County doesn't matter who they are playing this week, they are winning
Westside loses a tough one this week
Mary Persons gets one more win over Baldwin
Northside cant get past Tucker  although they keep it close
Peach County the only team in this area who will win state, wins by 45
WRHS my alma mater keeps that magic working with another win.
And now after 15 stories in the last 16 days, I am tired
Have a good weekend friends

best of the best

I have been writing for the newspaper for what seems like forever.
10 years is forever for some folks.
But it seems like I am a creature of habit who doesn't really like change.
I mean lets look at the facts.
Same full time job for 33 years
Same wife for 32 years
Same part time job for 10 years
Same house for 14 years
Same friend for 48 years (yes I only have one)
Same kids for 24 and 21 years (no changes made)
Same pets for as long as they live


I guess nothing is wrong with that though.


SO today I am going to write on the best of
the best of this and the best of that during the 2017 football season
ENJOY


Best head coach interview after a game
Joe Dupree - Southwest
I love this guy for many different reasons but one of the main ones is that he always gives you what you need after a game and seems to be happy to do it. Most coaches are pretty good at giving interviews after a win but its the quality of what they say that makes the interview special.


Best player interview after a game
Dalton Cox- I talked to him after the first Tattnall win and he could not get rid of the smile and readily admitted it was the biggest win in his career as a quarterback. I don't get that kind of emotion very often.


Quintin Sewell- I love the Howard quarterback who basically took the ball against Central and Perry and willed his team to wins. He is a young guy but said all the right things AND gave quotes that showed his pure enthusiasm for the game and his team.


Best head coach interview for a feature story
Justin Rogers- Jones County
I would take three of him and keep him around for the enthusiasm. He will fill you up with information and the talk off the record and tell you what you really want to know. He is also a great great coach.


Ashley Harden- Northeast
He shoots it straight and give you a great feel for where his football team is for that week.


Keith Hatcher- Mount de Sales
He tells me what I need to know and he answers texts in a timely manner. I don't want to hear this crap that coaches are too busy to get reporters what they need. It is a part of their job.


And I say that as I wait for 2 coaches from the areas to call or text me back and I have been waiting for a day or so with more than one call or text going out to them.




Best performance in front of me by a qb
Dalton Cox- lit up Tattnall in the playoff game going for 330 and accounting for 6 scores.


Best performance in front of me by a running back
Sweet Jeremiah Kelly
The Howard sophomore is electricity in a bottle and is the most dynamic back in Macon and its not even close.


Ahmad Marshall
Had an amazing game against FPD the first time they played, going for 187 on the ground.


Battle til the end award
Brock Baggarley- Tattnall
This guy just battles and never misses a play. He played on the offensive and defensive line and played against way way bigger guys all year but I don't think he ever though he was out manned. The look on his face after a loss is part of the reason I do this writing thing, because it sure is not for the money.

I know who will win

Yes I do
I know who will win this football game , no ifs ands and buts about it
I am so confident that I should just go ahead and put it on here right now.
It could be the game of the year and it could be a dud.


Destin Mack has had a remarkable senior year
Dalton Cox has had a remarkable senior year
Destin is banged up, and I don't think that's a secret to anyone who has seen him play lately, but I fully expect him to play.
Cox is healthy and ready for a big game against a Tattnall secondary that is worn down.
Don't be surprised if FPD runs for about 160 yards in this game though.
Maurice Gordon and Titus Moore are the best twosome receivers in Macon.
Tattnall's poor db's are worn out after playing every play of the game.
It is true that Tattnall will battle the entire way and the amazing coaching staff will do a great job having this team ready to fight.
Brock Baggarley will go to war no doubt along with Grinstead and Whittington all going both ways for every play.
But I just don't think it can happen
FPD is too big and too fast this year
I don't think they can find a way to lose this game.
Tattnall you just have to find a way to win it.
If you like points come to this one
FPD   40  Tattnall 34


Barney Hester obviously knows how to win games . That is obvious considering he has 340 of those things in his career which puts him sixth or seventh in career wins in the state. So what makes us believe he has forgotten how to win games in the state playoffs ?  To tell you the truth I am not sure that Howard doesn't win this football game.
Look at this- Americus was blown out by Lee County, Lee County barely got by Mary Persons, and Mary Persons barely got by Howard. That tells me that this is a winnable game for the Huskies.
Lets talk in football lingo, which is what 90 percent of the coaches give you when you interview. Well John I think if we are focused heading into this game and we can  avoid turnovers and maybe force a few turnovers then we have a chance. This is playoff football and anything can happen in the playoffs. That's what I usually get and lets face it, those things, esp turnovers, lose and win games.
Here is what I do know about Howard.
They wont quit no matter what the situation
Look at the Central game.
They wont quit no matter what the situation
Look at the Perry game
They wont quit no matter what the situation
Look at the Upson Lee game
They think they can play with anyone
Look at the Mary Persons game.
I am telling you right now that Howard can and will play with Americus.
Do you hear me Jeremiah
Do you hear me Quintin
Do you hear me DeAndre Shelton
This is a doable winnable game
Howard 22 Americus 21


No other game in the area is bigger than Jones County and Griffin.
I mean how do two 9-1 teams meet in the first round of the playoffs.
The Hounds are at home and word on the street and from the coaches tell me that Teldrick Ross is almost back to full health.
That means problems for everyone else.
Griffin is good, really good, but can they come and win on the road in a playoff environment. Lets remember this is Justin Rogers first home playoff game at Jones County.
Don't expect a lot of defense here, and look for Ross and Bolus to go off yet again.
I just cant see the Hounds losing this game
Jones 31  Griffin 25


Please go watch a high school football game this weekend.
I will be at FPD and please feel free to introduce yourself.
It adds to my pseudo celebrity feel.

wow

The GHSA is cruel with no sense of humor
Somehow someway they made the numbers pop up to where Tattnall and FPD play again in the first round of State.
How stupid is that
While it is true that the two teams may would have played each other somewhere again this year, they end up playing in the first round.
Why is there not a rule to say that two teams from the same region cannot play in the first round ? How can you tell me that the points system that the GHSA uses is accurate because from what I see, no one understands it in the first place. 24 teams are in the playoffs and we have eight games this weekend.
Surely this could have been avoided
The poll is a joke and it has been a joke since they started it.


So we get to see FPD and Tattnall play yet again.
I feel like both teams were surprised by where they ended up . FPD was pretty safe getting a home game after the initial rankings came out but Tattnall figured they were going on the road. I think they had already started to prepare a bit for Mount Vernon and playing a afternoon game because Mount Vernon doesn't have lights.
Then around 2 pm, it became official and all of a sudden, everyone saw what no one expected.
So who does this match-up favor. FPD was able to beat Tattnall last year and I would not bet against them mainly because they seemed to figure some things out in the first game, such as being able to run the ball right at Tattnall. That meshes well with the best passer in the city in Dalton Cox and maybe the best two receivers in Maurice Gordon and Titus Moore and the Vikings are tough to beat.


However the Vikings lost yet another game last Friday night because they could not stop Lincoln County/s offense, just like they couldn't stop Tattnall the last time they played. When FPD loses it is because they cant stop the opposing team.
And they probably wont stop Tattnall.
Tattnall has had three excruciating losses over the last three weeks and sooner or later some luck has got to change. These kids are not the most talented team around here, but they play for each other and they battle, and then they battle a little more. After that, well they continue to battle.
I see Tattnall as a beat down team with not a lot of skill players that should have no chance to win this football game.
Anyone want to bet me that this game goes into the final few minutes with both teams having a chance to win ?
Here is hoping for a great game.

high school picks

This Pick Em thing is getting very close.
Well I guess it's not getting close, it has been close most of the season.
I think everyone has had great fun with it and it has not been too much of a pain getting peoples picks in , except for Tucker Sargent, and he is running an entire sports department by himself.


I don't know how many more weeks we will go and I guess we will go til we don't have any teams yet. I figure I can make the rules as I go or at least until I have the lead.


Up to date records are as follows
Luke Hetrick-WGXA sports guy-   60-17
John Kosater-nobody important      59-18
Brad Harrison- THE Telegraph       57-20
Tucker Sargent- WMGT sports       56-21
Mason Prince- WGXA sports          56-21
Evan Watson-WGXA utility man    56-21
Jonathan Perez-WMAZ sports         55-22
Lola the dog- Dog                            51-26


Luke has led forever and I just cant seem to get by him, but I will continue to try.
Lets take a look at the picks
Everyone thinks that Stratford will take care of Aquinas and win the region championship
**The Jones Couunty game has everyone picking them but for some reason, I am taking Dutchtown. I had Jones County last week and they are not the same team they were earlier in the year because Teldrick Ross is not healthy. He still had a decent game but the Hounds have become a little one dimensional with Drake Bolus doing all the damage. Dutchtown is a pretty good football team so I made the pick
***Everyone likes Mary Persons to defeat Howard
***Everyone but Evan likes WRHS to defeat Bainbridge
***The FPD and Lincoln game seems to be the best game of the week with Luke, Tucker and Lola picking Lincoln and everyone else going with FPD
***Tattnall Square gets 7 out of 8 votes and Luke goes out on the limb with a wash-wilkes pick here.
***Everyone picks MDS to roll the week


My stone cold lock of the week has been as hot as fire this week and I guess the closest game accorfing to the pickems is the FPD game. Guys it wont be that close. FPD is playing well and have a confident team coming into Friday night and they have awesome receivers and a qb who can get them to the end zone.
This one is somewhat close but FPD wins  31-22
I am asking everyone if toy aren't going to a game listen to me broadcast the Tattnall-Wash Wilkes game live tonight. Go to the Tattnall Square website to find me.
Have a great week

football

It was crushing
It was brutal
It was painful
It was just, just well it was just unexcusable
The Tattnall football team battled and battled the entire game and erased a 20-3 deficit against a team that , well against a team that is probably more talented.
And then Christian Palmer threw the best two passes of his life to take the win right out of Tattnall's hands.
Its the reason why a person loves sports and its why a person hates sports all in the span of about 23 seconds.
Stratford is undefeated and will play Aquinas for the region championship and pretty much are assured of a first round bye in the playoffs.
Tattnall has lost two straight games by late touchdowns and now has to play a Washington Wilkes, a team that scared them to death the last time they played before Tattnall won late 35-30.
For Tattnall, now ranked  14th in the power poll, a win is a must to secure a first round home game. A loss probably sends them on the road and a probable early exit form the state playoffs.


FPD has rallied late in the season with wins over Tattnall and Mount de Sales and the Vikings have moved up to number 13 in the power poll. That means they are pretty much in the same shoes as Tattnall, which means if they beat a 5-4 Lincoln County team they probably get a home game in the first round but if they lose they will probably have to go on the road.
A loss probably sends the Vikings home early in the state playoffs.


Mount de Sales had not been a playoff team in the GHSA but they are currently ranked number 19 and 24 teams make the playoffs. Chances are the Cavs cant move up much by beating a 2-7 Hancock Central team but a win secures a playoff spot. A loss probably ends their season however.


Howard is in the playoffs and celebrated by being upset by Spalding which means they could start the playoffs on the heels of a 2 game losing streak because they play Mary Persons this week. That is not good for anyone. Howard plays hard, but I don't see them pulling this upset.


WRHS is undefeated but it wont be easy to stay that way against Bainbridge and a running back who has gained 4000000 yards this year and Jones County looks to avoid a 2 game losing streak and a road playoff game when they face a very good Dutchtown team.


This is my plea for you to go watch a high school football game this week, These kids are worth it

pick ems

Luke Hetrick continues to amaze me.
I mean this guy seems to be more than just a pretty face.
He continues to lead the high school pick-ems and actually increased his lead this week by going 5-2 while I could only go 4-3.
My plan to beat him is to not miss another pick for the rest of the year.
Our games this week seem mostly to have clear winners, although I thought some would be more tricky than they were. Basically everyone has the same picks, except for that stockbridge- Jones County game.
Brad, Tucker and myself see Stockbridge winning, while the rest of the crew goes with Jones County.
That should be a very good game with Jones County scoring at will and Stockbridge not giving up very many points.
That's  where I am at tonight.
I still think there are several games that could provide upsets. Northeast certainly has a chance to pop WACO and it wouldn't  surprise me if they did. Can you really say that Tattnall doesn't have a chance against Stratford ? I mean I had to think of that very carefully, but I just don't think Tattnall will be fully recovered from a very physical game last week. Only Jonathan Perez went with Tattnall.
I also look for Mount de Sales to give a great performance against FPD and that upset is ripe for happening. But I cant make that pick when I am down two games to Luke with us heading into the fourth quarter of picking.


I am going to make this short because I am spending the day with my mom because its her 93rd birthday. But I will be back at it tonight.
I want to thank so many people who come up to me at the games and say that they read my blogs. That is why I do it and it is very gratifying to me.
Ok my stone cold lock of the week on the toughest game of the week leaves me picking the Jones- Stockbridge game. Ladies and gentlemen, Justin Rogers is probably the best coach in this area and has turned around an entire program. But Friday night will not be his night. I believe the Stockbridge defense shuts Jones down enough to get a win.
My stone cold lock of the week says Stockbridge beats Jones 24-20

a personal note

Many folks have asked me how I started writing for the newspaper
I am now going to tell you.
I am not a journalism expert whatsoever and I certainly did not go to college to learn about how to be a sportswriter for a newspaper.
But 10 or so years ago, My wife and I had two kids in private school and that was draining every penny we made.
Next thing I knew, my wife , who makes way more money than I do, had a part time job at Kroger and I was sitting at home with the kids, still tempted to take them out to eat.
I finally figured out that if I took them out, I was basically draining the money that she was making at Kroger.
Now my wife, Debbie is a fine woman who would never ever tell me that I needed to get a part time job of my own.
But I was also not so stupid as to not figure it out myself.
So I set out to find something that wasn't too hard and maybe a bit enjoyable.
A few days later I saw an add in the sports section for writers for the sports section, helping out mainly on Friday nights during the football season.
I sent the sports editor a quick email, and he gave me a list of things and stats for a football game and he told me to write a story.
I guess it didn't suck too much and then next thing I knew, I was covering a Mount de Sales and Tattnall football game.
That my friends is how I got to know Daniel Shirley and that is how I started to write for the Telegraph.
Things went well for the most part. I haven't taken an English class for 30 years and my grammatical abilities have probably taken a hit. I am sure Daniel had many nights editing my stories thinking I was a total moron. I am sure sometimes 10 years later, he still thinks that. But he stuck with me.
Thanks to Daniel Shirley, I have interviewed big names likes Bobby Bowden George Gervin, Demaryius Thomas, Kareem Jackson , Russell Henley and many many more. I have covered every sport I think , from lacrosse, to MMA, to even cycling. The only way I got to do all of this is because of Daniel Shirley.
I remember nights writing a football story while I was driving down the road, because a few years ago, we had deadlines on Friday night. Those nights were so stressful, but we got through it because we never wanted to let Daniel down.
It's true, the freelancers or stringers of the Telegraph have not stuck with it because of the money. Yes we do get paid and it has definitely helped, but we all do it because we like covering games and meeting people and we stuck it out for many years because of Daniel Shirley.
Brad Harrison, Ryan Jordan and myself have continued to work all sorts of games over the years and I feel like they would agree that Daniel Shirley has been the best boss that one could imagine having. Has he been pissed at me before ? Of course he has because sometimes I suck at writing, but he has always given me that professional courtesy, even though, well I am not a professional.
I am just a guy who got lucky.
Daniel Shirley is leaving the Telegraph and his last day is tomorrow. I have no idea how much longer a freelancer will even be used. But if it ends I will be okay with it.
Daniel Shirley has been the life and breath of the Telegraphs sports section for a long time and we all owe him a huge thank you . He will still be in Macon, so make sure he knows how important he has been to Macon sports.
I honestly don't know if the Telegraph will ever be the same without him.
Thank you Daniel for giving me this opportunity and letting me be a part of the sports scene in Macon.
By the way, please don't correct my poor grammar in my blog.

games this week

Games I would love to see this week
FPD-MDS
Now one would think that coming off an emotional roller coaster if a win against a team they barely ever beat, FPD would be sky high and ready to play its best football game of the year. However, I am not so sure that the MDS game will not be the same kind of dog fight that the Tattnall game was. The question is can FPD put up that type of performance against a very good Mount de Sales team who is basically rested.
I am just not so sure and not so confident as to say the Cavaliers will be primed for an upset. Or FPD could finally become the team that everyone expects them to be and wins easily.
I will bet on the first but wont say the upset happens.


Jones County- Stockbridge
Most folks that read my blog don't care too much about this game but it is the game I am covering and both teams are ranked highly and both are undefeated. One team scores a million points and one team doesn't allow anything. This is a classic match-up and I have no idea who will win.


Tattnall-Stratford
Weaknesses were exposed last week against FPD but that does not mean that Tattnall is not capable of pulling of this upset. Yes it would be an upset because Stratford is THE best team in Macon this year and maybe not just the best private school. I think they may beat Howard and that is a game I would love to see.
I will say that Tattnall just does not have that many skill players and could not handle the passing game of FPD. Well Stratford does not and will not throw. They haven't had to. So that puts this game into a different perspective. Can Tattnall score against Stratford ?  Can Stratford pound Tattnall. Who gives way first ?
That's another tough question


Viewing the Tattnall-FPD game
Well this was a great great game and I enjoyed watching it. Either team could have won it but honestly FPD should have won by two touchdowns. Jamal Marshall had a breakout game but honestly, I have heard from more than one person that he fumbled twice before he got balls into the end zone that should have been touchbacks. Instead both turned into touchdowns.
One thing you cannot question is Tattnalls will to win. They battle and battle til they are exhausted and had FPD on the ropes, but all of their backs were limping around by the end of the game. They will needs every bit of their trainers expertise to have them healthy and ready to go this Friday night.
But you know what, I fully expect them to give Stratford a huge challenge.
FPD remains a mystery. They have a very talented team but the biggest win they have had in recent years is this win over Tattnall. With their talent they should have more. Lets hope that they build on this win and make a run in the state playoffs.

picks again

It is a classic battle in the high school picks so far this year, and so far WXGA sports personality Luke Hetrick has been able to hold of all comers and currently holds a slim one game lead over ME.
But really truly this game is up in the air with several folks who can still win, as seven people are within three games of the lead.
Here are the up to date records
Luke Hetrick        50-13 a cool 79%
John Kosater        49-14
Tucker Sargent    48-15
Evan Watson       47-16
Mason Prince      47-16
Brad Harrison     47-16
Jonathan Perez    46-17
Lola the dog        43-20


We have some huge high school games this week with Northside traveling to Coffee County, Westside hosting Pike County, Howard traveling to Upson Lee, West Laurens on the road at Mary Persons, WACO at Southwest, and then the  huge game between FPD and Tattnall. This week is a game pickers dream, or is it a nightmare because one could either go 2-6 or 7-1. The games this week are so open that its a dangerous week for front runners.


Johns Winners
Coffee County
Jones County
Pike County
Upson Lee
Mary Persons
Southwest
FPD


Tuckers Winners
Northside
JonesCo
Pike Co
Upson Lee
Mary Persons
Southwest
Tattnall


Jonathan Perez
Northside
Jones
Westside
Howard
Mary Persons
WACO
Tattnall


Brad Harrison
Coffee Co
Jones Co
Pike Co
Upson Lee
Mary Persons
WACO
Tattnall


Mason Prince\\


Northside
Jones Co
Westside
Upson Lee
Mary Persons
WACO
Tattnall




LOLA the dog
Coffee Co
Jones Co
Pike Co
Howard
West Laurens
SW


Evan Watson
coffee
jones co
pike
upson lee
mary persons
sw Tattnall


Luke Hetrick
coffee
jones
pike
upson lee
mary persons
Waco
fpd
Tattnall


I have debated who to go with on my stone cold upset of the week because I know the game to pick is the Tattnall against FPD game. But I will be totally honest with you that I have no clue on this game. I Know that Tattnall is probably the favorite but I am not sure if I see them as the favorite. As you see I went with FPD in this game. I don't know why, its just a gut feeling that FPD is a bit more desperate than Tattnall right now. Tattnall wins on determination and the willingness to do what it takes to win a football game while FPD is probably a bit more talented and has more skill players .Does will and determination or talent win ?
This time I am going with talent and taking FPD 28- 27


I hope everyone had a great great weekend

Tattnall will beat FPD because ?

Tattnall Square is not what they were a year ago.
That is just a plain simple fact.
They lost so much that it is just hard to re-load at a school that just isn't that big.
They lost Barron, Marshall, Blasingame, and Sanders to graduation and Davis to a transfer and that is basically their entire offense from a year ago.
They replace it with Destin Mack, Wes Allen and Jimmy Marshall's little brother.
I worry about them
Then I look at the coaching staff and worry a little less.
I look at the 7-0 record and I look at what they have played and its a little better than terrible but not much. I see only one quality win against a decent Washington Wilkes team and I saw them sleep-walk through a game last weekend against Twiggs County.
Sure they won that game 28-0 but it was not an impressive performance.


So how in the world is Tattnall going to beat FPD ?
Well lets start with a heavy dose of Destin Mack and throw in maybe a few Wes Allen runs and sprinkle it with Jimmy's little brother and see what it tastes like.
And if that doesn't taste right, well then lets just give the ball to Destin, just like they did with Mr. Barron last year.


The offensive line, yes Baggarley, Whittington, Braddy and the rest will have to handle a bigger defensive line, and then the defensive line, yes Baggarley,Whittington and Braddy, will have to get to Dalton Cox, or at least stop the run game. Cox might explode and if that happens Tattnall has to score a lot.
Are you hearing me Destin Mack ?
Lets not forget that Miles Morris is, well he's the forgotten piece of this puzzle. He is the Tattnall quarterback who put up big numbers throwing the ball as a freshman in a different offense. I feel like he may hit a key pass or two in this game.
In the end, I like Chance Jones, Ronnie Jones, Bryan Way, Jim Massey, Travis Absher and the rest of this brilliant coaching staff to find a way to win this football game.
I am really not sure how, but I think I know why.
Chance Jones, Ronnie Jones, Bryan Way,Jim Massey, Travis Absher and the rest of those guys don't lose this game.


Can we say Destin Mack for 200 please ?

this is how FPD beats Tattnall Square this week

I remember a year ago I wrote several blogs with the same this is how so and so beats so and so and I write up how it happens, with the reminder that this isn't really what I believe. Then I get flooded with twitter comments telling me how crazy I am from one school with the other school telling me how smart I am.
So today I tell you this is how FPD beats Tattnall Square.
Guess what my next blog will be before you jump on me.
First of all FPD is a good football team but once again they seen to be underachieving just a bit. Why cant they get by Stratford and why wont they get by Tattnall.
If I had the answer to that I could probably do more than blog.
So I just write on what I believe.
FPD is married to the pass but has a girlfriend called the run. FPD is faithful to its first love, the pass but still tries to make time for the girl friend.
That is the mistake that FPD makes. You cannot cheat  on your first love ever.
In case you don't get it I am saying THROW IT TILL YOU CANT THROW IT ANYMORE.
Lets look at it this way. How many high school Class A teams in have enough football players to have a great secondary ? How many secondary players in class A are playing because they are a fair athlete and deserve to play somewhere?
But how many kids who play the secondary in Class A are under-sized and can be beat ? I am saying over 60 percent of them.
So FPD has this quarterback named Dalton Cox and two receivers named Titus Moore and Maurice Gordon. Dalton is probably the best quarterback in this area and has like 18 touchdown passes while Titus and Maurice are both having huge years. Both are big kids and both of them are extremely talented. These three would possible be in the top five of athletes on the team if they went to Tattnall.
Tattnall is small up front and from what I have see and hear they are not overly fast. I had a Tattnall coach tell me that. But Tattnall is hard-nosed and physical which makes a difference.
 FPD is big and athletic on the offensive line and should be able to give Dalton time to find his receivers and that should lead to many points.
Offensively Tattnall is one dimensional with that Wing T and they have not been able to throw the football this year, FPD is big and quick on the defensive side of the football but not overly physical.
Tattnall may wake up Saturday finally realizing that they are not the same team that made a deep playoff run a year ago. That's what I think could happen.
But if FPD decides to be physical and run it, the game is over. They need 300 yards of passing to win this one.
Maybe it will happen, but read my Tattnall winning scenario before you call me crazy

picks and other stuff

I have looked at the Stratford and FPD game and I have come to one conclusion so far and that is that FPD cannot win this game.
I mean they are a talented offensive football team that relies heavily on the pass, which is good because most small high school teams cant cover good receivers.
But this issue in this game is time.
Yes a simple question of time
And that my friends is something that Dalton Cox wont have when he drops back to pass the football.
I expect him to be hounded by Tobe Umerah, Jourdain Irvin, Sammy Martin and even Tucker Massey and Larson McDaniel and when an offense is taken out of rythymn, well bad things happen.
Now don't get me wrong, FPD is a pretty good football team and they are somewhat large up front. I am sure Greg Moore will have his team ready for the pass rush.
But really truly I don't think any amount of coaching can win this game.
Duehart, Siegel, and Jordan run the ball down FPDs throat and for my stone cold pick of the week, I am going to have to take the Eagles by a final score of 23-13


Luke Hetrick is continuing to hold on to a slim lead in the picks contest
Hetrick                        44-12
Sargent                        43-13
Kosater                        42-14
Perez                            41-15
Watson                         41-15
Harrison                       41-15
Prince                           40-16
Dog                               37-19


As you see anyone can still win and as the weeks go by the picks are getting harder.






                                               Evan               Brad              Mason              John
Stratford-FPD                    Stratford         Stratford           Stratford          Stratford  
SW-Dublin                           Dublin           Dublin               Dublin              Dublin
Lee County- Northside       Lee Co.        NSide               Lee Co.            Lee Co.
MDS-Wilkinson Co.            MDS              MDS                 MDS               MDS
Upson Lee- Perry                Perry          Upson Lee         Upson Lee     Upson Lee
WRHS- Harris Co.              WRHS           WRHS              WRHS             WRHS
Jones Co.- Union Grove      Jones           Jones                Jones               Jones


                                                  Luke              Tucker               Lola                JP
Stratford-FPD                      Stratford          Stratford           Stratford         Stratford  
SW-Dublin                              SW                 SW                   Dublin              SW
Lee County- Northside        Lee Co.          Lee Co.             Lee Co.           Nside
MDS-Wilkinson Co.              MDS               MDS                  MDS                MDS  
Upson Lee- Perry            Upson Lee           Perry             Upson Lee        Upson Lee
WRHS- Harris Co.              WRHS            WRHS                 Harris            WRHS
Jones Co.- Union Grove       Jones              Jones               Jones            Jones


It has been a great great football season with so much more to come and I cant wait to see who the dominating team turns out to be in Middle Georgia

terrific 25

I am doing a top 25 players in Macon, which is a very difficult thing to do.
I mean some schools don't have stats out there to see and that makes things very difficult so basically, I just really don't list players from the schools who don't have stats online.
I hate to bother coaches with that kind of stuff and most of them have a person that is in charged of doing that. Some coaches don't even answer my calls or texts.
So lets say this is the top 25 in Macon from coaches who publish stats or will answer a text and give me numbers or they have delegated someone for me to talk to .
I think that's fair enough.
We have some big changes from what the list was a few weeks ago. Thanks for reading in advance.
25}Brock Baggarley-Tattnall Square-This guy along with many others, does not leave the field in a Tattnall game and he is in the trenches the entire game. Chance Jones says that he probably plays 90 percent of the snaps in a game, which is crazy, and along with Wittington and Braddy, serves as the emotional leader on a undefeated football team.


24}Said Wanna- Mount de Sales- This linebacker is just all over the field and averages 13 tackles per game, which by the way is a huge number .


23}Wesley Wilson-FPD- A huge two way lineman for FPD who has started for three years and is only a junior. He has continued to improve and will need to play big coming down the stretch


22}Isaiah Goolsby-Southwest- another mammoth lineman who keeps Jordan Slocum safe. He is starting to get nice interest from colleges.


21}Victor Dixon-Westside- The sophomore quarterback has had some ups and downs this season but seems to be coming into his own late in the season. He has 979 yards passing this year to go with 8 touchdown passes.


20}Josiah Cotton-Mount de Sales- 442 yards rushing for this young man on a much improved Mount de Sales football team.


19}Jourdain Irvin- Stratford- Irvin gets lost in the Stratford shuffle of linemen but already has 5 quarterback sacks and six tackles for loss.


18}Jordan Slocum-Southwest- He is a junior right now and he looks great at times but still lacks that consistency that Joe Dupree needs from him. He has a chance to be a great one, but he has to turn that last corner to get into the top 10.


17}Vincent McCarthy-Northeast- The running back has gone over 600 yards for the season, but Northeast  is struggling with a very difficult region right now.


16}Jaylon Barden-Westside- He is only  sophomore and he may be in the top five if we were rating overall excitability as a player. He is very very very quick and he is a playmaker extreme. He has over 400 yards receiving on only 20 catches, and he will be a big part of the Westside offense for the remainder of the year.


15}Maurice Gordon-FPD- He actually has not had the kind of year that I thought was possible for him, but he still has 21 catches for 376 yards for a very good Viking team. He also has six touchdowns on the year.


14}Quintin Sewell-Howard- This quarterback has put the Huskies in playoff contention just by being a man and winning the Central and Perry game almost by himself. He has much work to do as a passer but he has really blossomed as a runner. Lets hope he can lead a very good Howard team into the playoffs for the very first time.


13}Adrian Hardwick-MDS- The senior running back has been a big part of a solid year so far for MDs with over 500 yards of total offense this year.


12}Javoris Smith-Southwest- The Twiggs County transfer finds ways on offense and defense to help his team win games, but he just doesn't touch the ball enough to be any higher than number 12. He is an electric player but also has too many negative plays on offense, usually when he is trying to make a big play.


11}Deandre Duehart-Stratford-565 yards and 7 touchdowns for an undefeated Stratford team.


10}Titus Moore-FPD- This guy has exploded in the last two weeks with 13 catches for 290 yards which pushes his seasons numbers to 33-678 and 9 touchdowns. He knows he is going to see targets down the stretch but he must continue to make plays.


9}DeAndre Shelton-Howard-The heart and soul of the Howard defense who ends up playing a lot on the offensive side of the ball to block for the backs. He is averaging 11 tackles a game and has 6 tackles for loss. He is a very high level football player.


8}Omar Jones-Westside- This guy has turned it up a notch and is a mid level D1 guy. He is putting together a solid senior year with 29 catches for 341 yards and also plays a lot on the defensive side of the ball.


7}Tyler Jordan-Stratford-508 yards and 10 touchdowns for another part of the bruising Stratford run game.


6}LaKelvin Clark-Westside- Where would Westside be without this guy running the football. That is a scary scenario for Westside but thankfully they haven't had to play without him. Westside passes first but Clark is still the best offensive threat for the Seminoles, with 737 yards rushing so far this season.


5}Dalton Cox- The quarterback has dropped down just a bit, mainly because he has thrown four interceptions in the last 2 games, but he has a chance to make things happen as FPD meets up with Stratford this week. He is still having an outstanding year with 1456 yards passing and 17 touchdowns through 6 games.


4}Jeremiah Kelly-Howard- West Laurens shut him down so he starts off the next week with a kickoff return for a touchdown. This kid is over 1000 yards of total offense already and he is only a sophomore. He may be the best running back to come through Macon in the last 20 years.


3}Randy Green -Southwest- Randy Green is a man and that's really all that needs to be said about him. He makes the plays that keeps Southwest in the game every single week. Joe Dupree will quickly tell you that this is a Randy Green led defense.


2}Destin Mack-Tattnall- A team with little speed puts it all on Destin Mack. He already has 19 touchdowns and is also the leading tackler on the team. If he goes down, the Tattnall season is over. Tattnall just does not have that many threats on offense and this kid is carrying the load. I mean he is almost Ahmad Barron like.


1}Tobe Umerah-Stratford- 68 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a safety is good enough for me. He is a dominating player who opens things up for the rest of the defense.

week 8

I am sick to say that Luke Hetrick, resident pretty boy is still winning the high school picks on this blog.
Sigh, it depresses me to no end.
To make matters worse he picked Howard over Perry last night and I didn't, so I am ever farther away from him. A guy has to win his own blog spots pick ems contest right ?
Lets hope so
After seven weeks of picking games here is how the records look
Luke Hetrick ( rock star of Macon, the prettiest of Macon's sports guys)  39-10
Tucker Sargent (the worker Bee, a one man wrecking crew at WMGT)   38-11
Jonathan Perez (The Cuban Missile Crisis is doing well )                         37-12
John Kosater (Koknowsports man maybe doesn't know)                           37-12
Brad Harrison (he is still in the hunt)                                                          36-13
Evan Watson (Mcdreamy is battling but he is a news guy)                        36-13
Mason Prince (too busy watching Baker Mayfield highlights)                    35-14
Lola the dog (she is a dog, duh)                                                                 32-17


                                                   Luke           Tucker             JP                John


NE-SW                                       NE                 SW                NE                 SW
Tattnall- Mt De Sales           Tattnall            Tattnall         Tattnall          Tattnall
Perry- Howard                      Howard            Perry             Perry               Perry
Upson Lee- Mary Persons        MP                MP                 MP                 MP
Wayco- Bleckly                       Wayco          Wayco           Wayco            Wayco
Valdosta-Northside                 Nside             Nside             Nside              Nside
FPD-Willco                              FPD                FPD               FPD               FPD






                                                  Evan             Brad              Mason            Lola


NE-SW                                      NE                  NE                 SW                 SW
Tattnall- Mt De Sales            Tattnall          Tattnall          Tattnall         Mt De Sales
Perry- Howard                        Perry             Howard           Perry            Howard
Upson Lee- Mary Persons        MP                 MP                MP                  MP 
Wayco- Bleckly                     Bleckly           Wayco           Wayco            Wayco
Valdosta-Northside                Nside              Nside             Nside              Nside
FPD-Willco                              FPD                FPD               FPD                FPD


Now my stone cold lock of  the week bombed last week but I will try and do better this week. The most unsure game seems to be Northeast and Southwest so I will go with that one. Northeast is gritty, very gritty, but Southwest is talented. Talent beats grit most of the time but it will be close. Lets say Southwest  18 Northeast 13.

I know I know I know
I have been a slacker with the blog this week
My normal Thursday story didn't get done so I am writing my Thursday story today and then I will write my Friday story--- well-----  Friday also
So if you read one read them both


Today I really want to talk about the hardest working kids on a football team(no) I want to talk about
the Jake Jamison's of the world.
Yes I am writing about the kicker
It is truly hard to measure who the best kicker in the area is because it is all based on a team not being able to put the ball in the end zone. Does a teams kicker get to kick field goals if the team scores touchdowns all the time ?
Why no they don't.
That's why Cory Munson rates as probably the best kicker in this area.
Northside does not score touchdowns. Too prove that I will tell you that Munson has scored 43 of the teams 146 points this year and has 13 field goal attempts in six games.
That's a lot of field goal attempts. To make things even better he has made 10 of them and he has a long of 51 yards.
Let me tell you what I know about this kid. I was sitting at the Northside against Henry County game and that had to rate as one of the most boring games of the year. Henry County is not good and Northisde was puddling around not doing much. So then we get to half-time and I was bored and messing around on my phone and halfway watching the band. Well at the end of the half, Munson comes out and starts to warm up and he went from 30 yards to 35 to 40 to 45 to 50 and I was like stop kid you don't have thant kind of leg. When he got to 50 the fans start noticing and he drills two straight from 50 yards. So he moves back to 55 and drills two more. By this time the fans are more interested in this show than they were the football game and they were cheering every kick. I was fairly confident that he wasn't going to dare move back to 60 yards but he did and he missed the first try. Ok kid nice try lets be done with that and not try anymore. But kickers aren't normal and he lined up for 60 again. And guess what, this junior in high school drilled it. And then he did it again. Yes two bombs from 60 yards at the half and he basically got a standing ovation.
I am finding that we have several great kickers in the area. Eli Mashburn from Warner Robins has 2 game winners in the last 10 seconds this year and gave me the most honest answer when I asked him how it makes him feel when a coach ices him. "I expect a coach to ice me once but after that it just kind of makes me mad and I know I am going to make the kick then." So coaches, don't piss off Eli because he will make you pay.
We also have the unique kicking situation at Mary Persons where Alexander Rivera is the field goal kicker who hasn't missed this year and has hot a 54 yarder and Dawson Daniel who kicks all the extra points and has not missed a single one this year. Brian Nelson says they are self taught kickers who basically coach themselves. He says they go to practice and he sees them stretch and punt and kick and then after that he sees them playing little kicking games for a bit longer. Coach Nelson lets them do their thing and it has worked out great for Mary Persons. These kids are just soccer players who came out to help the football team.
Some of the other strong kickers around Macon are Mitchell Fineran from Peach County, Bryce Pruitt from Tattnall and Jake Jamison from Stratford. Jamison is one of my favorites but well, Stratford scores touchdowns which has severely limited Jamison's opportunity to kick field goals. Wow what a problem that is lol.
In closing remember this
Koknowsports loves the kicker

week 6 games

Luke Hetrick (WGXA- SPORTS ANCHORMAN) 33-9
Jonathan Perez (WMAZ- SPORTS ANCHORMAN) 32-10
TUCKER SARGENT (WMGT SPORTS ANCHORMAN)  32-10
JOHN KOSATER (FREELANCER, THE SCHWAM OF SPORTS) 32-10
EVAN WATSON (WGXA- NEWS GUY)                                          30-12
MASON PRINCE (WGXA-SPORTS ANCHORMAN)                      30-12
BRAD HARRISON (FREELANCER, AND I THINK HE OWNS NAVICENT) 30-12
LOLA MY DOG (BED TESTER, COUCH TESTER, SECURITY GUARD) 28-14




I HAVE THIS UNREAL bunch of game pickers here don't I . It is definitely the cream of the crop and I find myself staying up at night trying to figure out ways to beat all of these college educated sports guys.
I could just write one of Luke's picks differently than he gives them to me. I don't think he reads my blog so he would probably never know. I mean somehow, he is now the man that our local ESPN station calls to talk about the high school football games in the area. That hurts, that hurts deeply. Is it because he is so pretty ? I don't see why that would matter because its radio. Does he attract more female viewers ? I doubt that is possible because the man is almost married. I am betting his mother doesn't listen to him on the radio and if I was on the radio my mother would listen , so I would actually be bringing in at least one more viewer than he does. Is it because he has this silky sweet broadcasters voice ? I don't think so because he has this accent that makes it clear he is not from around here. People from the south want to listen to other people from the south.
So as you can tell, I am jealous of Luke Hetrick and well, everyone will just have to deal with that. That is why I want to beat him so so so bad in picking high school football games.


I know I am possessed by Luke Hetrick. But the rest of the folks in here don't intimidate me. Jonathan Perez is like the nicest person from Miami I have ever met and I doubt he could hurt anyone on purpose or by accident. Tucker Sargent is the same way but he is from Alabama so he thinks he is a tough guy. But he's not at all. Evan Watson is so nice he oozes niceness out of the cuticles in his finger nails. Brad Harrison is just Brad Harrison and Mason Prince is from Oklahoma and you know only two things come from Oklahoma. I mean this guy does talk openly about his love for Baker Mayfield. then again you gotta like Baker Mayfield because he walks up to Baylor and tells them he's gonna spank them, and then he does.


picks of the week
                                                LUKE             JOHN              PEREZ           TUCKER
STRATFORD-MDS              Stratford          Stratford           Stratford           Stratford
WESTSIDE-JACKSON         westside        westside            westside            westside
TATTNALL-WILCO               Tattnall           Tattnall             Tattnall            Tattnall
HOWARD- WL                        WL                 Howard             Howard                WL
COFFEE-WRHS                    wrhs                wrhs                   wrhs                  wrhs
Bleckley-Dublin                    Bleckley          Bleckley           Bleckley             Bleckley
dodge-northeast                    dodge              dodge                 dodge               dodge


the only difference in all seven games between the leaders is the WL-Howard game. I thought we had some close games that would make people think but evidently we have clear cut winners in most of the games.




                                          EVAN                MASON           BRAD             LOLA
STRATFORD- MDS       Stratford             Stratford           Stratford         Stratford
WESTSIDE-JACKSON  westside             westside            westside         Jackson
Tattnall-wilco                   Tattnall               Tattnall             Tattnall            Tattnall
HOWARD- WL               howard                howard                wl                     wl
coffee-WRHS                   wrhs                    wrhs                 coffee              coffee
Bleckley-Dublin              Dublin                Bleckley             Dublin             Bleckley
dodge-NORTHEAST      dodge                   dodge                dodge              dodge




I am heating up with my stone cold locks and I have hit on two straight after missing early and often early in the season. I guess I have got to pick the game that was closest in the poll and that is the Howard game. I have friends in Dudley and at WL that assure me that WL will win this game. Well this is the same Doug friend that assured me twice last year that WL would win and they lost both times. I really really think Barney Hester has turned the corner at Howard and I love Jeremiah Kelly and Quintin Sewell. They are both improving every game and I see something in Kelly that I don't see a lot. This could end up being a let down for me and Howard, but I got to say,,,, the stone cold lock of the week is Howard over West Laurens.
Geez I hope I am right on this one.

Tidbits from the high school world

I have talked to a lot of high school coaches and players over the last few weeks and I come up with some very interesting tidbits when we have these conversations. So I am giving all of you the info I gather on here. None of it is really newspaper worthy, but it is definitely interesting I think


Lets start off with the most controversial topic, which is the kneeling during the national anthem. Now this is not a topic I really wanted to get into , but as I was having lunch with a friend the other day (yes I have friends) We started to discuss this issue and since this person has a son the plays high school football, I thought it would be interesting to see what high school coaches had to say on the topic. So a simple text went out. "Hello coach, I was wondering and this is off the record how you would handle a player wanting to kneel during the national anthem." I sent this text out to six coaching friends in Middle Georgia, once ex football coach and one principal in the area. Out of the eight people I sent it to, six answered within 10 minutes of the text going out.


It seems as if a lot of the coaches have avoided the question altogether because of the eight texts I sent, five of them informed me that their players on in the locker rooms during the national anthem. That is not dome to avoid the anthem and possible kneeling. That's just the way they have always done it.
I had one coach tell me that he would just have to respect the players beliefs if he chose to kneel, while the ex coach gave me enough information for this entire blog. He started off by say he understood why it started in the first place with Kaepernick but he also said that personally he thinks that the qb should not have put his livelihood and other jobs in jeopardy. he also said that until this country addresses racism, the nation will remain in national turmoil. He ended by saying he hopes all of this doesn't move into the high school and college levels. Powerful Stuff here.


So on a lighter side things are starting to get a bit interesting around the football map. Jones County is still being Jones County, although they were tested by Eagles Landing, Warner Robins gets tested this week with a difficult game against Coffee, while we may get to see if Howard is a player or a pretender as they travel to West Laurens. Tattnall survived a score last week, while Stratford handled a test. However they have Mount de Sales, which serves as a chance for the Cavaliers to get out of the dark and be a contender.
I am worried about Tattnall. I think Wilkinson will challenge them a bit this week and then an easy one against Twiggs, but after that they run in FPD. Tattnall gave up 300 yards passing to Washington Wilkes, so what will Dalton Cox do to them ? I mean he could have a really really big night. You have a quarterback with 12 touchdown passes in three games , a beast of an offensive line that can pass protect, and receivers that can jump over people. Greg Moore, throw the football, throw it every play if you must. You have an all  state quarterback and everyone knows that the secondary is the weakest part of a class A high school football team. I just don't think Tattnall can handle that, nor anyone else. Right now Cox is throwing the ball a pedestrian 22 times a game. If you have Tom Brady you have to use him. Of course I am not a coach and barely a writer, but that is what I would be doing.


It is really good to see Teldrick Ross get the attention he is getting. It seems like every time I open up twitter, someone else has offered him. If I were Mercer, I would be living at his house right now. This kid is electricity on a football field and he patiently waited his turn. Jones County is in the midst of a magical football period, and that is because of Justin Rogers and nobody else. The man came in and changed the face of high school football and was able to do it very quickly.


Northeast also has a chance to step out of mediocrity this weekend but Dodge County will be a huge test for Ashley Harden. I am covering that game and I am excited to see the new look Raiders.


Westside has a must win game against Jackson on the road this weekend and even though Peach County beat them up, I saw some bright signs from a sputtering offense. Victor Dixon and Jaylon Barden are a very interesting combo to say the least and both of them are just sophomores. /


Oh how I hope that the Howard Huskies are ready to step up and get a win in yet another big game. The Huskies have never made the playoffs, never ever, not even a first round, and this is the year that should change that. Howard was a bad bad football team but they seem to have turned the corner. But West Laurens is a MUST win for them. Its time for Quintin Sewell and Jeremiah Kelly to show that they are special . Do you hear me Howard ?


I will close this with a softball  line or two.  Tattnall Square will win state this year and Joey Hiller is the best baseball coach/softball coach/recruiter in Middle Georgia.  They are loaded this year and for years to come and the others just wont be able to keep up with what he has. Sorry but its just the truth.

week 5 super Picke ems

I must admit that one of the biggest ego boosters I get is actually being recognized as the author of this blog or as a sportswriter for the newspaper.
I mean I guess everyone likes to be recognized for something that they work hard on and when someone walks up to me and says that they are faithful readers of my blog, it actually means a lot to me.
I had that happen last night when a Stratford parent saw me and let me know he is a reader. I thanked him for reading and I admit, yeah I was on a little bit of a high for the next few hours.


The blog is getting good numbers with 150 to 200 readers on most stories. Sure I would like to have more but I am satisfied with what I am getting. The playoffs are around the corner so that will pick up im sure.


Now for the picks
Things have really heated up over the last week or so and as of right now we have four people tied for the lead. Jonathan Perez, Luke Hetrick,Tucker Sargent, and yours truly are all 26-9, which is right at 75% accuracy. Brad Harrison and Evan Watson are only one game back while Mason Prince is only two games back. Lola my damn dog is killing her self by only picking dog or dog like mascots. I tried to tell her but dogs don't listen very good sometimes.


This weeks games  are very interesting and we will have lots of different picks. The Northeast vs Bleckley and Southwest against Dodge are bound to have a lot of differences as well as Perry and Veterans. THAT MAKES FOR GOOD PICKING


HERE are the games for this week


                                                    Jonathan               Luke              Koknows                Tucker
ELCA-Jones County                     Jones                    Jones                  Jones                     Jones
Northeast-Bleckley                     Bleckley              Bleckley             Northeast              Northeast
Southwest-Dodge                      Southwest               Dodge                 Dodge                   Dodge
Veterans-Perry                              Perry                    Perry                   Perry                     Perry
Stratford-Lincoln                       Stratford               Stratford              Stratford               Stratford
Tattnall-Wash Wilkes                 Tattnall                Tattnall                Tattnall                 Tattnall
Peach-Westside                            Peach                   Peach                   Peach                    Peach








                                                      
                                                      Evan                    Brad                  Mason                    Lola
ELCA-Jones Co                            Jones                    Jones                   Jones                     Jones
Northeast-Bleckley                    Northeast              Northeast            Northeast               Bleckley
Southwest-Dodge                      Southwest             Southwest              Dodge                   Dodge
Veterans-Perry                              Perry                   Veterans                Perry                    Perry
Stratford-Lincoln                        Stratford               Stratford              Stratford                Lincoln
Tattnall- Wash Wilkes                Tattnall                 Tattnall                 Tattnall            Wash Wilkes
Peach-Westside                            Peach                     Peach                   Peach                   Peach








Now I finally picked a winner in a tough game when I picked Peach to beat Mary Persons at Mary Persons and that happened in convincing fashion. That give me one in a row. Look I could pick one of the easier games but I wont do that. I always pick a tough game. So for my cold stone lock of the week, I will go with the Perry Panthers and new head coach Kevin Smith to take down Veterans. You can count on it happening because its a cold stone lock

the fab 22

I have thought about ways to recognize the top players in Macon and that is not an easy task at all. I mean I do not see these kids every week and I only see numbers. I think I am to the point where I have seen all the Macon schools play (except Stratford and Tattnall) so I thought I may as well get this out.
so here it is
THE FAB 22 of Macon only.


22)Nolan Ussery- The quarterback from Northeast has some players around him and the Raiders are winning again. His numbers will not blow you away but he is the man running the offense for an undefeated team. That was enough to get him a spot.


21)Josiah Cotton- The Mount de Sales running back broke out for over 200 yards against Aquinas last Friday, leading the Cavaliers to their biggest win in years. He could be a mover in the numbers game if he continues to put up, well numbers.


20)Kendarius Murphy- Central has not won a game but it is not because of this two way play who is a great catch and run threat for Centrals offense. I have seen him have huge games against Howard and do nothing against FPD so he lands right here at number 20.


19)Jordan Slocum- The junior quarterback from Southwest is trying to lead the Patriots into the playoffs for the second straight year. He is an exciting player, but I need to see him more accurate with his throws. Still he has a great chance to move up the list.


18)Kanuri Williams-explosive wideout for Central who can score on any play, if they can get him the ball, which is a struggle.


17)Omar Jones- a big kid who needs to step up against Peach County this week if the Westside is to have any chance to pull off an upset. I think I rank him so low because he had a dreadful game against Southwest when he could not hold on to the football. He has bounced back however with some decent games.


16)Maurice Gordon-He is a big tall receiver for FPD  and he already has 256 yards of receiving and four touchdowns. I think he can do more though


15)Terrious Miles- One of the keys to a Northeast resurgence, the running back has already gained 350 yards and scored five touchdowns on the season. He is smallish but oh so quick.


14)DeAndre Shelton- Its hard to  pick out defensive players but easy to pick out this man. He averages close to 12 tackles a game for the 4-1(yes I said 4-1) Howard Huskies.


13)Jaylon Barden- Just a sophomore but he is the big play guy for the Westside offense. He lit up BEST for 116 yards of pass catching. Can he do it against Peach County ?


12)Quintin Sewell-Love this kid who had led Howard to a 4-1 start, with over 500 yards of offense and 11 touchdowns. He finds a way to win like he did against Central when he just took the game over.


11)Vincent McCarthy-376 yards of rushing and 6 touchdowns for Northeast. Look at Northeast and Ashley Harden winning football games again. This may be the team to make more of a playoff run than anyone else in Macon


10)Tyler Jordan- the Stratford running back has 266 yards on the ground and five touchdowns and Stratford is quietly the best private school team in Macon this year,


9)Adrian Hardwick- Mount de Sales is off to a 3-1 start and even if Hardwick isn't getting his yards he is still a big part of why they are winning. When defenses start trying to stop Cotton, watch out for Hardwick.


8)Titus Moore-389 yards and 6 touchdowns for one of FPDS main weapons. He has to keep putting up numbers because FPD has to score to win, which means they don't stop anyone.


7)LaKelvin Clark- Bruising Westside runner who has gone for 245 yards in 4 games. Lets see if he can keep it going this weekend when he gets a heavy heavy load against Peach


6)Randy Green- He is a man who averages 11 tackles a game and is the no doubt leader if a Southwest defense that shut out Central.


5)Destin Mack- I know I will catch some grief about having this kid so high but lets face it guys, he is 90 percent of the Tattnall offense. He has to carry the load which could lead to a big season, but I just don't see how Tattnall can get over some huge humps this year and beat teams they beat a year ago. If they find a way Destin Mack will be right in the middle of it.


4)Jeremiah Kelly- You may not even know who this guy is but I am telling you he may be THE most explosive back in Macon or MIddle Georgia. I saw him fumble the first time he carried the ball against Central and he was pissed off the rest of the night and he ran harder when he was pissed off. I know you don't remember James Brooks, but that is who he reminded me of the first time I saw him.


3)Javoris Smith- I know a lot of you may not know who this kid is but he may be THE most explosive player in the area. He is tiny and may go 145 pounds but the Southwest  running back/receiver/defensive back/punt returner/kick returner can make things happen. Yes he is the same Javoris Smith that starred at Twiggs  County a year ago. He is just explosive.


2)Dalton Cox- the senior is off to an amazing year with 966 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Oh yeah he is completing 74% of his passes which is truly amazing. But the schedule gets tougher very soon and we will see if young Dalton and his team can respond with more wins.


1)Tobe Umerah- If he is good enough for Stanford he is good enough for me. Last games he had 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 caused fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and one safety. He did all that depite the fact that he had 4 guys on him. He is a man and number one is where he deserves.


OK that's it, let me know who I forgot and I will give them a shout out. If you don't want to do it here, text me at 478-394-1155.