Phoenix begin 7-4A slate Friday night
Sonoraville’s quest for a second consecutive trip to the GHSA 4A playoffs begins Friday night when the Phoenix open the 7-4A door on the road at Northwest Whitfield High School.
The Phoenix were off last week, giving them two full weeks to prepare for their first game in the Region and they were looking to get back to some basics and clean some things up.
They have indeed been all over the map through the first half of the season, which ended a week ago Friday night in Calhoun, when they fell to the Yellow Jackets, 52-16, in their final nonRegion game of the season.
But now they are looking to settle into being a steady, rock-em, sock-em type of team with the games that determine whether or not they get to play more than the 10 times they scheduled about to start.
And a lot of people think that while this is the first 7-4A game for both teams, the winner will take a big step towards reaching the playoffs with just four games left to play after Friday night.
That’s because last year the Phoenix whipped the Bruins in the first Region game of the year and when the dust had settled after the 10 games were played, the Firebirds were sitting in that fourth spot and in the postseason while Northwest Whitfield was fifth and they were out.
The Phoenix bring a 2-3 record into the game and they have been downright potent at times this season.
Senior quarterback Jaxon Pate has used a lot of different receivers this year and they have gotten some big plays with long catches-and-runs from guys like Caymen Reynolds, Langston Butler and Elijah Woods.
They also have a very capable group
of runners, led by senior Wyatt Key, that have been able to pick up big chunks at times and not allow opposing defenses to hone in on one part exclusively of their offensive scheme.
Northwest Whitfield comes into the game with a 4-1 record through the first half of the year and the Bruins were also off last week. They last played a week ago Friday night when they beat Darlington, 21-17 to already match their win total from 2022.
It was the Bruins’ third consecutive close game as they started the year by beating Pepperell and Coahulla Creek, 81-7 by a combined score. Then they lost to Ringgold, 21-17, for their one defeat before they rebounded to outslug North Murray, 38-35, and then outlast Darlington.
They entered a new era in August after losing four-year starting quarterback Owen Brooker to graduation this past spring, but sophomore Gavin Nuckolls has stepped right in as his predecessor and the team has not skipped a beat.
The Bruins like to put the ball in the air and through the first five games, Nuckolls has completed 65 percent of the over 150 passes he has thrown. He has compiled 1,305 yards and with his nearly 200 rushing, is among the Region leaders in all-purpose yardage with almost 1,500 yards.
He also has thrown 12 touchdown passes with just two interceptions.
Senior Hudson Gray and junior Akendris Douglas have been his two favorite targets with each having caught 23 passes so far. But the Bruins have two other players who have at least 16 receptions and 10 different players have caught passes, but Nuckolls has used everyone around him.
They have been successful on the ground with the running back by committee system with Nuckolls, junior Cameron Collins, and sophomore Jacob Lea having combined to rush for almost 700 yards.
Northwest’s 4-1 record is the second best in the Region with Central at 5-0 currently the only team still unbeaten at the halfway point of the schedule.
Heritage and Cedartown are then tied for the third best record at 3-2. The Bulldogs would be 2-3, but it was ruled last week by the GHSA that their loss to Callaway would be turned into a win because Callaway
used a couple of ineligible players.
Then Sonoraville is 2-3 and Southwest Whitfield stands 1-4.
The Phoenix, along with Central and Northwest Whitfield, were all off last Friday night, having their first open date of the season to give them a little extra time to prepare for the first game on the Region schedule.
Cedartown, Heritage, and Southeast Whitfield all played with Cedartown the only team to get a win.
The Bulldogs, who reached the 4A state championship game last year, got off to a slow start this year, but appeared to have gotten some things straightened out moving forward when they knocked Dalton from the unbeaten ranks with a 35-27 victory over the Catamounts.
On the field, they were 1-3 after their first four games, but with the GHSA’s ruling last week and their win over Dalton in which the offense seemed to really get on track, they are now a winning team and have to be feeling good about where they are as they chase another 7-4A Region crown.
In the other non-league games last Friday, Heritage went to Tennessee and lost to Bradley Central, 35-16, and Southeast Whitfield dropped a tough 21-20 decision to Druid Hills.
Besides the Sonoraville-Northwest Whitfield matchup, other Region 7-4A opening games this week have Cedartown at Central in a battle of state-ranked teams and Southwest Whitfield goes to Heritage.
Kickoff Friday night at Bruin Stadium in Tunnel Hill is set for 7:30 p.m.