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It's Game Week! Week 1 High School Football Preview

By Travis Jaudon/For the Prep Sports Report | September 1, 2020

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After an off-season of unprecedented uncertainty thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Week 1 of the high school football season has finally arrived. Schools around Savannah will be kicking off their 2020 seasons this Friday (Sept. 4) and the Prep Sports Report has you covered on everything you need to know for the season’s first week.

Here's a look at the games for area schools in Week 1.

BURKE COUNTY AT BENEDICTINE (MEMORIAL STADIUM)

The third straight season of “BC versus BC” in Week 1 will serve as a rubber match between the two traditional powers. In 2018, Benedictine knocked off Burke County 23-22 before the Bears got revenge last year, 55-42. Each of those games were played at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro as part of the Erk Russell Classic, but this year gives the Cadets an opportunity to host Burke at Memorial Stadium.

It’ll be the first game in a new classification for each school. BC moved up from GHSA Class 3A to 4A while Burke dropped from 4A down to 3A.

No stranger to big-time opponents in season openers under head coach Danny Britt, Benedictine (8-4 in 2019) figures to have plenty of offensive firepower in junior quarterback Holden Geriner and senior receiver Trent Broadnax as the two form one of the more dynamic quarterback-receiver tandems in the area. 

Justin Thomas, who has committed to play baseball at the University of Georgia, will receive a bulk of the carries out of the BC backfield.

Burke (8-3) is ranked No. 9 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class 4A preseason poll but will be replacing its starting quarterback (Juanya Dove) and featured running back (Leon McGee) from the 2019 team. The duo rushed for a combined 354 yards in last year’s matchup with the Cadets.

ECI AT SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN (POOLER STADIUM)

SCPS and ECI will do battle in Pooler in a matchup of annual Class A contenders. 

The Raiders (8-4 in 2019) return senior quarterback Spencer Robicheaux (1,582 passing yards, eight TD in 2019) and wide receiver George Futch (29 receptions, 448 yards, two TD) to lead head coach Baker Woodward’s offense.

A loaded Raider defense will be anchored by junior linebacker Peyton Cromwell (117 tackles, four sacks) and safety Bradley Anderson (83 tackles, three interceptions).

ECI (6-6) returns to Pooler Stadium, the site of the last meeting between the two teams, and has not faced Savannah Christian since losing 29-14 in that 2018 Region 3-A Championship game.

CALVARY DAY AT PRINCE AVENUE CHRISTIAN

Calvary heads to Athens to open its season versus one of the premier programs in Class A over the last decade. 

The Cavs (7-4 in 2019) graduated four-year starting quarterback Thomas Carver, but they’ll still have weapons on both sides of the ball in senior running back Greg Daniel (893 rushing yards, nine touchdowns in 2019) and senior defensive lineman Fuches Lewis II (36 tackles, four sacks, five TFL). Lewis is a preseason Class A Private All-State first team member.

Prince Avenue (9-3) enters the season ranked No. 2 in the state (Class A Private) by MaxPreps and No. 3 by the AJC. Prince Avenue Christian will play on ESPN (Sept. 11) and is led by University of Georgia commit Brock Vandergriff.

SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY AT BULLOCH ACADEMY

Coming off its best season in nearly 40 years, Savannah Country Day (11-1 in 2019) will begin its season in Statesboro versus GISA member Bulloch Academy.

The Hornets won the Region 3-A championship in head coach Jim Collis’ first season last year and will return junior quarterback Barry Kleinpeter (2,203 passing yards, 24 TDs in 2019) as well as running back Davion Smith (1,016 rushing yards, 11 TD) and receivers Erik Brown (38 receptions, 778 yards, eight TD) and Kenny Odom (35, 612, 9).

Bulloch Academy (7-4) will feature junior running back/athlete Rodney Hill and senior Georgia Southern commit Chas Collins (OL/DL). 

One of the top recruits in the area for the Class of 2022, Hill originally transferred to Benedictine following last school year, but moved back to BA last month. He has several big-time college scholarship offers, including Michigan State, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Maryland. This contest has been moved frpm Friday September 4th to Thursday night September 3rd.

RICHMOND HILL AT CAMDEN COUNTY

Perhaps the best inter-class-clash on the Week 1 slate, Richmond Hill at Camden County has the look of a heavyweight bout with both teams ranked in their classification’s preseason Top-10 polls.

Camden County enters as the AJC’s No. 6 team in Class 7A, while Richmond Hill checks in at No. 8 among Class 6A teams. It’s Wildcats versus Wildcats in Kingsland. Camden downed RHHS 24-20 in last year’s tilt, then RHHS rattled off eight straight wins en route to the Class 6A semifinals.


Richmond Hill (9-4 in 2019) returns three Class 6A preseason all-state first teamers in defensive end Nathan Vickers (84 tackles, 25 TFL, 14 sacks in 2019), left tackle Joe Fusile and kicker Britton Williams. Head coach Matt LeZotte would become the winningest coach (31) in school history with a victory.

GROVETOWN AT EFFINGHAM COUNTY

Senior quarterback Zach Garcia leads Effingham County into 2020 as the Rebels host Augusta’s Grovetown to open up.

 

Effingham (2-8 in 2019) is paced on offense by Garcia (1,553 passing yards, 17 TD in 2019) and receivers (also brothers) Keion and Khiry Wallace. The Rebel defense will hope to improve its defense from last season -- a unit which allowed over 30 points per game -- and earn a trip to the Class 6A playoffs after missing out last year.

Grovetown has its first chance to showcase a new-look offense. Head coach Damien Postell implemented a Wing-T during the off-season, transitioning away from the more popular spread used in 2019.

 

BETHESDA AT BEAUFORT ACADEMY

Bethesda takes to the road to open the program’s most anticipated season in recent memory. In 2019, the Blazers went 10-2 and fell just short of a state championship, losing in the SCISA Class A title game to Thomas Heyward Academy.

Head coach Antwain Turner begins his 15th season at the helm, and he’ll do so with senior quarterback Antjuan McKay leading the way on offense.

McKay (1,953 passing yards, 20 TD in 2019) will be heavily used in his fourth and final year as the starter, especially so with the graduation of standout running back Jaden Wright (Presbyterian College).

JOHN PAUL II AT ST. ANDREW’S

St. Andrew’s (5-5 in 2019) hosts John Paul II (Ridgeland, SC) in the Lions’ season opener on Wilmington Island.

SAA head coach Doug Dixon will count on junior quarterback Connor Dodge and senior running back Grant Viands to lead his squad in Week 1 against the Golden Warriors (SCISA Class 2A) and throughout the season as the Lions hope to contend in GISA’s Region 2-3A. John Paul II was 0-9 last year.

Follow Travis Jaudon on Twitter @JaudonSports. Email him at travisLjaudon@gmail.com

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The "Coach" Karl DeMasi has been teaching and coaching for the past 35 years on all levels of academia and athletics. One of his hobbies has been writing, announcing and talking about sports. DeMasi has been involved in the Savannah Area sports scene since 1995, and he created the high school magazine "The Prep Sports Report" in 2000. In 2010, the "Coach" started broadcasting The Karl DeMasi Sports Report. He's still going strong, broadcasting on Facebook live and Twitter live every Saturday morning. You gotta love it!


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