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Five things to watch for in Week 8 of high school football in the Greater Savannah area

dennis knight, savannah morning news
·7 min read

Week 8 of the high school football season in Savannah should bring back a sense of normalcy after Hurricane Ian caused postponements and a number of Wednesday night games last week.

Regions are in full play, with teams battling for playoff position and postseason berths. Here are five games to keep an eye on this week.

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Burke County at Benedictine, 7 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Stadium

Benedictine had its Region 3-4A opener against New Hampstead set for last week postponed until Nov. 3. So this is the first region game of the season for the Cadets, the defending GHSA Class 4A state champions.

The Cadets beat The Bolles School 26-7 on Sept. 23 as junior quarterback Luke Kromenhoek had one of his best games of the season. He's completed 64% of his passes for 859 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions, and he is the team's second-leading rusher with 166 yards and a pair of scores.

Senior receiver/defensive back Za'Quan Bryan was limited in action against The Bolles School with a leg injury. Coach Danny Britt said the team hopes Bryan will be healthy for the game against Burke County. The Minnesota commit has 25 catches for 266 yards and three scores, and has run for a pair of touchdowns and 111 yards.

Benedictine’s Wilkes Albert fights through Westminster’s blocker to make the tackle in a recent game.
Benedictine’s Wilkes Albert fights through Westminster’s blocker to make the tackle in a recent game.

Sophomore Thomas Blackshear has 14 catches for 263 yards (18.8 yards per catch) with three touchdowns. Na'Seir Samuel is averaging 14.2 yards per carry and leads the squad with 313 rushing yards. Junior Ack Edwards has 256 yards combined rushing and receiving with a pair of scores.

The Cadet defense has been consistently strong — allowing just 12.4 points per game. Junior Wilkes Albert leads the team with 47 tackles, and his classmate and fellow linebacker Bryce Baker has three sacks and 20 stops.

Benedictine (3-2, 0-0 in Region 3-4A) opened the week ranked No. 6 among Class 4A schools in Georgia by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, while Burke County (5-0, 0-0) is at No. 6. Benedictine beat the Bears on the road last year 59-28.

Two of the Bears' top players from last year are back in senior running back Charlie Dorsey (350 yards rushing and three touchdowns) along with senior quarterback Marshall Flowers, who has thrown for 836 yards and eight scores. Junior linebacker Brandon Lively leads the team with 54 tackles.

"Burke County is always a strong, disciplined team," Cadet coach Danny Britt said. "Coach Eric Parker does a great job over there and we have a lot of respect for them. Last year, they couldn't stop our offense, but we're expecting a competitive game."

Savannah Christian at Johnson, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Islands

This will be the first meeting between the schools, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Savannah Christian made the move up from Class A Private to Class 3A this season and the Raiders are now Region 3-3A region rivals with the Atom Smashers.

Savannah Christian (5-1, 2-1) is coming off another strong performance in a 55-20 region win over Long County. The Raiders ground game has been dominating as SCPS averages 310 yards rushing per game behind Zo Smalls (653 yards rushing, 13 total touchdowns), Kenry Wall (408 yards rushing, 11 total TDs) and Jayden Hester (332 yards rushing). Senior quarterback Paulus Zittrauer has thrown for 829 yards and eight scores and run for six touchdowns and 225 yards.

Savannah Christian receiver Logan Brooking catches a pass and runs past a Savannah Country defender during a recent game.
Savannah Christian receiver Logan Brooking catches a pass and runs past a Savannah Country defender during a recent game.

The Raiders defense is allowing just 13 points per game behind sophomore defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, a four-star recruit, and linebackers David Bucey and Logan Brooking as leaders of a physical unit.

Johnson is off to its first 4-1 start since 2009 and the Atom Smashers have one of the best running back duos in the state in seniors Amarion Scott (398 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns) and Samari Dowdy, who is coming off a 300-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance in a 22-21 win over Liberty County on Sept. 23.

Johnson has a veteran offensive line led by two-way starters Jaden Boone and Malon Petty. Senior linebacker Mikaree Stafford is a captain of a defense allowing 15.4 points per game. This will be the toughest test yet for a Johnson squad looking to reach the playoffs for the third year in a row, which has never been done in school history.

Johnson High's Amarion Scott finds some running room during a Sept. 10 game against Brantley County at Savannah High School Stadium.
Johnson High's Amarion Scott finds some running room during a Sept. 10 game against Brantley County at Savannah High School Stadium.

Camden County at Richmond Hill, 7 p.m. Friday

The Wildcats made the move up from Class 6A to 7A and are ready to start play in one of the toughest regions of the state in Region 1-7A.

Camden County (4-2, 0-0) comes to town with a strong run game led by juniors Jaden Dailey and Jamarley Riddle, who have combined for 651 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Wildcats (3-3, 0-0) have as strong run game of their own led by senior Zion Gillard, who has 695 yards rushing and nine scores. Senior quarterback Ty Goldrick has been solid with 890 yards passing and six touchdowns. His favorite target is senior Ravon Grant, who has 39 catches for 469 yards and three scores.

Southeast Bulloch at New Hampstead, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Pooler Stadium

New Hampstead (4-1, 0-0) is ready to get Region 3-4A play started as the Phoenix are set to host Southeast Bulloch (2-4, 1-0).

The Phoenix haven't played since losing a 28-27 heartbreaker in overtime at Richmond Hill on Sept. 16. Quarterback Pauly Seeley, who has committed to Wofford, is having a great senior season — completing 69% of his throws for 813 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Senior Kaleb Smith has rushed for 524 yards and three scores, averaging 7.7 yards per carry for the Phoenix.

SEB is coming off a 34-7 region win over Islands last week. The Yellow Jackets offense is led by junior running back Kyon Taylor, who has rushed for 521 yards.

Liberty County at Savannah Country Day, 7:30 p.m. Friday

This Region 3-3A matchup is an important one for two teams trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth.

SCD (3-3, 1-2) won its first region game Sept. 28 with a 35-21 win over Beach. The Hornets are led by two-way lineman Rooster Bing and senior running back Michael Grandy (567 yards rushing and seven touchdowns).

Savannah Country Day's Michael Grandy makes a cut as he looks for the end zone in a win over Beach on Sept. 28.
Savannah Country Day's Michael Grandy makes a cut as he looks for the end zone in a win over Beach on Sept. 28.

Freshman Josh Washington, who already has an offer from Georgia Southern, has 387 yards combined rushing and receiving and four touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Barton Mixon is steadily improving and has 766 yards passing and seven touchdown passes.

Liberty County (3-3, 1-2) beat Groves 34-0 on Sept. 28. Junior quarterback Carlos Singleton has thrown for 1,315 yards and nine scores. His favorite target is junior Ron Golden, who has 27 catches for 495 yards and four scores, including a last-second touchdown for the win in the season opener at Southeast Bulloch.

Week 8 high school football schedule

Thursday, Oct. 6

  • Burke County at Benedictine (Memorial)

  • Calvary Day at Groves (Savannah High)

Friday, Oct. 7

  • Camden County at Richmond Hill

  • Grovetown at Effingham County

  • Glynn Academy at South Effingham

  • Coffee at Bradwell Institute

  • Jenkins at Ware County

  • Islands at Wayne County

  • SE Bulloch at New Hampstead (Pooler Stadium)

  • Beach at Long County

  • Savannah Christian at Johnson (Islands)

  • Liberty County at Savannah Country Day

  • Brantley County at Windsor Forest (Memorial Stadium)

  • Metter at Bryan County

  • Claxton at Savannah High (Savannah High)

  • Trinity Christian at St. Andrew's

  • Memorial Day at Pinewood Christian

  • Bethesda at Colleton Prep

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah high school football: 5 things to watch in Week 8