Friday Football Preview

Last week was one of firsts. Pebblebrook notched its first win with a victory over Harrison. South Cobb suffered its first loss at the hands of Hillgrove. Whitefield Academy won its first region game over Southwest Atlanta Christian.

This week will naturally be a week of seconds. Can the Falcons get their second win? Can the Eagles avoid their second loss? Will the Wolfpack go to 2-0 in region 5S-A? We will know the answers on Friday night. 

South Cobb vs. McEachern (Sept. 29)

 The Eagles were thoroughly defeated by Hillgrove 40-7 last week. Six turnovers led straight to three Hillgrove touchdowns, which kept from mounting any sort of comeback.

Despite the loss, running back Chris Beck played great once again. He rushed for 156 yards on 31 carries. It was the third 100-yard-plus effort for Beck this season.

The turnovers proved to be too much to overcome. It is virtually impossible to win a game when there are six turnovers committed. If the Eagles want to get back on the winning track against McEachern next week that has to change.

The Indians will be another tough test for the Eagles. McEachern shut out Campbell 55-0 last week.

Prediction: McEachern 30 South Cobb 20 

Whitefield Academy at Landmark Christian

Region play brought out the best in the Wolfpack last week, as they defeated Southwest Atlanta Christian 22-0. It was the first shutout win for since 2009 when they beat Our Lady of Mercy 23-0.

The Wolfpack looked like a total team, getting huge contributions from both offense and defense. Junior running back Richard Sherrell ran for 110 yards on 21 carries. Sophomore defensive end relentlessly pursued the quarterback and finished the game with four sacks. 

The win gave the Wolfpack a 1-0 mark in region play to go along with a 2-2 overall record. Whitefield plays its second region contest this week against undefeated Landmark Christian. 

It will be a battle of wills as both teams have played well over the last few weeks. Landmark has averaged 61 points per game in their last three victories. The Wolfpack defense has given up just 13 points per game this season. 

Prediction: Whitefield Academy 24 Landmark Christian 21

Pebblebrook vs. Kennesaw Mountain

Finally, after three straight losses, the Falcons got their first win with a 21-14 defeat of Harrison last week. Quarterback C.J. Goodman put ahead with just under two minutes remaining. Tyler Parham intercepted a pass with 49-seconds left to put the game away. 

Suddenly, 2011 is starting to look a lot like 2010 for the Falcons. Last year, Pebblebrook started 0-2, then rattled off three straight wins. This year, they started 0-3 and have a great chance to move to 2-3 against Kennesaw this week. 

Kennesaw Mountain is not a very good football team. They are 0-4 and have looked like a squad that has deserved to lose each game. The Falcons must take advantage of this opportunity and if they do they can get back into playoff contention. 

Prediction: Pebblebrook 28 Kennesaw Mountain 14