Game of the week: No. 39 Madison County (Fla.) (6-0) vs. Godby (Fla.) (7-0) (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET)
There are many compelling matchups this week inside of the FAB 50, but we'll give this clash of Big Bend undefeateds the nod because we love it when powers schedule big-time non-district or out-of-class matchups. This game pits 2A defending champ Madison County and 3A undefeated Godby, and will feature three Florida State commits in Madison's Jacobbi McDaniel and Chris Thompson as well as Godby's Willie Downs. More notes from ESPN RISE's Kynon Codrington:
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| ESPN RISE | |
| A.J. Graham leads a potent Godby offense |
Madison County has produced 42 college prospects in Carroll's tenure. Middle Tennessee State RB Desmond Gee is a back-to-back All-Sun Belt performer as an all-purpose back. Clemson OG Bobby Hutchinson starred at Madison County before moving on to the ACC. Former FSU LB Geno Hayes is a sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is making the most of his time on special teams.
Madison County returns 17 starters from last year's state championship team and boasts 28 seniors. This year's squad is led by a pair of Under Armor All-Americans in RB Chris Thompson (5-8, 175) and ESPNU 150 DT Jacobbi McDaniel (6-0, 274), both future Seminoles. In his junior campaign, Thompson ran for 2,256 yards and 33 touchdowns on 187 carries. In the 2007 state title game, Thompson, the catalyst for the Wing-T offensive attack, rushed for 203 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns and was named game MVP.
Other notable players to watch for are RB Corey Akins (5-10/193), LB/ROV Jordan Jefferson, and OL/DL Chad Mitchell. Akins holds offers from Florida Atlantic and MTSU and is receiving interest from many others. Akins spent the summer in school improving his GPA. Jefferson is receiving letters and waiting on his first offer, but Carroll thinks a team will be getting a steal. Mitchell has offers from Florida International and FAU.
The 2A powerhouse plays its home games at the famed Boot Hill Stadium, which holds 5,000 spectators. The numbers exceed 10,000 for rival games and the Boot is the place to be on Friday nights.
The Godby Cougars, located in Tallahassee, are perennial 3A state powers. Coach Shelton Crews has been coaching since 1983, starting as an assistant at Godby and taking over as head coach during the 1999 season. He has 97 wins in his tenure as a head coach, with 75 of those wins roaming the sidelines for Godby. Crews was an assistant on the 1987 state championship team that defeated Blanche Ely of Ft. Lauderdale. Godby has captured three state championships in 1976, 1986, and 1987 in Class 4A. The school was reclassified to 3A for 1999 and 2000. The FHSAA moved the Cougars up to Class 4A for 2001 and 2002, and they returned to 3A in 2003.
Last season Godby finished 9-4 and reached the playoffs. The Cougars defeated Pensacola 28-7 in the first round. In the second round the Cougars blanked Arnold of Panama City, 41-0. Their title run came to an end in the region finals as St. Augustine eliminated the Cougars, 44-14. The offense was led by RB British Footman, a 2008 Florida State pledge. Footman was a game-breaker at tailback and ran for over 1,000 yards his senior season.
The team has run more shotgun as the base offense this season even though Crews relies on a pro-style attack. They will give multiple set looks with variations of the spread and I-formation. Junior RB Lavoire Johnson has been a nice replacement for Footman. Johnson was fourth in rushing for the Big Bend area entering last Friday's game against Wakulla.
This year's squad returns eight starters on offense and seven starters on defense. Senior QB A.J. Graham (6-foot-4, 194 pounds) is a talented signal-caller and spreads the ball to his weapons on the perimeter. Graham is uncommitted, but has offers from Illinois, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Marshall and Clemson, to name a few. He has the luxury of throwing to WR Willie Downs (6-2, 190), another Florida State commit. Downs has 25 receptions and leads the team with eight touchdown receptions. WR Kesie Graham has 28 grabs and four touchdowns. The third target, WR Chris St. Hilaire, has 20 catches and three touchdowns.
During Crews' tenure, he has sent 48 players to college. This year's 2009 class figures to add to that total. On defense, LB's Justin "JJ" Jones (5-10, 196) and Brandon Hover (5-10, 191) anchor the front seven. Fielding offers from Iowa State, Ball State, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, and Tulane, Jones has 68 tackles this season and. Hover lists offers from Georgia Southern, Troy and Florida A&M.
Other notables are three-year OL/DL starters Corey Gaines (6-0, 274) and Denzel Bonner (6-1, 290). Gaines, an All-State selection as a junior, is being recruited as a defensive lineman because of his speed and quickness. Gaines has a reported 4.86 40-time and has multiple offers from BCS conference schools, including Arkansas, Tennessee, Iowa State, Auburn, Colorado and Ole Miss. Bonner is the bigger of the two and boasts offers from Ball State, East Carolina, Georgia Southern, Troy, FIU and Middle Tennessee.
Godby football alums who have played for Crews and gone onto the NFL include CB Travis Fisher, LB Edmund Miles and OG's Bryan Johnson and Nevin McCaskill. Fisher played at Central Florida before being drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Rams in the 2002 draft. He is currently with the Detroit Lions. Miles starred at Iowa and spent last season on the Miami Dolphins roster before being cut this year. Johnson attended LSU and is on the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. McCaskill, a former Hampton Pirate, saw time on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad and was recently signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad.
Potential roadblocks:
There are too many of these to go into tremendous detail on this week like we typically do for four to five games a week, but don't be surprised if three or four FAB 50 teams go down this week with all of the huge matchups on Friday and Saturday.
No. 9 Lake Travis (8-0) vs. Dripping Springs (9-0) -- Undefeateds meet in battle for District 25-4A supremacy. Lake Travis took this game 34-24 last year and has won four straight in the series.
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| ESPN RISE | |
| Miami-bound RB Mike James hopes to lead Ridge Community past Lakeland. |
No.21 Don Bosco Prep (5-1) at Bergen Catholic (6-0) -- Two private school powerhouses in Jersey collide. Bergen Catholic hasn't beaten Bosco since December of '04, when they avenged a 42-21 regular-season loss with a 13-10 win in the state title game.
No. 27 De La Salle (6-1) vs. Monte Vista (7-0) -- The two top teams in the East Bay meet up, as junior quarterback Brett Nottingham hopes to lead the Mustangs to what would be a monumental upset of De La Salle. The Spartans haven't lost to a Bay Area opponent since Pittsburg beat them in 1991.
No. 28 Prattville (7-1) vs. Tuscaloosa Central (8-0) -- Two defending state champs, Prattville (6A) and Central (4A), hook up in both teams' season finales before the playoffs get underway. Central is a consensus top five team in the state by those in Alabama and should be competitive.
No. 29 Plant (6-1) vs. Chamberlain (8-0) -- Even if Aaron Murray is in the lineup, this figures to be a dogfight. With him out, Chamberlain, which only lost to Plant by seven last year and comes in as the state's No. 3 team in 5A behind FAB 50-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas and Lakeland, probably should be considered the favorite.
No.32 Abilene (8-0) vs. Richland (8-0) -- Richland probably doesn't have the horses to keep up with Abilene, but the Eagles could get tight if the game stays close for sometime, as they haven't been in a close contest for a while.
No.35 The Woodlands (7-0) vs. Lufkin (4-4) -- Lufkin may only be 4-4, but the Panthers are always loaded with talent and have won all four meetings since the two became district rivals in 2003.
No.40 Cretin-Derham Hall (10-0) vs. Woodbury (9-1) -- This third-round playoff matchup is a redo of a Sept. 12 regular-season meeting, in which CDH had its toughest test of the year in a 22-16 victory. However, the Raiders were without star RB Marques Binns in the first meeting.
FAB 50 weekend schedule
TuesdayNo.25 Arrowhead 49 (10-0) vs. Manitowac Lincoln 19 (4-6)
Thursday
No.5 Long Beach Poly (7-0) at Cabrillo (0-7)
No.13 Skyline (8-0) vs. Bothell (6-2) (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET)
No.38 St. Bonaventure (6-1) at Santa Barbara (3-4)
Friday
No. 1 Euless Trinity (8-0) vs. Justin Northwest (5-3)
No. 2 St Thomas Aquinas (7-0) at McArthur (5-2)
No. 3 Lowndes (8-0) at Coffee (7-1)
No. 4 Gateway (9-0) vs. Mount Lebanon (2-7)
No. 6 Armwood (8-0) at Tampa Freedom (2-5)
No. 7 Oscar Smith (9-0) vs. Lakeland (3-6)
No. 9 Lake Travis (8-0) vs. Dripping Springs (9-0)
No. 10 St Xavier (7-0) vs. Louisville Central (5-2-1)
No. 11 Camden County (8-0) vs. Savannah (0-8)
No. 12 South Panola (9-0) at Starkville (2-7)
No. 14 Corona Centennial (7-0) at Riverside North (4-3)
No. 15 Lakeland (7-0) at Ridge Community (7-0)
No. 18 Maryville (9-0) at Lenoir City (1-8)
No. 22 Permian (8-0) at Tascosa (2-6)
No. 23 Stone Bridge (9-0) at Woodson (7-2)
No. 24 Dorman (9-0) at Hillcrest (2-7)
No. 26 North Penn (9-0) vs. Pennridge (6-3)
No. 27 De La Salle (6-1) vs. Monte Vista (7-0)
No. 28 Prattville (7-1) vs. Tuscaloosa Central (8-0)
No. 29 Plant (6-1) vs. Chamberlain (8-0)
No. 31 John Curtis (7-1) at St. James (5-2)
No. 32 Abilene (8-0) vs. Richland (8-0)
No. 33 Byrnes (8-1) at Mauldin (5-4)
No. 36 Allen (7-1) at Plano East (0-8)
No. 37 Oceanside (7-0) at Orange Glen (1-7)
No. 39 Madison County (6-0) vs. Godby (7-0) (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET)
No. 40 Cretin-Derham Hall (10-0) vs. Woodbury (9-1)
No. 41 South Pointe (9-0) vs. Spring Valley (1-8)
No. 42 Peoria Centennial (8-0) vs. Sunrise Mountain (1-7)
No. 43 Tulsa Union (7-1) vs. Oklahoma City Grant (1-7)
No. 44 Northside (7-1) vs. Warner Robins (5-3)
No. 45 Rockhurst (8-1) vs. Joplin (7-2)
No. 46 Center Grove (9-1) vs. Bloomington South (8-2)
No. 47 Independence (8-0) vs. East Mecklenburg (9-1)
No. 48 Jenks (7-1) at Muskogee (6-2)
No. 49 Naperville North (9-0) vs. Simeon (6-3)
No. 50 Bellevue (8-0) at Interlake (5-3)
Saturday
No.8 Glenville (10-0) vs. Brecksville-Broadview Hts. (7-3)
No.16 Phoebus (9-0) at Denbigh (3-6)
No.17 St Ignatius (9-1) vs. St. Edward (6-4)
No.19 Elder (9-1) vs. Centerville (7-3)
No.20 North Shore (6-0) at Baytown Lee (2-4)
No.21 Don Bosco Prep (5-1) at Bergen Catholic (6-0)
No.25 Arrowhead (10-0) vs. Oshkosh West (7-3)
No.30 Good Counsel (8-0) vs. Gonzaga, DC (2-6)
No.34 Maine South (9-0) vs. Stevenson (5-4)
No.35 The Woodlands (7-0) vs. Lufkin (4-4)
Other notes:
• State playoffs get underway in the Beehive State this weekend, and the full schedule can be found here courtesy of The Salt Lake City Deseret News. Utah doesn't yet have a team ranked in the FAB 50, but 9-0 Timpview is a favorite in 4A and with a run to the state title should jump into the FAB 50 by year's end.
• The Des Moines Register reviews Iowa's expanded state playoff system as postseason action began last night. Last season, 96 of 361 programs (26.5 percent) qualified for first-round playoff games. This fall, 192 of 359 programs (53.4 percent) made the sub-state round. The Iowa High School Athletic Association will receive an extra $200,000 to $400,000 in revenue prior to expenses, according to the report. Complete brackets can be found on the IHSAA's Web site. Midwest Region No. 14 West Des Moines Valley is the state's top-ranked team and won last night 55-14 to advance to round one.
• As the premier programs begin to advance through the Indiana state playoffs, The Indy Star's Nat Newell takes a look at two added elements that help these usual suspects stay on top -- facilities and booster clubs.
• Big game in Northern California's Redwood Empire this Friday night between Cardinal Newman and Rancho Cotati. Newman is currently ranked No. 9 in CalHiSports.com Northern California rankings and these two teams over the years have always been heated rivals with the winner of the game usually winning their North Bay Legaue. Both teams are 7-0 and The Press-Democrat takes a look at Cardinal Newman's dynamic "Salt and Pepper" duo in the backfield.
• Oak Park (Calif.) coach Dick Billingsley is retiring from coaching at the end of the year, and Oaks Christian head man Bill Redell has some parting shots for his old nemesis in a colorful preview from The Thousand Oaks Acorn. The two coaches go back and forth with potshots that read off like a celebrity roast. "Well, Billingsley is now old enough to get his Social Security check, so I guess it's a good time for him to retire," Redell quips. Billingsley fires back with, "That's funny, I saw Redell's college football picture, and I know it was old because he wasn't wearing a facemask in it." All joking aside, there is a healthy mutual respect between the two coaches, and although Oaks should win pretty handily this year, Billingsley is the only opposing coach to beat Redell at Oaks Christian twice in his tenure.
• The New York Daily News has the story of a sophomore football player at elite Stuyvesant High School who pulled a not-so-smart prank on two teammates -- spiking their energy drink with the dangerous chemical fungicide copper sulfate. The perpetrator was kicked off the team and suspended from school.
• More troubling news in the high school football world comes from New Mexico, where six former players are now being formally charged with criminal sexual penetration, kidnapping and other crimes from a hazing incident at a preseason football camp, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. After the allegations surfaced, the six football players were suspended 10 days for violating the district's anti-bullying policy. Five were subsequently suspended for the rest of the year; the sixth was expelled. Head football coach Ray Woods and six assistants resigned Sept. 6.
