Ashley Henderson, head football coach at the Valwood School, sat amongst coaches of some of the state's premier Region 1 football teams at South Georgia Media Day.

His Valiants though, play as part of the lesser-known GISA: the Georgia Independent School Association. But Henderson knows the GHSA's big leagues well after eight seasons as an assistant coach at Valdosta High.

Watch below as Jon Nelson gets Henderson's take on the differences between football in the two associations.

It’s like the Christmas song: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”
But, as you and I both know, it’s never really NOT football season…

With the pre-season camps, 7-on-7 competitions, early morning workouts (and all that stuff) football is now a 12-month gig. For all of us…

And, since you are now allowed to start practicing August 1st, it’s early morning hitting out of the heat (in shells, pads, or some combination) and then you’re done. You can’t do two-a-days anymore. So, coaches have to be somewhat vigilant in their processes to get the job done by late August-0 when it all starts for real…
We’ve started here as well…

We’re getting everything done for our 4th season premiere on August 29th when Archer visits Peachtree Ridge. Two talented QB’s there with Gabe Tiller and Chance Thrasher and a lot of talent on display in Gwinnett County for Week 1.

But there’s already been some stuff going on over in Lincolnton. I know I have spent a lot of time talking about the retirement of Larry Campbell from his post at Lincoln County High School, but the community did something really cool the other week. Since “Buddy Bufford Field” was taken, the fans, followers, and supporters had another great idea and a lot of the state’s biggest and best showed up.

((HT: WJBF-TV Augusta))

WJBF-TV ABC 6 Augusta-Aiken

Another story that’s pretty big is the declaration of Westover (Albany) DT Trenton Thompson as to where he is going to spend his college time. He has it narrowed down to five schools and he’ll make his announcement on the 12th after school. Will Auburn steal another Georgia defensive talent or will he stay close to home? Does he go all the way out to Southern Cal or just go up the road to Clemson? It’s a must-keep for UGA head coach Mark Richt considering just how many different defensive guys have been pulled in by Auburn the last few years (Lawson, Adams, Russell, Wright, etc.)
It will be the biggest day Westover has ever had…

Another cool piece of work is the action going on down at the coast. Karl DeMasi was asked to come out of retirement to start the program at Islands High in Savannah. It will be their first year of varsity competition and Shawn Simpson takes over for DeMasi who built the car from scratch.

Stefanie has the look at the Sharks and Groves High, who has a familiar face on the sidelines this year.

((HT: The Coastal Source))

So, it’s that time for me to ask:

What are y’all looking forward to this season…?
Could be a rivalry game, a particular athlete, a winning season, a road trip, a particular match-up on your schedule that isn’t a region game… you tell me…
That’s what this space is: A 2-way conversation…
Always is… always will be…

So, be a part of the talk on Facebook at GPB Sports, on Twitter with any one of us you want to talk to and follow, on Instagram (although I haven’t figured out how that works), or any other social medium we have.

Our season starts August 29th and our schedule is on our Facebook page. We’ll be with you all season long and I’ll see some of you next week on my “Southern Swing” next Tuesday, through Thursday.

Play it safe, everyone… I’ll see you on the road…

Written By: GPB Sports Intern Savannah Pratt

Spinning and flipping through the air is just a daily routine for the aerial artists at Sky Gym.

"What is Sky Gym?" you might be asking…

Sky Gym is a training facility for all levels of silk aerialist. These athletes train with their body weight on silks supporting 2,000 pounds. The suspended silk allows them to climb to different heights, sometimes preforming at 18’ to 35’. Did I mention that they are not harnessed?

The first priority is safety. The beginning aerialist starts trains only a few feet off the ground. You are in good hands with Sky Gym’s experienced trainers

Amber Monson, the founder of Sky Gym, started training on aerial silks ten years ago.

“I started just for fun. I hated going to the gym. I wanted something that would keep me interested," she said.

This acrobatic sport is growing increasingly in popularity. Could we see aerial acrobatics in the 2020 Olympics? Amber Monson believes that it is definitely a possibility.

Now you can see it for yourself!

Watch this video to see amazing footage of Aerial Silks Athletes at Sky Gym.

Photography by Matthew Sims

It’s on to the home stretch for the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

The field was narrowed Thursday to eight players who advanced to the quarterfinal round of match play. While no local talent remains in the race, nearly twenty Georgians qualified for the opening rounds of stroke play which began Monday.

Zach Healy, Austin Vick and Jimmy Beck were a few that caught our attention as we watched the action take off at the beginning of the week.

Beck, representing Kennesaw State University as a senior, was accompanied by another KSU owl in teammate Austin Vick. Beck kicked off Day 1 with an incredible start, finishing tied for the lead. An easygoing, optimistic outlook paved the way for a successful two days on the course. But match play on Wednesday got the best of him as he fell to Canadian opponent Garrett Rank after missing a birdie putt on the 18th green. Vick found himself in a 25-way tie for 95th place Tuesday afternoon and was cut from the field two shots shy of qualifying for match play.

As for Healy, he was defeated by Cheng-Tsung Pan, the highest-seeded golfer to advance into the round of 3. But Healy's career, in a sense, is just now taking off. The Norcross grad begins classes this week at the University of Georgia, where he'll be a welcome addition to the golf team under coach Chris Haack.

The last Georgia native left standing in the U.S. Amateur, Yellow Jacket Ollie Schniederjans, was defeated Thursday in a showdown against Gunn Yang.

In case you missed it, take a look at our preview of Beck, Vick and Healy from earlier this week.

Diehard high school football fans, the 2014 Southern Swing is now complete.

Jon Nelson is back in action at GPB headquarters in Atlanta after a full round of football coverage through some of the state's premier southern programs.

As he bounced from school to school, Jon asked the head coaches what Football Fridays mean to their communities.

Head Coach Mark Ledford of Wilcox County was one of the first victims. He shares a little about the excitement surrounding Friday nights in Wilcox County and cracks a laugh as he describes the ultimate tactics for dealing with those ever-annoying gnats.

Next up, Jason Strickland of Fitzgerald says football in Ocilla draws fans of all walks of life.

The third stop of the Southern Swing Day One involved a chat with Irwin County's Buddy Nobles. To Coach Nobles and his team, America's favorite sport, while accompanied by tough workouts and pressure-filled games, still serves as a break from everyday routines. Take a look!

Stay tuned to GPB Sports as we let you in on tons more going on in South Georgia football as the season is for some, merely days away!

My videographer, Gary Peacock, and I did the math when we came home last night: 885 miles on the odometer in the GPB van from beginning to end. It was a big, three-day trip touring the southern part of the state for our “Football Fridays in Georgia” coverage. The journey was fun, three-dimensional, and vertically-integrated.

It started with a trip to Rochelle, Fitzgerald, and Ocilla for most of the first day that ended in the commitment of Westover’s Trenton Thompson to the University of Georgia. It was a big day for the Albany school coming off its best season ever. They’ve won 8 games on a few occasions, but finished last season with 9. There is a lot of optimism that Thompson will stay heading to Athens, but frankly, this is when his recruiting really starts.

Then, there was the Wiregrass Gauntlet.

I caught up with Monty Long, the voice of Valdosta football, and friend of GPB, Mark Dykes, over at “In The Game Magazine.” Next were the Region 1-6A discussions with the head coaches at Lowndes and Valdosta, a Region 2-A talk with Clinch’s Jim Dickerson, and some 5A talk with Ware’s Franklin Stephens. Stephens was part of the coaching carousel this past season when Carrollton lost Rayvan Teague to retirement. Ed Dudley left Ware for Carrollton and Stephens left Lamar County for Ware…

Then, it was time to catch up with one of the best motivators in the business: Camden’s Welton Coffey. He likes his teams to be physical and if you ask him about hitting the other guy, his eyes light up like no other coach I have seen.
He’s a very cool dude and a treat to watch at practice.

The final day was a shot to catch up with another part of the carousel, former Walton and now Glynn Academy coach Rocky Hidalgo. It was a big change, but he’s looking forward to the rebuilding of the program in Brunswick.

Then, up the coast for two interviews: one with Benedictine’s Danny Britt and the Cadets...who happen to have one of the coolest uniforms in the business.

And then, on to one of the two first-year programs in Savannah over at Islands High. Karl DeMasi has been building that program from the ground up beginning four seasons ago. Now, his football team’s games count for real.

So, that’s the short version of our travels and Round One of them as well…
I want to thank each one of the coaches and programs for taking time out of their super-busy schedules to visit two guys who hopped out of a van to ask a few questions and hit the road…
We can’t do it without you and good luck to all of you this season!!!
Play it safe, everyone… I’ll talk to you soon…

The TOUR Championship hits Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club in less than one month. Like all large sporting events, preparations for the tournament have been underway for some time and that ball will keep rolling as the event nears.

This past week, the TOUR Championship committee and its sponsor, Coca-Cola, hosted a golf outing for local media that included a conversation with former winner Bill Haas.

Attendees also heard from the championship staff and Coca-Cola about this year's tournament, the state of the game and some of the latest innovations being added to deepen the fan experience and keep them interested.

Chris Womack, Southern Company's Executive Vice President of External Affairs, also attended. The Southern company is heavily involved with the distribution of the Payne Stewart award, now celebrating its 15th year. This recognition is given to one deserving professional golfer who exemplifies character, charity and sportsmanship, in remembrance of the 11-time PGA TOUR winner. The award ceremony is conducted annually the week of the TOUR Championship.

Womack, former chairman of the Atlanta Sports Council and currently chairman of the board of directors for Atlanta's Convention and Visitor's Bureau, knows and understands the challenges the sport of golf faces in retaining fan interest but he sees those challenges as an opportunity for improvement.

"It's tough. Golf can be expensive. I think you've got to make it more accessible, you've got to bring more people into the game, you've got to make it fun and exciting. You have to recognize the opportunities and challenges that are there. And so I think you'll see golf be viable and continue to be viable long term," said Womack.

Similar to the conversation surrounding the pace of baseball, those charged with the promotion of the game of golf and the fan interest that supports it are constantly conjuring up ways to enliven the game, shorten or speed it up, and keep youth playing.

"I think there are a lot of opportunities and changes that are being made now. One is to encourage people to play nine holes; to encourage people to walk and make it quicker. We're not all playing for the green jacket every day we go out, and I think that's one of the biggest things we're trying to do with the youth. Let's play nine. It's a way to kind of speed it up," said Tom Clark, Executive Director of the TOUR Championship.

Like so many things, this effort can be much more successful if it's tackled at the youth level. The First Tee foundation, which has a large presence in Atlanta, has capitalized on an opportunity to get kids playing golf while promoting healthy lifestyles and leadership nationwide. The Southern Company is the education sponsor of First Tee.

"The values of golf and having that available to kids at a young age is something that's very important to us. When you link that with education in terms of putting those values of the physical activity aspect of golf into schools all across the country like First Tee does, we think that is very important; understanding the values and things that are important in terms of principles of golf, principals of life," Womack explained.

While organizations like First Tee work to elevate recognition of the game, the TOUR Championship is expected to continue a successful presence in Atlanta, carrying a projected $35 to $40 million dollars in economic impact. But Womack believes the presence of this tournament here extends further than the financials.

"There's $35 million dollars in economic impact but any opportunity to showcase Atlanta benefits all of Atlanta and it's a wonderful way to promote the city," Womack said.

In the world of golf, Atlanta will be front and center from September 11-September 14, as the TOUR Championship is played at East Lake Golf Club.

The Kennesaw State Owls launched themselves onto an unfamiliar, yet exciting scene this week, as they kicked off their newly installed college football program with the first official team practice.

The stadium won't fill with fans draped in yellow and black until Fall 2015, when the Owls take on their first scheduled opponent.

But in the meantime, practices at The Perch practice field will build the program new Head Coach Brian Bohannon and Athletic Director Vaughn Williams envision.

Watch the video report.

Our favorite Friday nights are back again!

Keep this Football Fridays in Georgia schedule handy to watch your favorite teams compete weekly on GPB.

Football Fridays in Georgia 2014:

• August 29 -- Archer at Peachtree Ridge
• September 5 -- Norcross at Milton
• September 12 -- MLK vs. Tucker (Hallford Stadium)
• September 19 -- Stephenson at Creekside
• September 26 -- Hillgrove at Marietta
• October 3 -- South Gwinnett at Grayson
• October 10 -- McEachern at North Cobb
• October 17 -- Milton at Walton
• October 24 -- Collins Hill at Mill Creek
• October 31 -- Tucker at Lovejoy
• November 7 -- Gainesville at Flowery Branch
• November 14 -- Playoffs
• November 24 -- Playoffs
• November 28 -- Quarterfinals
• December 5 -- Semifinals

First, all I have to say is: FOOTBALL!!!!!

I would have put many more exclamation points behind it, but I don’t know how you would have reacted for the sake of copy.

It has been an interesting week:
All of the first-week kickoff classics are taking place. They are in Statesboro, Valdosta (next weekend), Atlanta, Columbus, and East Point.

The most interesting part of the whole thing will end up being the weather. Weather folks are saying that, here in Atlanta anyway, it will only be in the mid-90’s. But it will be about 400 degrees down south and it has already created some changes in game scheduling. For example, the Lee County-Westover game set for 1p.m. was moved to 9 a.m.

And I completely get that.

Here’s hoping that the athletes who are going at it this weekend will be well rested, hydrated, and ready for their respective Week 2’s with appropriate water breaks and break-breaks.

Oh, we already have highlights:
Savannah Christian and Jenkins kicked off the Savannah area season for the third year in a row.

Frank and Stefanie have the highlights through the Frenzy.

((HT: The Coastal Source))

And Central-Carroll took on Bowdon for the first game in the northeast corner of the state. The Lions kept the Red Devils in check, 34-0, and K-Rod was there.

((HT: MyFoxAtlanta))

High 5 Sports - Prep sports coverage from FOX 5 Atlanta

Now, for a couple of local thoughts…

Our “Southern Swing” went all over the southern part of the state, but our first day ended with a big day at Westover High in Albany when Trenton Thompson decided to stay home and attend the University of Georgia for his college playing years. I caught up with him after he made the decision and asked him about the choice to head to Athens instead of going to Clemson, the Plains, or heading to Los Angeles.

And, to put a bow on week one, here’s a challenge I made in name of some good friends that involved an Ice Bucket: #alsicebucketchallenge

So, yes, I did the #ALSIceBucketChallenge. But I would like to share the points I made when I first did it. There are those close to us and those we barely know that are suffering from horrible diseases that aren’t garnering attention through dunking cold water over your head. We should be just as vigilant for those in need close to us.

That’s my goal and wish for this and every week.

Reminder: Season Four of “Football Fridays in Georgia” kicks off next Friday night with Archer at Peachtree Ridge. The “All-Access Pass” starts at 7 p.m. with kickoff shortly after 7:30 p.m. Join Mark, Claire, Grace, Matt, Chuck, Larry, and me this season for all the fun.

Be sure to check us out on Facebook at GPB Sports, on Twitter @GPBSports, on Instagram, and don’t forget to download the GPB Sports app for all the up-to-date scores and stuff. Yes, that was a highly-official term.

Play it safe, everyone! I’ll see you at the stadium.

And we’re off!

From now until basically Christmas, it’s all about football.

But as someone who travels as much as I do and reads as many different
sources as I do, I learn to appreciate the new pronunciation- FOOTBAW!!! (A tip of the hat to Spencer Hall from EDSBS for that one as it should be said in your favorite Ed Orgeron voice from this moment forward…)

But, we did have a lot of action over the weekend and some statements were made.

Columbus and Jordan played for the first time after a two-year break in a rivalry that goes back over a century… Friends of GPB, Dave and Kim, start their look with that match-up:

The Coastal Empire and Low Country started off with Metter and Bryan County, Calvary Day taking on first-year program New Hampstead, Jenkins-Savannah Christian and a lot of action from the GISA…

Frank and Stefanie lock it down for a good 15 minutes…

((HT: The Coastal Source))

In Central Georgia, North Cobb has one of the toughest non-region schedules around for QB Tyler Queen’s senior season before he heads to the Plains. They started off with a match-up against Northside-Warner Robins at McConnell-Talbert.

Wes and MJ2 have the highlights

((HT: WMAZ-TV))

Written By: GPB Sports Announcer Matt Stewart

What is more beneficial? A tough season-opening loss to one of the best high school football programs in the state or an extra week to practice and scout your opening game opponent?

We will get the answer to that question when the second-ranked Archer Tigers play at 10th-ranked Peachtree Ridge to open our Football Fridays in Georgia schedule this Friday night at 7:00 p.m. on GPB.

The Tigers suffered a tough 21-13 season-opening loss to perennial state power and AAAA’s third-ranked Sandy Creek last Friday night in the Corky Kell Classic. The Tigers were unable to hold a 13-point halftime lead, surrendering 21 third quarter points to the Patriots. Archer committed four turnovers in the loss and eight penalties including a holding call with nine seconds left that negated a touchdown pass. That pass would've given the Tigers the opportunity to tie the game and send it to overtime.

In the meantime, Peachtree Ridge had the luxury of scouting their opening game opponent and getting an extra week of practice. Will that be more helpful for the Lions than Archer getting a game under their belt? That remains to be seen as these two Gwinnett County programs meet for the first time.

Both of these programs are loaded with big-time college football recruits. Perhaps the most heralded prospect on the field this Friday night will be Archer’s 4-star Kyle Davis who is already committed to South Carolina. The Tigers 6-3, 220-pound WR is the nation’s 13th-ranked junior athlete in the 247 Sports Composite ratings. Archer 3-star TE Connor Redmond is also committed to the Gamecocks, although he did not play this past Friday night because of a reported back injury.

The Tigers also boast two of the top sophomores in the country in 4-star Jamyest Williams, 247 Sports eighth-ranked sophomore athlete, with offers from Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan, Wake Forest and others. 4-star Isaiah Pryor is 247’s fifth-ranked sophomore safety although he plays CB for Archer and already has offers from Indiana, Iowa, N.C. State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Peachtree Ridge’s prospect list is stocked with players with famous NFL last names. The Lions boast Chad Clay, Baylen Buchanan and Connor Heyward, all whose dads played pro football.

The 4-star Clay is the son of former Georgia Tech star and NFL cornerback “Big Play” Willie Clay and transferred from Walton. He is the 20th-ranked junior CB in the Composite rankings with offers from Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Ohio State and Texas A&M. The 3-star Buchanan is the son of former Atlanta Falcons star “Big Play” Ray Buchanan and is committed to follow in his father’s footsteps at Louisville. So I guess it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect a big play Friday night, huh?

The sophomore Heyward is the son of the late Ironhead Heyward who was a bruising NFL fullback and the younger brother of Cameron Heyward who starred at Peachtree Ridge before going on to Ohio State and is now a defensive end with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But the biggest recruit on the Lions roster might just be Deangelo Gibbs. 247 Sports ranks Gibbs the 5th ranked sophomore player in the nation, the #1 10th grade CB and the #1 sophomore in the state of Georgia. So not only is Friday night’s game a great game this Friday night but will be a great game for several years to come.

Archer is led by Coach Andy Dyer and beginning just its fifth season of varsity football. After winning 13 total games its first three seasons, the Tigers broke through in 2013 going 11-1 before losing to eventual state finalist North Gwinnett 34-32 in the second round of the state playoffs.

Peachtree Ridge is led by Coach Mark Fleetwood, who enters his 4th season having posted a 20-13 record in those first three seasons. The Lions were 8-4 last season, beating Lassiter and then losing to Dacula in the state playoffs. Peachtree Ridge won a state co-championship in just its fourth season of football back in 2006 and then was a state finalist again in 2008. But the Lions have had just one double-digit win season since going 10-3 in 2009.

It should be a great opener to our 2014 Football Fridays in Georgia schedule and we hope you will joins us from The Lion’s Den in Suwanee Friday night at 7:00 p.m. I look forward to starting my 17th consecutive season of calling high school football on television here in the state of Georgia and my first with our new team on GPB. We’ve got an outstanding schedule and are excited to bring you the best high school football in the nation all the way through the seven state championship games at the Georgia Dome in December.

GPB Sports fills screens across the state tonight with the 2014 premiere of Football Fridays in Georgia! This Labor Day edition features the Archer Tigers taking on the Peachtree Ridge Lions in their Suwanee den.

A young Archer program kicked off under the leadership of head coach Andy Dyer six years ago and follows his lead to this day. He calls this year's squad "Team Six" as a reminder that 2013's record-setting 11-1 season is locked up in the books and the focus has shifted to the present. He must be doing something right given that success on the field and the adoration his players have for him.

On the other sideline tonight will be Peachtree Ridge, competing for the first time this season. The Lions are led by head coach Mark Fleetwood and highly-touted starting quarterback, Chance Thrasher. Thrasher will take the field in his third season as starter and Coach Fleetwood feels confident in the strides he's made in all respects on the field, including the way he's gotten his body into solid condition.

Lot's to see tonight....far too much to miss. So join us on GPB for our dog-days-of-summer Labor Day special!

Well, that was interesting...

Not that it should be a surprise to a lot of us… but Georgia high school teams took their pound of Florida-based flesh over the weekend. Let’s take stock.

Ware beat Bradenton-Manatee, Lowndes beat Tampa-Plant, Marist beat Tallahassee-Godby...all in the Battle of the Borders at Hallford Stadium. Stephenson came this/close to beating nationally-ranked Miami Central while Tucker gave Miami-Booker T. all they could handle in a game that ended early Sunday morning because of weather delays.

In an unrelated Florida-Georgia matter, Colquitt County took care of Hoover with a huge effort from Sihiem King and the entire Packer squad. This gave the team a make-good for last year’s loss in Birmingham.

Faithful reader, here is your first question of the week: What cross-state match-up would you like to have your favorite team make as a part of their schedule? Buford-Servite…? Colquitt-Don Bosco…? Valdosta- St. Thomas Aquinas…? What would you like to see…?

Speaking of life in south Georgia--a friend of GPB, Chris Porter, had the Glynn Academy-Brunswick game as their “Game of the Week.” The highlights are at the 3:25 mark…

((HT: First Coast News))

Over in west Georgia, one of the longest-standing rivalries took another chapter with Spencer and Carver while Harris County didn’t back down from Central in another Georgia-Alabama contest.
Here’s Dave and Kim:

((HT: WTVM-TV))

WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather

The shock out of middle Georgia last weekend was when Peach took on Warner Robins. Peach County's 2013 season ended with a 40-point loss in the playoffs to eventual Class AAA runner-up Washington County. It was the most points allowed in school history. Warner Robins beat the Trojans 54-21 last year, but the result was hugely different this year. Wes has the highlights and MJ2 is the one clapping enthusiastically in the background for his alma mater.

((HT: WMAZ-TV))

Faithful reader, question 2: What game result was the most shocking to you this past weekend? North Cobb, BEST, Westminster, BT, Stockbridge, and Pacelli might qualify…What do you think?

Remember, our next “Football Fridays” match-up is when two-time defending 6A champ Norcross travels to Milton to take on the Eagles. The “All-Access Pass” starts at 7 with kickoff a little after 7:30. Join Mark, Claire, Grace, Larry, Chuck, me and the rest of the crew for the best games of the season. Be sure to follow us on Facebook at GPB Sports for week-long coverage and find me Twitter -- @OSGNelson to be a part of the conversation every Friday. The GPB Football App is 24/7 access to scores, schedules, rankings and all the likes.

Play it safe, everyone… I’ll see you at the stadium.

Two-time defending state champion Norcross makes its first appearance of the season on GPB this Friday night as the Blue Devils travel to Alpharetta to take on the Milton Eagles. It all starts at 7:00 p.m. with GPB’s All Access Pass pre-game show and then Larry Smith and former Atlanta Falcons star DE Chuck Smith will call the action to kickoff week two of Football Fridays in Georgia.

Coming off state championships in 2012 and ’13, Norcross has started the 2014 season 2-0 with a 32-29 victory over Tucker, followed by a 21-10 win vs. Brookwood. Led by Coach Keith Maloof, holding a 145-62 overall record in his 19th season, the Blue Devils are 30-2 over the past 2+ seasons and have become one of the top programs not only in Georgia but in the entire nation.

Milton enters Friday’s game 1-0 after defeating Alpharetta 17-10 this past Friday night. The Eagles are coming off an 8-3 season under fourth-year Coach Howie DeCristofaro (20-14). The eight-win season was just the sixth time in Milton’s 63-year football history that the Eagles had won as many as eight games in a season.

This will be the ninth all-time meeting between these two teams but the first since 1979. Norcross leads the series 7-1.

Players to Watch: The top two recruiting prospects on the field Friday night will be on the Milton side of the ball. The Eagles boast 4-star OLB Quarte Sapp. Sapp is the #23 OLB in the 247 Sports Composite rankings and his many offers include Tennessee, Miami and Georgia Tech. Four-star Nick Wilson committed to Stanford on July 4 and is the #22 OG in the composite rankings. Also, keep an eye on Eagles' 3-star athlete Obe Fortune. His offers include Wake Forest, Minnesota and Iowa State.

Norcross doesn’t quite have the recruiting firepower that they’ve displayed over the last two seasons when top national prospects like DE Lorenzo Carter, RB Alvin Kamara and WR/RB Myles Autry led the Blue Devils to back-to-back state titles. But the Blue Devils are still loaded with talent.

You will want to watch for 2-star WR Jared Pinkney whose offers include Georgia State, Minnesota and Marshall; 2-star DT D’Andre Plantin who also has numerous offers including Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Virginia; plus DE J.B. Kouassi who has also been offered by the Panthers, Eagles and Kent State among others.

Another great edition of Football Fridays in Georgia rolls your way this Friday, starting live at 7:00 p.m. from the Eagles Nest in Alpharetta. Be sure to tune in!

Hold onto your hats as we move into the second week of Football Fridays in Georgia. Yes, I know its early, but this one is a battle of unbeatens as the 1-0 Milton Eagles host the two-time defending 6A state champion Norcross Blue Devils (2-0).

Norcross lost over 60 seniors from last year’s title team. Coach Keith Maloof has not rebuilt, he is just reloading. His 2014 team has gotten out of the blocks quickly with impressive wins over the Tucker Tigers--a 32-29 overtime win, and last week’s solid 21-10 victory over Brookwood.

Running back Jamir Billings was impressive leading the way with 221 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. Senior Griffin Barker is this year’s Blue Devils quarterback and as usual, the Norcross defense is stocked with talented guys like Jean Baptiste Kuoassi and D’Andre Plantin.

Milton comes into this one with a 1-0 record thanks to a 17-10 win over Alpharetta. Austin McLeod is the Eagles quarterback with Micco Brisker and Chris Turner leading the way at running back. Milton has an outstanding offensive guard in Nick Wilson who has already committed to play next year at Stanford, and linebacker Quarte Sapp has college scouts drooling.

The can't-miss GPB All-Access Pass pregame show features interviews with both head coaches and Milton defensive tackle Marty Horan. Former Falcon Chuck Smith will present all the latest in recruiting and Jon Nelson has you covered with football news and tidbits from around the state in Jon’s Georgia. This week's segment provides a look at a player who scored seven touchdowns in one game (four more than Al Bundy)

And don't leave your seat at halftime, as we take a look at the state’s (and in some eyes, the nation's...) top recruit in Trent Thompson from Westover High School.

So tune in at 7pm, and stay the course. It’s another great night of high school football on the great GPB.

For the past few years, North Georgia has dominated the football titles and trophies taken away from the Georgia Dome each December. There have been a few exceptions but over the past four years, the football power pendulum has taken a definite swing to the north.

Grayson and Norcross have won the past three titles in the state’s largest classification. The past two years in Class 5-A, Gainesville and Creekside have dominated the championship finals. Since 2010, the only team in the state’s three largest classifications to take home a title other than a team from the northern portion of the state was Burke County from the eastern portion. The smaller classifications have not fared much better either, with single A Marion County, Aquinas, Savannah Christian Prep and Emanuel County Institute having been the only teams outside of the North to win a championship in football. Buford and Sandy Creek have dominated the other two classifications.

After the first few weeks of the 2014 football season, it looks as if there may be a few teams below the gnat line who will be serious contenders to leave the dome very happy this year. Front and center has to be the Colquitt County Packers, who have been very impressive in all of their games thus far and are nationally ranked. Coach Rush Propst thinks he’s got all of the pieces in place and has a stout defense to match his always wide open offense. The 6-A title is there for the taking, if the Packers can survive meetings with Camden County, Lowndes, Valdosta, Tift County and Lee County. The team that comes out of Region 1-AAAAAA as champion will be battle-tested.

In Class 5-A down South, the Ware County Gators of Region 3-AAAAA have served notice that they would like to return to the dome in early December. Gainesville defeated the Gators in the 2012 finals matchup. Region 3-AAAAA is brutal and any of the four teams which qualify for the playoffs could claim the state AAAAA title. Coffee and Brunswick are two former members of Region 1-AAAAAA who are now in this unbelievably tough region. Other than the aforementioned teams, there’s Glynn Academy, Richmond Hill, Effingham County, South Effingham, Bradwell Institute and Statesboro to contend with.

In Class AAAA, Cairo and Thomas County Central both have a shot at the title but all of the teams in this classification will have to play through defending champion Griffin or Sandy Creek and last year’s class AAA champion Buford to claim the crown.

Washington County, the runner up to Buford in AAA a year ago, is loaded with great players again this season and should be in the hunt for a championship trophy, but there are many teams like Peach County, Hart County and Calhoun who could make a serious run this season.

Greater Atlanta Christian is the favorite in Class AA but Benedictine Military, Vidalia, Fitzgerald and Brooks County from the South are all capable teams. In Class A, defending champions Aquinas and Marion County will both be challenged by several teams in each of the private and public divisions at playoff time.

Stay tuned…

Life as a multi-sport athlete can be hectic, to say the least. Especially with the round-the-clock, 365-day-a-year nature that football programs have taken on, from youth leagues to the professional ranks. That makes dipping into other sports all the more difficult.

But what about loading your spring practice schedule with a double dose of Olympic-style weightlifting? Milton defensive end Nick Steinhaus does just that as he trains with the Eagles completing a rigorous, programs of Olympic movements and conditioning. On his "off time," he performs in roles like the strong man in Milton's Cirque Du Soleil shows. This past spring, that student-led show called Rastava, allowed him an extra outlet to add bulk to his frame and maintain the shape he needs for his duties on the D-line.

Milton head coach Howie DeCristofaro credits a great deal of Nick's physical prowess to his work in Cirque.

DeKalb County rivals Tucker and M.L. King take center stage for their third ever meeting during week three of Football Fridays in Georgia on GPB. The Tigers and Lions have split the series the last two seasons with M.L. King posting a 24-17 win in 2012, followed by Tucker’s 60-34 victory last season.

After reaching the GHSA 5A state championship game last December before losing to Creekside, Tucker has started 1-2 this season after moving up to 6A. The Tigers picked-up their first win of the season last week with a 77-0 rout of Stone Mountain after two tough losses to start the season: a 32-29 (OT) heartbreaker versus two-time state champion Norcross and a 19-7 defeat by defending national champion Booker T. Washington out of Miami.

Tucker finished last season 14-1 with their only loss coming in the state finals. The Tigers won 4A state championships in 2008 and 2011 (the only 15-0 season in program history). Led by third-year head coach Bryan Lamar (25-6), Tucker has not lost more than three games in a season for 14 consecutive years while winning at least 10 games in 12 of those 14 seasons with a cumulative record of 162-25 during that stretch.

M.L. King has started this season 0-2 with a 30-0 loss vs. Miami Norland followed by a 34-0 defeat by Mays this past week. The Lions were 7-4 last season after going a combined 23-2 over the previous two seasons (2011-12).

M.L. King has reached the GHSA state playoffs in 11 straight seasons, or all but the first season of the program’s history. The Lions advanced to the state semi-finals in just their third year of football back in 2004. M.L. King is led by first year coach Nicolas Kashama, the program’s fourth head coach in as many seasons.

Players to Watch: The highest-ranked prospect in the game will be Tucker’s Jonathan Ledbetter who flipped his commitment from Alabama to Georgia last month. The 4-star Ledbetter is the 247 Sports Composite rankings #5 DE in the nation.

Ledbetter is joined on the Tigers’ star-studded roster by 3-star CB Duke Shelley who is committed to Kansas State, 3-star OLB Elijah Sullivan who is committed to Auburn and Marshall 3-star commitment Delvin Weems, who is the 247 Sports Composite #22 APB in the nation. M.L. King’s recruiting class is led by 3-star OG Kwan Stallworth whose offers include Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Pitt.

Another great edition of Football Fridays in Georgia comes your way, live from Hallford Stadium in Clarkston. Join me, former Atlanta Falcons star Chuck Smith and Sam Crenshaw on the game call starting at 7:30 pm, following our All-Access Pass pre-game show with Jon Nelson, Claire Simms and Grace Olson starting at 7pm. Be sure to tune in!

We can hardly believe it...the first two weeks of Football Fridays in Georgia are already in the books. Peachtree Ridge looked impressive in its 14-10 win over the Archer Tigers and the Milton Eagles soared over the two-time defending champion Blue Devils of Norcross with a 26-0 shutout.

This week, we head to Hallford Stadium for a big Dekalb County rivalry as the Lions of MLK High School collide with the Tucker Tigers. MLK has a new head coach this year in Nick Kashama, their fourth in the last four seasons, but the record doesn't reflect instability. Since the school opened in 2002, the Lions have posted an impressive 112-33 record. That includes four region titles and 10 playoffs appearances in 11 seasons.

The Tucker Tigers have a rich pedigree boasting two state championships in 2008 and 2011 and they've won at least 13 games 4 times in the last 6 years. Fourteen region titles have been crowned, including 7 in the last 11 years. Coach Bryan Lamar looks to keep up the pace as his team appears ready to make another playoff run.

These two teams have only met twice, with each team chalking up one win. Last year, Tucker won in a shootout, 60-34.

Our coverage kicks off at 7:00 pm with the All-Access Pass pregame show. We'll hear from both coaches; Matt Stewart will have the latest recruiting news; we'll take a trip around the state with Jon Nelson in his "Jon’s Georgia" and "Backroads and Backfields" segments; Grace Olson will have the social media world at her finger tips, and Claire Simms has a terrific story on the Youth Vibe program that encourages staying in school and provides assistance with college preparation.

Kickoff is at 7:30...only on the great GPB!