Daily Dive: Week 8 football notebook

There were many major storylines and some breaking news throughout the eighth week of the high school football season. With all of that in mind, here are the biggest stories from this past week’s games.

-- North Oconee’s Khamari Brooks is out for the rest of the season after suffering a hip fracture. The 4-star Georgia-commit edge rusher was one of the biggest reasons the Titans won the 4A state championship last season. The Titans will now have to replace his production on both sides of the ball. On defense, he is one of the most productive players in the state. On offense, he is Harrison Faulkner’s safety valve and a physically dominant tight end. His absence will change the balance of power in 4A, with Creekside and Cartersville closing the gap between themselves and North Oconee.

-- Kell defeated Blessed Trinity 3-0 in another example of both teams’ offensive struggles this season. For Blessed Trinity, it was the first shutout the Titans have faced since 2011, and for Kell, it was the third time this season they have been held to seven points or fewer. The result was a defensive battle that saw both offenses struggle. The question now has to be asked: how will both teams fare against the explosive Cambridge offense? The Bears’ offense has scored 45 or more points five times this season. If Kell’s and BT’s offenses don’t take a step forward, they may struggle to keep up.

-- Lee County passed its first test without coach Dean Fabrizio, defeating Coffee 35-14. The Trojans are now 5-2 and 2-1 in region play. The victory puts Lee County in a solid position for the No. 3 seed, and a matchup against Houston County in Week 12 could still see them claim home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

-- Colquitt County had a huge 17-16 win over Valdosta. The Packers (5-2) dismissed 4-star running back Jae Lamar before the game. They are now in sole possession of third place in the region and still have games against Richmond Hill and Camden County. If they win all three, they will finish no worse than second in the region. Lowndes has already defeated Colquitt County and is now the region favorite. However, the Vikings will still have to face Camden County, Richmond Hill and Valdosta to claim the crown.

-- Buford looks to be on track to win its 20th region title in the past 24 seasons. The Wolves beat region opponent Collins Hill 34-3 on Friday. Much like last year’s 34-7 victory, the Wolves dominated from start to finish. For Collins Hill, it was yet another poor offensive performance in a big game. While Buford’s dominant defense played a major role in the final score, it marked the Eagles’ third loss of the season, and in those three games, they scored a combined 13 points. While the Eagles’ defense is strong, giving up only 15 points per game and just three per game in their wins, their offense will ultimately determine how far they go in the playoffs.

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