DRIVE FOR THE GHSA STATE TITLE: Sprayberry travels to River Ridge in a battle of one-loss region foes

In a very competitive Region 6-5A featuring some of the most talented teams in the classification, the Sprayberry Yellow Jackets travel to River Ridge to battle the Knights in a matchup of one-loss region foes.

Friday’s matchup will be broadcast live on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network (cable and YouTube TV), and streamed live on the Atlanta News First app. From your home, download the free ANF+ app anywhere you stream — FireTV, AppleTV, Roku and YouTube TV — simply by searching for “Atlanta News First” on those platforms. If you are on the go, you can download Atlanta News First for free in the app store on your Apple or Android device. You can also watch live here on the WANF – Special Events channel.

Last season's closely contested matchup between the two schools ended in a 30-27 Sprayberry victory, handing the Knights their first loss of the season a year ago. It was a huge region victory for the Yellow Jackets that included an 80-yard touchdown from quarterback Jaden Duckett to Mark Manfred to give them a 10-point lead over River Ridge with just over two minutes left.

Overall, Sprayberry owns the series against River Ridge as the Yellow Jackets lead it 6-1 in their history of playing in previous seasons. The Yellow Jackets have a two year winning-streak against River Ridge with the Knights last victory coming in 2022 with a 45-42 victory.

The Yellow Jackets are led by head coach Pete Fominaya who is in his first season as a head coach with Sprayberry. With a 6-1 record so far through the first seven games of the season, Fominaya has his Yellow Jackets playing at an elite level when they need it most.

Sprayberry is coming off a 36-35 victory against Creekview last week where a two-point conversion in overtime lifted the Yellow Jackets above the Grizzlies.

Sprayberry senior quarterback Jaden Duckett has proven to become more than effective against defenses using both his arm talent and his legs to keep defensive units guessing. Duckett has compiled 1,077 yards through the air with 14 passing touchdowns and is the second-leading rusher on the team with 345 yards and three rushing touchdowns when he leaves the pocket.

One of the best players in the state plays on both sides of the ball for the Yellow Jackets as 5-star defensive back and Alabama-commit Jorden Edmonds has continued to make his presence known throughout the season. The future member of the Crimson Tide has been someone to watch on both sides of the ball as he has led the Yellow Jackets in receiving with 405 yards on 22 receptions and seven touchdowns, averaging over 18 yards per catch. He has also been an exemplary defensive back this season, totaling 21 tackles, two tackles for loss and an interception.

Senior wideout Kobe Lewis and senior running back Jrue Keeling have been terrific for the Yellow Jackets this season as they have been able to open things up for the Sprayberry offense and move the ball. Keeling is the leading rusher on the team with 361 yards and seven touchdowns and Lewis is the second-leading receiver on the team with 318 yards and four scores through the air.

On defense, junior linebacker Reyzon Bachman leads the team in total tackles with 45 on the season and a tackle for loss.

For River Ridge, its offense has been firing on all cylinders, averaging just over 26 points per game, while the defense has only allowed 13 points per game.

Following a shutout victory over Riverwood last week 35-0, the Knights will have their biggest test of the season this weekend with the Yellow Jackets on deck.

The Knights are led by Michael Collins who is in his seventh season with the program and is looking to get his first win over the Yellow Jackets since 2022.

Junior quarterback Hunter Lockerman has played clean football thus far for the Knights with only one interception on the season. Lockerman has totaled 847 passing yards and six touchdowns through the air while scoring three touchdowns on the ground this season as well.

Senior running back Camden Cox has been a real difference maker on the ground for the Knights, totaling 663 yards and six touchdowns on the ground on 92 carries this season.

Through the air, Arden Redmond has been the top pass catcher for the Knights, totaling 265 yards and three scores so far this season.

On defense for the Knights, Matthew Burdette and Wyatt McCarty lead the team in total tackles with 72 each, making plays in the middle of the defense as linebackers.

This Friday, the action will start ahead of the Score Atlanta broadcast of the Sprayberry vs. River Ridge matchup at 8 p.m. with the Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network (cable and YouTube TV) and streaming on the Atlanta News First website/app. The pregame show, which will feature on-air talent Rusty Mansell, Brandon Adams and Kaylee Mansell will preview the upcoming matchup with each person picking their winning team, along with interviews from each participating head coach. After the clock hits zero, stay tuned after the game for the Georgia High School Postgame Show, which will be broadcast live from the Score Atlanta Studio, with Score Atlanta’s Craig Sager II, Max Wolborsky, Hayden Gilbert and Landon Knight featured on the program. The postgame show will run from game’s end till midnight every Friday night, with a full breakdown of each game, call-in guests chiming in to voice their opinions, and updates from other top-tier games around the state. The postgame show, like the pregame show, will be broadcast live on Atlanta News First and the Peachtree Sports Network, and streamed on the Atlanta News First website/app.