Previewing AugBball’s Week 5 Featured Games: What they mean and who to watch

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League play in underway. Who will reach 2-0 this weekend?

Quickly the area regions with 8 or more teams have launched into their league schedules. Georgia’s class 2A, region 4’s pack of nine teams will play its second round of region games this weekend as Hephzibah hosts Butler in an attempt for the Rebels to race to a 2-0 league start after last week’s surprising win over defending champion Screven County. Jefferson County can also claim a 2-0 record with a win at Josey after the Warriors topped Butler 57-16 last Friday. And we’ll get to see a special Saturday duel between two more class 2A teams trying to start 2-0 in region play when Harlem visits Laney in an attempt to follow up on last week’s 22-0 road win over Glenn Hills, a playoff team from last season.

4 teams from the class 2A region can exit the weekend 2-0.

Speaking of the playoffs, these league games carry so much more importance in a region with 9 teams than the more common 5 or 6 team regions in the other classes because every region sends 4 teams to the state tournament, with the top 2 teams earning at least one post season home game.

Previewing the playmakers

In addition to the post season implications of Friday’s games for this region, we can look forward to seeing an exciting group of playmakers in action. Some of them, like Jefferson County’s Jaden Jenkins and Harlem’s AJ Brown, are familiar to most fans. Jenkins, a 6’3” 205 pound senior quarterback, has committed to play at Georgia Southern next season. And Brown has lit up the area with rushing statistics for nearly 1.5 seasons. His 623 yards and 7 touchdowns through 3 games are numbers that have been unmatched area wide.

Rising stars

Also competing in these class 2A region games are a handful of players who are building their reputation as exciting, and, in some cases, young playmakers whom you don’t want to miss. On this list of players to watch during this weekend's coverage are Jaiden Wofford (Hephzibah), Dakale Fluellen (Josey), Jarvis Washington (Laney), Cameron Garnett (Harlem), Marshall Chambers (Hephzibah), Jordan Stringer (Laney), and Thomas Hudson (Butler).

A rivalry game at Aquinas starts things in the class 1A region

Jaden Blount and the Irish will seek revenge, and a region win, in Friday's rivalry game.

Aquinas will try to start region play with a win and to begin the season 4-0 Friday when the Fighting Irish hosts rival Lincoln County. The Red Devils came out on top 12-6 last season in Lincolnton. I documented the work of four of Aquinas’s playmakers after the Irish’s 33-31 win over Harlem in week 2. As you can see in these highlights from Aquinas's recent win at Wilkinson County, defensive playmaker Jaden Blount, who looks the part at 6’3” and 215 pounds, will be a load for the Red Devils to handle on the road.