The View from the Booth: September 20

DeKalb Stars Shine

Three DeKalb players were named to Georgia High School Football Daily’s “Best of the Rest” list for their performances in last week’s games. Decatur QB Devontae Carter was recognized for his performance in the Bulldogs 20-19 victory over Greenville. Carter completed 20 of 22 passes for 175 yards. Marist QB Miles Willis made the list by virtue of his performance in the War Eagles’ 24-16 win over Lovett. Willis rushed for 138 yards and was 4-of-5 passing for 132 yards. And Tucker RB Dallas Rivers was recognized for his performance in the Tigers 39-20 win over Arabia Mountain. Rivers rushed for 181 yards and a TD on 26 carries.

Stephenson Leads State with Five NFL Players

According to Georgia High School Football Daily and the NFL, Stephenson had more alumni (5) on NFL rosters on opening day than any other school in Georgia.

That's tied for second in the country with two other schools. St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., leads the nation with nine alumni in the NFL.

Marist is next among Georgia schools with four current NFL players. Only 21 high schools have as many as four.

There are 40 schools nationwide with three. Georgia representatives on that list are Sandy Creek and Statesboro.

Georgia ranks fourth nationally in the number of NFL players with 91. Of those, 21 went to Georgia, 13 to Georgia Tech.

Here’s a list of active NFL players who are alumni of DeKalb County schools:

Player                      High School                    College                      NFL Team

Corey White               Dunwoody                        Samford                      Saints

Andrew Economos       Marist                              Georgia Tech               Bucs

Will Heller                  Marist                              Georgia Tech                Lions

Patrick Mannelly          Marist                              Duke                           Bears

William Middleton        Marist                              Furman                       Jaguars

Stephen Hill                Miller Grove                      Georgia Tech               Jets

Kevin Cone                  St. Pius X                        Georgia Tech                Falcons

Jermaine Cunningham  Stephenson                      Florida                        Patriots

Bruce Irvin                  Stephenson                      West Virginia               Seahawks

Kregg Lumpkin            Stephenson                      Georgia                       Seahawks

Perry Riley                   Stephenson                      LSU                            Redskins

Kelvin Sheppard           Stephenson                      LSU                            Bills

Dwayne Harris              Tucker                             East Carolina               Cowboys

DeKalb Teams in the AJC State Rankings

Despite a 39-20 victory over Arabia Mountain last Friday, Tucker comes in at #2 in Class AAAAA in this week’s AJC rankings. Northside-Warner Robins held onto the top spot by beating Westside-Macon 42-18. The Tigers are joined in this week’s rankings by M.L. King at #3 and Stephenson at #4. All three DeKalb teams are currently undefeated.

Marist (2-1) climbed to #2 in the Class AAAA rankings by virtue of their 24-16 defeat of Lovett. Grady (2-1) fell out of the rankings after a 28-14 loss to Riverdale.

In Class AAA, St. Pius X (2-1) fell two spots to #5 after their 21-14 loss to Thomson last week.

Tucker held onto its #4 ranking in the Maxwell All-Classification Top 25 this week. Northside-Warner Robins is #1. M.L. King fell one spot to #14 on the list and Stephenson held steady at #23.

Within their own classifications on the Maxwell list, Tucker is #2 in Class AAAAA with M.L. King right behind at #3 and Stephenson #6. Marist is #5 in Class AAAA while St. Pius holds the same spot in the Class AAA rankings.

This Week’s Games Involving DeKalb County Teams

It’s week five of the 2012 Georgia high school football season and DeKalb County teams hold three of the top four spots in the AJC Class AAAAA football poll as teams begin play. #2 Tucker, #3 M.L. King and #4 Stephenson are all undefeated heading into this week’s games.

Tucker vs. Dunwoody

Tucker (3-0) takes on Dunwoody (0-3) in a 7:30 p.m. game Friday at North DeKalb Stadium. Tucker shut out Arabia Mountain in the second half last week on the way to a 39-20 victory to extend their winning streak to 18 games. Dunwoody is coming off a tough 28-14 loss to Lakeside.

M.L. King vs. North Atlanta

M.L. King (3-0) will seek their 14th consecutive regular season victory when they take on winless North Atlanta at Lakewood Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m.  The Lions are 2-0 in Region 6-AAAAA action following their comeback win over Mays last week at Hallford Stadium. This game was originally scheduled for Grady Stadium but was relocated due to the Midtown Music festival.

Lakeside vs. Stephenson

The Lakeside Vikings (1-2) host Stephenson (2-0) in the Vikings’ homecoming game at Adams Stadium Friday at 7:30 p.m. Stephenson is 2-0 in Region 6-AAAAA after a 40-7 rout of Dunwoody last weekend. Lakeside is coming off a 46-21 loss to SW DeKalb.

St. Pius X vs. Lovett

It’ll be the Lions taking on the Golden Lions Friday night at 8 p.m. at George B. Maloof Stadium as St. Pius hosts Lovett. St. Pius (2-1) is ranked #4 in Class AA while Lovett (2-1) is ranked No. 5 in Class AAA. The teams haven’t played since 1983 when St. Pius won 28-12.

Lovett is allowing 11.3 points per game while facing three ranked teams from higher classifications. The Lions have forced eight turnovers. LBs John Coletti and Charlie Ingram have combined for five of Lovett's 16 tackles for losses. Meanwhile, the offense has struggled. Lovett averages only 3.0 yards per carry.

St. Pius runs the wishbone with Ryan Braswell as the primary ball carrier. Braswell has 294 yards and six TDs on 55 carries. QB Jack Spear is more likely to run (28 attempts, 134 yards) than pass (11-of-26, 187 yards).

SW DeKalb vs. Mays

In a critical Region 6-AAAAA game, SW DeKalb (2-1, 1-1) travels to Lakewood Stadium to take on Mays (1-2, 1-1). The winner stays in solid contention for a playoff berth in the tough new region.

Chamblee vs. South Atlanta

Saturday features a matchup of undefeated teams as the surprising Chamblee Bulldogs (3-0) travel to Lakewood Stadium for a 4 p.m. contest with undefeated South Atlanta (3-0).

Check the list below to find out where your favorite DeKalb team is playing this weekend:

Thursday September 20

Lithonia (0-3) vs. Grady (3-0), Lakewood, 7:30 p.m.

Friday September 21

Decatur (2-1) vs. Clarkston (1-2), Hallford, 5:15 p.m.

Columbia (2-1) vs. Carver-Atlanta (3-0), Lakewood, 5:30 p.m.

Miller Grove (2-1) vs. Arabia Mountain (1-2), Panthersville, 7:30 p.m.

Tucker (3-0) vs. Dunwoody (0-3), North DeKalb, 7:30 p.m.

Marist (2-1) vs. Therell (0-3), Marist, 7:30 p.m.

St. Pius X (2-1) vs. Lovett (2-1), St.Pius, 7:30 p.m.

Stephenson (2-0) vs. Lakeside (1-2), Adams, 7:30 p.m. (HC)

Redan (1-2) at Banneker (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Douglass (0-3) vs. Towers (0-3), Avondale, 7:30 p.m. (HC)

SW DeKalb (2-1) vs. Mays (1-2), Lakewood, 8 p.m.

Washington (3-0) vs. Stone Mountain (1-2), Hallford, 8 p.m.

Saturday September 22

Chamblee (3-0) vs. South Atlanta (3-0), Lakewood, 4 p.m.

Mt. Vernon Presbyterian (1-1) vs. Cross Keys (0-2), Adams, 7:30 p.m.

M.L. King (3-0) vs. North Atlanta (0-3), Grady, 7:30 p.m.

BEST Academy (1-1) vs. McNair (2-1), Panthersville, 7:30 p.m. (HC)

BYE: Cedar Grove (2-2), Druid Hills (2-1)

(HC) – Homecoming

Enjoy this weekend’s games everyone. Check back Sunday for results and recaps.

John Becker is a 30-year Atlanta resident, currently living in Virginia-Highland. John’s a freelance writer and an avid high school, college and pro football fan (much to the detriment of most other productive activities during the fall). As the Voice of Adams Stadium (public address announcer), John brings a unique perspective to his analysis of high school football in DeKalb County and he looks forward to sharing his insight with fans through his blog.

The writer can be reached at jnbecker@me.com or followed on Twitter at @JNBecker.