Griffin High’s Malik Miller (10) runs for a touchdown Friday at Memorial Stadium against the Jonesboro Cardinals. Defending on the play for Jonesboro is Keith Kent (8). Miller scored scored two touchdowns, the second coming on a 26-yard interception return, to lead the No. 3 state-ranked Bears to a 34-33 victory. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Chambers)
“We did some bad things and did some good things,” DeVoursney, in his 12th year guiding the Bears, said of his team’s 34-33 victory over then No. 9-state ranked Jonesboro last week in the home opener. “The main thing in the end, the one thing that matters, is the one we hung in the win column — and that’s what we got.”
After flying through their toughest three-game stretch to start the season in at least a decade, the Bears are looking to add to their three-game win streak. Griffin (3-0 overall, 1-0 Region 4-AAAA Div. B) — which reeled off wins of 42-16 at Dutchtown, 35-6 at Northgate to start the season — tries to make it four in a row when it travels to take on Woodland-Stockbridge (1-2 overall, 0-0 Region 4-AAAAA Div. A).
The Scott Schmitt-coached Wolfpack has lost two in a row at home since a 27-10 season-opening win at Walnut Grove. The losses have come against Union Grove, 22-14, two weeks ago and Woodward Academy, 28-13, last week.
“We’ve had 14 dropped passed and four critical fumbles in the last two weeks,” said Schmitt, who has coached at Woodland-Stockbridge since the school opened its doors six years ago, amassing a 20-32 (.385 winning percentage) during that stretch.
Griffin leads the all-time series between the two schools 2-0 after wins of 26-7 two years ago in Stockbridge and 30-6 last year in Griffin. History, however, is likely to play little or no role this week.
Quarterback Jaquez Parks (635 yards and 6 TDs passing), running back Malik Miller (6 TD runs) and wide receiver Quay Magham (100-yard games the first two weeks and the game-winning touchdown catch last week) lead the Bears.
“They look like they have a lot more team speed, are more experienced and a lot more determined,” Schmitt said of a Griffin High offense averaging 34 ppg.
They’ll face a 3-3 stack defense yielding 20 ppg.
“They’re one of those teams that’s not going to give up the big play,” said DeVoursney. “They will stay deep and try to make you earn everything you get.”
On the other side of the ball, the Wolfpack comes into the game averaging 19 ppg on offense.
“They’ll run the I, Pro-I, one-back and spread offense,” DeVoursney noted of Woodland’s offense which runs about 60 percent of the time. ‘They have some really big lineman who are going to play hard.”
Schmitt said it’s the largest line the school has had in a while.
“We like it,” he added, noting the unit has paved the way for the offense to collect 54 first downs this season, or to put in another way, about 18 first downs a week or nine a half — nearly as many as Griffin (55).
Griffin’s defense, yielding 18 ppg, come up big last week in the clutch making a number of key stops to preserve the victory.
REGION 4-AAAA STANDINGS
Division A
School Region Overall PF PA
Stockbridge 0-0 2-1-0 15 11
Dutchtown 0-0 2-1-0 28 19
Locust Grove 0-0 2-1-0 30 19
Woodland-Stock. 0-0 1-2-0 18 20
E. Landing 0-0 0-3-0 29 36
Division B
School Region Overall PF PA
Griffin 1-0 3-0-0 37 18
Riverdale 1-0 3-0-0 23 9
Spalding 0-0 1-0-1 11 8
Upson-Lee 0-0 1-2-0 24 27
Jonesboro 0-1 2-1-0 33 17
North Clayton 0-1 0-3-0 14 29
This Week's Games
Spalding at Locust Grove
Griffin at Woodland-Stockbridge
Riverdale at Dutchtown
Central-Macon at Upson-Lee
Jonesboro at E. Landing
North Clayton at Stockbridge
Last Week's Games
Spalding idle
Griffin 34, Jonesboro 33
Upson-Lee 31, E. Landing 29
Northgate 29, North Clayton 8
Riverdale 28, Grady 14
Dutchtown 35, Luella 10
Locust Grove 34, Morrow 6
Woodward Acad. 28, Woodland-Stock. 13
Stockbridge 34, Columbia 8
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