BEARVILLE — Second-ranked Pierce County begins its quest for the Region 3AAA title Friday night when the Bears host Johnson-Savannah on Recreation Night.
Region 3 is one of two regions in the state joining Region 1-AAAAAA to have the top three teams in their respective Top 10 rankings. Toombs County is the Class 3A top-ranked team with Appling County third. Thomas County Central, Lee County and Coffee are the top three teams in Class 6A.
The Bears (3-0) have reached their lofty height after entering the season ranked 10th in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class AAA pre-season Top 10 poll. PCHS has outscored the opposition by an average score of 45.7 to 11.
The Atomsmashers (1-2) have lost their last two games after a season-opening 20-6 victory over Savannah High.
Pierce County returned from an open date last week to beat visiting Class AA 10th-ranked Swainsboro (1-3) 35-7 behind the school-record 367-yard rushing night of senior Jae’Veon Williams on 32 carries. Williams also scored four touchdowns on runs of four, 28, 71 and 18 yards.
PCHS’s defense allowed a season-high 85 yards rushing after throwing Coosa Christian and Brooks County for a combined minus-82 yards. The Bears surrendered a season- high 217 total yards.
Head coach Ryan Herring, who said the bye week was much needed, said mistakes committed against the Tigers will be addressed this week.
“We’ve (coaches) got to make sure we’re identifying our mistakes and correcting them,” the veteran coach said. “That’s why film study Sunday with the players was huge. We made some mistakes, so there are things we need to address.
“Even though you’re happy with a 35-7 win against a very good team, there’s some corrections that’s got to be made on both sides of the ball. That’s why Sundays are so important. That’s when we got time to sit down with the players, watch film and make corrections.”
Friday’s meeting is the first between the two programs since 2014. PCHS is 3-0 in the series matchup winning Region 1-AAA matchups in 2012 (21-7 home) and 2013 (15-9 road) and the 2014 non-region meeting 41-0 at home.
After knocking off Savannah, Johnson fell 390 at South Effingham and 43-19 to Liberty County. The Atomsmashers have won just nine games over the last three-plus seasons and have not won more than five games in a season since 2000.
Senior Shamari King (5-foot-6, 175 lbs.) has lined up a quarterback in the Johnson offensive scheme (spread, Power-I, unbalanced) completing 2-of-5 passes for 19 yards. He is the teams’ leading rusher with 108 yards on 19 carries scoring twice.
“Their (Atomsmashers) quarterback is a really good athlete and hard to tackle,” said Herring. “He’s dangerous and can make something out of nothing. We’ve got to be ready for the inside run, inside counter, jet sweep, and the quarterback’s ability to throw the ball downfield out of play-action.”
Sophomore Darryl Heyward (5-10, 210) is the true running back having totaled 53 yards. Senior wide receiver Jayden Young (5-9, 155) has garnered 65 yards.
Senior slotback Zaevon Gray (5-9, 155) has one reception for 21 yards.
Johnson’s offensive line could be one of the biggest in the region with five players on the roster weighing 275 pounds or better with two tipping the scales at 315 and 345. Three measure 6-2, 6-3 and 6-3.
Defensively, the Atomsmashers have shown a 3-3 and 5-2 alignment in previous games.
“I really don’t know what they may line up in against us,” Herring said. “We could see a heavy front like a 6-2. They may have all 11 players in the box, including the team manager. They may also get in a hybrid look.
“The key for us is trying to identify their flavor for the night. We’ll (coaches) probably have to make adjustments on the fly after each series.”
Gray, who plays defensive back, is the leading tackler with nine stops. Five are tied for second with eight tackles apiece. Senior safety Maurice Knight (6-foot, 160) has two tackles for loss. Senior linebacker/safety Cory Byrd (5-6, 165) is credited with 1.5 TFLs, two quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery.
Junior defensive end/linebacker Marquise Cooks (6-2, 225) has two tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a quarterback sack. Heyward, who plays linebacker, has a TFL and a sack. Freshman defensive back Tim Wells (5-9, 155) has just made plays.
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