New approach has Decatur poised to win regional title

“I wanted my kids to see what a state champion looks like and how they behave so they can emulate that and use that,” Felton said. “You always want to win, but I think the win for us came from the exposure we got. I’ve never been in a spring game where there were 40 scouts in the stands. Some of my kids had looks that weren’t on people’s boards at the start. We won in a lot of ways and that continued all season.

Decatur lost four of its first five games but won its first three Region 4 games in convincing fashion. The Bulldogs take on Chamblee (6-1, 3-0) at North DeKalb Stadium for the regional title on Friday. Chamblee attempted to win their first regional championship in 1982 – before some of the current players’ parents were born. Click here to read an earlier story on Chamblee.

Decatur’s offense was effective behind three-year-old starter Harrison Hannah, who threw for 2,044 yards and 17 touchdowns.

“He did a great job keeping us afloat,” Felton said. “I tell him he’s one of the main reasons we’re here because of his mental toughness and his ability to help carry the team. He’s a great leader. »

Hannah has outstanding goals in Kenric Lanier (44 receptions, 705 yards, seven touchdowns) and Kedric Lackey (28 catches, 664 yards, five touchdowns). Lanier is a Vanderbilt draftee who will compete in the All-American Bowl.

Malachi Miller “had kind of an All-American year,” Felton said. The versatile junior leads the team with 250 rushing yards and has caught nine passes – including six for touchdowns – and averaging 28.7 yards.

The line is led by veteran two-way tackle Tyjae Richardson, center Bennett Knapp and left tackle Quay Hood, who broke into the lineup as a sophomore.

Marquis Hood, Quay’s older brother, returned to the lineup after a knee injury in 2021 five weeks ago against Greater Atlanta Christian and gave the defense a boost. He has 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks and 10 carries since returning.

Hood and his teammates will have their hands full with the slowdown of Chamblee quarterback Fabian Walker Jr., who threw for 1,131 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 322 yards. Jordan “Juice” Thornton had 30 catches and soon became the school’s all-time leader in receiving. Larry Harris has been a stable and reliable running back.

Decatur holds a 7-5 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1956. Decatur has won the last two meetings, the most recent in 2017.

Five other important games this week:

Warner Robins at Jones County: These two teams are among the four teams tied for first place. Warner Robins (4-4, 3-1) has won three straight and is starting to look like the kind of program that has been five straight state championship games. Jones County (5-3, 3-1) continues to recover and shows signs of igniting its offensive flare. Warner Robins leads the series 4-3 and won last year’s game 49-21.

Northside Columbus to McIntosh: Northside (8-1, 3-0) could clinch the region’s championship with a victory over McIntosh (4-4, 1-1). A victory for McIntosh would mean a likely three-way tie, with Northgate finishing the season next week against Drew without a win. McIntosh is led by second-year quarterback Tate Morris, who threw for 2,438 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 798 yards and three touchdowns.

Cartersville to Dalton: The two Northeast Georgia teams are tied at three for the Region 7 lead with Calhoun, each with a 3-1 league record. Cartersville (8-1) has won three straight since losing triple overtime to Calhoun. Dalton (5-4) returned to the playoff picture after failing to qualify the past two seasons. Running back Tyson Greenwade is the leading Class 5A running back with 1,721 yards and eight 100-yard games.

Winder Barrow to Eastside: Region 8, the deepest league in class 5A, will go all the way when it comes to determining who will make the playoffs. This week’s game between Winder-Barrow (5-3, 2-2) and Eastside (5-3, 2-2) could determine who stays home.

Both teams prefer to run the ball. Winder-Barrow is averaging 204.5 per game, and senior Tyreek Hall rushed for 1,008 yards and 10 touchdowns. Eastside is averaging 250.8 yards rushing, with Kenai Grier carrying for 1,003 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Greater Atlanta Christian in Chattahoochee: These two are among three teams tied for third place in Region 6 with two regional losses: GAC (4-4, 2-2), Chattahoochee (2-6, 2-2) and Centennial (3- 5, 2-2) . Two-game winning streak Chattahoochee is trying to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Cougars need to win (Kell next week) as they lost to Centennial on Sept. 29.