The Shockwave of a potential 11-team region is far Reaching
North Murray Football, Team FYN Sports November 26, 2021
The GHSA has recently approved adding Gilmer and Pickens to the already crowded 6-AAA region. If the decision is finalized, the new region will have a total of 11 teams.
The proposed new region schools would be North Murray, Murray County, Gilmer, Pickens, Adairsville, Bremen, Coahulla Creek, Ringgold, LaFayette, LFO, & Ridgeland.
The move could force Region 6-AAA schools to play an all region Schedule, with no out of region games. The games that would be cancelled are some of the areas top rivalries.
Bartow County rivals Adairsville and Cass first met in 1956. This in-county rivalry would now be cancelled for the foreseeable future due to Adairsville having a Region only schedule.
Due to Covid, this years Heritage vs Ringgold game was cancelled. The matchup has taken place every year since Heritage High School has opened. The biggest game in Catoosa County could also be cancelled for the foreseeable future.
North Murray and Dalton have had to scrap their plans for their first ever matchup in week two of next season. A highly anticipated matchup that many projected as a new rivalry in the NW Georgia area.
Whitfield County Schools Coahulla Creek, Southeast Whitfield, and Northwest Whitfield have played against each other for the last several years. The games were relatively close to Home for Coahulla Creek, all within 16-miles of each other. Region 6-AAA school Coahulla Creek, will now replace these games with Bremen and Pickens.
Southeast Whitfield, which is a member of Region 7-AAAA, would be hit especially hard. Southeast has played at least three of the proposed Region 6-AAA schools over the past two seasons. In the seasons prior to 2020, Southeast played as many as six of the schools that will now be in the new 6-AAA. Those games will need to filled on their schedule, but will have to be filled with teams outside of the local area.
Then there comes the playoff spots. Each Region is awarded four playoff spots. If the current realignment plan is approved, Region 6-AAA would have the lowest percentage of teams eligible to make the playoffs in AAA. Regions 1 & 3, which are 5-team Regions would see 80% of their schools make the playoffs. Region 6-AAA would only see 36% of their teams qualify for the playoffs.
North Murray Celebrates Homecoming, Blasts Southeast Whitfield 49-14.
North Murray Football, North Murray High School, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports October 10, 2021
CHATSWORTH- It was an action-packed Homecoming for the North Murray Mountaineers on Friday. The large North Murray crowd enjoyed huge offensive performances put on by Seth Griffin, Jadyn Rice, and Ethan Dempsey. The trio of North Murray stars led the way in a blowout win over the visiting Raiders from Southeast Whitfield.
It only took the Mountaineers 95 seconds into the game to get on the board when running back Ethan Dempsey broke free for his first of three touchdowns on the night. After a Southeast punt, North Murray would strike again as North Murray Quarterback Seth Griffin hit Jadyn Rice for a 60-yard touchdown strike. The Griffin to Rice touchdown put the Mountaineers out front 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Southeast controlled the ball the rest of the first, and into the second quarter. The Raiders put together a long scoring drive that relied heavily on RB Jordan Trevino. The Southeast drive culminated in 4-yard Trevino rushing touchdown with 8:35 remaining in the half. The Trevino touchdown brought the score to 14-7 in favor of the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers responded later in the second when Jadyn Rice showed off his juggling skills while hauling in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Griffin. The score widened the lead for North Murray which now stood at 21-7.
With just 3:08 left in the half, Southeast put together a drive filled with Trevino runs that led them into Mountaineer territory. The drive was aided by a costly pass interference penalty on North Murray, which help bring the Raiders down to the Mountaineer 3-yard line. Brady Ensley carried it across the goal line from 3-yards out for the Raiders with only 15 seconds remaining in the half.
The teams would head to the locker room with North Murray out front 21-14.
The Halftime festivities would include Abby Young and John Davis crowned as Homecoming King and Queen for North Murray.
Halftime belonged to the King and Queen. The second half of football would belong to the Mountaineers.
Southeast began the half with the ball, but was forced into the first of four straight possessions that resulted in a punt. North Murray was more than happy to capitalize on the Southeast offensive struggles. The first Mountaineer drive of the half would end with a Seth Griffin 27-yard rushing Touchdown. The Griffin touchdown scamper put the Mountaineers up 28-14 with 8:39 remaining in the third quarter.
The next Southeast possession, the Raiders faced a third and nine in their own territory. North Murray’s Austin Johnson came up with a QB sack that resulted in a loss of 8-yards. The Johnson sack forced the second punt of the half for Southeast. The Mountaineers wasted no time finding the endzone again on the ensuing possession. Griffin hit Dempsey on a short pass and He weaved his way through the Raiders defense for his second touchdown of the game.
Ethan Dempsey would continue to be a workhorse in the fourth quarter for the Mountaineer offense. Early in the fourth, Dempsey broke free for a long run and was brought down at the Southeast 1-yard line. Dempsey dove across for his third touchdown of the night on the next play. The Dempsey touchdown would extend the North Murray lead to 42-14. Jadyn Rice added a rushing touchdown later on to close out the scoring at 49-14 in favor of the Mountaineers.
North Murray moves to 4-2 (2-2) and will get back to region play next Friday when they visit LFO. Southeast falls to 1-7 on the season and will be off next Friday.