George County @ Hancock

[maroontide06]

This might be the top matchup this week in 6A South.  Who you got and why?

[coastfootballfanman]

Going with George County. I think they just have too much speed and athleticism at the skill positions for Hancock to slow them down. This is far and away the best team Hancock has faced thus far. I do think Hancock will have some offensive success of their own though. I am thinking a 35-21 type of game, but would not be shocked to see Hancock pull out a win if they can control the ball and clock and keep George County off the field. 

Edited October 9, 2023 by coastfootballfanman
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[maroontide06]

I certainly wouldn't put any stock into this whatsoever, but the Calpreps Project A Matchup has Hancock beating George County 31-14 on a neutral field.  I don't think the algorithm is taking into consideration the return of Deuce Knight and probably some other things.  When Hancock played Florence (a team with a pulse), they struggled to get a win.  I'd like to think that George County would create even more turbulence than Florence.  How is Hancock going to react to that?

[maroontide06]

An argument may also be made that Hancock even struggled with West Harrison last Friday.  They won by 16, so I reckon that was good enough but you let West Harrison hang 26 on you and you let them stay in the ballgame.  Even though Hancock is 7-0 and they've beaten everyone they've played so far, I don't think the chickens have come home to roost just yet, but they could very well come home to roost Friday night.

[coastfootballfanman]

3 minutes ago, maroontide06 said:

An argument may also be made that Hancock even struggled with West Harrison last Friday.  They won by 16, so I reckon that was good enough but you let West Harrison hang 26 on you and you let them stay in the ballgame.  Even though Hancock is 7-0 and they've beaten everyone they've played so far, I don't think the chickens have come home to roost just yet, but they could very well come home to roost Friday night.

I agree. We will know just how real they are come Friday night. Obviously Long Beach not good at all, but from what I saw of George County with Deuce back, it is going to be very tough for teams to defend. 

[maroontide06]

I kept the voting anonymous, but the cat that voted for Hancock let's hear your take on why you think Hancock will beat George County.  Maybe you've got some insights into Hancock that we aren't aware of.  There's not a right or wrong answer here, but if you think Hancock will beat George County go ahead and share those thoughts.

[Wareaglefan1us]

I voted GC but wasn’t really sure which way to go lol. I WC should have beaten GC by 14-21 points I know we left 21 on the field. That was without Deuce I know but the kid playing qb at that time wasn’t bad. But then I watched the next week as GC gave Hattiesburg all they wanted but Deuce struggled in his first game back. I can’t take away much from Fridays game against LB honestly. What I can say is GC is much improved.

[Hightide]

Hancock would be 0-7 if they played the same teams that Picayune played. They just a mediocre team that's played a weak schedule so far.

[David]

I’ll make a run at taking the Hancock side. This team has been playing 7A ball since the players have been around. The program has improved the last few years, even if the record didn’t show it. Their size will be much greater than what I’ve seen from G.C. lately. QB Moran has run the offense for three years now, and they have some receiver talent. That RB is up over 130 yds a game. Defense has stopped whatever team the weak schedule has put in front of them. Gotta like the feel good story for a school that hasn’t seen this much success in decades. Finally, the stands are humming again. 
 

It does seem like GC is coming together on offense, even in the loss to H’burg and the warmup last week. Some have said that the locker room chemistry is not great, but winning solves a lot of that. I’ll pick Hancock here with my heart, though I did vote with my brain for GC. 

[maroontide06]

3 hours ago, Hightide said:

Hancock would be 0-7 if they played the same teams that Picayune played. They just a mediocre team that's played a weak schedule so far.

You got a point here.  They’d probably be the typical Hancock lookin’ for their first win of the season.  How much of that 7-0 record that they have is just an inflated balloon ?  We will soon find out.

[maroontide06]

14 minutes ago, David said:

I’ll make a run at taking the Hancock side. This team has been playing 7A ball since the players have been around. The program has improved the last few years, even if the record didn’t show it. Their size will be much greater than what I’ve seen from G.C. lately. QB Moran has run the offense for three years now, and they have some receiver talent. That RB is up over 130 yds a game. Defense has stopped whatever team the weak schedule has put in front of them. Gotta like the feel good story for a school that hasn’t seen this much success in decades. Finally, the stands are humming again. 
 

It does seem like GC is coming together on offense, even in the loss to H’burg and the warmup last week. Some have said that the locker room chemistry is not great, but winning solves a lot of that. I’ll pick Hancock here with my heart, though I did vote with my brain for GC. 

David this is a great take here.  I’m happy that Hancock has made it this far without a blemish on their record, but my concern is how much of this Hancock team is real vs. how much of it is a stage prop.  I’m not saying they can’t or won’t beat George County, but George County should have some intestinal fortitude that Hancock hasn’t quite yet seen.  That’ll be the big question that gets resolved in this matchup 

[maroontide06]

Here's what I want to know about Hancock:  Is there a tough Waffle House steak buried underneath all of that marshmallow fluff, or is it all marshmallow fluff?  I reckon we'll find out LOL!

[David]

17 hours ago, maroontide06 said:

David this is a great take here.  I’m happy that Hancock has made it this far without a blemish on their record, but my concern is how much of this Hancock team is real vs. how much of it is a stage prop.  I’m not saying they can’t or won’t beat George County, but George County should have some intestinal fortitude that Hancock hasn’t quite yet seen.  That’ll be the big question that gets resolved in this matchup 

The limited video and sports reporting I’ve seen does show them trying to vary their offense to get better, and the defense does tackle well. That being said, beating weaker and smaller opponents doesn’t improve your grit, and might even give players and coaches a false sense of superiority. Knight is a different kind of problem than anything they’ve seen. 

[Tidesmanforlife]

I took Hancock due to them being able to throw the football and for what herecthey have a prett tough running back. I think it's gonna be a shoot out.

[Deonte3455]

George County by 13

[Tidesmanforlife]

They better watch them Hawk's and that Home cooking.

[David]

19 minutes ago, Tidesmanforlife said:

They better watch them Hawk's and that Home cooking.

That I agree with. Might want to win by two touchdowns so that the scoreboard shows a one touchdown finish. 

[maroontide06]

Here’s some food for thought:  When was the last time Hancock beat a good team, I mean like a really good team?  I’m sure it’s happened in the distant past somewhere, but what I’m referring to is more recent times.  The point being here is if Hancock wants to make serious strides forward, then you have to beat some seriously good teams.  The hardest part is turning that corner, but can they do it?

[David]

9 hours ago, maroontide06 said:

Here’s some food for thought:  When was the last time Hancock beat a good team, I mean like a really good team?  

So, we’re assuming that George Cty. is that really good team? I’m still not sold on them being more than a decent team with a great QB. Maybe they keep improving enough to give Picayune a run for the title. That’s the high point for any team hoping to get respect in 6A south. 

[maroontide06]

13 minutes ago, David said:

So, we’re assuming that George Cty. is that really good team? I’m still not sold on them being more than a decent team with a great QB. Maybe they keep improving enough to give Picayune a run for the title. That’s the high point for any team hoping to get respect in 6A south. 

I didn't assume that LOL!  It was just a thought to ponder on.

[dogsoldier74]

1 hour ago, David said:

So, we’re assuming that George Cty. is that really good team? I’m still not sold on them being more than a decent team with a great QB. Maybe they keep improving enough to give Picayune a run for the title. That’s the high point for any team hoping to get respect in 6A south. 

I was wondering the same thing. George County hasn't won a playoff game since 07 but all of a sudden they're this powerhouse team? I'd say both teams have a ton to prove this Friday before anyone takes them seriously

[maroontide06]

30 minutes ago, dogsoldier74 said:

I was wondering the same thing. George County hasn't won a playoff game since 07 but all of a sudden they're this powerhouse team? I'd say both teams have a ton to prove this Friday before anyone takes them seriously

I really think this ballgame will let us know who is a possible contender and who can make some noise come playoff time.  I don't see a scenario where either of these teams miss the playoffs.  When the playoffs start, how will these two teams fare against their region 3 counterparts in the first round?  I realize we don't have an answer to that question yet, but after Friday night maybe we'll start seeing a clearer picture there.

[CrimsonUnit1988]

40 minutes ago, dogsoldier74 said:

I was wondering the same thing. George County hasn't won a playoff game since 07 but all of a sudden they're this powerhouse team? I'd say both teams have a ton to prove this Friday before anyone takes them seriously

Fair point BUT the last time Hancock beat GC was 9-7 in 1993. So in all reality GC has been the better program when compared to Hancock so it's not out of the question to say this is a legit measuring stick for Hancock. Based on GC's schedule and Hancock's I'd think it's pretty easy to say which one has been tougher and it's pretty easy to think that Hancock might not have beaten WC with their 3rd string QB like GC did. People forget that and GC is good on defense. Should be a good game. 

[maroontide06]

33 minutes ago, CrimsonUnit1988 said:

Fair point BUT the last time Hancock beat GC was 9-7 in 1993. So in all reality GC has been the better program when compared to Hancock so it's not out of the question to say this is a legit measuring stick for Hancock. Based on GC's schedule and Hancock's I'd think it's pretty easy to say which one has been tougher and it's pretty easy to think that Hancock might not have beaten WC with their 3rd string QB like GC did. People forget that and GC is good on defense. Should be a good game. 

I'm glad you decided to chime in.  This should be a good game for y'all.  What do you think George County will have to do to secure a win in The Kiln?

[Vott]

1 hour ago, maroontide06 said:

I really think this ballgame will let us know who is a possible contender and who can make some noise come playoff time.  I don't see a scenario where either of these teams miss the playoffs.  When the playoffs start, how will these two teams fare against their region 3 counterparts in the first round?  I realize we don't have an answer to that question yet, but after Friday night maybe we'll start seeing a clearer picture there.

You kinda have an answer since Hburg and GC have played a regular season game.