The eighth annual Georgia Elite Classic, brought to you by “The Hamilton Hotel”, will stage a trio of All-Star games this Sunday at Rome’s Barron Stadium that will be broadcasted live on PeachtreeTV. Over the past seven editions of the Classic, more than 900 players that participated in the games went on to play college football, and this year’s rosters will once again feature the state’s premier talent. The competitiveness of the games will also get a boost under the new format adopted for this year’s games. For the first time, graduating classes will be going head-to-head with a Seventh vs. Eighth Grade, Freshmen vs. Sophomores and Juniors vs. Seniors game. 

Recruiting Expert and Georgia Elite Classic Director of Player Personnel Rusty Mansell offered his insight on some of the talented players set to star in this year’s games and how the matchups could play out. 

The Senior Team’s trio of running backs stand out to Mansell, who says that this group of Class of 2021 ball carriers are big backs with the ability to succeed at the next level. This includes Temple’s Phillip Jonson, Carrollton’s Christian Lett and Rome’s EJ Lackey.  Johnson is 6-foot-1, 220 pounds and racked up 1,312 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns this year with the Tigers. As for the senior defense, Mansell points to the defensive line where Riverwood’s Johnathan brown and Greenbrier’s Beau Shugarts are expected to make a major impact. 

The Juniors will have an opportunity to make a statement when they take on the seniors. Leading at the quarterback position will be Cherokee’s AJ Swann—a multi-year starter and three-star that threw 21 touchdowns this season. Swann will have plenty of targets to throw to—including Mansell’s sleeper performer in Southeast Bulloch’s Tyler Griffin. The 6-foot-5 wide receiver will create mismatches and has already received offers from Colorado, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Virginia Tech. On the defensive side, Cedartown defensive end CJ Washington is returning to the Classic after earning the Defensive MVP in last year’s Sophomore Game. Walton defensive backs AJ Brown and Marcus Allen will lead the secondary. Brown is a three-star prospect and Allen has already received 19 collegiate offers. At linebacker, Marietta’s Daniel Martin is a 6-foot-3, four-star prospect that is currently rated as the nation’s No. 5 ranked outside linebacker for the Class of 2022. 

Sunday’s finale will showcase top prospects from the Class of 2023 and Class of 2024 in the Sophomore vs. Freshmen game. Mansell believes that the wide receivers and defensive line could prove to be the strength of the Sophomore Team roster. Thomas County Central defensive lineman Gabe Harris is back after participating in last year’s Freshmen game. Harris is a 6-foot-4, 235-pound prospect that averaged 4.4 tackles per game this season with the Yellow Jackets. Lining up alongside Harris is Mansell’s sleeper pick for a breakout performance: Tattnall Academy’s Zavian Hardy. The 6-foot-6 sophomore is a two-star prospect with tremendous potential to rise up the recruiting ranks. Additionally, Thomas County Central receiver Adam Hopkins led the Yellow Jackets this season with 387 receiving yards and a team-high six touchdowns. Hopkins is joined out wide by Hart County receiver Paul Davis—a 6-foot-3, three-sport athlete for the Bulldogs. 

The Freshmen Team has its own set of strengths heading into kickoff and Mansell says that the size lining up on the offensive line far exceeds what one would expect from a group of ninth graders. This includes offensive tackle Web Davidson out of Tattnall Academy—who Mansell says showcases outstanding upside and footwork for his 6-foot-4 frame. Taking advantage of the size up front will be a young, but experienced tandem of running backs with Commerce’s Sammy Brown and Doughetry’s Kam Davis. Brown finished his breakout freshman season with 133 carries for 1,368 yards and 19 total touchdowns. Commerce has been playing football since 1909 and Brown became just the 32nd player in the school’s history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for a season. Dougherty played just five games this year as a result of its abbreviated season and Davis racked up a team-high 554 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The size of the offensive line and talent in the Freshmen Team’s backfield will compliment a trio of up-and-coming quarterbacks: Rome’s Reece Fountain, Walton’s Jeremy Hecklinski and Cass’s Devin Henderson. Fountain passed for 1,085 yards and eight touchdowns this season, Hecklinski threw five touchdowns and Cass has been described by his head coach Steve Gates as “mature beyond his years and a leader that is going to be one of the best he’s ever coached.”

In the middle school game, quarterback Antwann Hill Jr. is a promising young passer poised to play at Houston County at the varsity level. Another player to watch according to Mansell is seventh grade linebacker Grayson Villar. Mansell calls Villar a wrecking ball out on the field that has an opportunity to set the tone with his physical style of play.

2020 GEORGIA ELITE CLASSIC SCHEDULE

At Rome’s Barron Stadium

SUNDAY, DEC. 20

Eighth Grade & Seventh Grade [10 am]

Juniors vs. Seniors [1 pm]

Freshmen vs. Sophomores [3:45 pm]

Moving into the eighth year of All-Star matchups for high school and middle school players in the state, Covid-19 protocols will be in place as the Georgia Elite Classic will host three middle school games and two high school games on Dec. 18-20 (Friday-Sunday) in Rome at renowned Barron Stadium. The high school All-Star Games will be played on Sunday, Dec. 20, and feature the best high school freshmen in the state facing the top sophomores as well as a game between top juniors and seniors. Rusty Mansell of 247Sports will pick all the high school players and send out invites. High School players will report Friday afternoon, Dec. 18, and all players will STAY IN SINGLE ROOMS for two nights. If you want to be considered for the high school games, Click Here for the nomination form. If you have received an invitation from Rusty, Click Here to register. The middle schools players will report on Friday morning, Dec. 18, and play their games on Saturday, Dec. 19. If you are a 6th, 7th or 8th grader, Click Here to register to play in  the games. The middle school package does not include hotel rooms but Rome is offering discounts on rooms for players and family members for Dec. 18. If you have any questions on the games, you can call Graham David at 513-600-6557 or I.J. Rosenberg at 404-246-7819.  The GeorgiaEliteClassic.com website will be completely updated Monday with more information including a schedule of events in Rome.

The Sophomore Game marked the conclusion of the 2019 Georgia Elite Classic and also completed Sunday’s five-game sweep of the American Teams scoring victories over the National Teams. American Team running back Gannon Hearst (GAC) provided the game’s only touchdown on a 1-yard handoff with 6:18 left in the third quarter. The Americans produced 231 total yards of offense and limited the Nationals to just 101 total yards of offense, including -8 yards on the ground.

American Team quarterback Bryce Archie (McEachern) kept the Americans in control throughout the game with his 123 passing yards and hard-earned 24 rushing yards. This effort resulted in the Class of 2022 quarterback winning the MVP of the sophomore game. Five different American Team receivers caught passes by the time the game ended and Chandler Heath led all targets with two catches for 60 yards.

Defensively, Jimmy Bowdry and Kyle White each had interceptions while defending against the Nationals’ offense.

For complete stats from today’s game CLICK HERE

The Americans scored a safety and a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first half to build a 16-0 lead. The first touchdown came on a 3-yard run by Forsyth Central RB/ATH Petyton Streko and it capped a 12-play, 60-yard drive that ate up 7:20 of the opening quarter. Teammate Lucian Anderson added a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:19 left in the half and then the Americans forced a fumble that resulted in a safety at the 1:50 mark to make it 16-0.

The Americans received the ball to start the second half and traded 7-play, 5-minute drives with the Nationals in what would be a scoreless period. The Americans got the ball down to the Nationals 7-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but Colson Brown’s 30-yard field goal attempt was no good. The Nationals turned it over on downs on their following possession and gave the Americans the ball back at their own 36-yard line with 6:45 left in the game.

From there, the Americans fed the ball to Streko on five straight snaps, and his fifth carry resulted his second touchdown of the game in what was a spectacular 20-yard run. Harrison Brooks made the PAT and the American Team’s lead grew to 23-0 with just 2:55 left. The National Team’s final possession of the game ended with a Gabe Harris sack with just 10 seconds left.

Streko, who played in the Eighth Grade Game at last year’s Classic, finished with a game-high 120 rushing yards off of 14 carries and was named the MVP. American quarterback Lucian Anderson completed all four of his pass attempts for 36 yards and Marek Briley was the team’s leading receiver with three catches for 28 yards.

Nationals quarterback Dylan Lonergan (Brookwood) finished 9-of-18 passing for 68 yards. One of the highlights of the game was Lonergan’s 34-yard pass to receiver RJ Johnson (ELCA) in the first quarter. Johnson used a diving, one-handed effort to complete the incredibly-difficult catch.

For complete stats from today’s game CLICK HERE

The Americans established a 14-0 lead in the first half and closed out a 17-point victory (24-7) in a game that was statistically much closer than the final score would suggest. Both teams finished the game 4-of-13 on third-down conversions and the Nationals outgained the Americans 214-to-198 in total yardage. The stat that tilted the result of the game in favor of the Americans, however, was their 2-2 success-rate on redzone chances compared to the Nationals’ 0-2.

Sonoraville quarterback Brady Lackey threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Hampton tight end Dennard Flowers to give the Americans a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter. The Americans added to their lead late in the second quarter on a 42-yard run by Temple running back Phillip Johnson. Johnson’s touchdown run capped an 11-play, 86-yard drive.

The Nationals scored their lone touchdown on an explosive 71-yard touchdown run by Early County running back LaDarius Ceasar on the first possession of the second half. The Americans added a 34-yard Conor Cummings (Walton) field goal with 5:30 left in the third quarter to push the lead back to 17-7 heading into the fourth. Lackey, who passed for a touchdown in the first quarter, scored on a 4-yard run with 3:15 left in the game to provide the final tally (24-7).

The MVP of the Junior Game was Carrollton defensive end Khristian Zachary. The Class of 2021 prospect wrecked havoc while playing along the Nationals’ defensive front–finishing with a game-high 9 tackles, including five solo tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry.

For complete stats from today’s game CLICK HERE.

The Americans did all its scoring in the first half and forced four turnovers in a 17-0 victory over the Nationals in the Second-Annual Brain Bowl. Loganville running back Richard Seay provided the game’s first points on a 64-yard touchdown run that put the Americans up 7-0 with 3:18 left in the first quarter. The wet and windy conditions made passing the ball difficult for both teams, but American Team quarterback Nick Hanson (Heritage-Ringgold) found Grayson receiver Jaden Smith for a 59-yard touchdown with just 3:10 left in the half.

Walt Hawthorne (Central-Macon) recovered a Nationals fumble with just one minute left in the half that set up a Bryson Franklin 32-yard field goal to increase the lead to 17-0. American cornerback Derrick Witherspoon Jr. added two second half interceptions after already registering one in the first half. Witherspoon’s three interceptions, one pass breakup and one solo tackle rewarded him with the game’s MVP distinction. Seay (12 carries, 101 rushing yards) and Wilcox County’s Noah Hollingsworth (12-84) also had big performances, combining for 185 of the team’s 201 rushing yards.

For complete stats from today’s game CLICK HERE

The Americans scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter and limited the Nationals to -16 rushing yards in a 14-0 shutout victory in the opening game of Sunday’s Georgia Elite lineup. Pebblebrook running back Jaquavious Jones led all rushers with 62 yards off of eight carries and he got the Americans on the board with a 41-yard touchdown with 1:50 left in the first half. The Nationals fumbled its next possession and Berrien defensive lineman Jaden Wheeler recovered it to give the Americans the ball back at the 7-yard line. Grady running back Canaan Brant scored on the next play, which put the Americans up 14-0 with 1:34 left in the half.

The teams traded brief possessions in the third quarter until the Nationals put together an 11-play drive that didn’t produce any points, but lasted 7:07. The Americans punted on their final two possessions of the game and the Nationals turned it over on downs with 2:28 left to play.

American Team and Whitefield Academy linebacker Jaquez Dew had four tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in addition to an interception and massive return that was later negated due to a late hit on the quarterback. Dew injured his ankle during the return and had to leave the game–resulting in him accepting his Senior Game MVP award in his Georgia Elite Classic hoodie rather than in his full pads. Dew had 147 tackles this season for Wolfpack and was an All-State Selection.

Alpharetta kicker and punter Bryce Troutt was the winner of the kicking competition at halftime–clinching the victory with a 45-yard field goal.

For complete stats from today’s game CLICK HERE

Following a scoreless opening quarter, the American team got on the board with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jeremy Hecklinski to Jordan Bride (GAC). The connection capped an 8-play 52-yard drive and gave the Americans a 6-0 lead with 4:25 left in the half. The Nationals answered with a 9-play, 70-yard drive that ended on a 1-yard touchdown run by Caden Williams (Calhoun) with just 8 seconds left in the half. Williams also added the 2-point conversion to give the Nationals an 8-6 lead to open the second half.

Omarion Tucker–who led the Nationals on the defensive side of the ball in the first half with six solo tackles and a sack–switched to the offensive side of the ball in the third quarter and ran in a 17-yard touchdown to increase the Nationals’ lead to 14-6. The Americans’ turned it over on downs on its following possession and then Williams finished off a 4-play, 35-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run and his second successful 2-point conversion of the game to make it a 22-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Hecklinski found Bride for the duo’s second touchdown connection of the game just five seconds into the final frame with a beautiful 24-yard pass to the corner of the end zone, but the 2-point attempt failed and the Americans still trailed 24-12. The Nationals tacked on a 7-play, 70-yard scoring drive on its following possession and Jones County athlete Zion Ragins found the endzone on an explosive 37-yard touchdown.

The Nationals found the endzone again on a Maverick Shippman (Lakeside) 12-yard rushing touchdown and Shippman 2-point conversion to pad the lead to 36-12 with 5:27 left in the game. Williams finished the game with a game-high 144 rushing yards off of 18 carries and was named MVP. He also 3 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.

For complete stats from today’s game CLICK HERE

The National Team scored a touchdown in each quarter of its 28-0 victory and limited the American team to just 82 yards of total offense–a statistic that helped them win the battle of field position throughout the contest. The Nationals received the ball to open the game and were forced to punt, but on the Americans’ first possession, Stephens County athlete Javin Gordon jumped a Landon Walker pass attempt and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown to get the Nationals on the board. The Nationals added to their lead in the opening minute of the second quarter–capping a 7-play, 45-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Reginald Johnson (Blessed Trinity) to Bryce Lewis (Holy Redeemer). Brayden Lewis (Mount Vernon) ran in the successful 2-point attempt to make it 14-0 heading into the half.

The Americans opened the second half with their best drive of the game, but the 11-play, 63-yard drive reached the National 1-yard line and eventually stalled at 7-yard line following two negative rushing plays and a pair of incompletions. The scoreless drive took up the first 7:51 of the third quarter. The Nationals took over at its 7-yard line and advanced with a big 26-yard completion from Johnson to Lewis. Gordon added a 10-yard run and then capped off the 93-yard scoring drive with a 58-yard touchdown run with 1:09 left in the period. Johnson found Lewis on the 2-point conversion attempt to make it a 22-0 lead.

The Americans turned it over on downs to open the fourth quarter and then the Nationals capped off a 4-play scoring drive with a Lewis 3-yard touchdown run to make it a 28-0 lead with 8:59 left.

Gordon was named the game’s MVP after finishing with a game-high 96 rushing yards, including his 58-yard score. Defensively, Gordon had his 46-yard interception return touchdown in the first quarter and finished with 2.5 tackles.

For complete stats of today’s game CLICK HERE