The BLITZ Game of the Week is a very important Region 7-AAAA battle in Cleveland between White County and Chestatee.

WHITE COUNTY

The Warriors have had the second-toughest schedule in all of Class 4A in the state. That resulted in a 1-5 start to the season, but the Warriors came up big two weeks with a region win over West Hall to keep their playoff hopes alive. That was in large part due to the fantastic, unforgettable performance by Michael Mintz, who recorded five touchdowns after touching the ball just seven times. He had three rushing scores, one receiving and one scoop-and-score, as well as a sack, seven tackles and a forced fumble. The playoff hope took a crushing blow with a 28-27 last second loss to Denmark last week, however. White County needs this win in Week 10 at any cost.

CHESTATEE

The War Eagles are having a very forgettable season in a rebuilding effort. The good news is Christian Charles, a sophomore who is showing that he is indeed one of the top dual threats in the state and can shatter many school records. Chestatee is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, which is dangerous because they are playing now with house money and have nothing to lose but everything to gain.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping WEEK 10. BLITZ will also share highlights with Fox 5’s HIGH 5 Sports, so the highlights will play on Channel 5 at 11 PM. You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates.

OUR PREDICTION

The Warriors need this win to stay alive for a playoff bid out of the very difficult Region 7-AAA that contains top-10 ranked foes #1 Marist, #4 Blessed Trinity and #7 Flowery Branch. White County takes another step with a win here, or is eliminated in a loss. As noted, Chestatee is playing with nothing to lose, so would love to upset the Warriors here. FINAL VERDICT: White Wins

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 pm kickoff
PLACE: White County High School / Cleveland, GA
LAST MEETING: 2017; White County 56, Chestatee 27
ALL-TIME RECORD: White County 11, Chestatee 3
RECORDS: White Co Warriors (2-6; 1-3 in 7-AAA); Chestatee War Eagles (1-7; 0-4 in 7-AAAA)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

The Warriors have won this battle 11 of the 14 total editions, including the offense drumming Chestatee last year. White County has won eight of the last nine meetings as well, with the lone War Eagles win coming in 2016. Since 2002, Chestatee’s first year in existence, these rivals have squared off every year except 2012-13. The War Eagles won two in a row in 2005-06.

TEAM LEADERS (2018 STATS as available)

WHITE COUNTY

PASSING
J Ben Haynes: 1,273 yds, 8 TD, 9 INT, 86/176 (49%)

RUSHING
Kurtis Havlen: 372 yds, 1 TD, 6.3 YPC
Jay Lepkoske: 341 yds, 3 TD, 4 YPC
J Ben Haynes: 262 yds, 2 TD, 3.9 YPC
Michael Mintz: 140 yds, 10 TD, 4 YPC

RECEIVING
Cooper Turner: 277 yds, 2 TD, 16 rec
Will Sampson: 246 yds, 1 TD, 18 rec
Cody Versluis: 227 yds, 2 TD, 10 rec
Michael Mintz: 146 yds, 2 TD, 12 rec
Jay Lepkoske: 133 yds, 6 rec

TACKLES
Cameron Quinn: 70, 1 TFL
Jared Jullian: 69, 2 TFL, 1 Sack
Deejay Fleming: 67, 7 TFL
Michael Mintz: 65, 2 Sacks
Greg Wimer: 65
Cody Versluis: 65, 2 TFL
Kurtis Havlen: 46, 7 TFL
Jay Lepkoske: 30, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks

INTERCEPTIONS
Reece Dockery, 1

CHESTATEE

PASSING
Christian Charles: 1,341 yds, 6 TD, 11 INT, 131/249 (53%)

RUSHING
Christian Charles: 1,229 yds, 14 TD, 7.1 YPC
MJ Jarrard: 115 yds, 1 TD, 2.6 YPC
Hunter Chambers: 102 yds, 1 TD, 5.1 YPC

RECEIVING
Seth Pressley: 853 yds, 6 TD, 62 rec
Caleb Carter: 310 yds, 36 rec

TACKLES
Robbie James: 51, 2 TFL
Ethan Corley: 47, 1 TFL
Hunter Chambers: 41, 2 TFL
MJ Jarrard: 34, 3 TFL, 1 Sack

INTERCEPTIONS
Caleb Carter, 2
Ethan Corley, 2
Eddie Venegas, 1