Our Week Ten Game of the Week takes us to Dahlonega for the second time this season, where #5 Lumpkin takes on neighboring rivals White County in a game that has big playoff implications.

LUMPKIN COUNTY

The Indians are 7-0 for the first time since 1967, and can match that team’s historic start with an eighth straight win. Lumpkin is ranked #5, its highest ranking since that same season. Mason Sullens continues to put up video game type numbers as the state’s 5th-leading rusher. He has 1,302 yards and 21 TD on the ground, guiding this offense to 41.6 points per game, which is among the state’s elite (2nd in 3A). The defense, too is up there at just 11.7 per contest. Only 2 teams this year have put up more than 14 on Lumpkin, and the Indians are well-rested coming off their final BYE week.

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WHITE COUNTY

The Warriors are 4-3 and 2-1 in region play. White County has a high-octane offense that goes for 33.1 points per game, which is just a tad outside the top-10. Tripp Nix has a handful of receivers he splits targets with, and RB Ryan Fowler is really starting to heat up. White County’s defense has been susceptible against big offenses, but overall this team has talent at the starting positions. Twice this season White County has appeared in the state polls in the top-10.

BY THE NUMBERS (2023)

LUMPKIN COUNTY

• 7-0 (3-0 in 7-AAA)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 41.57 OFFENSE AVG (2nd in Class 3A)
• 11.71 DEFENSE AVG (5th in Class 3A)
• #5 State Ranking

WHITE COUNTY

• 4-3 (2-1 in 7-AAA)
• Region Standings: 3rd
• 33.14 OFFENSE AVG
• 23.71 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Ten. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Lumpkin County and White County coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).

OUR PREDICTION

We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. We’ll start with the home team, Lumpkin County. This is obviously one of the state’s most balanced teams with an elite offense and defense. Cal Faulkner’s legs along with what Mason Sullens does in the ground game opens things up for Faulkner to air it out when he needs to. This team is so hard to stop, and no one has done it yet. If Lumpkin does what it has been doing, a win is in the bag. For White County to win, the Warriors must win a track meet. The defense is not going to be able to keep Lumpkin off the board. That means Tripp Nix and Ryan Fowler need to mimic what Faulkner and Sullens bring, and go hit for hit. That also means NO TURNOVERS. White County cannot afford to lose the football here. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For Lumpkin County, we’ve been to 19 games for the Indians since 2009. In that span, Lumpkin is 6-13, including 1-0 this season and winners of 3 of the last 4 we’ve been to. We’ve even seen this exact matchup before 5 times, with the Warriors winning 4 of them and the other getting canceled due to lightning in the first quarter. For White County, we’ve covered 33 games since 2009, with White County going 16-17 in those and 0-1 this season. For some reason, we haven’t seen a White County win in our last 6 tries going back to 2020.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Lumpkin County HS / Dahlonega, GA / The Burial Grounds; Cottrell Field
LAST MEETING: 2022 (Lumpkin County 56, White County 35)
ALL-TIME RECORD: White leads 40-12-1 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #5 Lumpkin County Indians (7-0; 3-0 in 7-AAA); White County Warriors (4-3; 2-1 in 7-AAA)
HEAD COACHES: Heath Webb (76-70; 14 Seasons); Chad Bennett (8-9; 2 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

You have to go back to 1964 to see the beginning of this rivalry, and White County has truly owned it when you look at the big picture. The Warriors won each of the first 4, including in 1967 when Lumpkin was ranked #5. Lumpkin won the ’68 to retaliate, but White County still took the majority after that. The biggest stretch for the Warriors was winning each instance from 1979-1993, a total of 15 straight wins. Finally, Lumpkin won in 1994 for the first time since 1977, but then lost the next 4. Lumpkin won 3 in a row after that, then White County 5 straight. In this millennium, White County has gone 12-5 in the series. The Indians’ win last season snapped a 5-game win streak for the Warriors.

TEAM LEADERS (2023 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from this season

LUMPKIN COUNTY

PASSING
Cal Faulkner – 803 yds, 8 TD, 0 INT, 71% passing

RUSHING
Mason Sullens – 1,302 yds, 21 TD, 7.4 YPC
Cal Faulkner – 490 yds, 8 TD, 5.9 YPC
Jackson Bell – 84 yds, 3 TD, 7.0 YPC

RECEIVING
Luke Evans – 396 yds, 3 TD, 33 rec
Nolan Matthews – 151 yds, 2 TD, 13 rec
Harper Davenport – 104 yds, 1 TD, 12 rec
Walker Scott – 52 yds, 1 TD, 4 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Will Wood – 49 TKL, 1 FF
Nate Gilleland – 42 TKL, 1 TFL
Preston Cox – 33 TKL, 4 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR
Gerald Walker, Jr – 32 TKL, 2 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 INT
Connor Greilich – 29 TKL, 4 TFL
Haper Davenport – 18 TKL, 2 INT

WHITE COUNTY

PASSING
Tripp Nix – 1,203 yds, 9 TD, 3 INT, 55% passing

RUSHING
Ryan Fowler – 840 yds, 9 TD, 7.2 YPC
Tripp Nix – 254 yds, 8 TD, 3.1 YPC
Noel Lammers – 210 yds, 2 TD, 4.7 YPC

RECEIVING
Cam Wilson – 337 yds, 1 TD, 24 rec
Vondre Nelson – 296 yds, 2 TD, 18 rec
Caysen Duvall – 147 yds, 0 TD, 9 rec (out for season)
Ryan Fowler – 111 yds, 2 TD, 10 rec
Isaiah Whitlow – 110 yds, 2 TD, 9 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS (missing 1 game of stats)
Jon Scott – 75 TKL, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
Alex Johnson – 55 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FR
Bryce Dockery – 52 TKL, 3 TFL, 2 FF
Jason Rewis – 52 TKL, 6 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 INT
Cade Dockery – 52 TKL, 3 TFL, 1 FR, 1 FF
Carson Smith – 50 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FF
Noah Williams – 38 TKL, 2 TFL, 3 Sacks, 2 FF
Isaiah Whitlow – 13 TKL, 2 INT, 1 FR, 1 FF