Our Round One Game of the Week takes us to Lumpkin County for the third time this season as the Indians seek more history when taking on Gordon Lee.

LUMPKIN COUNTY

What a season it’s been for the Indians. Hard Work Pays Off has been the motto for Heath Webb’s team since he took over the program before last season. That 2022 season was special, but this is incredible. In just 2 seasons, he’s made Lumpkin into a powerhouse. Region Title – Check. Undefeated Regular Season – Check. Top-10 offense – Check. Top-10 Defense – Check. State-ranked – Check. You get it. Everything a team could desire to accomplish, this team has done it. Mason Sullens could eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in this game, and Cal Faulkner and company are looking to keep it rolling.

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GORDON LEE

The Trojans have had a solid campaign in a tough region. The season saw Gordon Lee go on a 3-game win streak, and while the team doesn’t score a ton (21.4/game), it does enough in most games to be right there. It’s a run-heavy offense, and the skill players are almost all freshmen and sophomores. Not that youth should be frowned upon, but there’s definitely a lack of big-game experience. Sometimes that’s fine, as younger players might not be as fazed by the magnitude and pressure that exists. It could go either way. The defense has struggled at times, with 4 games of 30-plus against them. In close games (1-posession), Gordon Lee is 3-0 though. That includes a pair of 1-point region wins.

BY THE NUMBERS (2023)

LUMPKIN COUNTY

• 10-0 (7-AAA Region Champions)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 42.8 OFFENSE AVG (2nd in Class 3A)
• 16.7 DEFENSE AVG
• #5 State Ranking

GORDON LEE

• 6-4 (6-AAA 4th)
• Region Standings: 4th
• 21.4 OFFENSE AVG
• 27.0 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Round One. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Lumpkin 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. The Indians are at home, riding a historic wave of momentum, and hungry. They have a lethal offense and stingy defense, with both units relieving the other of pressure. Lumpkin is well-coached. Sticking to the status quo is the key here, and not getting out of the mindset of staying within itself. Do that, and Lumpkin rolls. Gordon Lee will need the young players to have their best games of the season, and the defense to throw something at Lumpkin that the Indians haven’t seen before. For the Trojans to win, it would mean doing all that as well as catching some breaks by way of turnovers, penalties, etc. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For Lumpkin County, we’ve caught 20 games going back to 2009, and the Indians have gone 7-13 in those, including 2-0 this season.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Lumpkin County HS / Dahlonega, GA
LAST MEETING: N/A
ALL-TIME RECORD: 1st-ever meeting
RECORDS: #5 Lumpkin County Indians (10-0; 7-AAA Champs); Gordon Lee Trojans (6-4; 6-AAA 4th)
HEAD COACHES: Heath Webb (79-70; 14 Seasons); Josh Groce (29-24; 5 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

No history here, so it will be made tonight!

TEAM LEADERS (2023 Stats)

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

LUMPKIN COUNTY

PASSING
Cal Faulkner – 1,165 yds, 12 TD, 1 INT, 69% passing

RUSHING
Mason Sullens – 1,849 yds, 20 TD, 7.2 YPC
Cal Faulkner – 763 yds, 14 TD, 6.1 YPC
Jackson Bell – 84 yds, 3 TD, 7.0 YPC
Gerald Walker – 43 yds, 1 TD, 4.8 YPC

RECEIVING
Luke Evans – 607 yds, 4 TD, 47 rec
Nolan Matthews – 245 yds, 3 TD, 20 rec
Harper Davenport – 122 yds, 2 TD, 15 rec
Walker Scott – 52 yds, 1 TD, 4 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS (1 game missing in stats)
Will Wood – 68 TKL, 1 FF
Gerald Walker, Jr. – 48 TKL, 3 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 INT
Preston Cox – 46 TKL, 4 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF
Nate Gilleland – 45 TKL, 1 TFL
Connor Bagley – 38 TKL, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks
Connor Greilich – 35 TKL, 5 TFL
Harper Davenport – 33 TKL, 2 INT, 1 FR
Dakota Bennett – 29 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 Sack
Trenton Brooksher – 21 TKL, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks
Cal Faulkner – 6 TKL, 2 INT

GORDON LEE (1 game missing stats)

PASSING
Dustin Day – 522 yds, 4 TD, 10 INT, 46% passing

RUSHING
Brayden Stoker – 645 yds, 11 TD, 7.8 YPC
Peyton Groce – 473 yds, 3 TD, 6.3 YPC
Brisyn Oliver – 343 yds, 2 TD, 5.1 YPC
Dalton Russell – 212 yds, 4 TD, 3.6 YPC
Layne Vaughn – 127 yds, 2 TD, 3.8 YPC

RECEIVING
Brayden Stocker – 318 yds, 1 TD, 25 rec
Landon Norton – 83 yds, 1 TD, 7 rec
Easton Yates – 54 yds, 1 TD, 4 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Layne Vaughn – 65 TKL, 6 TFL, 1 Sack, 2 FR, 1 FF
Peyton Groce – 55 TKL, 2 INT
Levi Gentry – 55 TKL, 1 Sack, 2 FF
Dalton Russell – 55 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 INT, 3 FR
Brisyn Oliver – 37 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 FR
Gabe Daugherty – 34 TKL, 2 TFL, 4 Sacks