Our Week Five Game of the Week takes us to Dahlonega for a game that has HUGE region title implications as Lumpkin hosts GAC!

LUMPKIN COUNTY

The Indians are 2-1. There’s that. But let’s take a deeper dive. The opener was wild – a rainy, lightning-delayed road game at Cherokee Bluff. The 31-20 loss was perplexing…until it wasn’t. The Bears have turned out to the real deal, ranked #6 in the state, and undefeated at 4-0. The Indians have rebounded nicely, taking a win over #10 Hart County and then a shootout win against Dunwoody, both at home. This marks the third straight in a string of 4 home games. This is the region opener in 6-AAA for Lumpkin. Cal Faulkner has been fantastic the last couple of games, and Nolan Matthews is dangerous in the return game and in the backfield. The O-line last week seems to have found a groove. If there’s one knock, it’s that this team has allowed 91 points (over 30 per game). That’s not sustainable, though the numbers will improve over the next several weeks (or should). No doubt, this team is going to be working on what they need to and keeping within their game plan each week.

---

GREATER ATLANTA CHRISTIAN

The Spartans aren’t quite what people have grown accustomed to. The powerhouse program hasn’t been so powerful lately. The past 3 seasons have been one and done playoff runs, a far departure from state final runs or semi/quarter trips they were accustomed to. The same coach is over the program though (Tim Hardy), so the DNA is there. At 0-3 and not being even close in any of their games, the Spartans appear to be slipping. This is only the second time under coach Hardy to start 0-3. The offense is anemic at 12.3 points per game, and the defense is porous at 32.0 allowed. QB Adrian Hughes has been wildly inconsistent, and the run game is nonexistent.

BY THE NUMBERS (2024)

LUMPKIN COUNTY

• 2-1 (0-0 in 6-AAA)
• Region Standings: N/A
• 32.3 OFFENSE AVG
• 30.3 DEFENSE AVG
• #10 State Ranking

GREATER ATLANTA CHRISTIAN

• 0-3 (0-0 in Region 6-AAA)
• Region Standings: N/A
• 12.3 OFFENSE AVG
• 32.0 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping Week Five. 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. Let’s begin with the Indians. Point blank, the defense has to be better. The offense generates the 30-plus points per game, but the defense has to be more disciplined in this one. Another thing to keep at the forefront is the perception. Lumpkin County would do well to pretend to not even notice the opponents’ name on the front of the jersey. Sometimes that can be a factor, but if Lumpkin stays within itself, they will win this game. The Spartans meanwhile…sheesh. It’s been bad, giving up 96 points while scoring only 37. But unlike Lumpkin, this team needs only to look on the name on the front of their jersey to remember who they are. They have a clean slate mentality in this one as it opens region play. If they play clean ball and the defense bends but doesn’t break, they can win. OUR PICK: SEE HERE

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For the Indians, we’ve been to 22 games since 2009, and Lumpkin has gone 8-14 in those. That includes winning 5 of the last 7 we’ve seen.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Lumpkin County HS / Dahlonega, GA / Lynn Cottrell Field
LAST MEETING: 2019 (#4 GAC 49, Lumpkin County 6)
ALL-TIME RECORD: GAC leads 10-0 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #10 Lumpkin County Indians (2-1; 0-0 in 6-AAA); Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans (0-3; 0-0 in 6-AAA)
HEAD COACHES: Heath Webb (83-72; 15 Seasons); Tim Hardy (131-52; 16 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

These teams have played more than people might thing…10 times in history. Every single game has gone to the Spartans, dating back to 2000, the first meeting. Only one time has Lumpkin scored 20 or more points, and GAC has pitched a shutout 4 times. The teams squared off each year from 2000-2005, then again from 2016-2019. In 9 of the 10 meetings, the Spartans were state-ranked. This 11th meeting will mark only the second time they aren’t ranked.

TEAM LEADERS (2024 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps from last season; returning players only

LUMPKIN COUNTY

PASSING
Cal Faulkner – 332 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT, 63% completion

RUSHING
Nolan Matthews – 380 yds, 5 TD, 6.4 YPC
Cal Faulkner – 265 yds, 4 TD, 7.0 YPC

RECEIVING
AJ Scott – 159 yds, 1 TD, 14 rec
Trent Mobley – 78 yds, 1 TD, 11 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Jackson Bell – 31 TKL, 2 TFL
Trent Mobley – 20 TKL, 1 TFL, 3 INT
Mike Nichols – 19 TKL, 2 TFL
AJ Scott – 16 TKL, 1 FR, 1 FF
Connor Greilich – 14 TKL

GREATER ATLANTA CHRISTIAN

PASSING
Adrian Hughes – 514 yds, 5 TD, 3 INT, 52% completion
Tommy Young – 97 yds, 0 TD, 3 INT, 44% completion

RUSHING
Adrian Hughes – 124 yds, 1 TD, 5.6 YPC
Maceo Woodward – 31 yds, 0 TD, 1.4 YPC

RECEIVING
Gabe Daniels – 204 yds, 2 TD, 15 rec
Jack Griggs – 203 yds, 2 TD, 10 rec
Stephen Phillips – 55 yds, 1 TD, 5 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
CJ Ohuabunwa – 20 TKL
Stephen Phillips – 19 TKL
Will Polhill – 17 TKL
Pierce Wilson – 16 TKL
Joshua Hills – 15 TKL, 4 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
Micah Pryor – 15 TKL, 4 TFL, 1.5 Sacks