COVINGTON, Ga. — With high temperatures in the 70s and overcast skies across metro Atlanta on Friday, high school football weather is officially back.
So are the Newton Rams, who are enjoying their first 4-0 start since the 2015 season when they went on to win Region 2-AAAAAA going 9-3. In the seven seasons since, they have compiled just a 38-35 record, not making it past the first round of the GHSA playoffs.
But under first-year head coach John Skelton, they have been one of the most dominant teams in Georgia high school football through the first four weeks. Here's how each of their first four games have fared:
- Newton def. Hapeville Charter 50-0
- Newton def. Alcovy 54-0
- Newton def. Eastside 41-0
- Newton def. McEachern 13-7
That's good for an eye-opening point differential of 158-14. A large part of that offensive success has come at the hands of running back Zion Johnson. The junior has rushed for 609 yards and seven touchdowns on just 61 carries, according to MaxPreps. No, that is not a typo. He is averaging 10 yards per carry and 152.3 yards per game -- capped off by a 17-carry, 231-yard performance against Hapeville Charter in the season-opener.
Johnson currently has two collegiate offers, one from Florida and the other from Arkansas State, according to 11Alive's insiders at Rivals.
On the flip side, Westlake didn't come into the year with the same struggles that the Rams had faced in previous years. The Lions are aiming for their 10th consecutive winning season, but are still in search for their first state championship.
Westlake has opened the year 4-0 under under head coach Rico Zackery who is in his sophomore campaign. Westlake is ranked No. 6 in the state's top high school football classification, according to Georgia High School Football Daily.
The Lions have scored nearly 50 more points than the Rams, which in a way is hard to believe. Westlake has put at least 50 up on the board in every game this season except one. Here are their results so far:
- Westlake def. North Cobb 52-28
- Westlake def. Crisp County 50-12
- Westlake def. Cedar Grove 46-41
- Westlake def. Southwest DeKalb 57-7
The Lions have also been led by a strong ground game -- with three separate players over 100 yards and multiple scores. Junior quarterback Sean Smith has been fairly efficient through the air, completing 37 of 60 passes for 550 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
With two of the highest-scoring offenses in the GHSA going head-to-head, we'll see who can light up the scoreboard more on Friday night when the two high-powered squads face off. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. in Newton County.
You can check out highlights of Westlake's exciting Week 3 win over Cedar Grove below:
