ROSWELL, Ga. — Update: Roswell beat Denmark 35-10. They came together to honor Robbie Roper, a teammate that passed away last year.
Original story:
August is here, which means the beloved tradition of Friday night lights has returned to Georgia's gridiron.
Opening up the high school football slate in Team11's Game of the Week is a battle between two teams who finished at or near the top of their region a season ago, as the Roswell Hornets host the Denmark Danes at 7:30 p.m.
The highly touted Hornets come into the 2022 season ranked No. 4 overall in Class 6A, according to stats from the Georgia High School Association. Meanwhile for the unranked Danes, they're coming off their best season in program history a year ago when they went 8-3 and won Region 6-AAAAAAA.
Roswell finished second in Region 5-AAAAAAA to the region-champion Milton Eagles, who finished as state runner-ups in 7A to Collins Hill. The Hornets completed the year with a 10-3 record, their first double-digit win season since 2016.
Each of these team earned playoff wins in 2021, however both squads fell short to the mighty Grayson Rams in the playoffs in back-to-back rounds, with Denmark losing in the second round and Roswell bowing out in the quarterfinals.
Both teams have high hopes heading into the season opener tonight. Roswell is led by head coach Chris Prewett, in his third year with the Hornets, while the Danes also have a third-year man at the helm in Mike Palmieri.
On the field, 4-star Ethan Nation will look to lock down the Denmark receivers all night long. Nation currently has offers from Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Clemson, to name a few, but has yet to make a commitment. Another 4-star will oppose Nation, as Denmark's star linebacker and Clemson commit Dee Crayton will look to shine in the opener. Crayton led the Danes with 91 tackles and 4 sacks a season ago.
Be sure to check out #Team11 football show every Friday night at 11:15 for an in-depth breakdown of all of the high school football action in metro-Atlanta.
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