Class 7A blog: 5 games to watch in week 8

Roswell takes the field at the beginning of the Mill Creek vs. Roswell high school football game on Friday, November 27, 2020, at Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia.

Credit: Christina Matacotta/Special to the AJC

Credit: Christina Matacotta/Special to the AJC

Roswell takes the field at the beginning of the Mill Creek vs. Roswell high school football game on Friday, November 27, 2020, at Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia.

This is week eight of the high school football season. Here are five of the most intriguing games Friday in Class 7A:

Cedar Grove at Lowndes – Seventh-ranked Lowndes takes on the No. 1 team from Class 3A. Cedar Grove has more major Division I prospect than Lowndes and probably every other 7A team except probably Milton, especially on defense, but Lowndes hopes it has the depth to overcome. Lowndes has won 22 straight games at home.

Pebblebrook at East Coweta – Pebblebrook is 5-0-1 with a tie against Riverdale. The Falcons haven’t played a hard schedule, but a victory over the defending Region 2 champions would change perceptions. East Coweta is 5-1 and ranked No. 10.

Marietta at North Paulding – This is the Region 7 opener for both teams. Marietta (3-2) has been in the top 10 most of the season, but close losses to Colquitt County and Brookwood have the Blue Devils just outside looking in. North Paulding (3-2) beat Brookwood, if common opponents matter, but was blown out by Roswell and Newnan. This is the region that also houses Walton and North Cobb.

Roswell at Cherokee – Cherokee was ranked for a time until a three-game losing streak (Rome, Creekview, Cartersville) but might now be called one of 7A’s most dangerous underdogs. A.J. Swann is still one of the state’s best quarterbacks, and Roswell’s ace signal caller, Robbie Roper, was out lat week with an injury. Roswell is 5-1 and ranked No. 8 and beat Cherokee 35-28 last season.

Lambert at Denmark – Denmark leads Region 6 with a 2-0 region mark and is 4-1 overall. Lambert is 5-1 overall but 1-1 in region play. North Forsyth’s upset of West Forsyth last week threw a monkey wrench into this region race. Preseason favorite West Forsyth is 2-3, 0-1, and the ultimate winner is anyone’s wild guess. South Forsyth (4-1, 2-0) is at home Friday against West Forsyth, so watch that one too.