Domecoming Football Classic features Grady High in a battle of the undefeateds

Grady High junior halfback Marcus Caffey hurdles a Riverwood defender in the Grey Knights’ 40-0 win earlier this season. Photo by Elliott Erickson

We were thrilled wake up to our morning paper and see this nice feature on the Grady High-St. Pius X matchup, which will kick off APS’ inaugural Domecoming Football Classic on Saturday at the Georgia Dome. Good read.

But we believe in going right to the source for our football scoops, so we asked Jake Martin, managing editor for Grady High’s award-winning The Southerner newspaper, for his own take on Saturday’s game, which starts at 11 a.m. Here’s his take …  

By Jake Martin
Managing Editor, The Southerner
Photos by Elliott Erickson

In a matchup of the two unbeatens in region 5B-AAA, the Grady High Grey Knights will face off against the St. Pius X Golden Lions at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Georgia Dome. A win against St. Pius X would be the Grey Knights’ first since 1998, when they defeated the Golden Lions 47-7. In last year’s matchup, the Lions ran all over the Grey Knights, 28-7. As both teams currently stand at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the region, each two games clear of Carver, the winner of this year’s game will clinch a spot in the region championship game, most likely against defending champ Dunwoody High School.

This game will be a battle between one of the state’s best offenses, as St. Pius X is averaging an impressive 42.6 points per game, and one of its best defenses, as Grady is allowing only 7.4 points per game. The Grey Knights must focus on shutting down St. Pius X fullback Cole Moon, who chewed them up for 180 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s game. Moon has been rated a three-star prospect by the Rivals high school recruiting network. He rushed for nearly 1,300 yards last year in leading the Golden Lions to a second-place finish in the region.

One scary thought for the Grey Knights is how the two teams have fared against the same competition this season. St. Pius X has blasted two APS teams, Washington and Carver, while the Grey Knights struggled against both teams. The Golden Lions defeated Washington 40-14 while the Grey Knights won 12-7. The Golden Lions trounced Carver 42-7, while the Grey Knights only managed a 28-27 win thanks to a blocked point-after kick at the end of the game.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution sportswriter Todd Holcolmb, who ranked St. Pius X No. 3 in AAA on Oct. 18, says that Grady is a good team, but its relatively weak schedule has kept it out of the top-10 rankings so far this season. According to Holcomb, the St. Pius X game will be the measuring stick for the Grey Knights. Despite Holcolmb’s doubts, the Associated Press has ranked the Grey Knights No. 10 in AAA. This is the first time the Grey Knights have been ranked in that poll since they finished the 2006 season ranked No. 6 in AAA.

GAVarsity.com, a branch of the Rivals high school recruiting network, has had the Knights ranked No. 10 in AAA since they defeated Washington. Both polls have St. Pius X ranked No. 4.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Grady: junior Damian Swann (pictured above), wide receiver, quarterback, free safety, kick returner, punt returner. The junior captain Damian Swann has been the Grey Knights’ jack-of-all trades this season. Swann has seen action at quarterback, wide receiver, free safety, kick returner, punt returner, kicker AND punter this season. Swann has hit the recruiting trails hard this season and already has received an offer from the University of Mississippi, been invited on an official visit to the University of Alabama and has been contacted by phone by the University of Georgia.

The Grey Knights will depend on Swann to lead the way on offense as well as defense this game. Last game Swann had four catches for 54 yards before moving to quarterback and running six times for 29 yards.

St. Pius X: senior Cole Moon, fullback. Moon has led the Golden Lions’ potent triple-option offense for the past two years, as he rushed for nearly 1,300 yards last season. He is back on track this year with a couple stellar performances, including last week’s 165-yard rushing performance against Washington. Like Swann, Moon has been the subject of intense recruiting this year. His Rivals.com profile shows that he is considering UGA, Georgia Tech, Southern Mississippi, Western Kentucky and Wake Forest.