dgoodman@henryherald.com

McDonough — Two major region matchups headline Friday football action around Henry County, as No. 1 Stockbridge travels to Locust Grove High and No. 1 Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy meets No. 2 Wesleyan.

Stockbridge at Locust Grove

Top-ranked Stockbridge will meet up against Locust Grove, a team who is similar in nearly every way offensively.

Stockbridge’s rushing offense has averaged 253.8 yards per game, while Locust Grove has averaged 259 on the ground. Through the air, it’s virtually the same for both teams, as Stockbridge has averaged 121.8 yards per game while Locust Grove has averaged 119.8 yards.

As always, Stockbridge head coach Kevin Whitley remains focused on improving what his team does best rather than worrying about the opposition.

“Our players and coaches believe in our system,” Whitley said. “When you believe in what you do, practice and play hard, it gives us a chance to win. Our goal is daily improvement as a team.”

Despite Stockbridge’s tendency to run the ball, Whitley said he believes his team is balanced offensively. When quarterback Kenderick Duncan has needed to throw this season, he’s had success hooking up with wide receiver Marquez Ezzard and other receivers.

“When you can have a balanced attack it only improves your offense,” Whitley said. “We aren’t known for throwing the ball, but that doesn’t mean we can’t throw it.”

The offense garners the attention, but Stockbridge’s defense has played well this season, most recently in a shutout against Ola.

“Along with the turnovers, we have scored two defensive touchdowns,” Whitley said. “We must continue to play at a high level to give us a chance to win. Our program is built on defense.”

Locust Grove’s head coach Clint Satterfield knows that his defense which features Joah Curry (eight interceptions in five games) will have to play well against Stockbridge’s offense.

“They have an explosive running game and we’ll have to try and slow them down,” Satterfield said. “We have to get stops on third down.”

The Wildcats, like Stockbridge, will look to take advantage of their run game featuring senior Caleb Huntley, who has rushed for 769 yards through five games.

While both teams will do battle on the field, they’ll combine to support a good cause off of it. Both teams are planning to represent Breast Cancer Awareness during the month of October.

“Our players love to represent the cause by wearing pink during that week, but we hope to be a blessing to people dealing with any form of cancer,” Whitley said. “We want to represent our families, school, and community in such a way that it brings a smile to their faces knowing that they are not alone in this fight.”

Stockbridge and Locust Grove kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Locust Grove.

Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy at Wesleyan

Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy has gotten off to an early 5-0 start featuring three straight shutouts. Avoiding the complacency of big wins is something that head coach Jonathan Gess has been preaching and teaching to his team.

“Everyday you have to fight complacency whether you’re winning or losing,” Gess said. “Everyday is an opportunity to grow and get better whether you are winning or losing.”

Top-ranked ELCA will see an increase in the quality of competition this week when they travel to play No. 2 Wesleyan in a game that could decide the Region 5-A Private champion. Gess said he’s looking forward to playing the region foe.

“Wesleyan is a great program,” Gess said. “It’s the type of team that you have to beat to win a state championship. It is going to be a great test for us to see how we stack up at the midpoint of the season.”

The Chargers have a tough running game featuring Josh Mays, who has scored seven touchdowns this season. Trevor Gear, Justin Menard and quarterback Brayden Rush are also capable of shouldering the load for the ground game.

“Trevor Gear, Mays and Justin Menard have done a great job in the run game,” Gess said. “Our offensive line is getting better every week. We just have to keep improving.

“Our offense is built around running the football and then big play opportunities in the passing game,” Gess continued. “Some people want to throw five yard passes — we want five yard runs and big plays through the air.”

ELCA and Wesleyan are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.