Week 2 preview: Northeast prepares for Macon rival after Jones County upset
The story of Week 1 was Northeast’s upset of Jones County.
The Greyhounds came into the season with high expectations and a chance to open up the season at home fresh off a 5A semifinals appearance, arguably their best season in school history. Northeast was looking to show it belongs in the discussion with the top teams in Middle Georgia.
Last season, the Raiders finished 8-3 on the season and reached the second round of the playoffs. This was the first time since 2012 the team had won eight games in a season and the first time it had won a playoff game since 2002.
For head coach Jeremy Wiggins — in his fourth season with the team — the 33-28 win over Jones County was a point of validation for him and his program.
Wiggins said the win was a big step after dealing with the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 season and building a new fieldhouse and stadium, which forced the Raiders to work out and play away from their usual home.
“I think it was a real eye-opener,” Wiggins said about last week’s victory. “It is a culmination of the work the guys have been putting in. They worked really hard this summer to get where they are at. It is just a testament to them for the victory on Friday.”
Wiggins said the Raiders have a blend of great senior talent like quarterback Travion Solomon and younger stars, like junior offensive lineman Johnny Williams, who is a four-star recruit with offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida State.
Next up for Northeast is the Central Chargers. The last time these two teams met was in 2019 and Northeast won 40-14. But Central owns the series with 28-18 record, despite Northeast going 7-2 against the Chargers since 2006.
Wiggins said after the win last week, all of his energy and the team’s energy has been put into preparing for this intra-city matchup.
“I told them after the game ‘We enjoy this win tonight and then we go back to work.’ That is the mentality I have taken this week,” Wiggins said. “Central is the main focus this week.”
While the focus remains on the task at hand, this team is building toward another playoff appearance, a region title and their ultimate goal of taking home a state championship.
Wiggins said if his team is able to go on a run it would mean a lot not just for him and the players but for the community, similar to what has happened with Warner Robins over the last few seasons, which culminated in a title in 2020.
“It would be big for the city of Macon and our community on the East side and Bibb County athletics; to have a city school go far in the playoffs would be tremendous,” Wiggins said. “I want to see the community behind all the schools and if you got one school that is going farther, we need to jump on and push that team over the top with support.”
Here’s the rest of the Week 2 games for Middle Georgia high schools. All games begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, unless noted otherwise.
Week 2
- Northside vs Peach
- FPD vs Brookstone
- Houston vs Crisp
- Southwest vs Howard
- Northeast vs Central
- Dublin vs Dodge
- Mary Persons vs McDonough
- Tattnall vs Hawkinsville
- Warner Robins at Archer
- Veterans at West Laurens
- Jones at North Gwinnett
- Stratford at George Walton
Games of the week
Three Telegraph staffers will make picks each week for the top five matchups around Middle Georgia, and we’ll keep track of how we do.
Reporter Justin Baxley (4-1)
- Dublin over Dodge County
- Northeast over Central
- Peach over Northside
- Howard over Southwest
- West Laurens over Veterans
Senior editor Caleb Slinkard (3-2)
- Dublin over Dodge County
- Northeast over Central
- Northside over Peach
- Howard over Southwest
- Veterans over West Laurens
Photo journalist Jason Vorhees (4-1)
- Dodge County over Dublin
- Northeast over Central
- Peach over Northside
- Howard over Southwest
- West Laurens over Veterans
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 2:36 PM.