The last time Clarke Central competed in the state’s second-largest classification (the old Class 6A), it was a 5-5 team that finished seventh in a 10-team region and missed the playoffs for just the second time since 2005.
That was nine years ago. Now the Gladiators are back, again coming off a season with no playoffs but enjoying their new home after a 2-0 start in the second-largest class (the new Class 5A).
The Gladiators have been impressive in their first two victories. They opened the season by rolling past Athens archrival Cedar Shoals of Class 4A 42-3, then they rallied from a 22-point deficit to defeat Class 3A Oconee County 37-36 last week.
Oconee County led 30-8 at halftime, but Clarke Central got two third-quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Hezekiah Millender to get within 30-23. After the Gladiators pulled even early in the fourth quarter, Oconee County got a 42-yard touchdown run from Darius Darden to make it 36-30, but the Warriors missed the extra-point attempt and the lead stayed at six points.
Clarke Central scored the game-winner on a touchdown pass to Xayvion Berry in the final minute, and Skylier Walter intercepted a pass to end Oconee County’s final chance.
“We learned a valuable lesson,” Clarke Central coach David Perno told Sara Tidwell of the Athens Banner-Herald. “We didn’t practice well this week; we were coming off the hangover from the Cedar Shoals win, and we just weren’t sharp the first half. We weren’t ready. It’s good to learn a lesson and still get a win. We’re going to practice at 6 a.m. next week to make sure they’re ready [for Jefferson].”
Millender is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound senior who transferred from Arizona after passing for 5,451 yards and 61 touchdowns and rushing for 905 yards and 11 touchdowns the past two seasons. He is a three-star recruit who committed to Boise State last week.
Millender had 152 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the victory over Cedar Shoals.
“Our offense is dangerous,” Millender told Tidwell. “We’ve got all the wide receivers, we’ve got all the tight ends, we’ve got everything we need, and we’re just balling.”
Clarke Central will face its biggest test of the young season when it goes on the road for the first time to face Jefferson, the No. 2 team in Class 3A. The teams have met twice, with Jefferson winning both (22-14 in 2023 and 17-7 in 2022).
Here are five more unranked Class 5A teams that have opened the season a surprising 2-0 and are looking to build off that strong start:
*Seckinger: The computer Maxwell Ratings rank Seckinger as the most improved team in Class 5A. The third-year Gwinnett County school went 3-14 while playing a non-region schedule in a lower classification the past two seasons, with victories against Oglethorpe County, Heritage-Newnan and Cross Keys. This year, the Jaguars have added wins against West Hall and Archer. Maxwell had pegged Seckinger as a 39-point underdog in the Archer game. Seckinger host Mountain View this week.
*Chattahoochee: The Cougars, who moved up one class this season, haven’t won more than three games in a season since 2017 or started 2-0 since their 2010 state championship team went 15-0. They’re 2-0 now, though, after wins over Apalachee (47-21) and Riverwood (47-21). Chattahoochee and Seckinger both play in rugged Region 7, which includes top-ranked Milton, No. 2 Gainesville and No. 8 Roswell, so the wins are going to be a lot tougher to come by once region play begins.
*Banneker: The Trojans started 2-0 each of the past two seasons in a lower classification but finished 4-6 and out of the playoffs each time. They are 2-0 this season after wins over two Class 6A teams – Osborne (22-21) and South Cobb (34-10). Banneker will face its biggest challenge when it meets fifth-ranked Hughes in the Region 3 opener on Sept. 13. Hughes is the overwhelming favorite to win the region, but the race for the rest of the playoff spots appears wide open.
*New Manchester: Head coach Olten Downs inherited a program that went 0-10 in 2022 and got it to 4-6 last year, but New Manchester didn’t get its second win until late September. The Jaguars have opened this season with victories against Washington (35-10) and Discovery (47-13). If they prevail in a winnable game against Stone Mountain this week, they’ll 3-0 heading into the Region 5 opener against Kennesaw Mountain on Sept. 13.
*Woodstock: After suffering through back-to-back 0-10 seasons, the Wolverines turned the program over last year to Dan Devine, who won two games in his first season. They’ve opened this season with dominant victories over Etowah (24-7) and Woodland-Cartersville (42-3) and have a winnable game this week against North Springs. Woodstock faces River Ridge on Sept. 6 to open play in Region 6, which has four 2-0 teams (Creekview, Sequoyah and Sprayberry are the others).
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