Malachi Singleton will try to lead North Cobb to another region title this season as the Warriors prepare for a deep playoff run.
48 KICKOFF 2021
REGION 3AAAAAAA
Special - Anthony Stalcup
North Cobb going for back-to-back region titles
By Jake Jennings
MDJ Sports Writer
With North Cobb and Walton loading up
for a state championship push, Marietta and
Harrison a year removed from state championship
seasons, and Hillgrove and North
Paulding on the rise, Region 3AAAAAAA has
no shortage of storylines.
Malachi Singleton has a chance to be one
of the best players in the state this year and
his team should look pretty good, too. North
Cobb is coming off of a 10-2 season and returns
Singleton at quarterback along with plenty of
weapons for him to throw to. In 2020, Singleton
threw for 1,619 yards and 15 touchdowns
and he ran the ball for 1,091 yards and 17
touchdowns. The transfer of four-star receiver
De’Nylon Morrissette to the Warriors should
help to push those stats to another level.
On the defensive side of the ball North Cobb
lost it’s three leading tacklers from 2020. To
make up for the loss is a flurry of talent including
four-star Georgia commit Marquis Groves-Killebrew
and three-star Joshua Josephs.
Pushing North Cobb for the Region 3AAAAAAA
throne should be Walton and Marietta. The
Raiders, who finished second in the region last
season (6-6), return a team full of college level
talent. At quarterback, Appalachian State commit
Zak Rozsman will lead the way for Walton.
Helping him out on offense will be McEachern
transfer Sutton Smith who recently committed
to play his college ball at Memphis.
On defense, the Raiders will be led by fourstar
North Carolina commit Marcus Allen.
Coach Daniel Brunner said he sees the non-region
schedule as the key to Walton’s season.
“We want to win the first five games of the
season to gain identity, gain momentum and
steamroll into region play,” Brunner said.
Marietta is two years removed from a state
championship and after going 3-8 in 2020 it
is starting to trend in the right direction again.
“It’s going to be a long season, but I know
our guys are up to the challenge,” Marietta
coach Richard Morgan said. “It could very well
come down to the last game of the season.”
The Blue Devils will field talent similar to
North Cobb and Walton. Daniel Martin headlines
a defense that will look to improve on
it’s 36.5 points given up per game from last
season. Martin, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound inside
linebacker, is a four-star recruit with offers
from Oregon, Clemson, Georgia, Auburn,
Vanderbilt and more.
If the defense improves and senior quarterback
Tyler Hughes can produce Morgan said
the Blue Devils could have a real shot.
First year coaches Josh Cassidy (Harrison) and
Justin DeShon (Hillgrove) will look to make a
name for themselves in the competitive region
this year. Cassidy, who has been the defensive coordinator
for Harrison under former coach Matt
Dickmann, will take over as head coach this fall.
“We look forward to the challenge that this
region brings,” Cassidy said. “We are going to
do everything that we can as coaches, as players,
as everyone that is plugged in, to go compete
with every team in our region.”
For Harrison to compete they will need to
address the loss of Marcus Bleazard. He led
the county with 12 sacks last year and added
133 total tackles. Defensive end Nick Charles
and defensive back Nathan Vail will look to fill
the hole from Bleazard’s departure.
At Hillgrove, DeShon has some work to do
to improve on the 1-4 region record from last
year. Quarterback Chase McCravy saw plenty
of playing time as a freshman and will look to
improve as he takes over as the starter. South
Carolina commit Emory Floyd will lead the
defense from safety.
North Paulding will also look to improve on
the 2-8 overall 2020 record in the competitive
Region 3AAAAAAA.
Prediction
1. North Cobb
2. Walton
3. Marietta
4. Harrison
5. Hillgrove
6. North Paulding