LaVallee leading Whitefield; MPC faces familiar foe

Sep. 24—Game: Brookstone (3-1) at Whitefield Academy (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Whitefield Academy 36, Brookstone 31

All-time series: Brookstone leads 3-1

Prediction: Whitefield 28, Brookstone 27

Whitefield Academy junior Caleb LaVallee is a career-long defender who has now gotten a little offensive.

The undefeated Wolfpack are well aware of his talents as a linebacker — he accumulated 123 total tackles his sophomore year — but he has proven this season that he is an explosive running back.

Going into tonight's game against Brookstone at Whitefield Stadium, LaVallee is leading the team with 322 yards on 45 carries and six touchdowns, four of which came on long runs. He also leads the team with 341 all-purpose yards.

He's known to have that thunder mentality when running the ball with that occasional burst of lightning. He is known for making defenders miss while in traffic before turning on the jets in space.

"He's an extremely physical runner and great after contact," Whitefield Academy coach Coleman Joiner said. "What makes him good as that he had great vision and is deceptively fast. His separation speed once he gets to the second and third level is why he gets so many touchdown runs this year."

At linebacker, Joiner said LaVallee continues to be a natural at the position. He already has a county-leading 54 tackles to lead the Wolfpack and also leads the team with five sacks.

Joiner said he is a smart player who can read opposing offenses and that his closing speed is impressive. He also has a knack for shedding blocks.

"He's definitely taking his game to another level," Joiner said. "He was one of the county's leading tacklers last year. He's understanding our scheme and understanding how smart he is."

Whitefield opened the season with a 13-0 win over Mt. Vernon in its own stadium and hasn't been at home since. The three-game road trip started with a 14-13 win over Darlington where LaVallee scored both touchdowns. He added another pair the following week in the Wolfpack's win over North Cobb Christian and two more in Whitefield's 42-0 shutout over East Forsyth.

Following a bye week, LaVallee and the Wolfpack will enjoy a two-game home stand.

By Adam Carrington

MDJ Sports Correspondent

Game: Mount Paran Christian (2-2) at Commerce (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Commerce 41, Mount Paran 9

All-time series: Commerce leads 1-0

Prediction: Commerce 27, Mount Paran 14

After starting the season 2-0, Mount Paran Christian has fallen to 2-2 with losses to Mount Vernon and Stratford Academy.

"We played two really good teams the past two weeks, and unfortunately we have not played well," coach Mitch Jordan said. "So, we are just trying to focus again on what we do and try to get better each week."

This week, Jordan said the team is focusing on improving the little things as they are scheduled to travel to Commerce on Friday.

"In every phase of the game, we are making a mistake early, and it just comes down to four or five plays in each game," he said. "I'm just trying to show the kids how important each snap is in every phase of the game.

"I think our guys are starting to grasp the importance of complementary football and the ability to help each other from all sides of the ball."

This will be the second time the programs have faced off, but it is the first time the programs have played with former North Cobb Christian coach Mark Hollars at the helm of the Tigers program. The Eagles faced Hollars' North Cobb Christian team in 2018 and lost 28-10, but Jordan said that sense of familiarity will help with Mount Paran's preparation this week.

"Commerce has a lot of carryover, they were a triple-option team, and Mark runs some of the same things," he said. "Playing North Cobb Christian in the past, seeing them on film, is definitely something we've seen before in coach Hollars, but he does a great job of coaching them up, and in execution. He's done the same thing at Commerce that he did at North Cobb Christian."

All three games Commerce has played have been against teams in higher classifications — Banks County (Class AA) Elbert County (Class AA) and Pickens (Class AAAA). Mount Paran will be the Tiger's first match-up against a Class A program this season.

Nearly halfway through the season, the Eagles' offense has been led by Sam Griffith-Tesch, who has 255 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and quarterback Daniel Gray, who has thrown for 237 yards and two scores. Evan Warren and Wesley Hollis lead the defense with 67 combined tackles.

"Nobody is hitting the panic button," Jordan said, "we just have to continue to get better."

By Anna Snyder

MDJ Sports Writer