Hillgrove, McEachern 1-3 in Tough Early Season

Two games into the 2012 season, the and football teams have accumulated as many defeats as they combined for all last season.

The Indians and Hawks were each handed second-round playoff losses in the 2011 playoffs, finishing their seasons at and , respectively. Both teams’ loss columns are already equal to last year's.

But there’s something fans of Powder Springs’ two public high schools are keeping in mind as they look toward the rest of the season: The three losses in four games have come from top-five teams.

Getting a preseason ranking of No. 6 for 5A from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2011, McEachern has had to struggle with replacing offensive weapons from last year’s senior class like quarterback Trent Thompson; , who was ranked the nation’s fourth-best kicking prospect; and several wide receivers and running backs.

Moving up to , the Indians (0-2) didn’t make the AJC’s top 10 preseason list this year. 

Their first loss came in the Corky Kell Classic against Gwinnett County's Grayson, who last season  to claim the 5A state championship. , the Rams were the AJC’s No. 1 preseason pick and remain there after week two.

In Friday’s East-West Cobb Classic at their home field, the Indians lost the lead to Walton with 25 seconds left when the Raiders knocked down a 43-yard field goal, making for a 37-35 final, the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

Walton (2-0) was 2011’s 5A state runner-up and features senior running back and Alabama commit Tyren Jones, who against McEachern . Following the win, the AJC pushed Walton up one from preseason rankings to No. 3 in the state.

McEachern fans will have a chance to breath and regroup this week before heading to 4-6A rival Pebblebrook on Sept. 14. The Falcons lost their first regular season game to Southwest Dekalb Friday, 23-0, GPB says. The Indians will look to capture their first win, perhaps in similar fashion to last year’s 52-14 blowout over Pebblebrook. 

Meanwhile, McEachern’s crosstown rival Hillgrove had a promising , 21-17, followed up by a .

These wins came in spite of not being in the AJC’s top 10 preseason list and without last year’s workhorse, running back Kenyan Drake, who finished his senior year with 1,610 yards and 18 touchdowns on 173 carries. 

Getting their first-half engine going appears problematic for the Hawks. Against Westlake, all their points were scored in the second half. The same was true for their 29 points against Lassiter during the other game at Friday’s East-West Cobb Classic.

But the Trojans’ 37 first-half points, scored on every first-half drive except for one, were enough in the end for a 37-29 victory, the MDJ reports. (Check out on Northeast Cobb Patch.)

Lassiter features UCLA-bound quarterback Eddie Printz, who last year in the second round and onward to their first-ever semi-finals appearance, acording to the AJC. They started at No. 5 in the newspaper’s preseason poll and are now at No. 4.

Hillgrove will try to bring their record back above .500 when they head to 4-6A rival Marietta on Sept. 14. The Blue Devils (1-1) , when LSU-bound quarterback Anthony Jennings completed 19 of 23 pass attempts for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

Last year, the Hawks . 

In other West Cobb action Friday, Harrison won their first regular season game over Woodstock, 21-16, according to the MDJ. The Hoyas are in former NFL assistant coach Marty Galbraith.

See each team's full 2012 schedule: 

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