Grayson travels to Langston Hughes attempting to avoid first 0-3 start since 2006

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Powerhouses collide in Fairburn for this week’s Drive for the GHSA State Title matchup as the Grayson Rams travel to Langston Hughes to take on the Panthers in an early season showdown.

The action will begin at 7:30 p.m. with our ‘Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff’ pregame show featuring On3’s Rusty Mansell, DawgNation’s Brandon Adams and Score Atlanta’s Landon Knight previewing the matchup ahead of kickoff at 8 p.m.

Friday’s matchup will be broadcast live on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and streamed live on the Atlanta News First website/app. From your home, download the free ANF+ app anywhere you stream — FireTV, AppleTV, Roku and YouTube TV — simply by searching for “Atlanta News First” on those platforms. If you are on the go, you can download Atlanta News First for free in the app store on your Apple or Android device. You can also watch live here on the WANF – Special Events channel.

Stay tuned after the game for the ‘Georgia High School Postgame Show’ which will feature DawgNation’s Kaylee Mansell alongside Score Atlanta’s Craig Sager II and Hayden Gilbert breaking down the game as well as covering scores from around the state.

In the series between the Rams and the Panthers, Grayson leads the series all-time 2-0 with the last meeting coming in 2015 at Hughes when the Rams won 56-21. Now, the two programs look a built different heading into their third meeting against one another. Both programs are led by former coordinators who have earned their head coaching opportunities at their respective schools.

On one sideline, Grayson head coach Greg Carswell is in the midst of his first season leading the Rams after serving as the defensive coordinator for multiple seasons. It’s been a rocky start for Carswell in his first season as the Rams are 0-2 for the first time since 2013 and are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2006. While it was not the start they hoped for, Carswell and his Rams have plenty of football left to play to turn their season around.

Before their bye week last week, Grayson was defeated by Sandy Creek 21-13 and was previously defeated by North Gwinnett 37-22 in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic.

The Rams offense is led by senior quarterback Deuce Smith who this season has thrown for 432 passing yards and four touchdowns. Smith is a dynamic player who spreads the ball around to his offensive skill players on a consistent basis. Those guys include senior running back Ashton Turner who leads the rushing attack for the Rams this season, and is averaging close to four yards per carry.

On the outside, Grayson has two 100-yard plus receivers through two games including senior wideout Saif Bin-Wahad who has brought in nine receptions for 161 receiving yards and a touchdown and junior wide receiver Cam Hurst who has recorded six receptions for 100 yards and a score.

Defensively the Rams are loaded with talent including three-star defensive lineman and Georgia-commit Waylon Wooten, four-star edge Elijah Tillman and a pair of defensive backs in four-star Jalen Welch as well as three-star safety London Goggans. Goggans is tied for most tackles on the team at the moment with 18 total tackles and a pass deflection and Tillman has continued to make an impact rushing the quarterback, accumulating 14 total tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack.

The Grayson defense is loaded with talent across the board, including ranked players in multiple positions and a defensive-minded head coach that wants to bring the best out of his team.

Hughes is led by Andrico Hines, who previously spent multiple seasons at Hughes as the team’s offensive coordinator. Hines played an instrumental part in the Panthers’ 2022 state championship as he helped engineer an offense that scored 792 points.

In Hines’ second season, the Panthers will look to build off a quarterfinals run from a season ago.

Leading the Hughes offense this season is quarterback Prince Amari Aminu who is in the middle of his first season as the Panthers’ starting quarterback. Through one game this season, the three-star quarterback has been perfect, completing all 11 of his passes for 152 passing yards and two passing touchdowns along with 41 yards rushing.

“Its always great to start the season off with a win and I thought he (Amari Aminu) had a good night,” said Hines. “I told him that this week would be a little different as we are going up against a competitive and good Grayson team. They have been one of the most dominant teams in Georgia so it’ll be a little tougher for him this week, but I think he is up for the challenge.”

The ground game for the Panthers has been by committee as Amari Aminu, Esco Grant and Kelvin Sessions make up a majority of their rushing production.

Through the air, wideouts D’emery Carmichael and Tymar Mike have been the top passing options as the two have recorded 73 receiving yards apiece and have combined for three receiving touchdowns.

Four-star offensive tackle and Georgia-commit Kelsey Adams stands as an imposing presence on the offensive line, opening running lanes and keeping Amari Aminu protected in passing situations.

Defensively, the Panthers secondary is led by talented DI commitments in a pair of three-stars in Dale Perry and Western Kentucky-commit Deon McKinley.

Linebackers Jaylen Wiggins and Jamell Brown have been leading the charge on the defensive end, leading an impressive Hughes defense that only allowed seven points in its 56-7 victory over North Atlanta.

Friday night’s matchup between the Rams and the Panthers will be a major data point for the new PSR rankings that will help determine postseason opponents around the GHSA.